Paint Autumn Trees: Quick Video Demo

'Maine Woods'           9x12         pastel          ©Karen Margulis

Enjoy this post from the Archives!

I was so inspired that I had to get down into my studio to paint. The chores had to wait. Once I am home from a trip often life gets in the way of inspiration. This time I didn't let it! I threw in the laundry and immediately downloaded the photos from my New England and Canada cruise.

Once in the studio a printed put a few photos and pulled out my pastel palette for the intimate autumn landscape that begged to be painted. I thought it would be fun to paint live so we set up the iPhone to do a Facebook Live video of my painting. I had no idea how the painting would turn out but my goal was to show you how I respond to inspiration. Everything gets put on hold until I paint!

The small reference photo that inspired today's painting 

The photo above was my inspiration. You can watch the video demo here on my YouTube channel.
https://youtu.be/T6Yn2gmLH7c

Click here to see the video on YouTube

We also filmed two more videos for my new Patreon page. I have over 600 patrons now who are enjoying the extra pastel and painting instruction and inspiration. If you haven't had a look at the Patreon page you can visit it here. www.patreon.com/karenmargulis

How to Start a Landscape Painting from an Abstract

'A Flash of Red'          8x10         pastel         ©Karen Margulis

I'm not about to waste a good piece of Uart paper. So when I saw this piece on the pile I had an idea. It was covered with red and purple squiggly marks....the result of my recent video on mark making. It served it's purpose but I hated to just throw it away.

So as usual I put on my 'What If' hat and thought about how I could reuse the paper. The easiest thing to do would be an alcohol wash. So I poured some 70% isopropyl alcohol into a cup and took out a stiff bristle brush.  I scrubbed the alcohol into the pastel marks and let the liquid do its magic. I couldn't get rid of the heavy lines so they became a part of the new underpainting.

I'm not about to waste a good piece of paper!

When the underpainting was dry I was pleasantly surprised. It was actually kind of an interesting abstract painting. But in it I could see a red tree trying to emerge! It would be a great way to start my  intimate autumn forest scene. 

I usually have some kind of plan for my underpaintings. In this case I simply wet some colors and marks and let them become their own abstract design. I then responded to this abstract. It was a fun way to start a painting and one that I will definitely try again!

A little rubbing alcohol and voila!

The finished painting. Watch the demo on YouTube

Why Painting is Like Cooking

'In the Mood for Fall'           9x12         pastel         ©Karen Margulis
available $165

Don't laugh!  Those of you who know me are aware that I don't cook.  It's not that I don't like to cook. I don't make time to learn. It isn't a priority or a passion.  I love to watch Food Network though. After the workshop this past week I unwound in the hotel room by vegging out to Food Network. Something occurred to me....

Creating a painting is a lot like cooking a meal!

To cook a delicious meal you need to know the basics of cooking and assemble the freshest and best ingredients. You need a recipe or at least a plan for your dish. You need to orchestrate the plan, check on the progress and not overcook it!  It takes a some intuition and confidence to take an ordinary recipe and make it your own. Can you see the parallels?

Chop Your Way to Success

One of my  favorite Food network programs is Chopped. It is a cooking competition show where the chefs have 30 minutes to create a dish from a basket of mystery ingredients.  I love watching the chefs create under the pressure of the clock. I think it is something we should try as painters for a good exercise.

• Take a photo and piece of paper and set the timer for 30 minutes. 
• Now paint. You have just enough time to formulate a quick plan and then just respond. There is not enough time to overwork the painting. 
• There is a time to slow down in a painting but we also need to learn how to respond intuitively and trust ourselves. This exercise is to help us avoid 'fiddling'.
• This exercise is a good warm up or even cool down after a day of painting.
• If you really want a challenge have someone else choose your subject and a limited palette...you have to make it work!

This is our challenge this week over on my Patreon Page. Join us over on Patreon www.patreon.com/karenmargulis

Why Use Purple Underpainting?

'Autumn Breeze'     12x9           pastel         ©Karen Margulis
available $250

I took a long look at my reference photo. I was intrigued by the tangle of dried weedy stuff.....my favorite thing to paint. But the photo wasn't very interesting. The colors and values were all the same. It was flat. I would really need to push the color and value to make a more interesting painting.

Where should I begin? It made sense to begin with the underpainting. I knew I would be using a lot of yellow in the painting so perhaps using the complement of yellow would add some excitement to the painting. Complementary colors will vibrate when places next to one another but will turn gray or neutral when blended together. I would have to be careful to not allow the complements to mix.

