Step-by-step demonstration

I told you earlier that I had been asked to do a step-by-step demonstration for an article, and now it is out and published! It is a bonus features E-newsletter for the Painters-Online, the website for Leisure Painter and The Artist magazines based in the UK.

Here is the link to the whole article online where I together with several other artists speaks about our art: http://www.painters-online.co.uk/Information/Bonus-Features-June-2014#Jenny

But as it now is out, I thought I would share my part of it here as well!
_________________________________________________________________________________
Jenny Moed-Korpela
Step-by-step article for Painters-online, May 2014

Nature and wildlife has always been the most important inspiration for my art. My ongoing passion for painting birds started when I was a girl at my grandmother’s kitchen table where we would sit and watch the birds at the birdfeeder outside the window while drinking tea. Birds have fascinated me ever since with their different personalities and beautiful colors.

6 years ago I started experimenting with mixed media, and it changed my way of painting completely. I wanted to find an alternative approach to realistic painting, because my art did not feel like it was completely ‘me’. Through experimenting I found that changing a realistic background to an abstract background behind my subject was the trick. I like the combination of the abstract and ornamental elements with the realistic and more detailed subject that my art has now. I like to think of it as a combination of playfulness (the background) and seriousness (the bird/subject).

To create my abstract backgrounds I play around with colours and different acrylic gels/paste for texture, and lately I use more and more different kinds of tissues and papers, book pages, music sheets and so on. Sometimes it is just a few papers with the canvas still showing, and sometimes it is like my demonstration piece here that I totally cover the canvas with an abstract collage before painting the bird on top of it all.

The painting below is ‘You are beautiful’, a light-vented bulbul that I was able to photograph just around the corner from where I live at the moment. He was kind enough to pose for me, and there will be more paintings from this beautiful model!

Step 1.  

 I have two ways of approaching a new painting. One is where I just begin playing around with paint and papers and create an abstract painting/background without any particular bird in mind. I usually always find a bird that fits sooner or later. The other is where I have a reference picture of a bird ready, and I paint the background with it already in mind. Today I am sharing the second approach with you.  First I chose a 30x30cm canvas, and selected some papers, book pages and music.

Step 2. 

I like to use acrylic gel medium, usually matte gel for the layering of paper. I use a lot to cover the paper first on one side, and after gluing it down another layer of gel on top. I use a big flat synthetic brush for this.

Step 3.

This is how it looks when I have all the layers down. Here are now 2 layers of papers, the book pages underneath, and the music and the handwritten poems on top. As you can see I made some changes to what papers I used as I went along. Make sure to let the gel dry completely between the layers, it becomes much stronger and gives you a beautiful hard surface to paint on.


Step 4.

When the gel was completely dry (usually needs one night, but it depends how thick you use the gel) I started to paint with acrylic Payne’s grey. I diluted the acrylic with a little bit of water, put on a fair amount over the whole canvas and then wiped it of again. Next I pushed some of the letters and text more to the background with white acrylic, dry- brushing it on. I let this layer dry overnight before the next layer.


Step 5.
For the second layer of colour I used the acrylic paint straight from the tube, dry brushing it on the canvas. First I darkened the background in some places with more Payne’s grey, and then I added some cerulean blue, white and gold, letting each colour dry to the touch before applying the next. Background ready for the bird!

Step 6.

I drew the bird on the background with charcoal. It is important that the drawing is as exact as possible, because otherwise every error will show as I will paint the bird in oil, and not touch the background any more.

Step 7.
Here is the first blocking in of oil colour. No details, just dark and light. I use Raw umber and Payne’s grey for the darks and white with some yellow and green for the rest.

Step 8.

With the second layer of oil I start to outline the details of the bird, and I try to get the eye to come alive already in this early stage, so that I have someone to ‘talk’ to while painting…

Step 9.
More details. I always try to work with the whole bird and branch at the same time, making sure that the colours match, and that the same amount of focus and care are applied to the whole subject.

 Step 10.
Almost there. Here I have worked with the areas that I want to have a little more detailed, like the chest, wings and the head. It is not that visible the changes that I have made to the head, but especially the eyes has gotten some more layers to get the reflection right. I paint with very thin layers of oils so that it dries fast in between layers.

Step 11 - The final painting.

The wings got the final details and I softened the chest feathers a little as I thought them too rough. Now the only think lacking is some varnish to make the colours really pop after the oil is dry and cured.

If you like my approach to painting you can follow me on my blog: www.jennymoedkorpela.blogspot.com or visit me on my website: www.jennymoedkorpela.com. I also have a facebook page that you can like: www.facebook.com/JennyMoedKorpela
________________________________________________________________________________

I hope you enjoyed it!




Comments

Post a Comment

Popular Posts