Free Painting In Oils

It was time to put the brushes away after a lovely painting holiday in Botswana. All this time, I had been working from a single palette, simply putting new paint on top of old paint, and carrying on as I progressed from one painting to another. It seemed a shame to throw all of the lovely paint left over on the palette away. This was when it occurred to me that it was a brilliant excuse to do a free painting. In a free painting, all the leftover paint is used randomly on the canvas. The artist then stands back to allow a picture to emerge from the canvas. A few lines are added to allow others to see the picture as the artist saw it. This is a truly fun exercise which you are bound to love replicating in your own studio.

I start today's painting on Rolfes Gouache Pad.

The paper has a repetitive grain with holes.

My palette looks like this after 3 weeks of painting.

I use a palette knife to pick the paint up from the canvas. It is then smeared onto the paper without planning or thinking about it.

This is what my page looks like when all the paint had been transferred from the palette.

I now dip a brush in Liquin and start to blend the paint on the page. I also used my fingers before I was done.

This is what the page looked like when I was done. Now it is time to sit back and find a picture in the paint. Turn the page around if nothing pops out at you.

When I had turned my page upside down, a face suddenly appeared in the paint.

I used a fine round brush to paint the jawline and nose. The lashes and eyebrow was painted with a fan brush.

Here you can see what I used to paint the face with.

I titled this portrait 'Silence' and it instantly became my personal favourite of all the paintings I had done in these three weeks in Botswana. I could absolutely associate with the lady in the painting. What impressed me most about my visit to Botswana, was the silence, and I actually commented on this on my Facebook status update. I will share that comment with you at the end of the blog. This face does not have a mouth. It does not need one when it is indulging in the bliss that silence affords. My stay in Botswana was one of prayerful silence, and thus it made sense that the face would be drawn with her eyes shut. What she had to offer the world became secondary to what God wanted to say and do through her. This is what I love about silence. I get to meet God there. And there is nothing better than to lose one's own voice, if it means finding God's in its place.

A copy of my Impressions of Botswana:
It is time to share my impressions of Botswana. Anyone who knows me well, will be aware that I have an intense appreciation for silence. Botswana is silent. There are precious few billboards shouting its capitalist obscenities at you, and lamp posts, street corners and windows get to take up their actual place in life, rather than being turned into advertising space. With all of this visual noise removed, you get to rest your eyes on the beautiful scenery of the country, the wonder that are its people, and the expanse of its skies.
There is also no obscene onslaught on your nose. Even in Gaborone, a city that compares with any other capital city in the world, you get to breathe freely. There are virtually no smokers in Botswana. You get to exit buildings without inhaling the unwanted secondhand smoke of everyone else who felt entitled to force the effects of their bad habits upon you. Few planes fly over the country, leaving little imprint on those below. The air is clean, albeit humid. Once your sinuses clear up, you actually get to smell the roses ... or whatever alternative plants happen to be in your immediate vicinity.
When we finally get to actual noise that can be heard with the ears, the silence gets even better. I was very fortunate to visit with friends who did not have a television subscription (although you could opt for the full DSTV bouquet, if you chose to). Instead, they were selective with what they wanted to watch, and when, by choosing to watch DVD's on the odd occasion. This choice allowed time to play board and card games, but more importantly, it created space for conversation. We could philosophy, joke, learn from, and teach each other. The range of topics explored leaves one breathless, and the re-discovery of a friend's intelligence is an incomparable gift to oneself. Oh, that we would allow silence to re-enter our lives!
But let me not complete this observation without addressing the topic of friendship in more detail. I found the people of Botswana open, friendly, inviting, supportive and generous. There are no dividing lines between the people and true equality exists among all of its citizens. They are excited and proud about the place they live and they love to share it with you. I made a dozen or more friends in three short weeks and were allowed into people's homes and hearts with equal welcome. The warmth of the people is only barely surpassed by the warmth of the hot African sun that smiles down upon a country blessed with old-fashioned values that reminds strongly of Jesus' exhortation to love others as you love yourself.
What a privilege to have been exposed to all of these wonderful impressions. In all fairness, I have to leave you with a single warning, if you are considering a visit to Botswana; do not pack your heart, for you will lose it there, and you will be left with a deep-seated longing to return as soon as possible.

