Sunday painting

I decided to tackle the beadboard wainscoting behind Emila on Sunday. I had, a while back, prepared the way by painting the shadows in with raw umber, so as to be able to see them through the gradient “dark white” coat. The wall is actually part of an island sink in Jenifer and Jeff’s kitchen, but for this painting I made it a little higher. I wanted Emila to be the main focus. The light is subtle and plays gently across the surface – the light sources are on either side, somewhat more warm on the left side and cooler on the right. More light at the top and darker, cooler at the bottom, except for some local brightening from the white floor tiles along the baseboard (due to the low light, these changes aren't evident in the photo - sorry!)

The greatest contrast is where the boards come together in the beading, with highlights and shadows. None of them are brighter than the white of Emilia’s sleeves. I used the dark white recipe I learned in James Aponovich’s class many years ago. It’s a great recipe adaptable to a variety of uses. Here it is:

Mix Windsor Newton titanium white with Rembrandt Naples yellow light until creamy (color, not consistency) then add Windsor Newton raw umber until putty colored. Add a small amount of Windsor Newton burnt Sienna to pinken it. Add a little Rembrandt cobalt blue light to subdue the pink. That’s the basic mixture. Add titanium white to lighten and Rembrandt Van Dyke brown to darken. I varied it for my painting, including adding some more cobalt blue mixed with Rembrandt phthalo turquoise to the Van Dyke brown for shades (to pick up the local color of Emilia’s clothing) and white mixed with Naples yellow light for tints.

I also used James’ technique for flawless gradients, using first a filbert bristle brush to apply the paint, then using the same brush in a figure-eight motion twice across the swath where the values overlap and change. Switching to the fan brush, I did the figure-eight thing through the mixed colors again twice. Finally I went over the surface again with the fan brush in a downward motion to smooth out the surface. If you try this, remember to wash and dry your brushes frequently, and work in one direction across the canvas. James uses this technique for his great skies. He starts at the bottom with the lighter colors and works his way up. For this painting, I’ve revised the technique for ambient light with multiple sources.

I’m not sure my background is quite right yet. I think I will need another coat. James is the only one I’ve ever seen who can do it right in one go. But I have seen him paint a sky gradient twice and it comes out luminous. I’ll be better able to tell when it’s dry. My values might be too subtle.

Did I say in an earlier post that it’s easier to paint children from photos? Here’s the catch – and one worth paying attention to – digital photography, toning and printing open up a ton of unwelcome variables in color and values. Nothing is as good as our eyes and brains for capturing color and value. Case in point: Ken’s photos were terrific, I toned them to my memory of the room and Emilia, but my Canon inkjet prints are a little on the cool side. And my mind’s eye sees the values slightly differently. So I’m not relying on the photos as much as my memory for my painting. And perhaps I should exaggerate the values a little more.

What’s next? I think I’ll be hopping to the socks and drumstick at the bottom of the canvas and the sleeve and doll’s pants on the left side of the painting. I need a little cleanup work here and there as well. When the background is dry, I’ll go back to it. And there’s the floor to finish. And maybe last of all, while the background is not quite dry, Emilia’s hair. Well, that’s the list so far, assuming I don’t mess something else up in the meantime.