AILEEN'S Lessons 
I believe we all have a creative side to our make-up.Allow me to help you disvover your hidden or latent talent
SPONTANEOUS EXPERIENCE in WATER COLOUR
This sweet face belongs to Harmoni and I was drawn to paint her portrait for her first birthday.
The paper used was Canson 33.gms. a lovely surface for detail and a good weight to prevent buckling.
No. 12 and 4 sable brush was my choice.
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STEP 1. Sketch the features with a Light Red aquarelle pencil. STEP 2. A wash of Burnt Sienna was used to establish the shadows. STEP 3. Golden Red was washed into the hair.HINT: Try to hold the brush in a relaxed manner as in sample 2. |
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STEP 4. Flesh was painted in for the face tones and the cheek colour, Vermillion was then placed in, still using the same brush. STEP 5. The eyes were painted in Brown with No 4 brush and the eyelashes were established with a Dark Brown tone. HINT: Do not paint the individual lashes. STEP 6. Still using the No 4 brush the mouth is painted with Vermillion. some deeper tones were painted into the hair with Brown plus Burnt Sienna. STEP 7. Decisions....decisions....I was not sure whether to leave the washes in the free-flowing technique...see sample 3: |
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I then decided to apply some Flesh plus White into the lighter areas of the face; this blended the edges of the shadows and formed some middle tones. With a No 4 brush and White I then established the reflected light on the side of the face and some highlights on the cheek, chin, nose and upper lip. The highlights on the lip, tongue and the eyes were painted in with the tip of the brush. STEP 8 Golden Brown plus White was used for the highlights of the hair while some Brown indicated darker tones and tendrils. Brown plus Blue was used for the pupils of the eyes, corners of the mouth, and the nostrils. STEP 9. Using a No 12 brush I washed White over the background, this gave "tooth" to the paper. I then painted Permanent Green with quick stroke coverage across the paper, taking it up to the hair and the face line. When the background was dry the tendrils of the hair were exaggerated. See sample 4. |
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| STEP 10. Time for checking and I notice the cheek is just a tiny bit too full so I mix Permant Green plus White and with N0 4 brush I came up to the side of the cheeks and painted in the background. I also took some off the top of the hair. STEP 11. The shadows were deepened on the side of the face. a Sienna wash was painted over the hair. The Green background was continued to the top and sides of the paper, with a wash of Yellow here and there. This painting has a spontaneous appearance and that is exactly what I set out to achieve. I hope you enjoy your "Spontaneous Experience" when you use this technique. |
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| Lessons in other mediums and subjects are available on CD /DVD. Contact me for a list and prices: Aileen. |
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LESSONS Portraits in Pastel, Acrylic, Oil , Miniature, W/c Floral in Pastel, Acrylic, Oil, Miniature, W/c Landscape in Oil, Pastel, W/c, Pen and Wash Silk Painting: mainly Floral design Personal critique via email |
PASTEL LESSON:
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Most art tutors will say ‘You must learn to ‘see’ and then you will ‘paint and draw’ Most people ‘look’ but an artist should be able to look at the same subject and ‘see’. There is a different degree in what the artist and non- artist ‘sees’.
For instance: Light and shade of a subject, say a portrait. We all see light and dark shades, but after focussing our eyes for a few minutes this changes and we can pick out the subtle changes in the face and clothing (tonal wise.) What happens is that you have stared intently and ‘seen’ beyond the initial image and your eyes have adjusted to the subtleness of light, medium and dark.
There is no mystery about this ‘seeing’ but it is a learning process for an artist to ‘see’ and then create.
Note: safety with pastels: never blow on the painting to remove excess powder. Keep away from food preparations.
Note: the cleaner and fresher you keep your painting the better the results will be. Do not overdraw your painting as it will lose the crisp, clean and translucent look that identifies a good pastel painting.
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Pastel Portrait
VICKI
This study is comprised of “One way strokes” by this I mean stroke and blend your tones as you apply the colours. My subject is Vicki, a young Maori girl.
Vicki has a look of intensity in her eyes and her mouth expresses determination, but with a quirk of a smile at the corners of the mouth.
Black pastel paper was my choice for this portrait as it enhanced the skin tone of the subject.
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Step 1. Place the features in with Red Conte.
Step 2. Block in the shadows with reddish Brown, using the stub to soften and blend these initial shadows.
Step 3. Allow some black paper to show through in the hair area. With reddish Brown, Golden Brown and some Blue, stroke these colours into the hair. Make the hair tendrils more apparent by using the point of the pastel.
Step 4. Middle tones are applied with Ochre, this colour is stroked into the area under the eyes, under and around the mouth and chin. Stroke and blend into the lower chest area.
Step 5. Stroke Deep Golden Yellow into the lighter areas of the face, neck and body. Take this colour over the highlights on the ear. Accentuate the highlights on the lips and the nose.
Step 6. Continue to stroke the colour on, keeping the strokes consistent and introduce a pale Yellow for the very light skin tones.
Step 7. Cadmium Red is used for the lips and stoked into the cheek area, some soft blending done on the curve of the cheek. This colour is placed into the eyes with Dark Brown, just under the lid.
Step 8. Reddish Brown is used for the nostrils, ear shadow, under the chin, between the lips and corners of the mouth.
Step 9. Black is stroked in for the eyebrows and placed in fro the pupil of the eyes. A light stroke of Black is drawn around the iris and eyelashes. Stroke white into the whites of the eyes, but leave some shadow in this area. White is placed as a pin point highlight.
Step 10. The background can be a colour of your choice. I used a vivid Emerald Green; some Grey stroked and blended allowing the black paper to show through here and there.
This technique and colours may be used for any medium dark skin.
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Pastel paint the Pink Hibiscus Aileen Mcleod C. The Hibiscus is often identified as a romantic flower. This particular Hibiscus is very feminine with its delicate shades of Pink and White. It is a single Hibiscus and the fragile petals spring from a deeply toned throat; pale Yellow pods on the tip of fine thread-like stamens. To paint this picture I chose Salmon Pink paper, this acted as a background colour and all the emphasis was on the blooms themselves. I sometimes used a hard pastel as I wanted some detail Step1 I sketched the blooms with a Pink Pastel Pencil. Step2. With the flat of a Medium Pink hard pastel I stroked the colour from the centre of the flower out to the edge, trying to retain the filigree look. Step3. On the lighter side of the petals I allowed the tone of the paper to show through while I introduced some white into the petals ( using the flat of the pastel.) Step4. With deep Maroon I shaded the centre of the bloom. Step5. It was important to lay the petals over as they emerge from the centre. The edge of the petals was accentuated with a heavy pressure stroke of white; particularly where the light hit the petals. Step6. Drawing the centre stamen (make sure there is a wave and flow to this) with a darker Pink pencil, I used a lighter touch, placing the stamens from the top of the main stamen. Step7. Middle Green was painted in for the upper leaf tones and softly blended ( using a soft pastel for this.) Tucking this colour under the petals with strokes. Step8. Yellow Green was painted in for the upper leaf tones, softly blended to achieve a middle tone.(soft pastel was used.) Step9. Dark Brown was used for the stem and small nodules. Brown was softly blended into the shadows of the leaves and the edge of the leaves accentuated. Step10. The Whites were emphasised on the edge of the petals and also the stronger highlights. Enjoy this lesson as you paint . ......................................................................................................................
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to be obvious
