Close ups
Notan
This is my contribution to this week's WDE at Wet Canvas. Ros did the honor of hosting this week and provided a bunch of great photos!
Musicians seem to be good subjects. Studious, concentrating, the goal of producing audio art! That's the attitude I usually look for.
The challenge was to do a value sketch (notan)in three tones – black, grey and white.
Simplify - do a very simple line shape sketch.
Squint - Reduce the shapes to as few as possible.
Small - Work small and fast – if your sketch is too complex do another more simplified.
I tried the notan approach and I can see how it would be very beneficial. Like many others I've always been in a hurry to start slappin' paint on. This forces you to slow down and plan. I didn't follow my notan very closely, but, hey...I'm new to it!
I did the sketch on the panel with a Tombow Pen. It did some nice blurring and backwashing when I applied thin acrylics to tone the support ( it's not waterproof like I thought it was). So I left some of it visible in the finished work.
This is about 90% painting knife.
C&C welcome. Thanks for looking and commenting!
Its beauty is in its simplicity.Bravo!
ReplyDeleteThank you, Arti. Simplicity is what I was after.
DeleteLike those complimentary colors you have used for the figure and the background. Great painting and proof artists can change their minds from the notan plan!
ReplyDeleteThanks, Kaethe! I really feel sorta guilty that I didn't do a few more sketches beforehand.
DeleteI think this is an awesome piece, Dean. I love the point-of-view on this man.
ReplyDeleteThank you, Sherry!
DeleteThe view of this guy is basically what another band member would see.
This musician is painted beautifully, Dean!!!! Wonderful work!!!!
ReplyDeleteThanks for those kind words, Hilda! I just came from looking at your blog....great portraits!!
DeleteAlthough simple, you've totally captured the essence of the banjo picker. Bravo.
ReplyDeleteHi, Lokelani! Thanks for stopping by and your kind comment.
ReplyDeleteHi there Dean!... Another well painted... colourful and conceived figurative study!
ReplyDeleteYour diagonal... GPS-like "elbow-to-gaze" compositional map drags the eye right across the essential elements of the painting. A very effective strategy... which is one of the hallmarks of your painting style and process!
Another well-earned... Bravo my Friend!
Good Painting!
Warmest regards,
Bruce
Hi, Bruce! I really thank you for your insight and thoughts on this piece. This is the sort of comment I love to get.......Even if it all weren't positive.
DeleteI think you stayed pretty true to the notan. Your drawing skills are pretty FINE! I love what you did.
ReplyDeleteI enlarged the painting to see the texture from your knife and glad I did. I especially like the the way you did the shirt with warm and cool colors
Thank you, Julie!! Your palette knife work raises the bar for me. I can only wish!
DeleteBoth the painting and study are really successful here. The direct comparison makes it all look so easy! nice work!
ReplyDelete