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Dear Subscribers,
Greetings!
New painting on the easel. Here are the beginning stages.
First stage. I have a composition and general pose in mind, but the
trick is finding the right reference. My strategy is to collect a bunch
of references in order to get familiar with the defining
characteristics of a raven. Then I choose one primary photo reference
for the raven's overall pose which is similar to what I was hoping for.
This is a 16x20 inch panel (Ampersand Gessobord). I begin blocking in
the raven with umber. The first attempt is too small, so I rub it out
(you can see the leftover smear below), and begin again, scaling up
slightly:
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Next stage. My primary reference has the beak closed, but I want it
open, so I look to several other references and start to construct an
open beak at the correct angle:
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Next stage. I deviate from my reference a bit, slightly tipping the
flight angle and exaggerating some of the relative proportions between
feet, head, wings, and tail.
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Next stage. Satisfied with the pose and proportions, I switch to using
a Holbein knife (1066s no. 303), and go straight in with full color.
Cadmium red, alizarin crimson, a little ivory black.
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Next. I realize that the head is too fat in this stage below. It looks
too "eagle-y". So I start fixing it after this. I'm isolating that
focal red by surrounding with cool blue. White with phthalo blue and a
little ivory black to keep the saturation under control.
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Next stage. I shave down the top and bottom of the head. Blues and
black in the body.
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Next stage. I shave down the head a little more--it starts to look more
like a raven. Now that the entire panel is covered, I'm getting a
better sense of how the colors and values are working.
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This is just the beginning. TO BE CONTINUED.........
I'm going to try and shoot these newsletters out more often, perhaps
even eventually back to a set weekly (or biweekly) schedule that I used
to have. I think the trick is breaking out my process into manageable
bite sized chunks. We'll see :).
_____
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Scholarships Available!
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STILL LIFE COMPOSITION & PAINTING WORKSHOP
May 3-5
$525
Scottsdale, Arizona
There are a few spots left. Scottsdale Artists' School informed me that
they offer scholarships for workshops based on financial need and
merit. So cool! So if you were hoping to attend in May but lack the
funds, fill out their scholarship application.
SAS Scholarship Application
Details & Registration
_____
Thank you for reading! Until next time, best wishes. -David
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