In the middle of Febuary, seventy-eight years old Texas Artist, Lynn Burton was spotted painting a western chuck wagon scene on the side of Bigham’s BBQ restaurant building in Lubbock, Texas. On This particular day the cold wind was blowing so strong he wasn’t able to put the clear protective coating on the painting. With the weather so cold, Lynn had to hop off the cherry-picker and run inside where he could finish up on the 3’x16′ mural. Everybody knows about the terrible blizzard in Texas this past winter.
There are three Bigham’s BBQ restaurants in Lubbock Texas, and they have a ranch near Dickens, Texas. Lynn was furnished with some photos of the ranch that gave him some ideas to create his murals. He worked them out with drawings and black and white acrylic sketches
Here is a black and white sketch with acrylics. One of Lynn’s great artistic qualities is that he relies heavily upon getting the values as realistic as possible. The best way to do this is to make a black and white painting.
Roy Rogers started his Radio show from Matador Ranch and weekends did a Dude Ranch Dance party. He lived on 9th street in Lubbock. Lynn sent this tidbit of information, and mentioned how Roy was one of both of our heroes. I personally met Roy back in the early seventies (a long time ago) when he performed at the Houston Livestock and Rodeo. It was a great thrill for me. Although the picture of Roy and Trigger Lynn painted, it was a painting, not part of the Mural
It is very obvious that a great deal of work goes into a thirty foot mural on the side of a building. Lynn was up to the challenge, and did good work. I’m sure I could never pull off such a creation even if I am a couple of years younger than my big brother is.
Artist Lynn Burton often starts an oil painting with acrylic paints. Why? You may ask. His purpose is to work mainly with dark colors and light colors in an effort to control the value, which he feels is the number one purpose for a successful completion. Once he begins slapping colorful oil on the board or canvas, it ultimately becomes a brilliant and entertaining painting.
An example of this is the above painting. Much of Lynn’s work creatively toys with colors that seem to work their way around the picture in an effort to entertain the viewer; such as, the colorful clouds and sky above. He repeats many of the colors by using them in the land, river, horses, cattle and even the clothes of the cowboys. As one studies the painting, it seems there is movement. As one concentrates on it, it becomes totally entertaining.
Lynn is working on the 24″X36″ panel on wood above. It is a ‘painting in progress’. He is painting with black and white Gesso. This will be the base for a painting in full color. It is Lynn’s way to keep the integrity of the values while studying more closely certain details that need to be reworked, changed, or deleted.
Lynn says: “If you can make out the overall composition of a black and white drawing or painting in a dark room from a distance while squinting your eyes, then your finished painting or drawing will most likely maintain the proper value.”
“I did the painting the hard way but it worked out,” he said when he sent the text to me. “Starting with the value painting, and then adding the color to it…didn’t think it would work at first. After a while, it seemed to be coming together. I would’ve bet this was going to be one of those flip it over and start another painting on the back side.”
“At this stage the painting is beginning to progress nicely. I can see there needs to be changes in the foreground. Also there is a bunch of details to be considered. An artist has to be careful in overworking the details, and I try to remain cautious about that,” Lynn said.
“The painting is finished. The cattle drive is done. The trail drivers may not have reached there destination, but I have. I’m cleaning my brushes, feeding my dogs, playing awhile on my guitar, and going to bed. It’s been a good day,” Lynn said, somewhat in jest.
You can see more of Lynn’s art at the above galleries, and at http://fineartamerica.com/ (Search Lynn Burton)
Be sure to sign up to receive our newsletter (see above right).
Join my Facebook page at the right (and like it if you do).
A good picture painted or drawn is like a living experience. It allows the artists mood to be vivid for the viewer. However, until details of texture and pattern are added it is not a complete composition no matter how finely conceived and solidly constructed.
Texture is everywhere. It can be found in the simplest drawings. Soft strokes and firm harsh lines create variation, creating texture. The goal is to get the viewer to experience the softness of cotton, the fluidity of clouds, the transparency of a crystal vase, and etc. If depicted properly, the viewer must be able to imagine the sensation of contacting and actually feel what makes one different from the other.
For many artists, one of the most delightful experiences of drawing or painting is applying textures to the forms in a picture. Textures and patterns can suggest or support a mood. Calmness and peace can predominate a canvass by playing down textures and making quiet, smooth surfaces. A drama filled picture with busy active textures arouses excitement.
