Self-portrait ill

[Jimmie Arroyo]

Jean,
My biggest problem is the process. I'm usually ok when I'm finished, but getting there kills me. I've studied color and make blocked sketches before I start, but right as I'm getting into it, I have a small panic attack and think I'm gonna ruin the piece. This has happened with EVERY color piece I've done. Every medium that I'ved tried has a completely different method of laying down color. For example, tattooing should usually be done from dark to light. With airbrushing I used a lot of glazing with little use of opaque colors, erasing pigment to achieve highlights. I still don't know what I'm doing with pastel!!!! The Daniel Greene tapes have helped greatly. One of my biggest concerns also with pastels is that I'll lose the tooth, although it's never happened(paranoia, I guess). I'm sure I'll get over it, hopefully very soon because I'm about to start a commission of three siblings done separately. Wish me luck.

[Michele Rushworth]

To get practice in color you might want to try oils, since it's so easy to rework problem areas (no danger of losing the tooth of the paper, as in pastels, etc).

There are really no hard and fast rules about whether you must work from light to dark or dark to light and the rich, lush range of colors is so wonderful. With a dozen tubes of paint you can get just about any color you want and don't have to buy a 500 plus tray of colors, as you do in pastel.

Oils are not hard to learn. I had never worked in oil paint until two years ago and will probably never go back to any other medium. Give it a try.

[Jimmie Arroyo]

Michele,
It's a medium I've always wanted to learn, took it for a semester at Parsons but never got the hang of it. Don't know if it was me, the teacher, or the low quality of paints. Could'nt afford better ones, and this was the period that I was starting to get better at airbrushing.
I'd like to get my drawings off the ground, perhaps in a local show, and get more comfortable with the pastels before I begin a new medium. I also think taking a class would help greatly, rather than learning on my own and becoming immediately discouraged.

[Jean Kelly]

Hi Jimmie,

First, I agree with Michele about oil, it's very forgiving. Currently I'm painting a beautiful young woman from the Phillipines. It's taken me a week of playing to come up with the deep bronze, gold, rose color of her skin. But it's just paint...

Second, for the pastels, try working on a sanded paper. It's tougher and can be brushed off (or even washed). Wallis or Colourfix or ask Chris Saper.

Third, use my mantra. Fear becomes anticipation, anticipation becomes excitment. Repeat daily or whenever you feel the start of panic. As a former sufferer of panic attacks, I've had to learn that unwarrented fear robs my energy, I don't sweat the small stuff anymore. It's just paper, and color is exciting!

Jean

[Jimmie Arroyo]

If no one minds, I'm going to place my response under Cafe Guerbois, where it seems better fitted. My apologies.