Halberstadt CL.II - 2 new color studies

Russell Smith · 5 October 2006, 02:28 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by AAC Cadet Leader

Great works, Russ! Both beautifully painted.

Warmth through the colors.

Exciting instability through your differing directional lines - offset horizon, diagonal rays and or rain, climbing and banking angle of aeroplane.

Great shading and reflections on the aeroplane! Nice choice of one, too.

Nice treatment of the sunlight through the misty atmosphere - better done on right one, except for the sky to ground dark steak on left side of it (right painting) - streak is not believable going all the way to the ground.

Love the painterly clouds on the right one. Nice loose feel to them.

Landing gear on left painting is a bit better technically, but coloring is better in right painting and better overall - has more contrasts in values and warmer scheme than the left painting.

In the left painting I like the shapes of the farms better than the foreground in the right painting.

In the right painting, the river by the horizon is better, more distinct.

What are those spots just above the horizon? Zeppelins? Neat!

Inquiring minds want to know...
1) What surface did you paint these on?
2) Did you start with a photo landscape ground?
3) Oils? acrylics? both?
4) How big is the finished larger painting going to be?
5) Do you make/sell prints from your color studies?

Thanks for sharing with us!

Thanks AAC. I'll take 'em in order.

- Not Zeppelins. Close - observation balloons.
1. masonite
2. yes and no - i had one that I used as a staring poi. it had a big lake in the foreground that I had to take out. i re-shaped the landscape a little too.
3. oils (acrylics? blecchhh!)
4. big version is/will be 16" x 26"
5. I might make make open editions of the final version, but not the studies.

russ

AAC Cadet Leader · 6 October 2006, 02:57 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Russell Smith

Thanks AAC. I'll take 'em in order.

- Not Zeppelins. Close - observation balloons.
1. masonite
2. yes and no - i had one that I used as a staring poi. it had a big lake in the foreground that I had to take out. i re-shaped the landscape a little too.
3. oils (acrylics? blecchhh!)
4. big version is/will be 16" x 26"
5. I might make make open editions of the final version, but not the studies.

russ

wasn't thinking - of course - observation balloons.
1. tempered or un? primed or gessoed - or canvas affixed to the masonite?
2. did you paint over top of a printed out version of it?
3. is your masonite or canvas primed with an acrylic gesso or oil based primer?
3. interesting. how did you decide on those non-standard dimensions?
4. ah. so you don't reproduce your color studies? could not doing so ever increase the value of a color study beyond the value of its final, larger version due to there only being one of them?

Russell Smith · 6 October 2006, 04:54 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by AAC Cadet Leader

wasn't thinking - of course - observation balloons.
1. tempered or un? primed or gessoed - or canvas affixed to the masonite?
2. did you paint over top of a printed out version of it?
3. is your masonite or canvas primed with an acrylic gesso or oil based primer?
3. interesting. how did you decide on those non-standard dimensions?
4. ah. so you don't reproduce your color studies? could not doing so ever increase the value of a color study beyond the value of its final, larger version due to there only being one of them?

1. tempered - no canvas. i have a hard time finding untempered masonite anymore. heck, half the folks at Lowes don't even know what masonite is these days. I went in once looking for masonite siding and they pointed me to masonary siding. forget trying to explain to them the difference between tempered and untempered masonite. sheesh.
2. nope. transfer the drawing to the masonite via tracing paper and carbon paper (home made). same process when i transfer the image to the larger canvas.
3. acrylic gesso directly on the masonite. interesting thing 'bout this is that I have to use different brushes for the color studies than i do for the big paintings. the smooth surface of the masonite calls for nice soft brushes that lay down gobs of paint. the texture of the canvas (actually linen) calls for stiffer brushes that are a little more conservative with the paint.
4. I don't believe in standard dimensions. I determine the dimensions according to what best suits the composition.
5. i could, but there are only so many hours in the day, and the process of color correcting for reproductions takes up a lot of them. When I make reproductions they are of the final versions of my paintings.

russ

AAC Cadet Leader · 6 October 2006, 08:43 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Russell Smith

2. nope. transfer the drawing to the masonite via tracing paper and carbon paper (home made). same process when i transfer the image to the larger canvas.

i know it's hard to find these days, but may i inquire as to how you "home make" carbon paper?

Quote:

4. I don't believe in standard dimensions. I determine the dimensions according to what best suits the composition.

i take it you do your own framing then.

thank you for sharing russ!

Russell Smith · 7 October 2006, 04:57 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by AAC Cadet Leader

i know it's hard to find these days, but may i inquire as to how you "home make" carbon paper?
i take it you do your own framing then.

thank you for sharing russ!

No i don't do my own framing. i take my work to a local frame shop for custom framing. there is a place nearby that is very reasonable. often times i don't even need to do that. many clients prefer to have the framing done themselves.

recipe for carbon paper:
1 sheet of tracing paper
1 graphite stick (a wide one, not a skinny one)
a small amout of kerosene
a couple of cotton balls

tape the sheet of tracing paper down at the corners. use the graphite stick to apply a nice layer of graphite to the tracing paper. it will look kind of splotchy, but make sure you get a good layer of graphite applied. slightly moisten the cotton ball with a drop or two of the kerosene and wipe down the graphite coated tracing paper until you have a nice, even finish. once it is dry you have home made carbon paper.

nice thing about this method is that if you buy the tracing paper in rolls like I do, then you can pretty much make the carbon paper whatever size you need.

Russ