Plein Air Painting - Part IV

Plein air painting is the art of painting out of doors. This is Part IV of a five part article on plein air painting. Part I provided a brief history of plein air painting and discussed its purpose and goals. Part II discussed the preparations necessary for plein air painting. In Part III, we talked about the supplies needed when painting en plein air. Now, in Part IV, we will discuss creating the painting and dealing with spectators.

Creating the Painting

Work freely and loosely. If you begin with a drawing, make sure this is loose as well. Simplify what you want to do because you’re working within a limited time frame. Think about the dimensions of your canvas or paper, and customize your scene to best enhance its format.

Start with a simple palette; more colors can be added later. Begin by putting in the main shapes, tones, and colors. Then, as you continue building the painting, you can introduce more color and gradation of tone. Blend quickly so that the colors being mixed aren't thoroughly blended. This will add an incredible vibrancy to your painting. Use the camera as necessary. You may want to catch the long shadows and cool colors of the early morning or late afternoon.

Plein Air Painting - Parati's Relais Chateau

Remember that the scene will change throughout the day. The sun moves across the sky, affecting light and shadows, and the weather may change as well; early morning haze or cloud cover may burn off as the day gets warmer. Changes in the type of light, and in the angle of the light, also will affect the scene.

• Clouds in the sky will cause shadows to become grayer.

• Haze or smog in the air will reduce the contrast between shadows and direct sunlight.

• When the sun is at a 45 to 50 degree angle, contrasts of light and shadow are accentuated, and texture is more readily apparent. Use this time to add your brightest colors, your most dramatic tonal contrasts, and to capture the textural surface you want in the painting.

If you have plenty of time and will be at the site for several days, consider bringing the supplies you need (canvases, boards, several pages of watercolor paper, etc.), and painting separate pieces for the various times of day.

Plein Air Watercolor Painting - La Baquette Paris

Dealing with Spectators

Spectators are often curious, and may want to chat or offer advice. If possible, position yourself where people can't come up behind you, such as against a wall or in a closed doorway; it will help minimize this problem. Simply ignoring a spectator's presence by not making eye contact usually will be enough, but you might also add "I'd love to give you some attention, but I can't be distracted right now".

If someone does start to chat, be polite but non-responsive, with a reply such as "I'm sorry but I can't talk right now since I have only a limited time to do this". Often, people just want to look, and you can help avoid talking by saying something like “feel free to have a look”, then continuing with your work. If someone offers advice, a response such as “Thank you, but I’m fine with what I’m doing” can politely deflect any well meant but undesired suggestions.

There are several special steps that need to be taken as your painting day draws to a close. Therefore, in Part V, we will complete the article by talking about ending the plein air painting day, and finishing the painting.

Julinya Vidigal de Vince offers a variety of art workshops in Westlake Village California.

Julinya's Art Classes - Westlake Village, CA

Oil Painting Using the Glazed Painting Method - Part II

This is Part II of a three part article on oil painting using the glazed painting method. Part I provided an introduction to glazed painting. In Part II, we discuss the drawing and the underpainting.

The drawing is optional; however, if the artist is using a board and chooses to do a drawing, it should be done with a soft graphite pencil. If the artist is using a canvas, the drawing should be done in charcoal and sprayed with a fixative upon completion.

Once the drawing is completed, the artist begins by creating a monochrome underpainting. An underpainting is somewhat akin to a black-and-white photograph, because all visual elements exist as a series of tones; no color variation is introduced. This is why an underpainting is often referred to as a tone painting.

In creating the underpainting, the artist uses white and one other neutral color, such as burnt umber. When beginning the underpainting, the artist should use a transparent white so that the drawing can still show through the paint. As the underpainting progresses, the artist can go thicker on the white and cover the drawing.

Rubens Portrait - Reproduction
Oil on Canvas Glazed Painting

While creating the underpainting, the tones should be rendered one to two shades lighter than would normally be correct. This is because the layers of colored glaze will darken the tones of the painting, bringing them to their correct levels. The underpainting may be as loose or as detailed as the artist desires. However, it is generally true that the more detailed the underpainting, the easier the glazing process. A lot of this depends, of course, on the level of detail in the painting. If the artist is creating a portrait or similarly refined work, a detailed underpainting is recommended.

