Tag: artist quality paints

Cold Wax …. travel to a new place

Inspiration 1: The Book

cold wax painting, great art books, wabi sabi art books, art and travel, debiriley.com — Cold Wax Painting – The Book

Anything with “Wabi Sabi” has my immediate attention, as many of you have guessed by now. Wabi-wabi Painting with Cold Wax by Serena Barton is on my list of Great Art Books to read. Beautifully laid out, logically presented and is easy to follow along and ‘ad lib.

Cold wax is a wax medium primarily used with oil paints to extend, increase thickness, to create added depth, transparency to the painting. With hot wax, ie encaustics, you need to heat the wax. Which is sometimes a logistical issue.

I have, used cold wax over both acrylics and watercolours.

It worked fine for me.

Resolving and fixing your paintings, debiriley.com — Cobalt Teal Blue …cold wax glaze

Cold wax is easier, than how wax encaustics.

Its ready all the time. It doesn’t give precisely the same results as hot wax encaustics, it is different. In a good way.

I have experimented with both, and love both.

Wax, either cold wax or encaustic, have a certain quality to them, an otherworldliness. This makes them perfect for paintings denoting depth, space, antiquity, and distant lands.

Its this unique quality the wax provides, that I love.

The aspect of travel of Other Lands, suits cold wax application beautifully.

Golden wax encaustic debiriley.com — Shimmering… hot wax encaustic

Travel Inspiration… through Art

printmaking paper, Sennelier oil pastel, print plates, wax sticks, naples yellow, debiriley.com — Inspiring world, through Art – Encaustic Sticks, Chinese paper, pastels

Art is a form of travel.

Why do I say that?

Art is able to transport you in time and place.

I suppose, its almost like a magic carpet. In a way.

Art is able to transcend the barriers of the present moment – to project us forward, backward, or perhaps into alternate and magical, realms.

If, the art is convincing enough.

If we are fortunate to have a Muse, to help us!

The Art Muse

Art in all its forms, needs some type of a muse.

Something to breathe the breath of life into the art.

Something to spark the ember into a fire.

We need a Muse, that Adds To the world of art we wish to create.

The Muse shares with us, shows us: different approaches, fresh ideas. With the help of our Muse, we use all our senses as we go about our everyday living.

Daily life, has been enriched.

That, is what the Muse does for the artist.

Expressive Art Creations can’t flourish, in conditions of rigid conformity.

The Muse, works best in a free unbound environment. In utter authenticity.

The Muse relies upon individualist creativity. That which can not be replicated, mass produced.

The Muse is no Lemming. What is being created are things of unique and rare merit.

Imagination comes without an On – Off switch. Sometimes its ON. Sometimes, its Off.

Travel to new lands – Breaking Out

Creativity isn’t free to express its voice, if its shackled to the same four walls.

Art needs to be let out of the room, to go explore.

Some Where.

Once in awhile.

These 3 Mountain paintings, are from 3 completely different geographical areas.

The exploring, the wandering, the travel …. it continues to Add To my daily life.

winter mountain acrylics debiriley.com — Winter Dawn Mountain Acrylics

color on the mountain, landscape painting, emerald, jade, debiriley.com — Color On The Mountain with cold wax added

We travel to new places, To See.

Discovering different pathways.

To hear the songs from all across the earth.

Ultramarine Mountain landscape debiriley.com — Ultramarine Mountain

Travel allows us to discover.

Whether we are walking a new street, seeing a new country, a new city.

Using a new color, a new medium, a different paper. Or a different brush.

Without a bit of travel, we become insular.

We become wrapped within our own habits, routines, becoming slaves to our own Selves.

Not noticing the treasures surrounding us.

So. By the occasion foray to a new land, a new media, a different place, we become more aware of our local daily environment as well. Interesting.

I’d always longed to travel the entire globe.

Spinning the school’s world globe, studying maps of other lands.

Dreaming of being a pioneer, of discovering unknown places.

While there may not be, many of those wild places left to discover and my days of scaling the rugged mountain peaks may have finished….. I still can hike (stroll) and explore and conquer new lands.

I can still travel.

In many different ways.

So can you.

