The End of a Series...Which Yellow Pastels for Aspens?

'The Grand Finale'                 9x12                  pastel                  ©Karen Margulis
available $145

 I am ready to move on. I am not tired of painting aspens but I have other subjects that are calling out to be painted. It was a fun couple of weeks. Being immersed in one subject has been gratifying. I was stretched to find new and interesting ways to paint the same thing. I did find that my paintings became looser and more expressive as the series went on. That does tend to happen with a series which is why it is such a great exercise for those artists who wish to let go of the reference photo.

Since yellow was the main color of my paintings I learned a few things about working with yellow. I found that I gravitated to a few favorite pastels for my foliage. Here they are in the photo below. My most-used pastels were two Schmincke pastels, a Unison and a few Terry Ludwig pastels. I have always found yellow a challenging color to work with but I have discovered a few things that have helped me.

A collection of Yellow pastels

TIPS FOR YELLOW

• Block in the yellow areas with  darker muted yellows such as an ochre or dull orange-yellow. Save the brighter more intense yellows for the top layers.

• Consider what is next to or behind the yellow areas. The yellow will be affected by the colors that surround it. (simultaneous contrast)  Using the complements to yellow and yellow-orange will make the yellows vibrate and make them pop. Blues and purples next to the yellow for example will make the yellow appear to be more intense.

• Use duller yellows. The neutral or dull ugly yellows are needed to make the pure yellows pop.

• Use very soft pastels for your final yellow marks. I find the Schminke yellows to do an except job for my final marks in any area of yellow. They are so soft and creamy and lend a nice touch of texture to the painting.

Now I will move on to a new project. I hope you have enjoyed following the progression of my series. Perhaps you are inspired to do a series of your own!  Below are the 14 paintings that I completed over the last two weeks. Most are available in my etsy shop here.

Aspen Series part 7....A Simple Twist

'Freedom'             9x12            pastel              ©Karen Margulis
sold

 I needed to paint without glasses. As my aspen series progressed I found my trees were getting more detailed. Perhaps it was because I was getting to know them better but despite my efforts I was putting in more details than I intended. That isn't necessarily problem. There is nothing wrong with having a higher level of detail in a painting  but  I wanted to simplify my approach to the aspens.

So yesterday I spent some quality time at being relaxed and playful and I painted several aspen minis. See yesterday's post here. I found that a few of them were much less detailed and fussy. That happens when I paint minis. These new little studies now have inspired larger versions.

One thing that I noticed with the minis is that I painted without my glasses. I only use readers and I rarely paint with them but sometimes I do use them when making my final details on a painting.  But glasses do what they are supposed to do....they make everything crisp and clear. Crisp and clear means I see more detail and I am tempted to put them in the painting.

For today's painting I didn't put my glasses on at all.

It wasn't easy. I wanted to see better. I wanted to see the branches and leaves. I wanted to see what was on the ground and in the distance. But I avoided temptation. Seeing my reference photo and painting ever so slightly out of focus allowed me to keep this painting simple.

mini pastel that was the inspiration
3.5 x 2.5     pastel     $35

Aspen Series Part 6 ....Trying Relaxed Playfullness

'Reach for the Sky'             2.5 x 3.5             pastel             ©Karen Margulis
sold

Sometimes I start a painting with a small study. Sometimes I paint small studies for the sake of painting small. I find that painting minis is a relaxing change of pace.  I sit at a table and allow myself to be playful and experiment.  (2.5 x 3.5 is a standard size for my tiny paintings) Often in this state of relaxed playfulness I am able to truly let go. Some of my most favorite paintings have been the result of these small studies.

I had completed 7 aspen paintings in my series and was running out of ideas and excitement for the subject. I could have stopped and moved on to a new subject but instead I decided to paint a few minis. After I was finished I was inspired all over again and could not wait to get back to bigger paper armed with new ideas for my series.

In the middle of the madness!

