Thursday, September 20, 2012

Hudson River School Painting (Notes)

Yellow

Old Holland Naples Yellow Deep Extra (cooler when mixed with white; makes brighter/cooler greens)

Gamblin Yellow Ochre (makes more earthy greens; translucent; stays warm)

Indian Yellow (very transparent, fiery [Utrecht Indian Yellow has a little ochre -  harmonize w/ palette)

Red

Gamblin Burnt Sienna (goes warmer with white, transparent)

Venetian Red (goes cooler with white)

Alizarin Crimson (for breaking out of earthiness)

 Blue

Gamblin Mars Black (warmer, makes a blue-grey when mixed with white, more transparency)

Ultra Marine Blue (cooler when mixed with white, bright)

Prussian Blue (cheap tube is fine, very bright w/ white)-

Neutral

Burnt Umber (warm, reddish when transparent [good for shadows])

Gamblin Flake White Replacement

Medium

40 percent stand oil / 60 percent Gamsol


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Long Study

Transparency first (no white)

Start with lightly tinted ground (Gamsol and Burnt Sienna Rubbed in with a rag)
   -warms white of the canvas, prevents colors from being to bright
   -keep color calm in favor of light and atmosphere
Spread out pigments with Medium to get different values on palette uses transparency
Dry brush with rag before dipping to get paint for canvas (to control values your are using)


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Stage 1

Find the Ground Planes (Lightly Drawing with Burnt Sienna) to establish stacking of space.

Stage 2 

Block in composition with Red, Yellow, Blue

Find Purple, Orange, and Green tones between colors on palette (transparent ranges)

The Bottom of the sky (near the Horizon) is the keynote of the picture
     -establishes warmth with transparent sienna along horizon
     -transparent blue from top. Rubs with rag transition to warm sienna (glowing transition)

Paints in blue atmosphere of last hill with transparent blue

The Shadows get more purple as they come forward and finally become red-brown

blue -> purple -> red-brown (neutralized with blue)
distant ---------------> near

Starts using Medium mixture now

Simplified, blurred transition, but getting gently denser toward foreground.
Denser, darker shadows at bottom of trees

Leaving light patches in translucent washes will make the distance jump forward artificially (keep even)

Establish this range (big affect - cool to warm) so eyes won't trick you with contrast in details.

Now incorporating burt umber in foreground shadow lightly indicating foreground trees. (the denser the closer)


tree drawing: character and gesture of big clumps that can be elaborated upon
(think about clumps coming forward and falling backward)

Try to keep the range (big effect), even when adding cools to foreground, ect..)

Stage 3 

Mixed Blue with white and painted it along the horizon to emphasize warm glow at the bottom of the sky (neutralized it a bit with burnt sienna)

Closer blue-white gets to pure white the gentler with the warm glaze.

Can also lift up a bit of the sienna glaze right near horizon/sun to increase glow

softly -> horizon is the keynote (establishes the feeling)
adjusting warmness, coolness, and medium amount to finding the feeling your are looking for.

Adding Venetian Red to make more of a pure purple to create more space.

Adds white it its too warm; Adds medium if its too cool.

Combinations of light and dark that make up textures as you come forward.

Increased amount of texture as you come forward.

Truth in a landscape is Unity. 

In the middle ground you start to see more local colors (still subordinate to big effect/range).

Use yellow ochre to transition purple mid ground into red-brown foreground.


Tree drawing with thin burnt sienna and long, thin brush - thinking about the opposite side of the form when drawing the contour of one side.

Patching green foliage into the sky, burying sienna drawing mark.

Creating rhythm: larger space, smaller space, even smaller space, larger space (of different shape/size)
 - Too much repetition looks made up - but bring order


Trees are densest, most sculptural at the bottom - less dense, atmospheric towards top.

Mixes foreground greens with ochre and black (warmer than u. marine) (can show texture of bark here)

Rounding off green patches with Ochre and white highlights (very sparingly -> creates focus)
   -if you put highlights everywhere they disappear

In a warm range white and umber can look like purple.

A lot of what you are seeing in Old Master paintings are optical illusions

You can very quickly lose an effect if you start using white as light.



Interview 

looking deep as opposed to looking broad

whats the same about the masters you appreciate?

"I want to feel the profound affect of beautiful painting."

Maintaining the idea that there is perfection.

A line of perfection - proximity to it is the factor.

seek the living artists that produce most closely what you're looking for.


Tree Study

Warm glaze:
yellow ochre, venetian red, medium
 -wipes over whole canvas
 -wipes out sun
 -brings everything into a warm range

Paints on pure white at brightest spot of picture

mixes blue-white to bring some coolness into the sky (pulling, transition down from top of sky)

Longer Study GLAZE

Spreads oil medium over whole surface in an even layer
  -turns canvas at an angle to make sure layer is even

Mixes inky sienna (dry brush after)
puts subtle rosy effect at horizon line (making a morning scene)
(WARNING: Glazes become more unpredictable the more you work into them)

Adds sienna glaze where ever lights hits the scene strongest to create unifying warm light

Then glazes yellow ochre into light clumps in trees (increases warmth of greens in the foreground)

Keep Yellow glaze toward foreground so green in distance don't come forward!

Glazing blue in top of the sky (translucent blue)
   - this emphasizes warm rosy glow at the horizon with contrast
Adds Blue into the atmosphere of distant hills

Adds a little black to umber, couple drops of medium (Similar to Van Dyck Brown)

Uses "Van Dyck Brown" to glaze deepest shadows
   - works ground up into trees
   - puts rag over back of the brush to pull out pigment where he doesn't want dark glazes (restoring       glow to those areas

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Clouds:

Uses same brush rag technique to rub out clouds from blue just glazed in.

Note: Clouds are more horizontal near horizon and have more angle as they are seen up in dome of the sky

Paints in blue-white shadow on clouds
  - adds burnt sienna to make it purpler

Layers deep in space will have a different relationship to the sun - less shadows.

Nearest cloud have more intense shadows

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Mixes ochre with a little sienna
 - brings this orange into light masses of tree
 - grives the form of the tree more contrast, is more solid
    -using much more opaque paint
    -making a solid statement
    -in Old Master painting the light areas tend to be much thicker


Mixes yellow ochre-white
 - Paintings tiny highlights to break up orange he just painted

Softens areas where brushwork is dominating

Overall

thin ---------------> thick
translucent tones----->thicker lights


"Its all about the infinite sensation of one thing in front of another."
-Erik Koepell

All notes takes from Erik Koepell's "Techniques of Hudson River School Masters" DVD












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