We may not all be able to jet off to New York City, Seattle, London, Tokyo, Madrid, Singapore.

But we can use Art, as our vehicle, to transport us wherever we wish to go.

Any new place we go, adds to us. We become more, Inside.

Cold Wax is another way to travel to new places – in your art.

It has an adventurous, unknown, feeling to it. It feels wonderful buffed and polished when dry. The layerings will create a sense of smoothed-over scarring; with a dimension and depth that is irresistible.

cold wax medium, watercolor abstracts, cobalt teal blue, ocean theme, debiriley.com — Resolving old works… with Cold Wax Medium

Cold Wax Mediums

I have used all three of the brands. Each are quite good. I do like Dorlands.

Dorlands

Gamblins

Art Spectrum

Petals of color

So sweet, so velvety these petals you almost want to kiss.

So tempting those soft petals of a flower.

Do you wonder, how to create flowers or trees, or clouds as they thunder in from the south?

Do you wonder What colors, did the artist use?

What paper? What technique? What was their magic recipe?

What is the artist’s secret?

watercolor impressionist flower, pink and purple flower abstract painting, debiriley.com — soft petals watercolors

My Watercolor Secrets

The watercolor brush softly kisses the paper in its magical dance with color.

I’ll tell you the mechanics.

I’ll tell you the colors.

I’ll tell you the paper and brush.

But honestly.

Its always The Spirit in the piece that makes it much of anything.

Because its IF, the artist was able to convey the life force energy they saw and they felt,

that determines whether the painting has the magic spark or not.

flower in the light, macro floral, canon rebel, debiriley.com — softly….

Artisans

Did you know, that painters, are like singers… in a way.

We aim for many of the same things.

To touch the audience, to make the viewers sense the same emotions that stirred in us.

Above all, we don’t want to leave them untouched, unmoved.

Barriers get in the way, they will prevent connection from happening.

What do I mean?

What ‘barriers?’

For artists the primary barrier is nerves, stress, fear.

Which erects gates and doors and walls that are very effective blocks and barriers.

A singer who is stressed, can’t fully engage, open up and be vulnerable.

It is a shut door. A wall. A barrier.

These don’t allow the audience to come in, to share the authentic emotion the singer has.

So too, the painter.

Under stress, fearing failure,

its ‘not quite right’,

‘imperfections’ and not good “enough” the artist can’t fully open up either.

The audience loses out.

We the audience,

don’t like walls or barriers

between us, and our artists.

We want to see, to hear our singers sing with passion, vulnerability, openness and authenticity.

No Walls. No barriers.

And we want our painters to let loose,

to fully express their own voices through their art as well.

inspirational flowers, zen strolls, purple woodsflowers, debiriley.com — Inspiring Woods flower

Process and the Materials

I painted direct, no drawing, on dry Arches Rough 300gsm paper.

The Rekab 320s #2 was my sole brush used.

Limiting the colors made the painting smoother, easier.

4 Paints: permanent rose, winsor lemon, cerulean with a tiny bit of indigo into the flower center

Process Steps

Painting from the background progressing to the middleground the last the foreground and the focal point.

I planned to make sure the background was appropriate: cooler colors, paler tones, more subtle.

With the foreground much stronger, more contrasts, warmer & more vibrant – to clearly state, “This, is The front.”

Planning in my mind, the leaving of adequate WHITE Space for balance.

As I painted, I kept quizzing myself, “do I have sufficient range of tonal values?”

The area of the deepest Dark, and the Whitest light ie where there is The most tonal contrast… Is the focal point

I used some splatter at the end, most of the work was done in washes & charging technique.

Most of the time painting, I was remembering… my walk in the woods.

The Feeling I had, while there.

The lovely zen stroll amidst these serene and sweet petalled flowers.

Thats My secret.

What’s INside?

Part of the fascination with paint, is how it reacts.

Its innermost response.

Daniel Smith watercolor Lunar Black, Quinacridone Sienna, mixing browns in watercolours, debiriley.com — Painted Bands of Lunar Black + Quinacridone Sienna

Inside The Pigments

Paints, do things.

Very interesting and lovely effects are created when 2 paint pigments – meet. Some hit it off and are an immediate winning pair. Some, you just don’t ever put in the same space together again.

