I am currently working on a painting of a small owl statue (shown here) made out of twigs and tree bark. The owl statue is covered in different textures from head to toe. Since this is very different from anything that I have painted before, I decided to test some different techniques for painting the area around the eyes on an old canvas board before starting on the actual painting. After a few attempts, it was still looked a bit flat and boring. It was then that I tried using a plastic palette knife to apply the paint. A metal one would probably give you better control but I didn’t have one handy at the time. With the palette knife, I was finally able to get the area around the eyes up to a sufficient level of awesomeness. I also found that the same technique should be able to work for most of the owl. So far, I have completed the area around the eyes and the owl’s feet using the same basic technique for both areas.
First, I will go over how I did the feet. I started with two lines of paint on my palette, side by side, one of burnt sienna and one of cadmium red. I scratched a narrow, round tipped palette knife across the two lines to get a small amount of each color on the knife without getting them too mixed together. Then I applied a fairly thick coating of paint to the feet of the owl. Here is a picture of this in progress.
Once the feet were completely filled in, I added the texture of the small twigs coiled around the feet of the owl statue. For this, I used a different palette knife that had a pointed tip. Before each time that I touched the knife to the painting, I dipped it in a very small amount of black paint.
After dipping the knife in the black paint, I carved curved lines across the feet. The knife tends to build up some access paint, so keep a paper towel or cloth handy to wipe it on. Also, when carving into the paint, be sure to do it lightly if you are painting on a white canvas like I was. The knife can completely scrape the paint away and allow the surface below to show through. If a flat color were first applied to the canvas, it could be used to either reduce the impact of carving too deep, or you could use it to your advantage and have a color show through intentionally. Here are the finished feet.
The area around the eyes was painted in a similar way. I mixed white with very small amounts of yellow ochre and burnt sienna. Then I laid the paint onto the canvas like I was frosting a cupcake – which I have done about as many times as I have painted owl statue eyes. Check ‘em out:
Then, just like the feet, I carved in the individual bristles. In a few areas, I gave the palette knife a quick dip into some burnt sienna for a little extra spice. The centers of the eyes along with the remainder of the owl will come in once all of this is dry.
November 8, 2009
There are many reasons that an easel is a key component to the artist’s toolbox. As a beginning painter it can make you feel much more legit, and that mental aspect goes a long way. Also, if you have never painted using an easel before, you will quickly realize that the ability to take a step back to examine your work is very helpful. This will allow you to account for any errors early that could otherwise have ruined your painting. One last benefit that I will add from personal experience is that an easel will keep your painting vertical while you are away, thus preventing domestic animals from expanding your artwork from the canvas to the table, floors and clothing. Not very awesome.
Unfortunately, there is one big reason not to get an easel. The price. Most often I see a decent one hovering the $200 range, which is certainly out of my price range. I want to paint, not take on a second job. To overcome this lone excuse for denying myself the luxury of a vertical painting surface, I set out to build my own for as little money as possible. After some serious browsing at the hardware store I came up with the following list of materials.
Fan Trellis: $10.98
3/4” Square Dowel (3x): $7.32
1” Square Dowel: $2.77
T Hinge with Screws (2x): $5.54
Wood Screws: $0.98
Yarn (Could also use chain, rope, shoe lace, etc.): Free – Had some laying around the house.
Grand Total: $27.59 – A worthy investment!
You will need a hand saw and a screw driver. A drill and a level are recommended.
First step, gather up all of your materials.
Then chop the tips off of the fan trellis. This will be the bottom of the easel.
Attach two of the 3/4” wooden dowels to a horizontal beam on the trellis. Trim the ends to be flush with the bottom of the easel (top of the trellis). This will be the back support for the easel. Cut the third 3/4” wooden dowel into a few pieces. Attach these pieces with screws to the two that are already connected. Add a perpendicular one at the bottom and some diagonal ones to prevent the two posts from being able to sway side to side.
Now loop some yarn (or other material of your choice) around the dowels and the trellis to keep the posts from opening up too far.
The next and final step is adding a bar to set the painting on. For this, use the 1” wooden dowel and screw it to the trellis at a height that works for you. Don’t lose too much sleep over this because you can always change it later. First, place a screw connecting the center of the dowel to the center of the trellis to hold it in place. With the easel set upright, use a level to even it out. Then screw both ends of the dowel to the trellis.
Now all that is left to do is get busy painting.
Have you already tried building this? If so, leave a comment and let me know how it turned out. Did you find a way to make it even cheaper, like by substituting the wooden downs with random pieces of drift wood? Spread the word in the comments section for the benefit of the whole Wisdom Lion community.
July 5, 2009
