Observational Drawings

This exercise I intend to do twice; the first time in an impressionistic style, and the second time in a realist style.  For the realistic style painting (which I have not yet begun), the observational drawing was most important.  For the Impressionistic style painting (which I have completed), capturing accurate detail was not so vital.

Try as I may, I did not succeed in producing lovely fabric folds. Even with the understanding of varying shadows, temperatures, highlights, and reflected light; my sketches resemble broken bones.

Study in fabric folds tonal contrast

study in fabric folds with hues

Still life with Flowers Painting, Impressionistic Style

Here I used impasto and broken colour in acrylics.  I would prefer oils, but as this was my first try at knife painting; I thought it may be a waste. I appreciated the way form can be achieved without painting actual lines.  

Complementary Colours

helped me achieve colour harmony and a more balanced appearance in my painting:

       °In areas where my flowers seemed too red, I added green to tone them down. 

       °I dry brushed red over the green leaves, as they seemed detached from the rest

         Of the picture.

      °The vase which was initially blue was too cool but warmed

        with the addition of orange.

      °I added yellow to balance the intensity of purple.

      °I used grey and white to make a more tonally graded painting.

Conclusion

This painting was a lot of “firsts” for me; first time regarding complimentary colours, broken colour, and impasto technique.  I am eager to try this in oils, as I really don’t like the flat-plastic results I had here. I’ve seen fabulous examples of portrait paintings where highly pigmented colours were used in a colour block scheme. I’ve also seen acrylics look stunning in abstract art;  it just has not yet happened for me.