The point of doing the small studies for me is to encourage simplification and playfulness . Here are some tips:

• Start with a few supplies. Keep it simple with a limited selection of pastels. I decided to use the same tray of colors that I have been working with for my aspen series. I did add another small box of some unused Unison pastels because the colors looked similar to the palette I was using. Make a limited palette work!

• Gather all of your supplies and get set up before beginning. You'll need pastels, precut papers,small piece of foamcore,tape or clips,reference photos, a towel or tablecloth to protect your table, baby wipes.

• Paint minis with distractions. Sometimes I find I am more painterly when I am not totally involved in the painting. I make more intuitive choices (don't overthink) when I am half tuned into TV or a radio show. Painting minis with a group of friends while chatting works the same way.

• Use your big and soft pastels. It is a great exercise in fine motor coordination. You can make very tiny and precise marks with a fat pastel with practice! If you want to keep things loose and simple then avoid using pastel pencils for your minis. Make the fat sticks work!

Six minis for my aspen series

Apsen Series part 5 ...Working on a Homemade Surface

'Fall Meditation'               8x10                 pastel                  ©Karen Margulis
available for purchase $145

I don't know what possessed me to use this color. It is a good example of making mud! But there it was, an ugly but perfectly fine homemade surface just waiting for some pastel. I pulled out some older papers and boards to use for my aspen series and this ugly purple brown board was in the pile.

I loved the texture. It was my own concoction of clear gesso with a bit of pumice powder that I toned with liquid acrylics and applied to a board with random brushstrokes. The board I used was a Multimedia Artboard which is a wonderful surface that is practically indestructible.

I have written about homemade surfaces on my blog. Here are some links in case you missed them:

http://www.kemstudios.blogspot.com/2013/02/friday-featurethe-secret-formula-for.html

http://www.kemstudios.blogspot.com/2012/01/one-way-to-loosen-up-your-painting.html

http://www.kemstudios.blogspot.com/2013/02/using-homemade-surfaces-to-spice-up.html

My sad and ugly board. Click to dee the texture

I love working on homemade surfaces and I always forget just how much I enjoy them. They are unpredictable and perfect for painting in a looser more expressive manner. It is difficult to get too detailed and fussy on the rough surface.

I began the painting by blocking in the big shapes of dark, light and intense color. This is one of the easiest ways to get a painting started. The photo below shows this first layer. Hmmmm I like that dull muted purple of the surface peeking through. Maybe it wasn't so ugly after all!

The first layer. Look at the wonderful texture of the surface!

Aspen Series part 4 ...Turn Things Upside Down

'Mountain Glow'             5x7              pastel                 ©Karen Margulis
sold

The more I paint the aspens the more I want to paint them. It happens like that with a series. I begin getting comfortable with my subject and the well opens up. My 'What If' attitude is turned on full force and I am on the hunt of new ways to express my subject. I ask myself questions. What if I tried a grouping of minis? What if I just did a watercolor or maybe even an oil painting of aspens? What if I tried black paper? The more  questions I ask... the faster the ideas flow.

So today I decided I would do a quick and small painting. I have started a knitting project that is competing for my attention. I had a 5x7 piece of toned Uart with the beginnings of an old demo. What if I just reused this paper underpainting and all?

My reference photo and paper turned upside down

I could have brushed off the underpainting but it really was just a thin layer of hard pastel so I decided to leave it be.

TIP: When reusing paper that has a painting or underpainting on it,  try brushing it out or just turn the paper upside down. This creates abstract shapes and colors making it easier to begin with a new subject. These brushed off ghost underpaintings create a wonderful base for a new painting.

The sketch on top of a previous underpainting

I started with a dark blue Nupastel to sketch in the main shapes in the scene. I am ignoring the dark blobs of the previous underpainting.  In the end they actually add a bit of definition to the distant aspen clad hillside.

The block in with local colors

Next I blocked in these big shapes with color. Unusual for me this time I went strickly with the local color....dark blue green for the fir trees, Vibrant yellows for the hillside, blues for the distant mountains and pale blue for the sky. Why local color this time? I don't always know the answer. Underpainting colors are usually just a feeling or intuitive decision. If I were to analyze my choice this time I would say I was trying to do a quick study of this hillside and what drew me to the scene were the vibrant colors....so why not just go with them in this quick study! Get right to the point.

