CindyH
03-03-2005, 10:47 AM
I guess I didn't photo this as a WIP, but here is the finished version. This was the first figure I had tried with a circular stroke. It is also a mixed media approach, using acrylic for an underpainting on hot press w/c paper. It is 9 x 10".
The circular stroke is sometimes known as "circulism", but Maggie Toole is the colored pencil artist that was first known for this technique. Her approach is different than mine, thus I don't call mine circulism. Maggie's circles overlap and she uses a mid value paper or support. I mostly go for dark paper or support and my circles usually stay within the form (ie apple, arm, pear, cheek).
I use acrylic for the underpainting as black paper really soaks up the color and even though they photograph/scan with brilliant colors, they often look rather dark in person. I use dark but rich acrylic colors to paint large forms under the colored pencil. On this piece the background is Navy Blue, the skin tones are Dark Chocolate Brown, the shadow side of her shirt is Vintage Wine (purple), the light side is Tangerine, her coveralls have Midnight Blue underneath. People ask me how I know what colors to put underneath. I usually test them on a color chart before painting (but not always :) ), sometimes I go for the complement, sometimes I go for a darker value in the same color family. Sometimes....things don't go as planned!
I had a woman ask me last week if I used a toothbrush to splatter the little dark spots on :confused: After talking with her I realized she didn't understand those little dark spots were flecks of the underpainting showing through.
Comments and questions welcome...this is my granddaughter at 3 who is now 11.
The circular stroke is sometimes known as "circulism", but Maggie Toole is the colored pencil artist that was first known for this technique. Her approach is different than mine, thus I don't call mine circulism. Maggie's circles overlap and she uses a mid value paper or support. I mostly go for dark paper or support and my circles usually stay within the form (ie apple, arm, pear, cheek).
I use acrylic for the underpainting as black paper really soaks up the color and even though they photograph/scan with brilliant colors, they often look rather dark in person. I use dark but rich acrylic colors to paint large forms under the colored pencil. On this piece the background is Navy Blue, the skin tones are Dark Chocolate Brown, the shadow side of her shirt is Vintage Wine (purple), the light side is Tangerine, her coveralls have Midnight Blue underneath. People ask me how I know what colors to put underneath. I usually test them on a color chart before painting (but not always :) ), sometimes I go for the complement, sometimes I go for a darker value in the same color family. Sometimes....things don't go as planned!
I had a woman ask me last week if I used a toothbrush to splatter the little dark spots on :confused: After talking with her I realized she didn't understand those little dark spots were flecks of the underpainting showing through.
Comments and questions welcome...this is my granddaughter at 3 who is now 11.