planning
During the planning phase I first had to determine how to select a reference photo from the crystal photograph. Initially I figured the reference photo would have to be perfectly proportional to the canvas, otherwise it wouldn't transfer correctly. I was advised to not make the reference photo larger than 2 inches on any side, so I chose 2 inches as the length. Then I carefully measured my canvas and set up a proportion equation with those measurements (9 1/8 in by 6 15/16 in) to the 2 inch length of the reference photo. I found that the width would have to be approximately 1 1/2 inches in order for it to be proportional. Lastly, I measured a rectangle 2 inches by 1 1/2 inches in the section I was immeadiately drawn to because of the contrast in blue and yellow lines to organic gray and brown shapes.
|
Once I determined what section I was painting, the next step was planning a grid for both the canvas and reference photo. I started with the canvas, and decided 1 inch squares would be a good size, because they are small enough to make transferring details easy yet not too small. Since the canvas is approximately 9 in by 7 in, there would be 63 squares. The first error in the grid making process was thinking the reference image squares had to be proprotional. In the top image on the left, I tried to find a proportional size of squares compared to the 1 inch ones. I succeeeded in my math, finding 1/5 in squares would be proportional. However, when I planned the grid out on the reference image, I realized it created 7 by 6 squares, only 42 total sqaures, instead of 63. It dawned on me that there had to be the same amount of squares on both the reference photo and canvas, so the same composition could appear in both. I tried erasing the lines, as shown in the image to the left, but it removed ink from the photo so I had to get a new reference picture. I also had to revise my planning to ensure there were 63 squares.
|
I did the remaining planning in my sketchbook instead of on the reference picture sheet so I could record the rest of my process in the same space. The new method I attempted was dividing 1 1/2 inches into 7 equal rows, and 2 inches into 9 equal columns. This would create 63 squares. I counted 24 1 /16 increments of the ruler for the width, and 32 1 /16 increments for the length. I counted using increments as opposed to measurements because that proved to be too complicated. I found that each square would have to be 3.6 increments in length and 3.4 increments in width. I attempted to use this to measure the grid, but then realized that I had no idea how to count out 3.6 or 3.4 increments. Also, this did not create a perfect square, which would have thrown off the entire project.
|
I was lost after the last method failed, so I consulted my art teacher, and realized that the reference image didn't necessarily have to be perfectly proportional to the canvas. One of the suggestions I received for making the grid was using a specific measurement for the squares, and altering the size of the reference image to be 9 by 7 squares. I chose 1/8 in as my increment, as it was the closest measurement to the previous methods. I then measured 7 1/8 in rows and 9 1/8 in columns, making 63 squares. This did create a new size for the reference image, making the length slightly longer than 2 inches, but did not include too much additional detail. The reference photo was no longer perfectly proportional to the canvas, but it was close, and as earlier mentioned, it did not have to be proportional to transfer the image.
|
Before beginning the actual process of this piece, I outlined an action plan to organize my thoughts on how to execute my work:
process
stage 1 : Grids
After determining how I would complete this piece, the first step was actually drawing the canvas and reference photo grids. For the canvas (top right), I used my ruler to create six lines, each 1 inch apart, except for the one nearest the right, which was slightly less than 1 inch. To make the lines straight I made 1 inch marks on both ends of the canvas, then made sure the ruler lined up with both of them when drawing the line. This can be seen in the image to the right. To draw the nine columns, I repeated the process for the rows except for 8 lines. I also learned that three marks work best, one on the left, middle and right sides, so there is less room for error when lining up the ruler. I had to erase and redo a couple of times as I could not make perfectly straight lines.
|
After the canvas, I moved onto the reference photo grid. As I decided in my final plan, I used the ruler to measure 1/8 increments, 10 horizontally and 8 vertically, to create 9 columns and 7 rows. I applied the same method as used for the canvas, and made multiple marks to line up the ruler. The bottom of the reference photo has a black line that I did not include in the composition, which accounts for the bottom row on the canvas being less than 1 inch.