My reference photo

That is where the underpainting comes in. I could add the complement with purple pastels and wash it with some rubbing alcohol and a brush. Not only could I create interesting drips, once dry the pastel would be fixed in place and less likely to mix physically with the yellow pastel layers.

Purple pastel alcohol wash on Wallis warm mist 12x9

At the end of the painting I did one extra thing to add interest. Scroll up and look at the finished painting. Can you tell what I added?


(answer: I reintroduced some purple to the top layers in small marks to represent dried flowers)

More Rocks and Water : New Video Demo!

'Turning Seasons'            9x12         pastel      ©Karen Margulis
available $165

 One of the benefits of my Patreon page is the opportunity to view weekly video demos. This week I offered patrons the choice of 4 photos for the weekly demo. The votes were close but rocks and water won!  I had fun sharing the development of this painting on the video.  I know that many of my blog readers are also Patreon members and I thank you for your support! It allows me to present more comprehensive content and I love sharing with you!  If you are not sure about joining I'd love for you to give it a try. It is a $4 per month subscription but you are receiving several weekly in depth posts including video and step by step demos. You can do as much as you like or as little. All content is available to you in the archives!

Check it out at www.Patreon.com/karenmargulis

close up of rock detail

Watch this video on my Patreon page www.patreon.com/karenmargulis

How to Paint Rocks in Pastel

'Breathe in the Magic'                9x12          pastel        ©Karen Margulis
sold

Do rocks intimidate you? Are you frustrated with the rocks you paint? My rocks used to look like potatoes!  They looked like rounded squishy looking blobs of brown. And when I tried too hard to make them better they didn't look like the rest of the painting. They were overly detailed and they didn't fit in with the looser marks I used for the rest of the painting.  I avoided landscapes with rocks.

Then I learned about the power of suggestion. I realized that I didn't need to render the rocks with great detail. I didn't need to paint every nook and cranny. I also started to look at the planes on rocks. I started to notice the big patterns of light and shadow. If I could suggest these planes of light and dark with simple marks with the side of my pastel....I could suggest the rocks.

"Suggest and let the viewer do the rest"

Look at the photo below. I didn't draw these rocks and color them in. I simply made marks to suggests the darker shadowed areas and marks to suggest the light on the rock planes. Taken out of context they don't look much like rocks. But in the landscape painting the viewer can deduce that these marks are indeed rocks.

Up close these rocks are just marks of pastel

This painting is the subject of a detailed step by step demo on my Patreon page. I'd love for you to check it out! www.Patreon.com/karenmargulis

Building up the color in the trees

How to Paint an Autumn Sky

'Under Autumn Skies'         8x10        pastel        ©Karen Margulis

Skies are important. Since it is the source of light it sets the tone and mood of the painting. It determines the time of day and quality of the light. Is it bright, warm and sunny? Is it cool, moody and gray? Is it stormy? We have so many choices for painting the sky and each choice will create a unique reality.

Painting the autumn sky is fun but can be a bit tricky. The bright warm colors of fall foliage make such a statement. All of those brilliant reds, oranges and yellows can easily overpower a landscape painting. The sky shouldn't compete with the autumn show!  Here are some ideas for effective autumn sky color:

• I love a quiet moody sky for an autumn landscape. Think about using dull neutral colors in lighter values. A pale gray violet sky or gray blue sky works well with the intense foliage colors.(see painting above)

• Try using complements for the sky color. A brilliant blue sky with orange trees is spectacular and really creates a sunny mood. Try a lavender sky for a soft moody contrast with yellow trees.

• Avoid colors that might clash with the foliage color. For example it is tricky to use pink in the sky with fall foliage. I have always avoided it but I recently saw a sky in New Mexico with cotton candy pink clouds and orange/ yellow trees. I painted it and made it work by adding some pink on the ground so there was a visual connection.

• I usually like colors in the sky to be echoed somewhere in the landscape. Keep this idea in mind as you choose colors.

• Busy fall foliage works well with a quiet and simple sky. Remember that the viewer's eye needs somewhere to rest.

