Overall Thoughts

https://youtu.be/CRD-9yiN57E

Now we’re taking gradients to the next level by doing them on a curve. Confession: I didn’t really use the checklists for these assignments. Right now it’s pretty simple, easy to keep in my head though.

Total time spent:

• From around 9:30/10am til 1:30+pm ish, then used the leftover paint to do a few more gradients (and cleanup) until 2:30ish.
• Total time was 5 hours, with about 4 of those hours

If I were to start this painting over right now, what would I do differently?

• Maybe wait until a day when my stomach isn’t hurting/when I’m feeling physically healthier?
• WATCH OUT FOR SMUDGES!
• Spend more time on the gradients, especially the background gradients: paint a thicker buffer that overlaps on the top more (on the right side), since there isn’t a whole lot of space on the bottom without danger of bumping into the cast shadow of the ball
  • Another thing I learned about gradients that I didn’t quite pick up the first time: When laying down the buffer, it’s not necessarily about wiping off the brush, but adding more paint
• Sharpen edges from both sides
• Question to ask next time: Which brush size should we use as default? I’ve been using #6 but it looks like Kevin may be using a #10?
• I haven’t been doing this since the last assignment, but as a reminder: DO NOT flip the brush when doing gradients!

Day 1

• Was planning to start around 7am on Saturday, but that didn’t happen, because I ended up crashing last night around maybe 10ish?
• After sort of trying to watch the videos, I ended up re-awakening around 2-3am then again at 5:30 because I’d forgotten to turn out the light, I’d just collapsed asleep. And when I woke up finally around 7, I ended up laying there for another hour and a half or so because I was feeling crampy and not wonderful.
• But I still wanted to get some painting done, so I started around 9:30+am. At least I didn’t have to transfer the images because I’d done it before when working on the cubes.
• So prep-wise, just had to get out my material and mix some paints.
• I did make a pretty big boo-boo right out of the gate, putting mod shadow where mod light was supposed to go, because I wasn’t paying attention what with the dull stomach cramps and trying to focus on the filming aspect of it, and I ended up accidentally smudging the bottom right of my painting, plus I think my background gradients didn’t turn out as well as they could’ve if I’d spent another hour on them…
• But at the same time, I’m pleased at the roundness of the cube and at what I was able to accomplish in spite of everything. I feel like the whole painting process (setup, painting, cleanup) is getting more familiar and smooth and even though I still ended up taking 5ish hours, it felt faster. After all I recall taking 7 hours that one time (although granted that was largely because I didn’t know how to wash my palette and ended up making a bigger mess because I didn’t scrape the paint off first).

Final Submission

This is the final painting I submitted for grading:

I submitted the assignment at around 4:30pm Saturday (Had issues uploading), and got a response at 4:49pm on the same day!

My Questions & Instructor Feedback

• I asked about which size brush to use, my background looking streaky, and my gradient looking a bit bare (paint rubbed off).
• They said: We use larger brushes because smaller brushes can accidentally create texture. And to avoid lifting paint by adding more paint or using a lighter touch.

Lesson Video Notes

Initial Thoughts

Feb 26, 2022

Watched this on the same day I did the assignment, although usually I watch the videos the day before setting paintbrush to canvas. We’re bringing gradients back in again, and they really are a bit of a bugger.

Notes on Sphere Assignment

Painting the Shadows

• Make mistakes early so you can learn from them
• 1st step is always the same!!! = count your shadows
• Ignore the background, count the table
• Count shadows, NOT darks. Here we have 3
• Next step = find the darkest shadow.
• Then find the lightest shadow.
• Then all the other shadows fall between these two.
• Cover the line, take your time, no dots of canvas peeking through
• Everybody’s hand is different, so you need to practice and figure out your own way, your comfort zone
• Try to hold your brush staying off the metal in general, but you can bump up against it while doing detailed work

Painting the Lights

• Ignore the  highlight. Make the comparison of lights not considering the highlight.
• When you are working with lights, you ONLY use the light shades, and you MUST have one of each. Don’t paint what you see. Break it down into categories!
• Eventually you won’t have to think about it, you’ll just be able to see it.
• Do what is comfortable, when it comes to the brush.
• Don’t invent your own techniques. Learn Kevin’s way
• Kevin tells story of high school painter student who did things her own way, started out top of class and ended up bottom of class (of 28 students) in a few weeks.

