Thursday, February 15, 2007

Pile-Up Revisited Again












Didn't like the other one? You probably won't like this one either.

11 comments:

Michelle said...

Ron - I like them both. This one feels a little more "Autumn" to me. Now if you do one with snow covering the cars, you will have all the seasons covered. The first one could be both Spring and Summer.

Do you do your drawings on a separate sheet of paper first or directly onto the w/c paper?

Ron Morrison said...

Here's the deal-I have the most consistent results when I work the drawing out on a piece of cardboard. I use felt pens, chinese white, or whatever and I try and get a good composition. Its not pretty but if it sorta works, I trace it and transfer the drawing to to the W/C sheet. Now having said this, my bigger paintings evolve from smaller ones-at least in the last coupla years. So the process is a little hard to explain, but it is my opinion that the drawing should be done beforehand and transfered so that the paper is not bruised or scuffed. Plus in the process of transferring it the drawing can be corrected on the tracing paper. If you go back, way back in the posts I explain how I go from small to big. I do a lot of tracing and transferring because I believe good painting comes from good drawing. I have no interest in photo-realism, I want my stuff to have character.

Michelle said...

Ron - I also do my drawings either on drawing paper first then trace it or I draw directly onto the tracing paper then transfer it onto the w/c paper. It's amazing how just a small amount of erasing will ruin the paper.

You're right, a good painting comes from a good drawing. I took a w/c class from someone several years ago who didn't ever draw her own images. She always traced a photograph. To me, it was about like doing a paint-by-number. I'm sure there was a lot of copyright infringement going on there as she wasn't a photographer and would use images from magazines or whatever suited her fancy.

William K. Moore said...

Hear hear.. good practices.. methods and techniques. Great to hear the good painting news!

Ron Morrison said...

I also think that the drawing process should allow you freedom to let things happen-so it shouldn't be overdrawn. I also love to paint the same drawing numerous times to see how many totally different paintings come out. I believe that once you know where you are going-namely you have the map (the drawing) the first painting is usually tight and somewhat hesitant(not always but for me it usually is). By the time I have done it once or twice the painting usually evolves and is looser or has a different mood. Now the famous "having said that" it can also go downhill quickly and the first one might be the best one. I am not a results driven painter-its the process that keeps me fascinated. I waste paper and paint.

Michelle said...

Even though I do my drawings on a separate sheet of paper, I've only attempted to re-paint one of them. I didn't finish because I got bored with it. Guess I'll have to give it another shot. I've tried to loosen up a few times but I always end up stressing over the details.

I'll try your tip of wasting paint and paper and try to paint with reckless abandon. (grin)

Ron Morrison said...

I think that the composition has to be compelling enough to draw you through the process. I view them as puzzles that have to be solved. I have a real problem with what I think are good big paintings and the little throw away sketches that get all the attention on this blog. Yesterdays paintings in real life are big beautiful (if I may say so) works that command a good dollar. Out of the fifty paintings that I have posted it was the ratings loser by far-it got half the hits of the next worst painting. The bus sketch I can do blindfolded-even other artists can't see how tricky it is to invent a scene then paint it in W/C as I do in the larger paintings. I get really upset-but of course it is my fault. I think sometimes people can't digest more complicated work or they want photo realism or abstract goofines. So if you keep the pictures simple and safe you might enjoy a certain level of response, but I think improvement as painter comes from exploration and failure and rejection. I hate the idea of safe painting-guarranteed results-however it does have a certain practicality. Howz that?

Ron Morrison said...

Its alright to stress over details (the devil is in the detail), we all do it -it just shouldn't interfere with the overall process. Drawing should free you to paint not limit you. It takes a long time to establish a good working relationship with your own work. I have never had anybody tell me anything about painting that I found really useful and I've never had a lesson. I have read lots though. A mentor would have been really helpful for me.

Ron Morrison said...

I'd rather be crappy at my own unique style than good at somebody elses. Cripes, apparently I have a lot to say.

Michelle said...

You do have a lot to say.

I've taken a few classes from different teachers, but only one teacher taught me anything very valuable. She taught me color theory and how to mix just about any color from the three primaries. She taught me how to do a nice smooth wash and how to choose good supplies. Everything I learned from her was technical. Style can't be taught. You have to find your own artistic voice by trial and error. That voice is likely to change as you progress as an artist.

It's hard to tell on a blog what is a good big painting or a throw away quickie. But does it really matter if people like what you've painted or not? Everyone is going to like something different. It doesn't matter how difficult a painting is to the uninformed viewer. The most simple thing can draw someone to a painting. Even just a color or the lighting. Paint to please yourself, not anyone else. Personally, I thought my latest post (the close-up dog face) was one of my better ones. But, people responded better to the Spring Robin. c'est la vie!

Ron Morrison said...

Excellent-more later I hope.