“Each paint pigment has differing compounds, different ingredients.”

Just as sugar, flour, salt, vinegar are different cooking ingredients and cause uniquely Different Consequences; so too, paints are different.

With unique and interesting results when paired in specific combinations.

It is endlessly fascinating and creative.

To see how the different pigments respond to each other; edging inwards, layering and blooming.

Looking like painted bands of sediment from deep within the earth’s hills and cliffs.

Or speckles, or rivulets….

For me, its as if each time, is a surprise.

A mini Christmas unwrapping…. to see what’s IN side.

Granted, while many of you may not be as keenly interested as I am about each paint’s ingredients; you might be, quite intrigued with What effects these paints create.

Peek In: Snippets of Colors

A few samples, test strips and snippets of the intriguing realm of pigments –

A look, Inside.

Daniel Smith Tigers Eye, Amazonite, Impressionist landscape, debiriley.com — Looking Inside the colors, test studies

Daniel Smith watercolors, zoisite watercolor green grey, Impressionist landscape trees, water and tree reflection painting, simple easy beginner watercolor landscape, art basics debi riley — Zoisite, test sampling

daniel smith watercolors, lunar black mixes, prussian blue pb27, phalo blue, naples yellow Daniel Smith watercolor mixing, Impressionist watercolor landscapes, basic beginner watercolour techniques in color, debiriley.com — The Hill in Lunar Black Naples Yellow

creative possibilities mixing new colors with Daniel Smith watercolors, Purpurite soft purple, texture and granulating paints in watercolours, debiriley.com — Purpurite-Indanthrone, creative possibilities

Blue Storm Watercolour debiriley.com — Blue Storm Watercolours Indian Village handmade paper debiriley.com

a mix of blues in watercolor, use yupo for abstracts in watercolor, prussian blue pb27, indigo blue, ultramarine blue pb29, indanthrone pb60, debiriley.com — prussian, indigo, ultramarine, phalo on yupo

daniel smith watercolors lunar black, impressionist landscapes, abstract landscapes in watercolor, debiriley.com — lunar black and quinacridone sienna and prussian blue

Possibilities

I never tire of the seemingly endless possibilities of unique mixes that they can create.

And – simply by taking a couple minutes to mix 2 odd new colors together. I learn.

(Reminding myself, I don’t have to spend all day. Nor stick to my normal, usual colors)

Then quickly, I jot it down, before I forget!

I do Save the sample, for later.

Remember my ‘Later Box?’

Looking In side that box is fun.

Colors I can suggest:

For those who might have some questions about colors….

Colors I’ve been playing with and learning from most recently:

Light Red, Buff Titanium, Lunar Black, Phalo Blue, Raw Umber – yellowish nuance, Permanent Alizarin Crimson, Quinacridone Sienna, Zoisite, Purpurite, Amethyst, Naples Yellow (DS) brand only,

and basically …. all my blues. You know I’m using Prussian!

That Raw Umber, (with the yellowy undertones) wow.

Winsor and Newton’s is a warm yellow based raw umber, btw.

It is so great to mix with your blues to come up with foliage greens that are natural. That belong in the landscape.

I especially like the Raw Umber with prussian, ultramarine, phalo. But, it also is Ideal to tone down, subdue, any of those tube greens you do have… like sap green, hooker’s green, olive green.

Raw Umber is like a magic wand with those greens! Voila. Suddenly, the greens look more natural.

Finally.

I paint often just to see, what happens with the pigments paired together.

I enjoy the mystery, the adventure,

the surprise of what’s IN side.

I’d color mix all day. And have.

With no product painting to show at the end.

Just a phenomenal amount of learning.

Oh…. and Fun!

Spring Greens

Evelyn Flint has a wonderful art website and blog. So imaginative, creative, fresh, free, and Full of Artistic Adventures that are color magic! Her latest post was irresistible, I’ve had to repost it to share with you. You will, absolutely love Evelyn’s art – check out her website.

evelynflint.blog : watercolour

Do you like eating your greens? Personally I love eating my greens BUT…. painting them is a whole lot more fun….. !!

