See The Faces ... Take In Their Expressions ... They All Tell A Story!

You can't do sketches enough. Sketch everything and keep your curiosity fresh ... John Singer Sargent!

I agree with him completely folks. I need to go to the clinic on a fairly regular basis for them to draw blood so that they can monitor the viscosity because of the heart condition I have. It usually takes a couple of hours to get it done, so while I am waiting, I sketch as many people as I can. My aim is to try and capture their expressions and posture that tell a story of their own. I am thinking of doing some paintings incorporating these sketches.

A painting is basically a pattern of shapes and colors. Some are called positive shapes and some negative shapes. For instance, in drawing a person, the person would be considered a positive shape. The spaces around the person are considered negative shapes. This might seem unimportant, however, these negative shapes, far from being regarded as neutral territory, or left over gaps in the pattern, they are vital components in the overall design within each section of the picture. They are used to enhance the action and character of the very images, whose contours have defined them.

As an example, when you look at these sketches I have done, they are surrounded by notice boards and windows and seating, and other people, and these shapes which connect them, give context and meaning to what would otherwise be a somewhat boring portrait. This then also enables the viewer to engage with the sketch in a meaningful way.

https://www.art-and-soul-by-malcolm-turner.com/single-post/2017/06/15/See-The-Faces-Take-In-Their-Expressions-They-All-Tell-A-Story

Sharing Stages of V & A Waterfront At Night Oil Painting

Hi everyone. Well here I am trying out my very first blog. And all I can say is that you are going to have to be very patient and understanding with me. Needless to say, my wife Jessica is helping me every step of the way, so at least I have that on my side. So for this blog I simply want to start by sharing with you the various stages I went through in doing this painting. And from what I understand, you may all be able to interact with me in it and ask questions. So here goes:

This is my third painting in my Iconic Places in South Africa collection that I have just completed of the V & A Waterfront, which is a night scene, and in Stage 1 my approach is different because of the complexity of the composition having a lot of detail. I am simplifying it by breaking it down to shapes that group together the darker and the lighter values. As always, I enjoy sharing the process with you so that you can watch as it comes to life.

In Stage 2, as I mentioned before, I am all for simplifying the complex details, which is why I turned both my reference and the painting upside down which lets my left analytical brain know that I am not painting objects, and allows my creative right brain to just paint the shapes it sees. My focus here was to paint in the darker elements which will later create the contrasts.

In Stage 3, I continued putting in the smaller areas of dark values to complete the underlying shadow areas. I also started to put in color where there will be brighter areas. These are darker in value than what the final values will be. I do it this way because I have found with oils one always paints light over dark as this retains the integrity of the values.

In Stage 4 I completed what essentially is the under painting. I also started to build up the mid-tones, after which the highlights and other lighter tones will be added. Next will come the finer details which will bring everything into balance and harmony.

In Stage 5 I continued to build up the mid-tones, and started adding the highlights. I have also started putting in some of the finer details that as you can see, are bringing everything into balance and harmony.

In the final stage, my focus is always on making sure that every little detail is correct as that is what makes the painting sing and turns a good painting into a great one.

This painting is for sale if anyone is interested.

Medium: Oils on Stretch Canvas

Size: 92 x 61 cm (36 x 24 inches)

Price: R8500 ($650) (£505)

https://www.art-and-soul-by-malcolm-turner.com/single-post/2017/06/10/Sharing-Stages-of-V-A-Waterfront-At-Night