Inception to Final Product : Abstract Landscape

So you’re ready to start a new creation. That can be intimidating and there are many ways to go about this. Sometimes I find a photo I like or a scene I sketched in plein aire and want to finish in the studio. Other times I start by mark making on a canvas and see where it takes me. On this occasion I felt like taking a photo containing a landscape and break it into abstract shapes to create an abstract landscape.

I took this photo in Florida. I was drawn in by the shapes and thought it would be a good starting point to play with and see where it took me.

The shapes I outlined in red interested me so I went to DrawCast to play with these shapes and create others.

Here is my initial effort. I’m trying not to think too hard but play with shapes and colors.

I’m continue completing shapes and colors till I’m satisfied. I really like the feel and pallet of this piece but remember this was done on DrawCast. Recreating the marks and pallet can be challenging. And I did not create this on standard canvas sizes which I already warned you about. So I have not made my job any easier. (Moral: Don’t do as I do)

I decided to use a 16″ by 20″ canvas and make it work. I gave it an orange under painting and recreated a sketch using a pencil, making sure my focal point(house) was where it belonged in the composition. And other shapes created a composition that brought one into the picture and kept you moving around various points of interest.

I continued adding my pallet understanding that colors and shapes would need to be tweaked.

At this point I’m not happy. I need to decide on a dominant color and I don’t have that yet. I play with colors and go with a blue/green picture.

I am more satisfied with this but there is another problem. The red patch of land is getting much more attention or is fighting for attention with the focal point which is the house.

Here is my solution to the problem. The red field was changed to my dominant color and used the red to enhance my focal point. You can see I also added marks for interest and to add my personal touch.

I always welcome comments and hope you find this as helpful to you as it was for me.

This picture is looking for a good home. It is 16″ by 20″ and done in acrylic. The price is $275.00.

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Painting From a Photo

In the beginning god created Adam and many artists start by creating art from a photo. We see something in a magazine or from a previous pic we’ve taken. We search and search for that perfect composition. Let’s face it, we can rarely go on location to take or sketch our masterpiece. And that’s fine. It’s a starting point. But many beginners take it too literally. I want to give a few pointers that may be helpful when approaching a piece this way.

Once you find what you think is that perfect pic, really look at it. What drew you to it? Was it the color, composition, style, line, subject, etc. ? If it’s color then you know what palette you want to use. Whatever the reason this should give you direction for your work. Why do you want to recreate this particular scene?

Composition is always important. It’s what takes us into, around, and through your work and hopefully keeps us there for more than 5 seconds. I must say, nature has done an amazing job creating but sometimes a tree or house or whatever is not in the right place. As an artist we have options in order to correct and improve the scene. Few photos have perfect composition unless taken by a professional photographer and even then you may want to change the photo to make it your own.

Make sure the dimensions of your photo is the same as the canvas you’re using. Different dimensions will definitely mess up your chance of success. It changes the composition and that’s never a good thing. If you’re determined to use another dimension, I strongly encourage you to do many value sketches before starting the canvas. ( Remember value is how light or dark an object is. So a value sketch is done in a gray scale.)

We do not want our work to look like a photograph unless you’re doing a photo-realistic work. We do not want to create each leaf and blade of grass. Relax. Pretend you’re looking at your work from a distance. ( Squint your eyes and paint different values of your palette.)

Here is a still life I set up and photographed. I love flowers and the colors. But there are many things about this picture I don’t like. The flowers are not placed correctly in the photo. And there are objects in the photo that take away from the composition. The keys and stray papers do not help this pic. There’s lots to adjust.

Here is the final picture. You can see I’ve made adjustments to the original pic. The placement of the flowers as well as the arrangement of the flowers has been altered to help the composition and interest.

I hope this has given you some help when creating art from a photo.

I would love to hear from you and any feedback you have on this topic or if you have questions on other challenges in your art.

Using Procreate or Drawcast

Procreate and Drawcast are important aids in creating art. I have used both regularly. But there are drawbacks to using them.

Here is a picture I created on Procreate. The program allows one to create marks that can be difficult to reproduce by hand.

Here is the canvas I’ve been working on to recreate the first image. Obviously there are differences in color, composition, and marks. I’m going to continue to work on this and see how it goes. There is a lot to be said of spontaneity. That is starting and creating directly on the canvas and then using a program to tweak the results.

I’m continuing this piece. It is a work in progress. I’ve just added the orange and now I’m letting it dry before I proceed. It’s scary touching a picture but it’s just paint. I keep telling myself that anyway. No pain, no gain.

I’ve continued to work on this piece. Now I’m adding what I call is the jewelry of a picture. The jewelry is those last touches that give it that pizazz. I don’t know if I’m finished. If you have any suggestions out there, I’d love to hear them.

Commission Works

It’s an amazing feeling when someone likes your work enough to purchase it. And even more special if they chosen you to do a special piece for them or a friend. Commissions are challenging because you’re not just pleasing yourself but you want to meet the expectations of the person who has asked you to create their piece.

Below are some commissions I’ve done. Yes, they are dogs. People love their pets and is a typical subject for commissions.

This little guy was painted as a gift for a friend. It’s done in oil and is a small format of 8″ by 10″.

I painted this as a wedding gift. This is oil and again a small format of 9″ by 12″.

This is Bailey. It is my most recent commission. The medium is oil and the format is 16″ by 20″.

Prices range from $150 to 350$.

Creating an Abstract

Creating an abstract is a difficult genre. It needs balance, composition, and all the components of any great work of art regardless of genre. I thought I would go though a few steps in creating one of my pieces.

This is the beginning of a piece. I’m really just playing by creating marks and using a water bottle.

In this image, I’ve stated editing by removing shapes I’m not happy with and keeping those that work for me.

I’m continuing the editing process.

And finally I reach a stage I’m happy with. How do I know I’m finished. Because adding or subtracting will not improve upon what I have.

Portraits

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Recent Abstracts

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This is a group of recent abstracts of various sizes in the acrylic medium.

Jacob’s Ladder

This painting is an acrylic. I love the colors and when I finished it I knew the title had to be “Jacob’s Ladder” it is 16” by 20” format.

“Circle Marks the Spot”

This is a recent abstract in acrylic. It’s titled “Circle Marks the Spot”. It’s a square format measuring 30” by 30”.