Today was extreme and wonderful experience. It is minus 3C, somewhat 26F... I went painting outside. I had to do two sessions to unfreeze my fingers and feet. Total time is around 2 hours.
I practice things I learn in the video class. Something that I have not heard before and have not tried.
This oil on canvas board 30x35 cm.
Blue color here is something not ordinary - Cobalt blue. I sketched with it as well. When mixed with rose maddder it gives dirty purples.
Also I used VDB, Burnt sienna, touch of Cad yellow and touch of Cad Orange. I had Phtalo green but may be i used it once to make nice purples with that madder rose.
Do you feel cold too?
Hm... on my phone this looks good. On the laptop bad. O la la - those pixels...
Absolutely lovely! Do you want to submit it to the event?`
I really like the colors in this one and how you managed to capture the feeling of coldness
Felix I think it does not qualify . I took a photo pretty much at the end of this little adventure... I am painting from photo now. But “from photo” is said too loud. Idea is there but composition is reworked. Colors I am not sure I will be able to match to that photo due to they overturned in some photo editor.
this is lovely, the snow especially - does it make a difference painting from real life rather than painting from a photo of real life?
@FatGandalf - Thanks a lot! Yes it does. I did only 3 sessions on the fresh air in last 4 years. I need to say that the first one, I was in painting for 2 years and i struggled with acrylics a lot. That time I was trying to replicate as close as I could to reality. But at the end i only modified one branch hanging on from the tree. I did my second session last summer - almost a year of painting with oils. At that time I started realizing that I cannot and do not need replicate things as I see. I kept my focal point and couple of things around but modified maybe 40% of the painting. Today it was totally different as I approached with the thought I CAN modify till I get compositional decisions sorted out. This is what my homework was and it was liberating honestly speaking.
----- Now about photography: I used photography in the past very rare and I always used it as reference for the colors and values. I do not have imagination to paint a hedgehog from my mind. I simply do not know how exactly they look. Same story about landscape. I do not know what color would be correct color to use for shadows at sunrise and where on the clouds those shadows would show. So I am looking at a lot of photos. Till I find 1 or 2 that is closest to my idea, so it can guide me with color and value. I still modify things form those successful photos.
So you see approach is pretty much the same - modify till you like it.
You painted this outside??? That’s hardcore! I can’t even imagine - I bet my acrylics would turn to a rock and my fingers would be little icicles. I love your interpretation of the tree. Trying to replicate it exactly would make it look too busy I think.
So much snow! I am cold just looking at this! And also really motivated to make a drive up to the mountains. I never get snow where I live.
@Lilikins - it was a challenge for oils as well. They were more viscous. I used turpentine to thin for under painting and even during top layers. I have reaction to turp and cannot use it in my studio as I do not have proper ventilation so painting outside solved the problem of vapours.
@doggymommee - thanks for the answer! Even I was cold and the day was gloomy it is considered warm for the winter. I think that overall feel I translated is more close to muddy springtime.
If you go to mountains I think your fur babies will not feel very happy but that will be interesting and hilarious to observe. I wonder if any of them will dive in the snow. :)
Haha, I will probably leave them behind. None of them have ever seen snow, and Caxton is VERY temperature sensitive. His breed is not able to regulate their temperatures, so it can never be too cold or too warm for them. The other two have pretty thick coats, so they might enjoy it. Maybe I should take them...
Good job weathering the cold!! And a lovely painting!! Haha it's -20 where I'm at. You won't catch me dead painting outside!
Minus 20! No way I will get out of house. :) even to paint.
Yikes! Is that -20 Fahrenheit? Or Celsius?
Celsius. This time last year it was minus 40! I actually work on a dairy farm so I was out in the cold quite a bit!! But this winter I'm indoors taking care of my baby on maternity leave 😍 it's so much nicer to enjoy winter from behind a window haha
Wow, BC is so beautiful. Those mountains are just like Bob Ross and glaciers and mountain lakes!
How long is maternity leave in Canada?
Seeing the brush strokes makes such a difference. This is great. I was going to ask if the weather makes the paint thicker.. But it was already answered. I will one day try to paint outdoors... But i will wait for nice weather 😉 Excellent painting.
Thank you LJM! Give it a try. If you go far away from home take a buddy with you. It is important as at some point we all need a restroom and buddy can watch your belongings. Sorry for bringing this up, but it is really limiting factor for painting outside.
Sunnylady yes i think the similar landscapes of bc and alaska is what has drawn me to bob ross' paintings. I even live way out in the bush- its like i live in his paintings! I get a whole year off for maternity leave! It's like a vacation haha
I always compare between USA and Russia in terms of maternity leave and every time I think of it I find benefits in each approach. It is 4 month in USA and 1.5 years with possible extension to 3 years in Russia. I am glad that Canada gives new moms one year!
I hope I will have chance to travel to Alaska and to BC! I find mountains being majestic creatures!
3 years?! That would be amazing haha 4 months is too soon! My baby was still waking up 4 times a night at 4 months 😵 I've never been to alaska but I would like to go in the summer someday. The mountains are fantastic in this province! There is so much to explore
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Please check out the photo i attached. Nothing goes well with this original.
First my phone was behaving and did not allow me to do things properly and high resolution photo got shrank on the phone... so now when it touch dry I will see and add new photo.
Now I see that photo got compressed a lot of brush strokes in the mess of Moir patterns...