An artist must handle texture and pattern in his own way. How do you paint or draw a rock or brick? The intricate pattern of a leafless branch? A person’s coarse tweed leather elbowed sports jacket? The soft flowing material of a ladies nightgown? Every artist that truly studies a subject and learns the important things about its texture, pattern, and other details knows the answer to these questions. They know because they studied, experimented, and did it until they were satisfied.
In one of my pencil drawings I’ve entitled, “Grinding Gears of Time,” (below) the texture of the soft gown is obvious with smooth curving folds flowing together to form gentle planes and outlines. Also, the smooth flowing beard is texture. I think that most all artists would agree that this is texture. But how many recognize the importance of repeated forms as being texture? In this case, the repetition of the gears creates great texture. The repetition of the floor planks are texture.
Repeated forms make overall texture. For the landscape artist it could be blades of grass or a forest of trees. The repetition, or illusion of repetition, creates fabulous texture. A brick fence may have a hundred bricks all painted differently, but because they are sized the same and stacked with cement outlining them, they are repeated forms and over-all texture.
Grinding Gears of Time – Pencil by Richard D. Burton
Repeated forms create texture – and often the artist use this in order to emphasize and strengthen his picture idea – Franklin McMahon
Often we think of the texture of the hair, skin, and of the clothes a person wears when we consider texture of a human being. But when we more closely consider it, when people in great numbers are in our composition, they can form an all over texture. It becomes a large – scale texture of a crowd.
When I painted the picture below (Pappy’s Break), I consciously handled the crowd of people visiting the fruit and food stands as a textural shape supporting the composition and giving impact to the picture’s subject.
Texas artist, Lynn Burton, has set the world on fire this past year, trying to outdo Van Gogh’s most prolific year of a tremendous multitude of paintings.
“I’m not trying to do more paintings in a year than Van Gogh did the last year of his life that ended with him cutting off his ear” Lynn insists.
No matter what he says, Lynn has done a tremendous amount of painting this past year, and all he can chalk it up to is paint, paint, paint and have a lot of fun.
It seems that seldom does a half week go by that I don’t receive a text of new painting in progress. The artist has a technique whereby he paints an undercoating with acrylics and then paints over it in oils.
“I never worry about always creating a masterpiece. I remove that stress and just play.”- Lynn Burton
When you toss a coin, it will not always land on heads. Not all paintings will be a masterpiece~Lynn Burton
Many artist change in time, from the time they begin their life of art to the time they pass. They do so by their life experiences, the people with which they associate, influencing world changes, studies, and experimentation.
If you study some of the early works of the masters, you will see they are quite different from their later works. In many of them, you can see a great transition as they progressed through their art life. Much of this was done because they habitually experimented with new ideas.
The world of art was such an experimenting phenomena from the late 19th century to the early to mid 20th century it was defined by schools~id est, Soup Can School of Art (1960s).
Andy Warhol: Small Torn Campbell’s Soup Can (Pepper Pot)
Although there are hundreds of artists one can select to represent these great experimenters of different styles of art, I have selected the artist, Pablo Picasso, as a perfect example of the phenomena of change. His artwork defines him. His work is known in periods. In 1890, he was a realist and naturalist, and after this he was the Picasso we all know.
La Vie: Pablo Picasso (Represents the “Blue Period”
The Blue Period (1901-1904)
The Rose Period (1904-1906)
African Art (1907-1909)
Analytic Cubism (1909-1912)
Synthetic Cubism(1912-1919)
Les Demoiselles d’Avignon: Pablo Picasso, 1907 (African art Influence)
Again, the reason for using Picasso for an example of “growing” in his different styles of artwork which he not only experimented with, but also perfected and helped change the world of art as we knew it before his time, was to explain that most all artists experiment until they are satisfied with their work. In many cases, this takes a lifetime, and is a lifetime adventure.
Talking about experimenting with art, often a phone call comes from my brother, Texas artist Lynn Burton. The phone call usually starts with some excitement of a new technique he’s experimenting with, or a different medium, or a new material he is using as a substrate, and in some instances a substrate he personally has created. It could be some form of cement, plastic, wood, metal, or anything he can imagine. If it holds paint, then it’s something in which he is interested.
If you are interested in Lynn’s paintings, you can see his work by clicking on the picture below.