The question comes up often.....what do you paint first, the trees or the sky? I will be answering this question next month on my Patreon page. We will be exploring trees all month!  www.Patreon.com/karenmargulis

Strategies for Beautiful Wildflowers and Grasses

'Beauty Around Us'             16x18            pastel          ©Karen Margulis
available $225

I am excited to be a part of the faculty for IAPS 13 in June. This year I am doing a 2 hour demo on wildflowers and grasses and a 2 hour presentation on social media for artists. Although some of the workshops and demos are full after the first day of registration, there are many classes and demos with openings! Visit the IAPS Convention webpages here: http://www.iapspastel.org/convention_welcome.php

I am working on ideas for my demo. I always like to make it a fast paced two hour pastel demo production packed with information and fun! Even if you don't care to paint wildflowers most of the information I share and demonstrate can be applied to ANY landscape!  Struggle with grasses? Need to create more depth? Is Mark making your trouble spot? Consider registering for my demo! Here is the official description:

2 Hour Demonstration, Friday, 2:00 pm - 4:00 pm . . . $70

Strategies for Beautiful Wildflowers 

Whether up close and personal or a small part of a landscape, wildflowers add the perfect spice. Learn how to invite your viewer into your paintings with beautiful flowers. Karen will demonstrate and share strategies for painting expressive flowers and grasses that look natural and believable.

My demo board showing some of the things I do when painting wildflowers

I'd love your help! Whether you are planning to attend IAPS or not you can help me plan the perfect 2 hour demo. Reply in the comments below with your questions about painting grass or wildflowers in the landscape. Thanks in advance!!

You ARE Ready!

'Autumn Joy'           9x12          pastel          ©Karen Margulis
available $155

If you love pastels please keep reading. Monday 10/15 at noon ET is the day to register for the ultimate inspirational experience for pastel artists of all levels....IAPS 13!

click here for a preview of the IAPS 13 Convention

If you have attended the convention then you already know the many benefits.....great demos and workshops by the pastel rock stars, the candy store (pastel vendors), the fun and friendship of the artists, the beautiful location in New Mexico....I could go on. But if you have not yet attended the convention please consider coming in 2019.

It doesn't matter how new you are to pastels. You will be inspired!

The year I first began painting with pastels the IAPS convention was in North Carolina for the first time. An easy drive away. I could have attended but I didn't feel like I was 'ready'. I had only been painting for a few months. I thought it would all be way over my head. I know better now. There is something for everyone and everyone will welcome you and make you a part of the pastel family. I have now attended every other convention since (now as a part of the faculty) Every year I leave motivated and inspired.

Register and choose your classes and demos and start a special piggy bank labeled IAPS INSPIRATION. Save your pennies for the ultimate pastel inspirational experience!

This is the demo painting before I changed the tree colors

About today's painting: This is one of the demo paintings I did at my recent workshop in Pecos NM. It was the only demo that didn't go home with one of the artists so I decided it needed a little makeover. I thought the tress were too orange. It was easy to add more yellow and make them more like the cottonwood threes that they are supposed to be!

3 Tips for Successful IAPS Registration

'Old Town Hollyhocks'     plein air pastel        ©Karen Margulis

This is the moment we have been waiting for......registration opens on Monday October 15th for the 13th biennial convention of the International Association of Pastel Societies or IAPS. This gathering of pastel artists from around the world is often called the biggest pastel party on the planet. If you  want to know why you should go stay tuned for more posts this week!

Many of you already know you want to go and will be sitting at your computer come Monday morning. I have some tips to help make this anxious time a more successful experience.

First take a deep breath. There are some things you can do to make the registration process go smoothly.

Be there next year!

1.  Make a Plan and Plan to Let go.  

This is my philosophy for everything and it works well for IAPS registration. Don't wait until the last minute to decide on your schedule and your preferred classes and demos. Research NOW. All of the information you need is on the IAPS website.

Use this weekend to study the offerings and the instructors.http://www.iapspastel.org/conv19_classes.php

A friend of mine made a document of all the class offerings by copying and pasting the class description into  document and printing it out. It makes it easier to read when you aren't sitting in front of a computer. Get out a notebook and start taking notes on the classes that interest you. Note that there are a variety of offerings....1 and 2 day workshops, 2 and 3 hour demos and personal development/business presentations. Plan out your schedule with your fist choice selections so you can have an overview of your time at the convention.

Write out your schedule so you can see when your class choices will be.  Be sure to allow for a little downtime to visit the trade show or do some sightseeing or just visit with your fellow artists.

You may already know what workshops or demos you want to take. But if not scroll through the list and look at the work of the artists. If there is a painting that makes you pause then stop and read more about the artist and their class.