|
Stage 2 : drawing
Once the grids were created, I had to transfer the components of the reference photo onto the canvas. The skill being exercised in this assignment was the ability to separate sections of color, even the differences in hue. This was extremely difficult because there were areas of seamless transition between colors, so it was hard to determine where one color ended and another began. I had to be realistic, and know given the amount of time to complete the assignment and my level of artistic skill meant I couldn't distinguish every slight change in color. The other challenge was enlarging the shapes from the reference photo to the canvas, which is signifcantly larger. I zoomed in on a photo of my reference picture to see more detail. I started sketching on the right side of the canvas, but after one column realized it would be better to have started on the other side, so I wouldn't smudge my work.
I was almost done sketching the fourth column when I realized it might be easier to work across horizontally for some squares. In the second to last row shown in the photo, I started working to the right. This was helpful because I could extend the curved line throughout multiple squares, ensuring they would line up when I started painting. After this discovery I alternated between working vertically and horizontally based on what made the most sense at the moment. When there was a series of really complex lines going from a square to the one beneath it, I would work vertically, for example.
This is the finished sketch. It turned out to be a mostly helpful tool for when painting started. However, by the end there were a lot of graphite smudges, and some of the lines were drawn too aggressively, resulting in pencil being slightly visible in light colored areas of the final piece. If I were to do this again, I would also spend less time sketching, and just focus on the more obvious color differences. Once I started painting I realized there were a few differences in color I missed despite spending a lot of time in this stage. Also, there were shapes I drew that I didn't see on the reference photo once I studied that area again during the painting process. Some of the squares didn't line up perfectly, but overall the sketch helped me place color in the next stage.
stage 3 : applying color
I divided this stage into mulitple sections according to the color. I found this to be the most logical method for keeping organized and working efficiently. I also didn't want to waste paint, so after I mixed a specific hue, I tried to find every place it was. This way I also wouldn't have to remix paint later and risk not being able to recreate it exactly. I purchased several paint tubes from the art store Blick that were close to shades in my piece, or could be mixed to create those shades. This made it easier than just using basic primary, secondary and tertiary colors but I still did a considerable amount of mixing.
Section 1 : Blue
For each section of colors, I created a palette in my sketchbook. I divided the palette into test colors and the final palette. The first is a space for me to see colors I mixed on paper and document my trial and error process, and the second is to record each color I used. I numbered each hue in case I needed to make reference to it, which was helpful especially in other color sections. I also wrote which paints I used in case I needed to recreate the color later. I chose blue as my first color section because there were a lot of large areas with blue hues, and I was immediately drawn to this color as well.
|
The left photo shows the first hue I worked on, which is the darkest teal. I ended up darkening it even more, which is visible in the second photo. In the second photo I also revised the second hue, making it slightly bluer. The last photo is of all the areas of these two hues.
This is where I stopped with blues and moved onto browns/reds. There
were some sections of blue I missed but was able to do later.
were some sections of blue I missed but was able to do later.
Section 2 : Brown and red
I essentially went through the same steps I did for the blue section for the browns and reds. For this palette, there were a lot more variations, and many of them were very similar to each other. Burnt umber was the most used paint, by itself and used to mix other shades. I also experimented a lot with the difference between using crimson red and basic red. I found crimson works best for deep browns or maroon hues, especially those that have a purple undertone. I did use actual purple, an extremely dark hue, to make the burnt umber darker, deeper and cooler, instead of using black. I used unbleached titanium as a lightener for the first time during this palette, specially when I needed the brown to look more orange. I also continued to use white and I did use the neutral gray in this palette because there were more muted browns.
section 3 : yellow and orange
In this palette, I only used white as a lightener, instead of neutral gray which I had used in the past two color sections. Since most of the yellow hues are bright, the gray made them too muted. I also started applying pure white to the canvas during this stage because a lot of white areas are next to yellow hues. Filling in the white helped me differentiate which areas to paint yellow. Numbering the colors became really helpful in this stage because I referred back to them when writing the color's description. I built off colors I had already mixed and slightly altered them.