Also, click on the Facebook art page at the right and “like” if you do.
Graphite study for watercolor painting: Pappy’s Break
Beware ye that visit me! Ye may become immortalized in my drawings, sketches, and paintings-R.D.Burton
I have a camera, and I am often my own model-R.D. Burton
Photo of artist, Richard D. Burton, posing for watercolor painting: Pappy’s Break”
In a former blog, I mentioned that I was the model for the man reading the newspaper in my painting, “Pappy’s Break”.
I’d just come back from vacationing in Florida, which included the city of Miami. One morning I got up early and went for a walk, and I came across a street scene with all types of booths with different vendors selling all types of foods, fruits, plants, and products. It inspired me to create the painting.
Pappy’s Break: Watercolor-R.D.Burton
Segment of “Pappy’s Break”
My wife often models for me, and when she does all I’m interested in is a certain stance and body language.
Most poses are not like the one in “Pappy’s Break,” depicting the way she looks. For example, recently she posed for a couple of graphite drawings for the graphic novel on which I’m working.
My timing is usually off when I ask her to model for me. She isn’t prepared to do it, because it usually surprises her with no heads up. Not to long ago, she tried to refuse when I asked her to pose. I insisted…and insisted, and she finally agreed, but not without a threat, promising very bad things could happen to me if I showed her picture to anyone. The posing I had in mind was perfect for me because she had just finished showering, had a towel wrapped around her head, and was dressed only in a robe…no make up, yet. Perfect! All I wanted was the pose and stance.
“They were the best of friends, playing together, laughing, cuttin’ up ever so…I thinks they fell in love when little bitties.” -Granny Weena
She modeled for the drawing of the maid who had brought her little son with her to play with the plantation owners daughter. I took several different snap shots before settling with this pose. Wearing the robe, and with the towel wrapped around her head, she was exactly what I needed.
Wife posing for drawing…holding up a large flashlight
On the right is a portion of a picture of her holding up a large flashlight representing an old kerosene lantern. Again, I cannot show all of the picture short of losing some portion of myself. She would not stand for it, and I can’t afford to lose my second favorite model for my drawings, sketches, and paintings. She would never pose again.
Eleven years old Willa Mae now understood the adults told little white lies. What the animals were doing was not playing, they were making life.
To the left is the drawing using my wife as model posing holding up a flashlight (lantern).
She shot him in the left butt cheek with thirteen gauge buck-shot!
Guess who posed for the character running away from his daughter who is pointing the shotgun at him. (right)
If you guessed it is me, then you got it correct. Often, I am my own model, and I believe many artists are the same. We are our own best models. Sometimes we’re not so interested in depicting the character to look like us as much as having some reference to catch the accuracy, especially the fore shortening. I have modeled many times for myself as different genders and different races.
Posing for old man Pearson running away from his drawing.
Often as not, I’m wearing pajamas when I am posing. The reason is because I wake up with the drawing I’ve planned on my mind. I generally grab the camera, my wife, and we go to a place we can get the best stance to match the picture I need. To the right, I’m leaning over the couch (unseen) to give me the off balance look for the drawing above.
One of the main characters in the graphic story on which I’m working (narrated slide show movie-The Curse of St. Croix {The Prologue}) is Granny Weena; and yes, I sometimes pose for granny Weena, a little black person. Here’s a couple of examples:
posing for Granny Weena
Artist posing for drawing
Keep in mind, all I am after here is the hands. Fortunately, I got more. I was concentrating on the passionate prose of the story when the camera picked up some of the expression. I liked it.
Over the years when I drew or painted the human figure, I referred to books I had on the shelf. I still do this. It was especially necessary when I recently took on the assignment of drawing panels to be used in a narrated slideshow graphic story which is filled with different characters from the young to the old and of different origins.
They all came with their appetites intact to celebrate Granny Weena’s good fortune, but mostly to eat her wonderfully baked roast beef.
I somehow settled on reference books that I use more than any other. Two of them I have had for more than forty years. I refer to them most of all.
atlas of human anatomy for the artist– Stephen Rogers Peck
FIGURE DRAWING-For All It’s Worth- Andrew Loomis
One will get a great lesson in drawing the human figure in every possible position with these two books
For a quick find to draw human figures in different stances, I recommend you join the above on the shelf with this book:
Human Anatomy Made Amazingly Easy- Christopher Hart
Reference Books
I would feel guilty if I didn’t mention the great watercolor artist, Mary Whyte, who has been a great reference to me with her book:
Painting Portraits and Figures In Watercolor
Pappy’s Break: Richard D. Burton
HOW TO DRAW COMICS- Stan Lee
Stan Lee’s book has taught me much when it comes to creating the drawings for the slide show graphic novel.
