When predicting the original native of America, artist Lynn Burton’s palette takes on rich ochres and siennas with reds and blues. Many of his paintings show a certain melancholy, a sense that time past will never be again. However, he always treats the American Indian with greatest respect.
The respect Lynn gives the Indian comes easy. He was raised in New Mexico, not far from Signal Peak and Sitting Bull Falls. Seeing the Navajo on the roads and highways selling their wares was a common sight. He would often stumble across arrowheads in the foothills on a Saturday afternoon hike. It is no wonder why as an adult that he is enamored by the original Americans.
Lynn Burton: American Indians (Oil on Canvas)
The artist’s research indicates his interest he has in the West. His studio is filled with saddles and tack, animal skulls and robes, Indian artifacts, pottery, feathers, and various printed matter. He keeps the invaluable heritage of the “Old West” alive by surrounding himself in the past. With each stroke of the brush to canvas, his visionary works become real. Viewers can almost hear the steady beat of the ‘tom-toms’ when they become mesmerized with his work.
Whether you are outside and in front of your subject, or working from a photograph, it is worth quickly sketching the scene and observing the nuances in the subject, so the composition is visible in your mind before you begin a painting.
Tip#1: Train yourself to look for only the important aspects in a view. Your visual memory will work for you to complete the sketch.
Tip#2: Learn to work with speed to help develop the ability to recognize the important elements you wish to capture.
Tip#3: Look for what excites you.
Tip#4: Begin your sketch with the subject (main point of interest) and work outward.
Artist, R. D. Burton, Sketching “father time” for his drawing and painting.
Tip#5: Constant comparison of the scene your sketching sharpens your observation abilities. Learn to compare everything; such as the height of a tree against a house, the warmest foliage against the coolest shades, etc.
Tip#6: Don’t be afraid to simplify and modify what you are seeing; id est, do you want to sketch the five trees you are actually seeing? or would three make the scene more artistically balanced?
Tip#7: Swiftly consider the compositional factors for a painting and sketch accordingly. You may wish to place an object in a different location to the focal point than what you are actually seeing.
Tip#8: Don’t fear if your “quick” sketch seems to be chicken scratches, have faith in your visual memory to work it to a better stage. See the example below:
Quick sketch of street vendors in Miami
(Step 1) Original hen scratching ball point pen sketch of a street scene in Miami where there were several vendors selling tropical fruits, drinks, flowers, and plants. There were also tented restaurants, burgers and Cuban sandwich stands. The scene excited me and I was caught without much but an 8-1/2″x11″ inch spiraled pad and a ball point pen. I didn’t know if I could do anything with it, but I sketched the scene in less than handful of minutes. It was almost a year later that I saw the sketch in my file cabinet. It had been forgotten somewhere on the back road of my mind.
Richard D. Burton: Graphite study for future painting
(Step 2) I decided to draw a full size drawing (16″x22″) of the scene in anticipation of creating a colorful watercolor.
(step 3) I have started the under painting of the watercolor, but I haven’t decided if this will be the finished painting, or only a practice one. It doesn’t matter to me, I’ve been known to paint several color sketches as well as two or three paintings until I’m satisfied with them. I like some of the things I’m seeing so far, and some things I do not. I may be able to lift out what I do not like…we’ll see.
Artists have been using mirror studies as long as paint has hit the canvas. That’s right, you can be your own model, especially if you can’t afford to pay for one. Of course, you can make small changes in the facial features, hands, feet and otherwise as you desire. But the important thing is that you have a model as a reference.
Drawing study for future watercolor
I recommend when using yourself as a model while looking in the mirror, that you swiftly draw a charcoal study since a full painting would be too cumbersome. If you do this be sure to get all the reference you need to create a work of art. When using the mirror technique, you need two full size mirrors to pull this off accurately to get the eye level and image arrangements of both side and back views. If you need costumes shopping at a thrift store just might be a suggestion. You might find the perfect prop to make your picture unique.
Often, I use posed photographs of myself to get a certain body language as seen in the photo and the drawing above. It works for me.
“How can I find my creative self, a way to discover my own style?” Every artist in their own way seeks liberating experiences, and in the quest for their artistic success, asks this question. fearing to be different, some never find the answer to their questions, choosing to paint the same as everyone else, following whatever is popular.