What if it isn't a subject you paint? What if an artist interests you but they don't paint your usual subjects.....that shouldn't stop you! You just never know what you will learn when you venture outside of your usual comfort zone!

What if you aren't familiar with the instructor/artist?  All of the artists on the faculty are carefully selected for their work and teaching. You can be certain that even the lesser know artists will be offering high quality presentations and workshops. If you like the work and the topics.....go for it!

2. Make a Back up Plan

While you are making your plans be sure to make a Plan B. You need to have a list of your second and even third choices that work with your schedule so that you can register quickly and efficiently. Yes the popular classes and instructors may fill up quickly but that doesn't mean you shouldn't come to the convention if you don't get your first choices.  There is a wonderful variety of topics and instructors....all of them are experienced and very talented artists. You really can't go wrong! Take time to research all of the offerings BEFORE registration day so that you are prepared with a Plan B.
Here is an overview of the instructors. You can click on their workshop or demo titles for more information.http://www.iapspastel.org/conv19_instructors.php

3. Have your payment information ready!

It is easy to forget to have your credit card handy in the excitement of registering. Be sure to have your payment information handy when you register so you don't waste precious time during registration looking for your credit card!

Ready to research? Go to the IAPS convention homepage and begin by clicking on all of the tabs on the left. Read all about every aspect of the convention here so that you will be knowledgable and prepared. http://www.iapspastel.org/convention_welcome.php


I will be sharing much more about the convention this week. I am excited to be a part of the faculty for the convention. I will be doing a 2 hour demo on wildflowers in the landscape and a 2 hour presentation on social media for artists. I would love to have you join one of my classes!

My demo at the last convention. Planning on a great demo experience
for next year's convention!

Three Things to Do After an Art Workshop

Pastel Demo Painting using n Art Graf Underpainting

I am home from teaching a wonderful workshop in Pecos New Mexico. I always return home from a workshop energized and inspired by the artists in the class as well as the scenery! I got home at 4:00 in the morning and it has taken me a couple of days to recover but I am back to work and would like to share some thoughts on what you can do after a workshop.

 My photos from Pecos and Santa Fe NM

It never fails.  I return home from a painting workshop full of inspiration and ideas only to be faced with a list of non art related chores.  I am thrown back into the regular routine and before I know it that spark of excitement and inspiration is pushed down by the weight of my other obligations.  If only we could have a couple of extra days after a workshop just to paint and talk to our artist friends about the things we have learned.

Most of us don't have the opportunity or time to spend a few extra days just to paint.  But this time I am going to do my best to not let the ideas from the workshop take a back seat to everything else.  I decided that there are three important things that I need to do after every workshop and I will encourage my students to do the same after a workshop they take with me as well. So what are the 3 things?

• PAINT!  I can't stress how important it is to get right to the easel after a workshop. The longer you wait the more you will tend to forget. Paint while the instructor's demos and words are still fresh in your mind.  You know when you can still he the voice of the instructor in your head as you paint?  This voice will fade the longer you wait.  I find I do better trying the ideas and techniques I learned once I am back in the studio. I can take my time and practice. 

• LOOK BACK AT YOUR NOTES!  How many times have you taken a notebook full of notes and then never looked at them again?  I know I am guilty of this. Yes there is the benefit of writing down notes in the first place but you will get more out of them if you look at them again. It is a good idea to re read your notes right after the workshop while it is all fresh in your mind.  It is even better if you can take some time to rewrite your notes.  This extra step will really help to cement the ideas in your mind.  I know that mu notes are often a jumble of thoughts I write down as the instructor speaks and paints....so it helps me to rewrite the notes an make better sense of them.

• CONNECT WITH THE OTHER ARTISTS!  One of the best things about a workshop experience is meeting other like minded people. Other artists who share the same passions and who want to be the best they can be.  The friendships and camaraderie that develops can be one of the best things to come from a workshop.  If you can reach out to theses new friends so that you can stay connected it is worth the effort.  At this workshop, the coordinator sent out an email list of students after the workshop. This was such a nice touch! I also plan to look up my new friends on Facebook.  Often we have already met on facebook and only meet in person at a workshop so it works both ways!