Although, my work is a touch more realistic and less of the comic strip exaggeration and distortion of the figures as I find in Lee’s book, the information is extremely helpful and encouraging. In other words, I don’t draw humans nine heads tall. However, I understand the purpose of doing so if you have a hero that needs to be bigger than life in the story.
However, after studying different body foreshortening, different turns, twists, different facial expressions, different anything that bodies can do in an illustrated panel, nothing means nothing (double negatives intended) if there is not understanding of perspectives-the world around the figures.
Old man Pearson just dropped his daughter, Mary Lee, and her luggage off at the Howloon Asylum for the mentally ill, while leaving her in attendance with two nurses. He never even said goodbye!
In the drawings I am working on at this time, there are so many that require the human figure in a surrounding scene, it is necessary that I know the proper perspective. The absolutely best book I have found for this, is:
DRAWING PERSPECTIVE-How To See And How To Apply It-Mathew Brehm
Be sure to sign up for newsletter above right (We do not not believe in filling your computer with constant irritating e-mails).
If you haven’t already done so, please check on my Facebook art page and “Like” it (click on it at the right>>>).
“They were the best of friends, playing together, laughing, cuttin’ up ever so…I thinks they fell in love when little bitties.” -Granny Weena
Roy Lichtenstein: Masterpiece-54″X54″ sold in 2017 for $165 million
In the spring of 1961, art dealers in New York City began promoting the Soup Can school of art (POP ART) as being different from Abstract Expressionism. The movement sharply returned to recognizable subject matter, veering away from Abstract Art. The subject matter were common everyday, every person items: such as, comic strips, street signs, license plates, coke bottles, light bulbs, movie stars, and soup cans. Thus, the beginning of a new school of art.
Andy Warhol: Small Torn Campbell’s Soup Can (Pepper Pot) sold for $11.8m
I remember, in the ’60s, I was enamored, but at the same time confused, by the popularity of the art. I mean, who couldn’t paint a soup can, or a large cartoon? I certainly could, but I didn’t do it, and I didn’t come up with the concept, nor did I start a movement. The movement made several artists famous; such as: Roy Lichtenstein, Andy Warhol, James Rosenquist, Larry Rivers, Allan D’Arcangelo, and the great Jasper Johns, just to name a few.
Much of the art was represented in exaggerated detail. In many cases, the canvases were huge and seemed proudly to depict the banalities of American life. I would consider this to be the definition of the Soup Can school of thought.
Robert Rauschenberg bridged Abstract Expressionism and the newer Pop movement by fastening to his canvases such objects as rusting signs and license plates.
To add a three dimensional impact to their art, some artists followed in the style of graphic artist, Robert Rauschenberg, who tacked on objects as appendages to the painting.
In the early 60s, the whole attitude of Pop Art (the Soup Can school) had similarities in the nation’s changing life style. Everything was bright and shining colors. This included everything from kitchen appliances to automobiles. The music was changing beginning with the explosive style of the Beatles impacting not only music but a flippant playful approach to a very serious world.
The Soup Can school of artists often plucked on nostalgia for childhood hours spent reading Marvel and DC comics, but when one comic book panel turns into a 54″X54″ giant exaggerated memory it is art! It is when those who “know” say it is worth millions of dollars.
Be sure to sign up for newsletter, and visit our art galleries above. If you wish to shop for some of Lynn Burton’s art, check it out at http://www.tinyurl.com/z3lqldd
Photo of artist, Richard D. Burton, posing for watercolor painting: Pappy’s Break”
It is important to remember when making drawings for a graphic novel or story is that if it is natural and normal, it will appear dull and uninteresting. Don’t be afraid to exaggerate it, and it will seem normal.
Graphite study for watercolor painting: Pappy’s Break
Let your characters over react. Make them bigger than life. Have you ever gotten heated with a friend, or “not so much” a friend? What was your body language. How close were you? Have you ever been face to face with someone with a little temper flying? Were your faces almost touching? Were you nose to nose? Were your hands clinched? What was the expression on your faces? Imagine this and use it when drawing comics or graphic novels. Exaggerate! Exaggerate! Exaggerate!