Lynn Burton: Flower and Vase – Oil on Canvas
All artists become influenced by other artists, especially the ones that are famous and successful in their time. There is nothing negative about this, it is a natural learning and growing process. However, individualizing approach to painting is more than accepting a technique of style as ones own. It is understanding and deciding upon a preference for a particular medium, perceiving form, “feeling” color, and learning to combine these and other expressive design elements to become one’s own experience.
Learning to see the world with one’s own eyes instead of a teacher, or another, is the way to begin the private journey an artist must make if they desire to find “personal style”. It is the beginning of a gradual and internal self expression, and as long as it is a mirror of one’s self, it will be the correct path to success.
No artistic medium competes with watercolor when it comes to use and freshness in execution. This is true for the beginner as well as the expert. It presents the simplest basic techniques, while at the same time it may be the hardest medium to master. The beauty and enjoyability of watercolor is its simplicity.
Many artists that are experienced in working with other mediums often give up when attempting to use watercolor. Usually, this is because they try too hard to manipulate its natural properties. They attempt to use it as they would oil or acrylic paint. This often results in dull, muddy paintings with layers of thick paint not allowing light to reflect through bright, translucent stains of pure color.
Winslow Homer: Fisherwomen (Watercolor on paper) 1881
To paint with watercolor, an artist must be very patient. They must not be afraid of failure, because there will be many. However, one success far outweighs the failures.. Watercolor is not an unforgivable medium, and sadly this discourages many artists that would be great.
Short of talent, one of the greatest ingredients of becoming a satisfied watercolor artist is desire. The word seems overused, but their is no other word that describes it better. Persist and you will succeed.
R. D. Burton: Knobby Tree (graphite on paper) 8″X11″
I’ve always been concerned about mastering tone when it came to graphite sketches and drawings. I have to constantly keep in mind the distinction between the “form” and the “field”. The “form” is the object, and the “field” is the area that surrounds it. Mastering light through the use of tone sometimes can be a little tricky. The simple drawing of the tree (left) works with light coming in from the right side of the painting and spins softly in and out through the edges of the bark. The major form is the tree itself, so in the simplicity of the drawing it was quite easy to master the tone of the drawing.
Richard D. Burton: Practice drawing for future painting
However, several practice studies were made of ‘Father Time’, before being able to settle on the final drawing. The one to the right was made in consideration of a future painting (which is yet to happen). I did complete a finished graphite drawing using the practice sketches, which came in very handy.
Richard D.Burton: Small segment of drawing for future painting
Keep in mind, we use edges of objects with lines. The variance of tone is not as important as the shape defined by the line which holds the framework of the drawing together. The defining lines need to be used in conjunction with tone and modulated to relate to the tonal values of the overall drawing. Below is the finished drawing, Grinding Gears of Time.
Richard D. Burton: Grinding Gears of Time (Graphite on Paper) 2012
Many artists talk about their personal style as if it was the “be all and end all” of success. I contend that even if an artist consistently mimics the work of another, in time they develop their own personal style. For artists that wish to grow, it is important to develop many approaches and looks. The personal style will develop, and the artist will be much better off for it.
Lynn Burton, “The Red Sunset” Oil on canvass (24×48)
Generally, when one is trying to develop their personal style early in their career, they tend to approach their painting by working on one small area at a time. I feel this the wrong approach and will lengthen the time it takes to develop one’s style. I think an artist will be much better off if they develop all parts of the painting simultaneously. In this case, if they are working on a painting in its early stages, they can reach a moment where they can make a decision to leave it alone as a simple stylized or impressionistic piece, or continue to work on it further for detail and complexity. The results can be very unique. Somewhere between the decision to do one or the other will allow for determining personal style.
If artists will not continue to experiment, they may never develop their personal style they are seeking. They may miss out on becoming the artist they dream. I think the constant seeking and experimenting is the driving force of all great artists. How did Pablo Picasso change from the artist on the left to the artist on the right?
Pablo Picasso: GuernicaPablo Picasso: A Woman in White
Art Center Information enjoys selecting a few of our recent past blogs for review. After glancing at the brief posts below, if you feel you are interested in reading further, simply click on the picture next to the entry, and it will take you to the post. We hope you enjoy.