At this stage the painting was almost finished. All I needed to do was decide just how much detail and clarity I wanted. I wanted to keep a loose expressive feeling so I kept my marks bold and tried not to fuss too much.

Aspen Series Part 3 ...A Softer Approach To Painting Trees

'Golden Trails'                 9x12                pastel                 ©Karen Margulis
sold

I love working in a series. I don't have to decide what my subject is when I enter the studio. I just have to decide on my approach. I never know what approach I will take until I stand in front of my pile of papers. Today I decided to go soft and dreamy.

My reference photo showed a trail into the aspens and evergreens just off the Aspen View lookout in the Santa Fe ski basin. I wanted to highlight a few of the aspens and make them have more clarity than the other trees. The rest of the trees would be less important....softer.  I knew I could achieve this soft dreamy look by doing two things.

1. Paper choice. I decided to use Canson Mi-Teintes paper. It is a soft unsanded paper that I really enjoy. I find the pastel application can have a softer look on Canson which suits my concept for this painting. Sanded paper grabs the pastel and allows for many layers. I find that often my paintings look crisper and more vibrant on sanded paper and while I love that, it is not what I wanted for today's painting.

2. Underpainting technique. I chose to do a dry wash underpainting. I blocked in the extremes: darkest dark, lightest light, most intense color and the remaining middle values. I then rubbed in this first layer. The result was a soft out of focus underpainting. Having everything fuzzy and soft allowed me to add detail and clarity slowly and only where I wanted it.

Out of focus underpainting

 After the underpainting was finished I worked over the entire painting gradually pulling the trees into focus. As always I began with the darks. The photo below shows the painting in the 'almost finished' stage. Everything is still soft. I chose to add more clarity to the trees on the right. Much of the rest of the painting was left alone.

Almost finished. Just need to add detail to my most important trees

 As with the previous two aspen paintings in the series I used the same color palette. I find it fascinating that the same pastel sticks create a totally different look. Paper does matter!

same palette for painting #3 although getting messy!

Aspen Series part 2...Thinking Outside of the Box

'Golden Memories'                 10x20                   pastel                   ©Karen Margulis
sold

I am guilty. I always seem to paint inside the box. The standard box. I always choose standard size papers for my paintings....5x7, 8x10, 11x14. It is easy and less expensive to frame a standard size painting. But it is limiting. Sometimes the subject is better served by a non standard size support. Sometimes we need to go outside of the box!

Today's addition to my aspen series is the perfect example. My concept for this painting was to express the immense spread of gorgeous aspen trees in their autumn splendor.  I decided that a long and narrow format would be the best way to showcase this stand of trees. I cut a piece of white pastel Premier paper to 10x20 and got to work.

Cretacolor Aqua Briques....Love these for watercolor underpaintings. Thanks Nancy!

 In addition to choosing the right format for the painting I needed to choose the best underpainting technique. I thought that watercolor might lead to the drips and expressiveness that I wanted. I used my new set of Cretacolor Aqua Briques. I like them for their vibrancy but also for their size. I can do large underpaintings without using up a small pan of watercolor.

I added some kosher salt for texture

The finished underpainting. click to enlarge for details.

A close up of the underpainting. I see interesting possibilities here. Lots of fun!

After the underpainting was dry I began to add pastel. To keep things simple I used the same pastel palette as yesterday's painting. I began by reinforcing the dark areas with dark blues and greens. I also used a gray violet to put in the tree trunks.

Next I worked on the sky. I added a few different blue pastels. I used negative painting to pull out the shapes of the foliage. I wanted to allow some of the watercolor to show through so I didn't paint all of the foliage.

To finish the painting I added detail to some of the trunks and added a few leaf shapes. This unusual size doesn't translate well in a photo for some reason. I am happy that it suits the vision I had for this painting. It was fun to paint outside the 8x10 box today!