Creating Ad Mixtures

• Mix WELL, don’t leave blotches of unblended color
• These basic skills should become easy, the hard part is being patient and taking the time to make the bigger paintings

Gradient and Sharp Edges

• By putting a gradient on the ball, you “fill the balloon with air”
• When you block in the buffer, make it a bit messy, not straight.
• Make sure the buffer is a solid barrier, DON’T let the shades on either side touch each other
• Use blade edge of brush to nudge colors together
• Look for distinct edges to soften
• Barely touch the canvas, just skim the surface, change directions
• Don’t be lazy about going back to get paint. Get into the habit of getting back to the palette every few strokes
  • You should spend more time “in transit” than in painting
  • You don’t shovel all the food in your mouth at one time. Same with painting, you’re feeding the painting.
  • Get comfortable with the process.
  • To be a successful artist, you have to enjoy the process, NOT JUST what you get at the end of the process.
  • If you hate the process, this is not the career for you. And it will only get worse as time goes by.
• Resolve the issues with the components of the painting before it starts looking like a whole thing (like a ball)
• Remember there’s a stage after this to check sharp edges and all
• Remember to change directions as you go, don’t go too far before you go back down for more paint
• Barely touching the surface of the paint
• Your paint has to be the same density or else the thicker paint will overtake the thinner paint. Buffer, light, dark, all should be same density.
• Now go back through dark to light shades and check for wonky edges. Check your checklist.
• To sharpen an edge, sharpen from both sides, with both shades on either side of the edge. This gives a crisper edge.
• Background fill should always be the ad mixture between extreme shadow and mod shadow

Filling the Background and Horizon Gradient

• Start closest to the ball, then paint away from it, gives your hand space to rest on the canvas.
• If you’re sloppy and you don’t do a round ball now, you’ll mess up your ball shape forever.
• Try to avoid paint beading up and creating ugly ridges. Paintings are prettier when everything is flat, for now.
• In this program we will cover everything “knowledge” — everything that isn’t style or experience, everything KEvin thinks is important.
• Gradients create the impression of volume (form) and distance.
• By putting a background gradient, it makes things look farther away.
• For the background buffer, since there are only 2 shades in between, pick one and blend using the original two shades on either side. You can use both in-between shades if you want, though.
• Buffer should be the thickness of the brush.
• Do NOT flip your brush!!
• When doing the bottom of that buffer, be CAREFUL not to let the light creep up too high and contrast with the dark color on top.
• Now go back and fix the ball as needed.
• Kevin always works shadow first: good policy to have one way of doing things.
• Going forward, you will use gradients for form, and every background will have a gradient /graded  horizon line
• Eventually we will use this effect to create depth in a real shallow space.

Understanding Cast and Form Shadows

• When light is above a can, the top and front will be light, the back will be shadow
• If light hits a can directly, it’s 100% light. As you go up/down the curve, it goes to 70% light, 60%, 50%, then it will glance off and go away.
• From the 50% point on, there is a cast shadow behind the sphere.
• The shadow is darkest point directly opposite of the 100% light side of the sphere. Next to that maybe 70%, then 60%, and so on.
• This is basically a gradient, being wrapped around the circle.
• FORM SHADOWS:
  • criteria 1) the shadow must be on a rounded object (something with curves, not necessarily a round object)
  • criteria 2) it must be on the bottom or right of the object.
    • On a sphere, the shadow would be on the bottom and right.
  • Tell you about form, tells you how big and round objects are
• CAST SHADOWS:
  • An object blocking the light directly. Like you and your shadow on the ground.
  • They produce sharp edges

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