I can't wait to try the Eclipse brushes. I like the fact that they have longer bristles. I love the time lapse paintings while taking in your advice. You have a great style of teaching & painting.
Hey Chelsea, Great video with a lot of powerful information. I'm definitely trying to practice the step back approach more consistently. I had heard that Schmid's method is very deliberate and thoughtful. That's so surprising to me because his work looks so improvisational. I think about that a lot and try to think about every stroke...and then leave it alone! I'd love to hear your thoughts on squinting, brush size and what you use as a medium. Thanks for taking time to post your methods. Very helpful.
Hi Norman, I'm so glad you found it helpful! I had the same reaction to learning about Schmid's method. Slowly but surely, I'm determined to get there too. To your questions, here is what I have: 1) squinting is a helpful tool and I have nothing against it. I usually just take my glasses off though as it's more comfortable for me and it gives me the right about of blur if I'm about 8 feet back from my painting. 2) For brush size, I'd recommend you choose the largest brush possible to tackle a particular section, then go one size larger. That's the conventional wisdom, anyway. 3) I don't really use medium, and have a bad habit of sometimes just dipping into Gamsol if I need to thin the paint, but from an archival perspective that can be problematic. If I'm being 'good,' though, I'll dip into just Walnut oil, or maybe oil plus some alkyd if I need the help drying.
I think my issues with painting flowers may be in part to do with points raised here. Painting from a photograph somehow encourages tight, exact representation. Unintentionally I have made some steps to progress in this. My pc is now all the way across the room from my easel and my colour ink cartridge in my printer has run out. This means that unless I a get up and walk across the room between every brush stroke, I can't be as tight as I might be. My Persepolis piece is less tight as a result (although far from loose) and my chimp portrait is certainly a lot less tight than it would have been. Unfortunately I am in a position where painting from life is rarely an option (and that's when we're not on lockdown) but being away from the photo or image I am working on, doing studies and notans instead, seems to be a step in the right direction. I am looking forward to seeing your floral still life, btw.
I am going to try and do my chimp portrait with as few brushstrokes as possible. I have done a block in and during that I wasn't thinking about this but for the remaining layers I am going to attempt to think on each stroke, what best describes the form and see if I can actually break my tightness habit. Wish me luck!
Thanks Chelsea. I love your portraits. I have trouble with colors ( slightly color blind) and watching your videos and streaming have been a great help. Are you using a limited palette for the flesh color here? Any earth colors like BS or just primary colors like CR and Y or YO, with a black or pre- mixed black?
Great questions! I had my full palette out for this, but I'd guess that my flesh tone here was a lot of Terra Rosa, Yellow Ochre Pale, maybe some Transparent Oxide Red/Brown, and Titanium White. I rarely go into the cadmiums for portrait work as I just don't need that much punch, but I'm sure I could have used them if I wanted to. :) I don't have a black on my palette, and instead go to Ultramarine Blue Deep + Transparent Oxide Brown to make a black, but it's so easy to mix I don't pre-mix or anything like that. I find it's helpful too, as it can help me to keep the blacks warm, which wound up being really important in this portrait!
I wonder how the advice about using brush strokes efficiently to capture as much as possible in a single pass could be adapted for drawing media like pen or pencil where all that's available is a relatively uniform line and you have to build up shapes with multiple strokes. There must be a way.
True experience is a dynamic practice involving the whole body-heart-mind in a felt, lived experience that will be unique for every person and every event- and theoretically you may talk about it as a synkinaesthetic experience - 😊🎶🖤🎵
I have seen a few videos of you painting and I wonder how do you really paint... Maybe I'm confused due to way you're videos are shown but it seems that you make some brush work covering different areas and then you change those areas with brush again and again and... Sorry to say that. I've seen other artists videos painting showing pretty much the same thing.... I am a bit confused because I'm an amateur painter and I don't do it that way... Your paintings look great!
I can't wait to try the Eclipse brushes. I like the fact that they have longer bristles.
I love the time lapse paintings while taking in your advice. You have a great style of teaching & painting.
And its truly Great tips that can help anyone to succeed making looser brushstrokes and more beautifull paintings 🙏💙
Hey Chelsea, Great video with a lot of powerful information. I'm definitely trying to practice the step back approach more consistently. I had heard that Schmid's method is very deliberate and thoughtful. That's so surprising to me because his work looks so improvisational. I think about that a lot and try to think about every stroke...and then leave it alone!
I'd love to hear your thoughts on squinting, brush size and what you use as a medium. Thanks for taking time to post your methods. Very helpful.
