Starting a new painting. · Dec 3, 05:08
First attempts at using a photo instead of drawing. Used an old white washed medium-weave canvas. Figured it was my last chance to dig out any old crap. Should have sanded before the whitewash. Spent maybe an hour picking out all the specks and lumps.
Mounted canvas right next to still-life without using a easel. It’s as close to sight-size as possible. Sitting on floating stool so I marked center of pillar. Then set up camera exactly where the center of my eyes would be. FLASH OFF! That way I get the exact shadow shapes. Takes hours in Photoshop to get the perspective right. Had to measure a good-sized vertical (the green thing) to get the print size right.. Must remember to put a registration mark where the two print-outs must be spliced together. (the painting is 15 × 11). Put burnt umber on the whole back of print- dabbed on with big, round, dry white bristle brush- and let dry maybe two hours.
Set canvas up again, right next to still life. Used screws and clamps to make the canvas TOTALLY immoveable. Matched it to the target mark I set up on the back wall of the box… I’d made the mark with pencil. Lined up the print-out exactly in the same place as the horizontal hit the objects. Taped on. Used a red rollerball. Took probably 2 hours on transfer, taking frequent breaks.
Couldn’t finish it before bed… but first thing in the morning the burnt umber still transferred beautifully… maybe better! I kept tightening the drawing by looking from life. Then inked the whole thing with a brush and black India ink.
Since it was a rough-ish canvas I used a big house-painting brush to wash-in the burnt umber (maybe half w/ turpentine.. to a melted butter consistency). Then pulled out the light-ish areas with a dry rag. There are no bright whites so I didn’t use any turp on the rag… didn’t want to break the paint layer.
Got a heater on it to dry it some more. I’ll put more work in on it this afternoon.
It’s turning out that working from a photograph is taking longer than it would take me to simply draw the thing!— Robert Lovely
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