Once the underpainting is completed, it must be allowed to thoroughly dry. Use that time to review your work closely and ensure the underpainting is fully completed. If additional work or corrections are required, do them at this time and then allow the new paint to dry. While it is possible to correct a painting during the glazing process, this is not recommended. Correcting a painting requires using opaque white, which diminishes the luminosity of the colored glazes.

In Part III of this article, we discuss the process of applying the colored glazes and finishing the painting.

Julinya Vidigal de Vince offers a variety of art workshops in Westlake Village California.

Julinya's Art Classes - Westlake Village, CA

Drawing and Painting Using Compositional Balance

An important consideration when drawing, painting, or creating any work of art is its compositional balance. Composition, in a work of art, refers to the way in which its various visual elements are arranged and organized. The way that this is done creates the compositional balance in the work. Basically, there are three types of compositional balance. These are:

• Symmetrical
• Asymmetrical
• Radial

Symmetrical Balance

Symmetrical balance, also known as formal balance, occurs when equal weight and importance are given to both sides of a composition. This is often thought of as a mirrored balance, because the weight is mirrored on either side of the work. This can occur either vertically (in which, for example, a painting is thought to be divided into left and right halves), or horizontally (in which a painting is thought to be divided into upper and lower halves).

A symmetrically balanced composition can invoke feelings of calmness, stability and security. Julinya Vidigal de Vince's oil painting Imperial Beach provides an example of vertical balance. The darker pier and figures on the left hand side of the painting are equally weighted by the sun and its reflection in the water and the clouds on the right hand side.

Imperial Beach - Oil on Canvas

Asymmetrical Balance

Asymmetrical balance occurs when the visual elements in a work of art do not mirror each other either vertically or horizontally. It is a less formal type of balance, and utilizes more subtle qualities to affect the apparent weight of objects in the work. These qualities include an object's color, its intensity or brightness, and its degree of lightness or darkness. For example, a large, light area on one side of a painting could be asymmetrically balanced by a small, intensely black or deep-purple area on the other side.

Asymmetrical balance results in works that appear more energetic and active than symmetrically balanced works. Because it is more subtle, it can be more difficult to create than a symmetrical work. However, it enables the artist to create works with a wide range of dynamism, depending on the degree of asymmetry.

Radial Symmetry

Radial symmetry is similar to symmetrical balance; however, in radial symmetry the composition is equally weighted both vertically and horizontally. Thus, if the painting were divided into four equal quarters, each quarter would have the same amount of weight. This draws the eye to the center of the work, which becomes its focal point.

Parati - Rua da Praia - Oil on canvas

Julinya Vidigal de Vince's oil painting Parati - Rua da Praia provides a wonderful example of radial symmetry in its vertical and horizontal balance. The two beautiful adobe walls provide equal weight to both the left side and right side of the painting, while the alley way and the sky provide equal weight to both the painting's top and bottom.

Radial symmetry has two commonly used variants. In the first, equal weight is given vertically, horizontally and diagonally. This gives the effect of having the composition radiate from its center. This is popularly used in non-representational art.

The second common variant is the spiral, in which the composition rotates around an actual or implied central point. A spiral produces a high-energy composition in a circular format. Alternately, it can provide a sense of added movement if used in a section of a work that predominantly uses a more rectangular composition.

Julinya Vidigal de Vince offers a variety of art workshops in Westlake Village California.

Julinya's Art Classes - Westlake Village, CA

Drawing and Painting Using One Point Perspective

When drawing or painting using one point perspective, the artist employs a series of techniques that emphasize one specific area of a work. This is often done to draw the viewer’s focus to that area. A famous example of one point perspective is Leonardo da Vince’s The Last Supper, in which the viewer’s eye is lead to Christ’s forehead.

One point perspective always includes a horizon line, although it may not be easily apparent in the work. The horizon line, which is at the artist’s eye level, contains a single vanishing point. In perspective drawing or painting, a vanishing point is the point at which receding lines occurring in the work appear to meet. Even if the lines don't actually meet, the viewer's eye extends the lines to note where they would meet if they were long enough to converge.

An excellent example of one point perspective is found in this pen and ink landscape by Julinya Vidigal de Vince.

Pen and Ink Drawing - Alley at Giglio Castello

Here, the lines of the wall's top and bottom are constructed so that appear to meet at the end of the castle alley way. This draws the viewer deeply into the picture, almost making it seem as if we were really there.

Julinya Vidigal de Vince offers a variety of art workshops in Westlake Village California.

Julinya's Art Classes - Westlake Village, CA