Richard D. Burton: Segment of “Red Truck
In the post titled: Art Tips to Improve Confidence, we said: It’s always best for artist to critique their own work and not seek the views of others. When the seek advice, it probably means they’re not sure where the fault lies. There are six important areas that should be considered…. for more, click on thumbnail to the left<<<<
William H. Bonney, aka, Billy the Kid
The author of this blog wrote in his article titled, Featuring the Southwest: I was born in New Mexico, hardly more than sixty years after sheriff Pat Garrett shot William H. Bonney, aka, Billy the kid, deader’n a door nail. I even knew one person who claimed he knew “the kid”, personally. He was ninety-nine years old when I was…. for more click on photograph>>>>
Preliminary drawing for a watercolor painting
In the post article: When drawing people, suggest they are alive, our author said: My art approach is to suggest they are alive. I’ve always tried to draw them with body language that would suggest they could be animated, as if any moment they would change their pose and move. For more information, click on the thumbnail to the left.<<<<
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Here are a few helpful tips to prepare a substrate for a painting. If it is to be a watercolor, which I am planning in the case of this painting, it is necessary to be extremely cautious. This is a complicated drawing with hundreds of line strokes in it which must not show through the transparent watercolor. What I will be doing is tracing off the drawing
Step 1: Copy drawing onto tracing paper
Step 1: After the drawing is complete, copy the drawing onto tracing paper. At this point, be as detailed as possible. In this particular instance, the painting will be 16″X22″. I didn’t have tracing paper that large in my closet, so I loosely taped two smaller sheets together. Sometimes, you have to do what you have to do.
When you are ready to transfer the drawing onto a substrate, make sure the substrate is as prepared as possible for the acceptance of the drawing and ready for the painting. In this instance, the substrate is a 22″X30″, 300lb De Arches watercolor paper blocked off at 16″X22″. This could mean a waste of paper, and a waste of money, but I use the extra for color testing while painting.
To prepare the paper, I soak it for over an hour in warm water, then I stretch it onto a 3/4″ solid 24″X36″ board (purchased at Home Depot for$18.00). Using brown 2″ paper tape, I stretch and staple the paper on the board. When it is completely dry (at least 24 hours) it is ready to paint upon. Before painting, I block off the size of the painting with masking tape.
Step 2: Prepare substrate with transfer paper beneath copy paper
When the copying of the drawing onto tracing paper is complete, then I prepare the substrate for the transfer. To make sure none of the papers can move, I tape transfer paper onto the substrate and beneath the tracing paper. Then, I separately tape the tracing paper to the substrate, but not to the transfer paper. I carefully measure the paper to fit into the blocked off area for the painting. Next is the most crucial step. Making the copy onto the substrate.
Step 3: Copy drawing onto substrate
Tip: When drawing copy onto substrate, be as light as possible. Do not place hand or fingers directly onto the surface, it will smudge and could ruin your painting surface. Most transfer paper manufacturers claim it will not smudge, but I have yet to find that to be true. You need to trace as lightly as possible. The transfer paper will trace off relatively dark. You can use any instrument that you wish that will leave a distinct mark on the paper. In this instance I am using a sharp end of a nib.
I try to make my transfer so light that I need a magnifying glass to see the image. Here, I paint over the transferred strokes with a neutral color. In other words, I completely redraw the picture with light thin paint strokes. That is another blog post, so we will save it for later.
In the early 1950s, Jackson Pollock became the “darling” of the art scene in New York with his Abstract Expressionism paintings. Some called him Jack the Dribbler because of laying canvases on the floor and dripping paint onto them straight from the can or with a stick or trowel. In this way, he used the force of his whole body to paint, allowing himself to feel that he was inside the painting.
“When I am in my painting, I’m not aware of what I’m doing”~Jackson Pollock.
While painting in this manner, Pollock challenged what would be considered the Western tradition of using brushes and easels.
“I feel nearer, more a part of the painting, since this way I can walk round it, work from the sides and literally be in the painting.”~Jackson Pollock.
It was as if Pollock was ‘dancing’ as he kept flinging, pouring, dripping and spattering paint on an un-stretched canvas lain upon the floor of his studio barn.
“My painting does not come from the easel. I prefer to tack the un-stretched canvas to the hard wall or the floor. I need the resistance of a hard surface. On the floor I am more at ease. I feel nearer, more part of the painting, since this way I can walk around it, work from the four sides and literally be in the painting.
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