I did these watercolour samples back in the spring (hence the title of this post). These lovely shades of green (and some neutrals) were created by mixing 2 blues and 2 yellows. The blues were indigo and Cobalt Teal Blue. The yellows were Lemon Yellow and Raw Sienna. There’s a lovely assortment of beautiful greens here but notice the lovely neutral tones in the two bottom left colour samples – they’re edging toward the grey side which I love….

Above we have mixes of Daniel Smith’s Buff Titanium and Cobalt Teal Blue…

On the top line from the left: Buff Titanium, Buff Titanium + White, Buff Titanium + Cobalt Teal Blue

On the bottom line from the left: Cobalt Teal Blue, Cobalt Teal Blue + White, Cobalt Teal…

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Beautiful Jade Emerald Greens in Oils

Lovely fun greens slathered on like butter. Swirls and dollops of emerald and jade colors rising in relief on the canvas.

Now, that’s what I’m talking about!

Pure enjoyment of the process.

dollops of oil paint filled with texture, creating contrast in paintings, green oil paints, debiriley.com — Dollops of Paint, calm and busy

Textures in Oil Paints

No barn. No flower. No tree.

No, there’s nothing much to ‘see.’

That is, if I was inclined to be picky, critical.

But that’s not how I’m seeing these at all.

oil paints in greens, green abstract oil painting, jade emerald green oils, debiriley.com — Oil Paints in Beautiful Greens

Lively and Alluring

They’re lively.

So beautifully textural, it makes me wish for a moment, that I was a sculptor.

The freshness has a lure.

A pull to it that none of my oh so labored, overworked and “over finished” paintings will never have.

oil painting abstracts, palette knife with oils, limited palette color schemes, debiriley.com — The Horizon

Where it Began

Before I started, I’d looked through some of my past nature walks.

Zen Strolls.

zen in greens, sparking the imagination, oil abstract beginnings, debiriley.com — Its Zen, gorgeous greens

My eye kept returning to the reflection from the pond. With those gorgeous deep greens.

Thats how I started.

With a thought. With a feeling.

With

A color in my mind that sparked creation.

photograph of water reflection abstraction, debiriley.com — Movement on the pond

Playful Rebellion

It is so important, to create.

To play. To explore.

To take the time to engage in the process without any preconceived needs.

We all know that old saying,

“All Work, No play … makes Jack a very dull boy.”

Its so important that we don’t take an activity we’d intended for our relaxation, then turn it into A Work Project.

With timelines, goals, deadlines, ‘good enough’ ratings, etc.

Nearly all of us, do it, myself included!

If we think about it though, we don’t do that same thing when we: read a magazine, or watch a TV program, or go to a concert, play or movie.

I know we all have that tendency to turn Fun – into Work.

Its been ingrained over the years hasn’t it?

I choose to not want to go that pathway.

Thats not the road I want to travel.

A bit of ‘rebellion’ if you will.

I’m not a full time rebel.

I rebel when….. I think about it.

Every zen stroll, Every art work…. is an act of peaceful rebellion.

So, my walks are peaceful, beauty filled, zen strolls.

There is zero aerobics involved.

I get fresh air.

I’m creative, filling the well.

I stroll about for 45 minutes. Sometimes more, others less.

It is so relaxing, even if its a mere 10 minutes.

oil painting abstract textures, palette knife with oils, mixing green paint colors in oils, debiriley.com — In Luscious Jade Greens, a hint of naples yellow

And my art is created as the mood and spirit moves me.

I’m not going to be pressured, or dictated to.

Its always more about expression and communication of feelings, than replication.

Recording, duplication just isn’t my thing. Thats me.

I’m certain, that the art could be more popular if they were more Just Like the photograph. More realistic and less abstract. And….Bigger.

But I don’t Create for reasons other than to simply express outwards, to communicate what I hear and see and sense in the world around me.

As I feel led to do, my own unique way.

That’s all anyone can really do, I think.

Tell it, like you see it.

How you see it, is different;

it is interesting. To Us.

green falls abstract painting in oils, debiriley.com — Green Falls, in oils

Artistic Authenticity

when I see your art, or you see mine,

I want to see your tears as they fall, your dance of joy, your bursts of summer sunshine, your silence on the shores, your dark rage upon the paper, I want to see the truth of your thoughts and emotions come tumbling out in color and textures and etched lines on that canvas. I want to see for a micro-moment, a glimpse of that beauty that resides within your soul.