Marietjie Uys (Miekie) is a published author. You can buy the books here:
You can purchase Designs By Miekie 1 here.

Jy kan Kom Ons Teken en Verf Tuinstories hier koop.
Jy kan Kom Ons Kleur Tuinstories In hier koop.
Jy kan Tuinstories hier koop.
You can follow Miekie's daily Bible Study blog, Bybel Legkaart, here in English & Afrikaans.
For more crafty ideas and great products, visit A Pretty Talent on Facebook.
Remember to keep nurturing your TALENT for making PRETTY things.
You can subscribe to this blog and receive regular updates by email by simply registering your email address at the top of the current blog.

Secluding A Lonely Figure In Oils

Simply painting a single figure on a canvas, is not enough to convey loneliness. How we use colour, line and shapes, all combine to tell the story the artist wishes to convey. Today's painting is a lovely conversation piece as it certainly has a story to tell. My friend and I had different interpretations to the same painting. See who you agree with, or perhaps you see something completely different?

I do this painting on a sheet of Prime Art Canvas Pad.

The pad contains sheets of canvas that can be torn out to be painted on.

I draw a rough sketch in charcoal on the canvas. The figure is much smaller than the canvas, allowing me to create the idea of someone lost in space.

I use a brush to brush away the loose charcoal particles from the canvas.

I use Indian Red on the hair and then mix it with Titanium White to achieve a flesh tint. I use a palette knife in this painting.

I then add the shadow areas of the figure in Phthalo Blue and Titanium White.

Highlights are painted in Deep Cadmium Yellow.

I then cover the background with Liquin.

I blend Phthalo Blue into the Liquin. Note how the lines cocoon the figure inside the picture, almost like an embryo. On the right hand, the blue can not be kept at a distance any longer, but invades the space occupied by the figure. This is also the area in the picture that the figure is focused on, helping to create the sense of moody blue thoughts.

Some yellow is added to the background. This colour brings hope and relief to the picture. It allows the viewer reprieve. All is not lost for the figure in the painting.

The center background is painted white. some of the colour of the figure is picked up by the brush and blended into the background. This helps to create the impression that the figure runs the risk of disappearing into the gloom of the picture. It is for this same reason that I kept the lines of the figure undefined and soft.

An accent colour is added with some purple to create a more somber mood. Adding a second moody colour, adds complexity to the emotions and issues that the figure needs to deal with.

These are the colours and equipment I used to create this picture.

My friend asked me why the face was obscured, and I explained that as it is turned down it would necessarily be engulfed in shadows. However, I would not have defined it, even if it were illuminated, as I prefer to paint anonymous subjects. I enjoy forcing my viewers to find the identities of my figures in their body language and in the colours and lines I choose to depict them in, rather than simply on face value. Louise then commented that she considered this a reflection of someone who has lost their own voice and identity in society. I rather liked this observation. What are your own observations on painting figures without faces?

Marietjie Uys (Miekie) is a published author. You can buy the books here:
You can purchase Designs By Miekie 1 here.

Jy kan Kom Ons Teken en Verf Tuinstories hier koop.
Jy kan Kom Ons Kleur Tuinstories In hier koop.
Jy kan Tuinstories hier koop.
You can follow Miekie's daily Bible Study blog, Bybel Legkaart, here in English & Afrikaans.
For more crafty ideas and great products, visit A Pretty Talent on Facebook.
Remember to keep nurturing your TALENT for making PRETTY things.
You can subscribe to this blog and receive regular updates by email by simply registering your email address at the top of the current blog.

Paint Impressionist Dog Walkers In Oils

I have always been impressed by how impressionist artist manage to create a complete story with a few random brush strokes. I replicate this in today's blog when I paint a couple of dog walkers against an empty background. Notice how casually careless the brushstrokes seem to be, and yet they manage to create two figures and dog, interacting with each other.

I so this painting on a small Canvas Panel by Dala. It measures only 5" x 7". I took a photo of the back of the canvas as the info can be found on this side.

Turning the canvas over, you find a canvas that has already been primed to accept paint.

