From the thread that Chuck found I have learned about tubing my own paints. You people are brilliant! I always thought I needed to mix up fresh paint each time and maybe I do, but, the possibility of having the same basic flesh colors for the life of the painting would be a nice 'security blanket' for me. Though, after lots of thought and reading the new posts above, there is something to layering with newly mixed colors.
Chris,
Thank you for all the valuable information.
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Originally Posted by Chris Saper
I actually use paints and mediums that dry so quickly I routinely scrape off my palette and put out fresh colors by noon each day. If there is a dry passage on my painting, I 'wet' it with some medium or light retouch varnish; then it is not so difficult to paint into a previously painted surface, nor to match the colors well. I think Peggy B uses Poppyseed oil to 'wet" a dry surface. The only time I really re-paint areas (other than to fix mistakes!) is where I need to manage edge transitions.
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This is interesting. I can not imagine scarping off my palette every day. Then you remix the colors the next day? Could I use Liquin as my medium if I needed to wet an area?
I just painted a little girl and after working for 3 or 4 days, I scraped off everything. Her face wasn't right yet, my paint on the canvas was getting sticky and I couldn't move it around. Recently I had seen some JSS's at the Met and Boston MFA and I love the way those paintings are so rich with paint. When I paint, the paint sort of 'sinks' into the canvas. Blah. So, I thought to get the rich luxurious look, I would use lots of paint. I got carried away. My paint was way too thick, it was probably 1/8" thick and I couldn't get it to be smooth on her face, which I wanted. To compound the problem I've scaped off paint more than once and I even sanded old paint off the face once so I have a surface as smooth as glass now. I started with linen canvas and 2 coats of primer.
So, this brings me to painting thin layers and letting them dry inbetween. Hmm. I have always tried to work wet into wet and I just keep working at it until, viola!, I'm happy with it and then I step away and don't touch it again.
Marvin,
Thank you for your post. As usual, I think there is a wealth of information in your post but I'm just not able to grasp all of it. I'm trying though, I've reread your post half a dozen times and I'm trying to formulate my questions so I have a better response than "Huh?".
See, I thought it would be heaven if the palette AND canvas would just stay wet for about a month, or at least 2-3 weeks. Then I could keep working at the painting and adjusting this or that value and color, and then finally work out the details. Then I would be done and I would wave my magic wand and it would dry. But, from reading your post and thinking about it, and studying your website and the demo there, I think this is not the best way to approach a portrait. It must not be because it's not working for me!
Therefore the answer must be to paint the face the best I can, then leave it alone for it to dry. Then come back and make further adjustments with another layer. Would you say this next layer is actually a scumble? I think you would use zinc white because it's more transparent (?). But without a medium to thin down the paint, isn't this the same as just repainting the face?
I think I'm almost there with understanding this so please bare(sp?) with me. It's interesting how this process is coming about through trial and error for me. I would be lost without all the help I get on this forum.
Thank you again Chris and Marvin,
Joan