Uncle Bud's Art Colony

Monday, October 31, 2016

Today I want to talk about the Dark Side, or the shadows that give your paintings and drawings life. (Dan I am your Father.)

There are five (5) Shadows on this side of the light. This is the Shadow Family. The first is the Core Shadow it is the top in this picture it runs around the side of our fruit in the yellow giving a round shape to the object.

Next is the true or plain old Shadow. It is the side and in a dark back ground painting sometimes it gets lost and dissolves.

Then the one we all forget is the Occlusion shadow This is under the object, it is the "base" that our fruit is setting on. It is where the fruit meets the table and the light.

Now we have the Cast Shadow, this is a true shadow and depends where the light is pointing. i.e. left, right, or up or down. The cast shadow tells the tale of the shape.

Then Lastly we have the Reflected Light it is the bottom curve moving up in to the light family it has changed from a shadow to a light.

These 5 Shadows will get you on your way to better drawing and painting, helping you understand how to make better shapes and "round them out".

Happy Dark Shadows Day...ha ha ah ha!!!!

The Dark Side - Shadows

10:17 AM

Kathy

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This post will be two parts Light and Shadow. in most paintings and even in photos you will see the shadows and the light. Sometime the light will be to bright and ruin your pictures. Or the shadow so dark you can not see anything.

In painting a picture it is best to know where your light is coming from and how it effects your subject. The simple highlights and shadows like I have here in this apple is rather self explanatory.

The truth is it is more complicated than that but lets look at it.

If you can draw a line thru the apple the left side would be the "Light Family". The right is the "Shadow Family". The light is divided into Three parts first is the Highlight, it is the comma looking design I have put on the apples' left side. Second is the pure Light, it is located in the left middle. The third is the Mid-tone located under the comma and is darker than the highlight but not a shadow.
These three make up the light family and by understanding these three your pictures get better.

Tomorrow is the Dark Side, you go Darth Vader.....ha ah ha!

Light and Shadows Explained

9:40 AM

Kathy

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Today is my one hundredth post, and I want to thank you and everyone who has looked at a post or encouraged me to keep it up!

This has been therapy for me as well as a chance for me to give back. A chance to also to show my work, To show you what is possible and how to get better. You might learn from my mistakes and also learn about some of the artist I was so impressed by as a young man. Maybe I can encourage you to go to a museum or a exhibition.

Well now Thanks to my son Jon www.jonlikestodraw.com and Jake my grandson for all his help. Also My son Dan and Andy for their support and my wife Kathy!!!! And of course everyone of you for reading or passing on this blog. ( keep letting others know if you like it)

100 post, I am surprised and happy because there is so much to do if you want to learn about art and color and light. I also want you to know about The Impressionist and Post- Impressionist, Like Van Gogh. Plus some of the other greats artist as well as Ohio artist.

Thanks again!!!!!

I'm 100 Today!

9:13 AM

Kathy

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These two pines set out in front of our property. The rail fence is and added touch I put out for a background when I plant flowers. Flowers never seem to make though.

I sat outside last week on a warm day and sketched this vignette. I like the dark and light of pines. The sky on that day had very wispy "horse tail" clouds. the far distant trees were also changing color.

I was trying to pick out more shadows because I want to talk about High lights and low lights. In an upcoming blog.

This could be a Christmas card or letter head you could take a wash of color and add pen and ink to it for and even more interesting drawing.

By the way if you like what we are trying to do here drop me a note. Thanks Uncle Bud.

Twin Pines - Blue Spruce

10:13 AM

Kathy

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As the season continues more and more things cause the leaves to fall. We've had a light frost, a hard rain, and now the leaves are dropping like... well you know.

I don't usually do this but I fit the subject into the format of the paper. I used Payne's Gray, burnt sienna, and light blue for the tree bark. I also wet the paper a little so the yellow and orange would spread. This makes a "leaf" like pattern.

The branches are fun to twist and turn. Again I used the Payne's gray as my darkest color to accent the limbs, then with ultramarine blue I used it to high light the limbs and the branches. This gives the picture a fullness. Then the blue green and light green for the grasses.

Love me some trees!!!!

Frost, Rain, and Falling Leaves

10:18 AM

Kathy

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Remember when you were a kid and saw a picture you Had to color? Well this tree was like that for me.

It's about 4 miles from my house and I pass it once or twice a week. Well it has changed colors from green leaves to a yellow and they are dropping. It is almost as if the tree is blooming again.

These studies are great to do because when you do a painting you have reference work to look at.

This is the third in this group of five. I think you learn so much by doing these little sketches. For example I notice where the limbs turn and twist and how the leaves build a grouping.

Again light and shadows build a great picture. Well we got a lot more fall to look at later on.

Just had to Do it!

9:29 AM

Kathy

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This tree was so beautiful to paint and witness in nature. The strong darks and lights, the foliage, and the strength of this tree.

As the temperature changes in the fall and the sap begins to flow the other way in a tree, the leaves lose some of their color. (chlorophyll) The resulting change is something most northern states and some mid-southern states enjoy.

I would sell this type of watercolor for $15.00 to $20.00. I can see a nice frame on this and hanging in a den or living room.

I made this by using a pencil outline then putting the darker colors and keeping it wet added my light colors. On the bark of the tree I took an old credit card broken in two to scratch into the wet paint for more real"bark". You can do that also for rocks and reflections in water.

We will talk about more trees coming up this week!