As I get more involved with my youtube channel it makes me reflect more on the basics of painting. I find the most important things in making a painting (with the intention of selling it) are to keep in mind three or four main points and they are in order of importance DESIGN, COLOR, NARRATION AND FINALLY RENDERING. Rendering is important too but it’s basically nothing if you don’t have the first three in good standing. I painted this painting about 10 years ago and worked hard to get the color harmony and design right.  

 Watch the youtube video about the stages or progressions of this painting. I am trying to gather a following on my youtube channel where I’ll be posting twice daily and talking in depth about art decisions I make ... join me here:

How to paint a figure in the sun GIRL READING WITH RED PILLOW and be sure to leave any questions or comments here or there. I am always looking for areas of interest.  Next up color choices and get to know your mediums!

 Unify your painting with limited palette.  I painted this one with mostly three areas of the color wheel .. It’s a small one so “not exact” mostly little spots of color.  I took inspiration from the green(yellow green) area, the flesh area of warm reds and then balanced it with the opposite of those two; the purple and purple blues. You can see on the color wheel (thank you grumbacher) how the two colors at the top then from a triangle with the purple blue.  In my opinion, the three most important aspects of a painting are design, color harmony and finally rendering pretty much in that order. We’re not going for a photographic representation anymore.  THE thing that keeps me painting after 40 years is COLOR not rendering...something to keep in mind. Though rendering is fun too!  Check out the youtube talk on this painting and SUBSCRIBE to be notified of bi weekly posts! See you there

 

A QUICK POST:  WARM INTO COOL

Oil painting is the greatest. I think I would have to include pastel work into what I am about to say as well.  Here’s an example of what I am talking about.  About 2 months ago I stretched a 30 x 40 and decided to spend some time with this subject and composition.  The first painting is an oil painting and the second painting is of course the same painting but about a day later.  I was ready to quit  with the first one and then I said to myself, “remember when you used to spend a month on just one painting? What did that mean?” So I used my inner art eye that I have acquired over time from experience, reading and viewing great paintings in museums and began to focus on what I know are MY principles of oil painting

Check the edges

Be aware of what colors are next to each other and the harmony 

Think of the composition points (golden mean)

And the important one in this post which is to push color.

 By push color you wonder what I mean. I mean I start pushing warm colors (usually the opposite on the color wheel) into cool colors and vice versa, the cool into the warm and voila I think I got a much better oil painting. What do you think ? The second one is down below  and I will put that painting onto  my header.  Come back soon ....in the meantime check me out on my youtube channel.

 

STARTING UP ON YOUTUBE

My friend and I are supporting each other in getting started on our youtube channels.  I am learning learning learning.  (Good for an older brain they say). I certainly have a lot of paintings I can talk about but mastering the art of EDITING is a whole career unto itself. Should I go with imovie, final cut, adobe premier, or some advertiser from my “cookie” mind invasion?  I am experiencing multiple computer burnout. I work on an ipad pro then want to do some work on my pc or laptop and my mind reels with transferal of files complications, changes in software capabilities, Password hell........have you been there? You can spend days there and it really underscores the fact that I’m aging and the “I’ll remember that” starts to sound downright foolish and forget the PASSWORD stored on the ipad.  Sometimes it takes and sometime it doesn’t.  I’ve started an old fashioned process of keeping a notebook and writing them down as I change them.

All this complaining means I’m learning. Everyday I do it I am getting better. I believe in the sink or swim method of learning and in computer language I call it JUST keep CLICKING to see if it works and then hope you can remember how you got there. Also thank goodness for youtube and all the contributors who teach you this stuff.    Please join me at the beginning of my journey into the great YOUTUBE experience. My son say’s I’m late to the party. I’m here anyway and I think I’m having fun.  This blog is a gmail invention (google) and so is youtube so there is a nice connection (interface) between these two.  

I am learning to say PLEASE subscribe and LIKE at every opportunity!

 Sketch books!  I’ve always had a sketch book. I often was more in love with “having” a beautifully bound book instead of the actual sketching but that being said, many many evenings have been spent with me looking at my surroundings and sketching what I saw, a chair against the book case, the cat in a chair, the way the lamp light cast a light and illuminated a corner of the room.  All this was of course WHILE watching tv with a glass of wine.  It takes me back to my early college days.  I always have done it and NOW, turns out, sketchbooks are the rage.  They are gorgeous. I particularly like the Stillman and birn variety of sketchbook. The paper is exquisite.

https://amzn.to/3vGyLho If you’d like to take a look here is an amazon link.  As much as I am fearful of amazon taking over the world and all its money I am also so pleased when I get a 24 hour delivery. Call me mixed on the issue.  

I will be demonstrating a few of my easy sketches on warm tan paper highlighted with white markers later this week on my youtube channel. Sally Rosenbaum https://youtu.be/nbCHyspdpn4 ...I hope you’ll join me there for lots of future art videos.  I am a former art teacher; spent a life time PAINTING and selling my art, and now I am going to try the virtual art lessons and shares and recommendations and just blabbing about my opinions, inspirations, techniques, and philosophies.