Lamp black not drying

[Richard Budig]

Maybe that's where I went RIGHT with this goofy stuff . . . painting over still slightly tacky work from the day before. I paint from around 9 until around 2 or 3 almost ever day. My work is touch-dry when I start out each day, but I can "feel" that it wouldn't take much disturb what's underneath . . . a little turp or thinner on a bristle brush, probably. But, too my mind, I paint into alkyd-dried paint that is barely more than 12 to 18 hours old. Perhaps this is the reason I have never had a delamination problem.

[Meera Bakshi]

Dear experienced friends,
For the sack of trying something new, I applied a thin layer of Linseed oil mixed with Turpentine on the hard surface canvas panel board. This I tried for the first time. Somehow the layer remains wet and can not proceed to add more details to my work. Any idea how long it would take to dry? Or this is not the way to apply a layer in the first place?
I don't mind wiping out completely and tray all over again...though I hate to loose wonderful expression I got on this portrait.
I would appreciate your response.

[Richard Budig]

How far along are you with this painting? just started . . . half way . . . almost finished? Where is the black passage? Somewhere it can be wiped down and allowed to dry for awhile. Did you use straight black?

My experience is that there are few places, except the pupils of the eye that are totally black. Of course, I tend to use Liquin, which will dry up the ocean (joke) I think. But, if you use oil as your medium, you could do several things, such as manufacture a black from something like burnt umber and a deep blue. Burnt umber dries quickly. For a warm black you could use burnt sienna and black . . . the burnt sienna dried rather quickly.

It it were me, and the painting was not finished, I would wipe it down and repaint that passage. You say you don't want to ruin the expression on the face . . . did you use that much black in the face?

Again, from my experience, black of any kind, if I'm going to use it at all, is best used in small amounts to tone down another color, in which case, the other colors it is mixed with will dry sooner, pulling the black along with it to a dry condition.

[Meera Bakshi]

Hello Richard, Wow, thanks for such a prompt response! I do not have used any black at all! And the face that I have have very thin layer of light shades of white, pink etc...of a fair skin tone...I would say the face is 85 % done .
do you have skype or google talk than we can just discuss and I can show you my this work that has a problem of drying?

[Richard Budig]

Sorry, I don't have any of those visual computer things.

If the black passage is not in some thing critical like the face, why don't you just wipe down with a soft cloth and mineral spirits, let it dry, and repaint it? I'm not one of those who says that black does not belong on the palette, but I do believe that it can be used very sparingly for, as mentioned before, dropping the chroma or value a little. Otherwise, there are lots of ways to manufacture more colorful darks that will read as black to the average eye. Again -- sorry to repeat myself -- one of the few places for the use of solid black is in the pupil of most eyes.

[Meera Bakshi]

Dear Richard, Thanks for your valuable input. I hardly have used Black directly from the tube! And this is the first time I tried to experiment "wet on wet" painting, inspired by viewing youtube videos from fellow artists...Well, perhaps that's not my kind of thing! :-D
Just to let you see my level in painting, would you please visit my web link, www.soundofindia.com/meera

I would equally appreciate your critical remarks to improve my work.

I had painting urge since childhood and I practiced mainly sketches as I did not know how to get color shades and right effect, but once I get that training from my GURU at Ahmedbad city in Gujarat state, (just for 6 months for applying oil colors and using them to get right effect) since than I have almost never stopped doing oil paintings. (heh, and perhaps never done the pencil sketches!!, I feel like continue practicing pencil work again as it has it's own fun getting shades and effect in black n 'white.)
I am thinking of letting this current painting on hold and start another one...the same one, so that I can have two of the same subject, (my eldst grand daughter)
Thanks again for your support.

[Richard Budig]

It is difficult to offer good critical review of work via computer. Each computer monitor "sees" things differently. If I commented on your flesh tones, I may be quite wrong because of the way my monitor displays your work. In general, your work looks as though you are headed in the right direction.

How did your guru teach you to soften color? Did he teach your about neutral grays? A lot of artists use neutral grays as a way to tone down brilliant colors. You can also tone down brilliant colors using the complement . . . blue to soften orange, for example. However, this method takes a very long time to learn, and usually causes one to waste a lot of paint looking for the right combination. Neutral gray can be made in several values by using ivory black and white. It is necessary to add a bit of raw umber or burnt umber to the black to kill it tendency to show blue. Once you get used to your grays, you will use them in much of your work.

But, as for black, again, my advice is not use so much that it takes so long to dry. Actually, it will eventually dry, but sometimes, it can take quite a long time . . . many days up to a couple of week.

And, yes, you should draw all the time.

[Meera Bakshi]

Dear Richard,
I greatly appreciate your feed back. To be very frank, I did not have much time with my GURU as I met him around 1991 as I was basically from Mumbai and in order to not to leave my owned apartment in place like Mumbai in vacant condition when we get a visa approval of our Green card, so we got rid of that apartment and moved to a smaller city - Ahmedabad. I was not so very happy to leave Mumbai but GOD might have different plans for me. Staying there for almost 2 and 1/2 years I did not know this GURU exists! And when I came to know about him and found out he was teaching exactly what I was looking for, I started learning from him starting January 1991 and in June 1992 I came to US.
He too do not have Computer access and or e-mail connection. So it is very difficult to communicate with him. Many a times I miss his expertise when I am stuck at certain point of my work.
He may have told me about the gray tones but I do not recollect. What you say is right. I do remember him telling me to use little blue tint in chin area while working on a male portrait, though!
I will try to apply as per your advice. Thanks again for your special time sparing for me. I will keep in touch with my latest work. Thanks again.