I used mixes of Phthalo Blue and Titanium White to paint the background with a palette knife.

The colours used.

I then mix a black from Prussian Green and Permanent Violet.

I mix a grey from Lamp Black, Titanium White and Deep Rose.

I paint the edges of the canvas in the grey.

I use a brush to blend the paint.

I start with two figures and a dog, but it leaves me disatisfied. I am not happy with their position on the canvas.

Instead of wiping the paint off the canvas, I simply blend the figures into my background and find it improved as a result of this action!

I then add a male figure that is clearly in motion.

The smaller figure of the child is slightly withdrawn from the action.

The position of the dog and the man, focuses the attention on something that is somewhere to the right of the canvas, but not part of the painting.

I am only left to add the heads of the figures to complete the painting. There are not defined lines and only very rough brush strokes, yet the painting effortlessly manages to establish action, character and interaction. Isn't this fantastic? It is for this reason that the painting engages with the viewer. Static figures would not be able to achieve this. The dog's attention is fixed. The man is taking proactive action towards a foreseen reaction from the dog. The child withdraws from this interaction between man and dog, leaning away from the man. Yet, the man maintains a firm hold on the child, leaving the viewer in no doubt as to who is in control in this scene. Did you notice all of this when looking at the picture? What else did this picture manage to tell you?

Marietjie Uys (Miekie) is a published author. You can buy the books here:
You can purchase Designs By Miekie 1 here.

Jy kan Kom Ons Teken en Verf Tuinstories hier koop.
Jy kan Kom Ons Kleur Tuinstories In hier koop.
Jy kan Tuinstories hier koop.
You can follow Miekie's daily Bible Study blog, Bybel Legkaart, here in English & Afrikaans.
For more crafty ideas and great products, visit A Pretty Talent on Facebook.
Remember to keep nurturing your TALENT for making PRETTY things.
You can subscribe to this blog and receive regular updates by email by simply registering your email address at the top of the current blog.

Paint A Male Figure In Oils

When painting a male figure with his back turned towards the viewer, one is already communicating a great deal. Adding movement to the figure, and placing him in tension with his surroundings, by allowing him to run off the canvas, even more is added to the visual story. I show you how to paint this figure, all the while exploring what the painting is attempting to communicate to the viewer.

The painting is done on a piece of paper torn from a Gouache Paper Pad.

The paper is sturdy and handles paint well.

I draw the figure in charcoal using free an imprecise strokes. By not adding too much detail, I retain the anonymity of the figure.

After brushing the loose particles of charcoal away, I reinforce the most important lines with a bold black marker.

The background is painted with a palette knife. I use Buff Titanium as the setting is unimportant and does not give any information about the figure away.

Indian red is added to the outer edges of the painting. This warms up the surroundings and make the impersonal figure slightly more personable.

I use Phthalo Blue, Payne's Grey and Titanium White to paint the trousers. This is reminiscent of jeans and makes our figure a working man.

Lamp Black and Buff Titanium is mixed to create a warm grey for his jacket. This is a very nondescript colour which accentuates the fact that we are not dealing with a metro man.

Mixes of Titanium White and Buff Titanium is used for the lighter areas of the jacket.

The man's head and face is completed with colours taken from the existing palette. Who have I painted? I have painted any man out there who finds himself in a setting where he dominates his surroundings. He is a man with a place in life, and is on his way somewhere. There is nothing distinctive about him and yet he is worth acknowledging. By painting no one in particular, I have painted someone that every viewer will be familiar with.

Marietjie Uys (Miekie) is a published author. You can buy the books here:
You can purchase Designs By Miekie 1 here.

Jy kan Kom Ons Teken en Verf Tuinstories hier koop.
Jy kan Kom Ons Kleur Tuinstories In hier koop.
Jy kan Tuinstories hier koop.
You can follow Miekie's daily Bible Study blog, Bybel Legkaart, here in English & Afrikaans.
For more crafty ideas and great products, visit A Pretty Talent on Facebook.
Remember to keep nurturing your TALENT for making PRETTY things.
You can subscribe to this blog and receive regular updates by email by simply registering your email address at the top of the current blog.