Finished demo

Here you can see the underpainting

Trying a Wet Underpainting on Uart Dark

'Autumn Mosaic'         9x12       pastel on Uart Dark       ©Karen Margulis
available $165

 There is something very satisfying about wet underpaintings. Holding a brush and watching pastel melt and drip or moving wet paint around the surface is also very liberating. Even if I end up covering the underpainting with pastel, the act of creating the underpainting feels great.

I probably do some kind of wet underpainting for half of my paintings. I love all types of wet underpaintings from simple alcohol washes to experimenting with unexpected media such as oil paint or oil pastel crayons. I love using Uart paper because I have good results with these wet underpaintings. So I was anxious to try a wet underpainting on the new Uart Dark. I am happy to report that it passed all of my tests with flying colors!

Putting Uart Dark to the wet underpainting test

For the test I used an unmounted piece of Uart Dark 500 grade. I used both water and alcohol and a variety of media. My main concern was how the paper would hold up. My results:

• The unmounted paper was taped on four corners to a piece of foam core board. It did not buckle or wave or wrinkle when wet with both water and alcohol. The liquid did not seep through to the back of the paper. 

• The sanded surface retained the grit. The water and alcohol did not make the paper gummy or remove the grit.

In my tests the Uart Dark performed the same as regular Uart sand color. 

Blocking in color with Caran d'Ache Neocolors II crayons

 Continuing my experiment I used a piece of Uart Dark 500 grade and did a wet underpainting using Caran d'Ache Neocolor II crayons and water. I liked how the Neocolors stayed vibrant in my test. They didn't disappoint me. The allowed me to block in the big shapes of my composition and set up the color. The underpainting provided me with a roadmap. The Uart Dark performed flawlessly.

In the end I covered up much of the underpainting with pastel. There is nothing wrong with that! Even though it is desirable to let underpaintings show or peek through it isn't the end of the world if it gets covered. The underpainting was an icebreaker....it was a set up and allowed me to start the painting without fear and hesitation!

Wet with water

Blocking in the darks once underpainting has dried

Painting the sky and all of the dull colors....brighter colors to come!

Read more about Uart paper on their website here:http://uartpastelpaper.com/products/

I Painted my Largest Paintings Ever!

My largest pastel paintings ever! Each one 36x60

 It was the best kind of commission. Paint something HUGE and ship it unframed. The fun of painting large without the worry of framing and shipping big framed paintings. And even better I was given the freedom to create paintings based on one of my smaller works without a lot of restrictions. The paintings needed to be compatible but not one big continuous scene.

The scene that was selected was actually one of my paintings from my trip to Ireland. So I pulled out my photos from Ireland for inspiration. Once the small studies were approved I got to work. I had already cut and taped the paper to my large foam core boards so they were ready to go. See my post on the other paintings in this commission for details on my supplies. http://kemstudios.blogspot.com/2018/09/my-largest-pastel-paintings-ever-tips.html

In the studio working hard!

 Enjoy the photos of the paintings. They were all so much fun to paint and everyday I was thankful to have a big studio with lots of spare easels!

A closer look at painting #1

Here is painting #2

Here is Jennifer to give you a sense of the scale.

closeup details

An Important Sky Painting Tip

'Drama Over Pecos'          8x10          pastel         ©Karen Margulis

 There seems to be a fine line in a sky painting. How much land should there actually be if the painting is all about the sky and clouds?  If there is too much information on the land then the painting risks becoming too busy. But not enough information doesn't allow a visual connection between what is happening on the ground and up in the sky. The story seems incomplete. No matter how interesting or dramatic the sky if there isn't enough information on the ground we don't get a sense of time or place.

I decided that I had two sky demo paintings that needed to be reworked. I had focused solely on the sky in the demos. The clouds were interesting but the paintings felt like only half of a thought. It felt unfinished without any grounding from the land below.

I took out some rubbing alcohol and a cheap brush and I liquified the pastel in the sky. I love doing that! I now had some interesting sky color to respond to. I decided to paint a couple of the many views I have of Pecos New Mexico.

In both the bright sky painting and the stormy sky painting I wanted to leave just enough land in the painting to give the viewer a sense of the place. I considered just adding some tree tops but then that could be anywhere....I wanted the painting to be about the skies over New Mexico. I purposely kept my marks and shapes on the ground simple and subdued. I added just enough detail to suggest mountain, trees and scrub. I was tempted to add more detail in the trees but then they would fight for attention with the sky!

'Brewing Storm'        8x10         pastel

Keep this fine line in mind when you are painting a skyscape. Connect your sky to the ground with a simple description of the landscape.