Willie Mae knew her relatives were telling little white lies when they said all the animals were doing was playing. They weren’t playing…they were making life!
Also, keep this in mind: Remember, you are the director, so set the stage properly–the surroundings of your characters. Treat it like you’re making a movie. Let it flow, but let it flow with action! If your drawing has two people walking together, let them be talking with their hands, their body language, and the expression on their faces.
Sometimes, you have to do much planning and loose sketching before you can get the drawing that you want. I’m terrible at this. I sketch and sketch and sketch. I experiment by changing their sizes with the printer and place them next to each other to get the proper relationship with them. When I finally have it right, I trace over them and start the drawing. As far as I’m concerned, it often isn’t perfect, but it works.
Artist planning drawing
One thing I try to remember when trying to create my story with passionate prose is to relate to the characters as people. In the words of the greatest of all, Stan Lee: “If you can’t relate to the characters as people, you don’t have anyone to empathize with, to cheer for, or to sneer and jeer at.”
Be sure to join our newsletter (above right), and check out and like our Facebook page (right).
Also, if you haven’t already done so, stroll through the galleries above.
If you are illustrating a graphic story, you don’t want your characters just standing around stiff…you want to depict them in as much action as the situation requires. This is visual story telling. Illustrating a graphic story requires an artist to follow good passionate writing, and have the characters to act out the scene. If the prose is passionate, an artist’s greatest challenge is to bring the character to life on the page. If possible, the characters should always be doing something. It is not so much as having them act as it is having them to over act.
“Let gravity take part! Swing for the fences! Let the hair fly. Let the hero roar. Let the bad guy feel the burn! See the difference the little details make?”-Stan Lee
“His mama was the maid for old man Pearson, and she’d take Willie Joe with her to work.” -Granny Weena
My most recent works is creating a narrated slide show graphic story set historically in 1897 in South Carolina where two young people (seventeen years old) fall in love, and the girl becomes pregnant. They had been friends from childhood. She is from a wealthy white family. He is from a sharecropping black family. I do not need to say a lot more.
“They were the best of friends, playing together, laughing, cuttin’ up ever so…I thinks they fell in love when little bitties.” -Granny Weena
This story was originally intended to be a short prologue introducing a mystery story set in 1957 where a famous detective was brought to South Carolina to solve a crime where a young white man was found hanged. The locals in the small town were not concerned. To them it was normal. Hangings of male members from four particular families had been happening in the small town of Delia about every twenty years for the past sixty years. They said it was just the curse of a young black who was hanged in 1897.
However, the short prologue became a 25 page short story with a lot of action. This is what I am attempting to illustrate.
Three years later, when she was almost eighteen, she came back. Sure ‘nough, they was right back down to the old Pearson bridge picnicking. One minute she was eating a sandwich fully dressed…”
“As young teens, they were slipping off to the old Pearson bridge, and having innocent picnics. Old man Pearson began suspecting something, and sent Mary Lee off to finishing school”
“Willy Joe, he ain’t sittin’ still for that…uh uh…next thing you know, they be down at the water skinny dipping. Shame!
“…and the next minute she was standing in front of Willie Joe butt naked, and tempting him to go skinny dipping! She taunted him, saying, Last one in the water is a MULES PATOOT!!!”
“Lawd…lawd…It’s a sinnin’ shame what they did, but now with all this horrible tragedy, I don’t know who got the worst end of the stick…Willie Joe or Mary Lee. They both be so sweet. They only did what come natural. They was in love!
“Yeah, they be skinny dippin’ alright, but that not be all the dippin’ Willie Joe be doing that day…uh uh…he know’d better’n what he be doin’.”
Be sure to visit the art galleries above, and sign up for our newsletter.
The above is a fictional story set in the 1890s. The morays and PC correctness was different than our present time. They are depicted in the frame of mind as assumed by the author based on historic understanding.
Copyright For Artists: Quick And Easy Copyright Protection
Copyright For Artists Was Written By An Attorney And Jeweler. It Is Over 30 Pages Long. It Contains Specific Illustrations, Graphs, Links, Resources And Information For Artists About How To Protect Their Arts And Crafts.
Click Here!
