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Development of a Painting: "Vase & Squash"
This is the history of a new painting, showing its development from the initial idea
to the final image.
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Sketch
After setting up a still life, I make several sketches, varying the postion of objects,
and manipulating the lights and shadows until I have a compostion I like.
(December, 1996)
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Line Drawing
I draw a careful line drawing on tracing paper. This is the exact size of the final
painting, and sets the location of every object.
(Dec. 26, 1996)
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Value Painting
The first painting! I place a new sheet of tracing paper over the line drawing and
paint a black and white study on it. Here is where I work out the values (lights
and darks) that will be the backbone of the painting. This will serve as a reference
for the final canvas.
(Dec. 29, 1996)
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Day 1
The first painting on the final canvas. I've transferred the line drawing to the
canvas, then added underpainting of burnt sienna in what will be the middle-tones
and lighter areas. The darker areas receive their first glaze of ultramarine.
(Glazing is painting a transparent paint layer, frequently over
a lighter-value underpainting.)
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Day 2
Second glaze of green (ultramarine and Hansa yellow) in shadows.
Finished underpainting.
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Day 3
Third glaze: Alizarin except on shadows on wood--those in Hansa yellow.
Started painting bowl and stone (direct). Thin paint, true colors. Left
some underpainting showing through the stone.
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Day 4
Orange glaze (alizarin, ultramarine, Hansa) over all shadows,
except ultramarine on background and shadows on table.
Added more paint on squash for brushstroke texture, which
I will glaze over later. Started direct painting on vase.
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Day 5
Painted the onions. Repainted outside of bowl and handles.
A bit of scumbling on stone. glazed all darks. (Scumbling is
overpainting with with opaque paint, usually lighter than
the underpainting.) Alizarin on wood shadows to make less green. Added more blue
to background. Painted walnuts.
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Day 6
Repainted the vase and main squash. Glazed first blue shadow
on dark side of squash. Scumble texture to stone shadows.
Painted some texture on shadow squash so it will have different
glazed texture than background. Repainted wood table more
yellow. I'm working to get details of the squashes in case
they rot. Glazed dull blue over left background with
a shaving brush. I liked the effect, but it was too dark, so I
rubbed some out with a cloth pad.
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Day 7
Glaze background with dull blue. Start glazing shadow side of main squash
similarly, also shadow squash. Add texture to stone with greens and greys with
palette knife. Add pits. Repaint inside of bowl, add details to rim and
handles. Scumble shadow side of bown with raw Sienna + burnt Sienna.
Glaze shadows on stone dull yellow to reduce purpleness.
(Jan. 21, 1997)
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Day 8
Glaze background orange-red (was too green). Paint lights on shadow squash, lighter
than final so I can glaze later. Reflections from bowl to table in white, raw
Umber and raw Sienna. Glaze yellowish tone (ultramarine and raw Sienna) over
most of main squash adjust color. Glaze shadow dull blue. Scumble with palette
knife stone in warm and cool greys. Also, a raw Umber glaze in darks. Add
more pits with highlights.
(Jan. 24, 1997)
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Day 9
Soften edge of stone. Add nicks on edge. Add texture to table. Soften all edges
on main squash; glaze shadow side. Paint roots on white onion; glaze dark side.
Lights on vase. Glaze walnut near bowl orange, right side wall reddish-orange.
(Jan. 28, 1997)
Day 10
Repaint vase, walnut near stone (alizarin in darks), stem on orange onion, inside
of bowl, on left, adding reflections.
(Jan. 31, 1997)
Day 11
Add green glaze (ultramarine + raw Sienna) for main squash middletones. Soften
edges of nuts and cast shadows. Repaint outside of bowl. Scumble right wall
lighter to show reflected light from table, soften its edge. Glaze top of wall darker.
(Feb. 2, 1997)
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Day 12
Glaze darks on squash.
(Feb. 7, 1997)
Day 13
Glaze background on right darker; glaze squash darks.
(Feb. 11, 1997)
Day 14
Repaint shadow squash. First glazed a dull blue then painted opaque lights
into it while wet. Glazed shadows on top right darker.
(Feb. 14, 1997)
Day 15
Glaze shadow squash darker so it is more dark than the table but lighter
than the wall (very subtle). softened vertical edge of shadow on back
wall.
(Feb. 18, 1997)
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Varnishing
Varnished with a 70/30 mix of Dan Smith gloss/matte methacrylate,
brushed on.
(June 15, 1997)
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copyright © 2008 Linda Mann, all rights reserved, 6/23/2008 10:09:40 PM, HistoryOfVaseAndSquash