PA - Lesson #47 - White Swan

[Happychappy]

   Retta for always saying such lovely, uplifting things. Bless you.  The size of my paper is 9 x 12 inches, 80 lb which is made in the USA. It is spiral bound and there are 50 sheets in the book.  I love the Strathmore toned paper. It is also freely available at a good price too. AC Moore had a sale and I think I paid less than $6 for a book, I have also obtained it a Hobby Lobby with a 40% off coupon, Michaels have it in stock too but their prices are always a little bit higher but with a coupon, you can get it cheaper. Because I live so near the US border, it is so easy to go shopping in the States but now with the exchange rate being so horrible, I don't go shopping there much anymore. However, as I said, Michaels have it too and I am sure any other Art store near you would carry it too.  Hope this helps you.


Patricia

[Tousabella]

Thanks, Pat. Our stationery store closed here....the only local access to art supplies except WalMart. I will surely have a lookout for anyone going to the "big city". I've written it down, now if I can find it when I need it, I got it made!!  LOL

[Happychappy]

Retta, you could order it on line but then you will have to pay postage but it shouldn't be that much within Canada. The books lasts for ages with 50 pages. 


Patricia

[Tousabella]

Pat, if I can find it cheap enough, it isn't the postage, (most of the time) it's the exchange. Some things end up really adding up to be ridiculuos, but I always keep looking. LOL

[Win]

Patricia your swan is exquisite, as are all your paintings,  you have inspired me to try my hand at pastel painting  next 

[Happychappy]

   Rhetta for your message and yes, the exchange is what makes it so expensive.  What part of Canada do you reside in?


   Win for your lovely message and I would encourage you to try your hand at pastels for they are absolutely lovely to work with.


Patricia

[Juan Carlos]

Exquisite painting Pat. Love the water reflections and the swan seems to be moving over it. 

[Happychappy]

   Juan, I enjoyed the lesson but then I always enjoy every one I do.   Patricia

[Val]

Patricia, hopefully your swan won't be lonely too much longer! 

After 3 days I'm finally working on the body.  I wish I'd had bigger paper, I think it would be easier on a bigger format.

I've been in contact with a few international pastel artists I've come to know who are helping me out with how to handle the pan pastels. The first thing I learned is stay with natural white paper. The titanium white in pan doesn't do well with covering/lightening colours. If the white is put over a colour it just makes it look chalky as opposed to lightening it. It works a little better if the white is put on first followed by the colour. To lighten or darken a colour, you would add a lighter or darker colour in the same group. Lots of learning going on here! 

I'm starting to understand how they work so I'm actually beginning to enjoy them. I was going to post a photo but the net is running too slow to upload/download so I've been working more from the swan photo.

Unfortunately that also means the challenge photos won't be up yet. I'll try posting them all again tomorrow.

[Happychappy]

    Val I can't wait to see your swan and you never ever disappoint me in your endeavours for as I said before, your work is an absolute pleasure to view.


Unfortunately, I don't know anything about pan pastels because I have pastel pencils and sticks with which I work and I just love them.


As for staying with natural white paper, I have found my toned tan Strathmore paper excellent and it would be very hard for me to change to anything else now. 


For what it is worth and from my limited experience, what I have found to be very useful is layering colours, starting with the lightest colour to be put down first and then followed by the darks as you have correctly stated. I have noticed that a lot of watercolour artists do this too especially when painting florals.


Oh! Val, we never stop learning, the problem is retaining what we learn 


Anyway, I am eagerly awaiting the company of your swan as mine is getting pretty lonely 


Patricia

[Val]

  No I'm not giving up, I'm in need of a better set of eyes for colour. (Lloyd isn't up yet  )

In the video at about 55min. in, Dennis starts to lightly swipe in a colour on the water. Is it black  or a brown? I can't make it out.    

[Happychappy]

Val, I could not remember the colour Dennis swiped with so I went back and had a look at around the 55 min mark and while he didn't mention the colour he was using, my instinct tells me that it was black but VERY LIGHTLY. However, viewing the video, it looks like very dark brown. I went and had a look at my swan painting and it looks like I used black but just a very light touch and only here and there.  Try black and if it looks out of place, no problem for you can correct it so easily by lifting most of it and putting dark brown over it.  Hope this helps.


Patricia

[Val]

Thankyou much Patricia  well appreciated. So you suffer the same recall condition I do! I started adding some more shadows to the body...and forgot how I did it!    Makes me feel a bit soppy  I feel fairly confident now that I have the colour close enough to the shadows on the neck. Almost there 

[Happychappy]

Val, if I don't make notes, I can't remember what I did yesterday    I hope it is not " ol' Al" coming to stay!!! I just think my life is so busy and I have much to think about that my recall is not as it should be. (Hopefully!!). Anyway, I am enjoying life as best I can.


So pleased that you worked out the colours and looking forward to having your swan keep my one company.


Patricia

[Val]

Decided to post what I have. Haven't worked on it for past couple of days. Really struggling with getting the shadow colour to match... I'm even trying Nolan's count the strokes for w/c... I'm getting closer! 

Just so your swan isn't too lonely, here comes the 'almost' done swan! 

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