Changing Direction

 by Lisa Larrabee

Some of my best exploration comes from my teaching demos.  Not always the demos themselves, but the paintings afterwards.  If I am teaching a technique, I tend to keep the demo pretty straightforward. This serves the purpose of teaching the process, but then I have a painting that I can play around with afterwards that I have no strong attachment to.  

I demonstrated a technique on how to use a reductive process in layers.  I discussed this process in a previous post that you can view here: A Reductive Process in Layers.

I love using my technique demos as a springboard for experimentation.  It has been one of the ways I have learned to let go and have some fun with the process.

Upcycle Your Painting

by Lisa Larrabee

Do you every wonder what to do with old artwork that you feel is kind of meh?  Recycle it.  Better yet, upcycle it and make it better!  There are so many possibilities when it comes to upcycling your artwork.  Allow yourself to respond to what you have while simultaneously letting it go.  

I had some silicone paint shapers that I really wanted to play around with.  Rather than starting on a blank surface, I looked for an existing painting that already had some nice colors and textures that I could build on. 

What's Relative?

by Lisa Larrabee

Value is relative.  Temperature is relative.  Color is relative.  There is that word relative again!  To simplify, all of these qualities are affected by their context.  They exist in relationship to their surroundings. When we change the colors or values around a subject, the relationship to the subject also changes.  Being aware of the effects colors and values have on each other can help you create color and value relationships with more accuracy.  Understanding the relationships can empower you to use your knowledge to enhance a color or create emphasis by using surrounding colors and values with intention.

Relative Value

In this example, the background is a gradient from light to dark.  Is the circle also a gradient from dark to light?  No, but it can appear that way.  The top of the circle appears slightly darker against the light background.  The bottom of the circle appears slightly lighter against the dark background.  

Paint with Charcoal

by Lisa Larrabee

Charcoal is both bold and forgiving.  You can blend and smudge charcoal or sharpen it to draw with precision.  Charcoal is a staple in most drawing classes, but did you know that you can also paint with it?

If you mix charcoal powder with water, you can paint using a process that is similar to watercolor.  The charcoal powder often pools and settles creating interesting patterns as it dries.  When the water evaporates, all that is left on the paper is the charcoal.  This charcoal can now be manipulated using traditional dry charcoal techniques.  You can blend, erase and add details using blending stumps, charcoal sticks and charcoal pencils.

Quick & Bold Graphite Studies

   by Lisa Larrabee

Graphite is a staple for any artist.  It can be used for a variety of purposes from doodles to stunning finished works of art.  It is stable, easy to transport and very forgiving.  It is also inexpensive and convenient. There's a good chance you are near a graphite pencil as you read this, so you can join in with the Art Challenge!  

Graphite can be used in a variety of ways.  For the purpose of creating quick studies, I will stick with a medium hardness HB pencil. You can also use a classic #2 yellow pencil with the pink eraser.  Nothing fancy is needed.

Take Risks with Color!

 by Lisa Larrabee

Value does all the work, but color gets all the credit.  That phrase gets thrown around a lot, but what does that even mean?  

We love color!  Colors can be subtle or dazzling.  Colors are powerful and can be used to get our attention or to communicate feelings.  However, value relationships are often the foundation of a drawing or painting.  Values can be essential to providing structure and to creating the illusion of light, form and depth.

Organize Colors by Value

If you want to experiment and take some risks with color, it can help to begin by first considering your values.  In the example below, I began with a black and white photo reference that had a nice range of light, medium and dark values.  I selected colors fairly randomly based on what I thought looked interesting while making sure I had different values.  I then sampled the colors on my gray toned paper in order of dark to light.  

I have been inspired recently by the drawings of Viktoria Maliar and her bold mark-making and color choices.  It reminded me of exercises I did when studying the mark-making of Vincent Van Gogh's portraits back in college.  I approached this study similar to others I have done when experimenting with my color choices.  I focused on placing values where they belonged regardless of whether it made sense for the local color of the subject and with zero regard for lighting color or temperature.

Give It Time

by Lisa Larrabee

If you follow my progress, you will know that I love to experiment. My exploration influences the classes I offer. In the last six months, I have taught classes on expressive drawing, experimental color and portrait essentials. During that time I focused on a variety of mediums outside of my traditional oil paint. I did not consciously consider how my exploration would effect my painting; I just absorbed the information. The painting below had been set aside for several months.  I wasn't sure how to finish what I had started.  When I recently returned to this painting, I had new solutions to try.

I loved the vibrancy and heat of the red-orange against the gray, but I was afraid I would lose the energy if I followed my traditional process because the color palette was out of my comfort zone. Setting this painting aside was essential.