Hi Norman, I'm so glad you found it helpful! I had the same reaction to learning about Schmid's method. Slowly but surely, I'm determined to get there too. To your questions, here is what I have: 1) squinting is a helpful tool and I have nothing against it. I usually just take my glasses off though as it's more comfortable for me and it gives me the right about of blur if I'm about 8 feet back from my painting. 2) For brush size, I'd recommend you choose the largest brush possible to tackle a particular section, then go one size larger. That's the conventional wisdom, anyway. 3) I don't really use medium, and have a bad habit of sometimes just dipping into Gamsol if I need to thin the paint, but from an archival perspective that can be problematic. If I'm being 'good,' though, I'll dip into just Walnut oil, or maybe oil plus some alkyd if I need the help drying.
Thanks Chelsea, all you say make so much sense always!
Thank you for sharing these fabulous tips! Many of them were new to me. I will be applying these ideas the next time I sweep my brush across a canvas.
I think my issues with painting flowers may be in part to do with points raised here. Painting from a photograph somehow encourages tight, exact representation.
Unintentionally I have made some steps to progress in this. My pc is now all the way across the room from my easel and my colour ink cartridge in my printer has run out. This means that unless I a get up and walk across the room between every brush stroke, I can't be as tight as I might be. My Persepolis piece is less tight as a result (although far from loose) and my chimp portrait is certainly a lot less tight than it would have been.
Unfortunately I am in a position where painting from life is rarely an option (and that's when we're not on lockdown) but being away from the photo or image I am working on, doing studies and notans instead, seems to be a step in the right direction.
I am looking forward to seeing your floral still life, btw.
I am going to try and do my chimp portrait with as few brushstrokes as possible. I have done a block in and during that I wasn't thinking about this but for the remaining layers I am going to attempt to think on each stroke, what best describes the form and see if I can actually break my tightness habit. Wish me luck!
Good luck!!! :D I think everything you said makes a lot of sense and I hope your brushstroke challenge is a success!
Thanks for the Tips 👍🔥🎨🔥!
Thanks Chelsea. I love your portraits. I have trouble with colors ( slightly color blind) and watching your videos and streaming have been a great help. Are you using a limited palette for the flesh color here? Any earth colors like BS or just primary colors like CR and Y or YO, with a black or pre- mixed black?
Great questions! I had my full palette out for this, but I'd guess that my flesh tone here was a lot of Terra Rosa, Yellow Ochre Pale, maybe some Transparent Oxide Red/Brown, and Titanium White. I rarely go into the cadmiums for portrait work as I just don't need that much punch, but I'm sure I could have used them if I wanted to. :) I don't have a black on my palette, and instead go to Ultramarine Blue Deep + Transparent Oxide Brown to make a black, but it's so easy to mix I don't pre-mix or anything like that. I find it's helpful too, as it can help me to keep the blacks warm, which wound up being really important in this portrait!
How long do you wait before you apply varnish? Is it final varnish already or just retouch?
You made some very brave corrections late in the game, turned out amazing👍👍
Most beautiful . Gorgeous.Thank you .
Thanks for the class!! I love painting, but I stiil have a lot to learn 😁😁
I am myopic and I intentionally don't wear my glasses to lay down painting sometimes
Brilliant thank you ❤
I wonder how the advice about using brush strokes efficiently to capture as much as possible in a single pass could be adapted for drawing media like pen or pencil where all that's available is a relatively uniform line and you have to build up shapes with multiple strokes. There must be a way.
True experience is a dynamic practice involving the whole body-heart-mind in a felt, lived experience that will be unique for every person and every event- and theoretically you may talk about it as a synkinaesthetic experience - 😊🎶🖤🎵
I have seen a few videos of you painting and I wonder how do you really paint... Maybe I'm confused due to way you're videos are shown but it seems that you make some brush work covering different areas and then you change those areas with brush again and again and... Sorry to say that. I've seen other artists videos painting showing pretty much the same thing.... I am a bit confused because I'm an amateur painter and I don't do it that way... Your paintings look great!
Hi Chelsea! Were you using Rosemary Eclipse on this? What sizes? Thanks!
very nice
I m also an artist and I like ur cute and beautiful work
...pero guay!
Supeeer 👍🌷💙🙋
Make decisions from 8’ !
When I give myself a little time, also life models, then I can go loose otherwise I can’t.
Great painting but the lower edge of her nose doesn't look right.....but maybe that's just how it seems in the video.
Madre mía 🙄 Y sí hablara menos? Jjjjjjjjjjjj