The yellow and orange section is when I really had to start applying multiple layers, especially for the brilliant yellow stripe shown on the left. This paint was not very opaque and required the highest amount of layers out of all the paint, including white. The palette paper on the right shows several colors in the process of being mixed.
|
Section 4 : gray, green, miscellanous
The gray, green and miscellanous colors occur the least in this painting, which is why they were saved to the last. These spaces these colors filled were also hard to identify when there was a lot of open canvas. Once I started filling in the remaining areas, I realized there were empty sections that were supposed to be a color I had already mixed. When this happened I referred back to my notes and remixed the color.
Once I started this section, I stopped mixing one color and getting all of its areas, and started jumping from color to color. This helped the process go a lot faster. Once I got the last slivers of unpainted canvas, I started going square by square, row by row to ensure I didn't miss any areas.
experimentation
In the picture to the right, the center of the square was hard to achieve as it was the same color as the top part, but essentially a lighter version. I experimented with mixing different lighteners, but then tried a new approach. I watered down the paint I used for the top section and spread a thinner layer in the middle. I was successful in the color matching, although I was worried about the light wash not matching the level of craftsmanship throughout the rest of the piece.
The above section took a lot of experimentation to get right. As I was painting I realized I needed to use a darker value of that wine red. The center photo is my palette as I practiced mixing other possible colors, and the right photo is the final color I decided on. I simply ended up adding burnt umber, darkening it.
SIDE NOTE:
For some reason, the burnt umber I purchased from the store had an almost grainy texture and tendency to clump together. While it was fine when mixed with other colors, it was extremely difficult to paint with when it was by itself, especially for thin lines. I added an acrylic paint retarder, which is a solution used to prevent paint from drying too quickly. This helped the situation by making the paint slightly more runny.
For some reason, the burnt umber I purchased from the store had an almost grainy texture and tendency to clump together. While it was fine when mixed with other colors, it was extremely difficult to paint with when it was by itself, especially for thin lines. I added an acrylic paint retarder, which is a solution used to prevent paint from drying too quickly. This helped the situation by making the paint slightly more runny.
Once I was in the miscellaneous and gray color stage there were a lot of shades that only occurred in one area of the piece. I tested a new method of mixing where I layered multiple hues on top of one another, thinly, and then blended directly on the canvas using a brush. This was mostly successful but it was difficult to ensure the same hue was spread throughout the section.
|
reflection
Through creating Unknown Object I mostly refined skills relating to precision and attention to detail. At the same time, I had to accept less than perfection in order to complete the project, especially when it came to differentiating between the slighest hues and mixing the exact color to match the reference photo. I had to take my time with each brush movement, as I quickly learned that moving with haste results in more trouble and messy craftsmanship. In order to maintain a clean piece, I improved my techniques of layering paint, often multiple times. I also enhanced my ability to identify what colors to mix to make a specific hue. This project was challenging for me because it was tedious and the composition only consisted of lines and organic shapes, which lost my interest at times. The biggest issue I had was determining which sections of color had the same hue. For example, looking at a dark brown and wondering if it is the same as another section of dark brown, or if the second section is slightly deeper and cooler. Because of that, this piece demanded a lot of time. I was able to apply techniques I had learned from art history, such as doing multiple layers of paint to achieve an opaque color, and moving slowly with a fine brush to paint thin lines. Creating a grid to copy an image from a reference photo goes back to my art foundations course, although I can still improve on making all the composition in all the squares line up. I really enjoyed painting thick strokes of vibrant color that contrasted strongly with other sections. However, I did not enjoy the sketching, as it was the most tedious part aand I mismanaged my time the most during this stage. It also did not involve color which interests me more. Looking at the final product, I realized there are some areas I should have done more layers on because the grid and pencil marks are visible through the paint. In general, I'm pleased with the outcome of Unknown Object. When people look at the finished piece, I hope that those without knowledge of the assignment spend time wondering what the painting is of. Lastly, I hope they can apppreciate the strong contrast this piece has, whether it is between the dark and light values or strikingly different colors.