Will you do that?

Watercolor Light Red …quick demos

Light Red can be an excellent addition to your watercolor painting palette.

Years ago, I’d tried a few. Well, quite alot actually! And gave up in disgust.

The ones I’d chosen were too muddy. Too dull. They did not mix and blend well with the other colors on my palette either.

Causing a great deal of mayhem in my paintings. Ever happen to you?

light red watercolor, holbein light red, debiriley.com — pr101 pBr25 light red holbein

Watercolor, Better Paints

But of course I have done more research, more experimenting and more …purchasing.

Trying to find a Better Light Red.

A Light Red that isn’t dulled.

But vibrant. Rich and earthy. One that would be able to mix, to a degree, with some other colors, ie Staining paints.

A Light Red that is lovely in full strength, and even better diluted down into subtle delicate blushes of color.

Light Red Brands

The 3 watercolor Light Red brands, that I’ve found best fit the criteria:

Winsor and Newton Light Red pr101
Blockx Light Red (mine was in a large porcelain pan) pr101
Holbein Light Red pr101 pbr25

Blockx watercolor Light red, debiriley.com — Blockx Light Red watercolors

All 3 have enough good assets and qualities to override the nature of the paint, it is an Opaque.

Opaque watercolor paints are notorious for mud

and for not being good social mixers with other paints.

light red watercolor, winsor and newton light red, debiriley.com — Winsor and Newton Light Red

Uses for Light Red…

Light Red is versatile.

Great for landscapes, trees, shrubs, bark, roads, sand, animals, rocks.

Additionally, it can be used for skies. Mixed wet in wet, with another color tapped into it perhaps.

The sky from Dawn Falls, is a great example in my mind for why Light Red would be perfect to use in the sky.

Art Work Demo Samples

These samples done just prior to the last Master Color class, came out of my course workbook.

They give you a bit of an idea of a couple of the things you can do with a good, Light Red.

light red watercolor, color mixing light red, watercolor landscapes cabin, debiriley.com — Light Red Roof

watercolors light red, indigo, raw umber palette, tree in light red, debiriley.com — light red, indigo, raw umber

To Master Color….

To master color, what I do…. is Experiment.

mastering color in watercolor, watercolor mixes, Daniel Smith indanthrone blue pb60, primatek, purpurite, debiriley.com — To Master Color…experiment, Daniel Smith watercolors

Master Color, Watercolors

Alot of it.

But, it is so fun.

It Can be super fast, like this one! 5 Minutes.

And you learn so much from every practice you do.

I find that setting aside the 5 minutes, instead of an hour or two, really helps.

I always know that I can try to squeeze those 5 minutes in.

And, if I do have an hour or two? I’ll take them!

Materials

Daniel Smith watercolors Indanthrone blue pb60 and Daniel Smith primatek Purpurite …for that purple and textured effect.

Arches cold press 300 gsm paper

Rekab 320s #2 watercolor brush

Outcomes

The paints easily diluted and mixed together.

The granulation effect was quite responsive.

The mixes came out, deliberately, as 1. Dark 2. Mid 3. Lighter Tone

It was easy to create warmer and cooler mixes. Which would of course, help in a painting to create depth and perspective.

I found myself quite pleased with the results, especially the textural effects.

I hadn’t Thought of putting these two paints together before.

Glad I did, to show you on a Silly Saturday!

Inspiration 1: The Book

Travel Inspiration… through Art

The Art Muse

Travel to new lands – Breaking Out

Cold Wax Mediums

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Like this:

My Watercolor Secrets

Artisans

Process and the Materials

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Inside The Pigments

Peek In: Snippets of Colors

Possibilities

Colors I can suggest:

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Textures in Oil Paints

Lively and Alluring

Where it Began

Playful Rebellion

Artistic Authenticity

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Watercolor, Better Paints

Light Red Brands

Uses for Light Red…

Art Work Demo Samples

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Master Color, Watercolors

Materials

Outcomes

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