Materials Lesson Notes: Oil Paint

One of the cool things we covered this weekend was Materials lessons. Starting from Old Holland pigments, I made my own paint. The materials used were Old Holland pigments, frosted glass, palette knives, and two different sized glass mullers (to grind/mix with), along with some Linseed oil, cold pressed. Take a look as Dave demonstrates.

Initial mixing of the pigment and the linseed oil. Really, the process is very simple. It's more a matter of knowing the consistency to take, and having control over the amounts of the medium and the pigment ratio. We did a single-pigment paint, a native pigment color, but by mixing and adding in different pigments in different quantities, you produce different colors.

Use the muller in a circular motion, grinding from the middle to the outside. Then use your palette knives to scrape the paint back into the middle. Add the oil in small doses, with an eye on attaining the right viscosity and body. There will be some variation in this depending on what you're using the paint for. (Impasto techniques will want to be much stiffer.)

It's up to the artist and the need for the work, but this is the general consistency that we wanted. For those who are skilled at cooking, you want to get these nice stiff meringue-like peaks when you pull the muller away from the grinding glass.

When done, use the palette knife to load the paint into the empty tubes (sold that way). Make sure they're good for oil paints (nothing wonky coating the inner part of the metal) and tamp it down to be sure that no bubbles are in the tube. Then gently close the end and crimp it with a metal crimper (always use the metal crimper for the oil paints). Roll it slightly to give it the finished look, and then note the color and medium and date on the tube.

And yes, this is Guru Dave himself.

Some art

I figure that after all of this talking, I should start showing. Thousand words and all. This is my first foray into working with colored pencils. Using Lyra Rembrandt and Caran D'Ache colored pencils because they both contain an oil-based binder (as opposed to wax) and working on a special flocked paper which has quite a nice tooth to it.

I really enjoy working with the method of building up the colors. The stonework was fun. It's just a scratch pad, more or less, but there it is.

This is an example of the Grid Technique, something which should be intimately familiar to any art student today. Utilizing the grid to break apart the target image into smaller bits that you then put together as the whole... well, this is in progress. I'll photo the "finished" piece and post it later. I started working in a 2B graphite stick, then after I was done with the figure I went back into the piece with an eraser, my 2B, and my 4B graphite. I erased the grid lines inside the figure, and I made some artistic choices and changes to the piece. I then tried to 'unify' the value scale, so that the darkness of the skin tones match the darkness of the brow, etc. Making all the values fall into place. Tougher than it looks, actually.

I'd love to do a grid piece with colored pencils on that flocked paper. Not just value but color and tone as well.

The Journey Continues

Well, this past weekend was quite educational. Working with Dave in his studios was fun, but there is effort involved. It's like an athlete training for a marathon... you stretch the artistic chops a little bit further each time and then the rest is repetition and practice, and keeping your head in the game.

I've always felt like I had some significant gaps in my skillset whenever it came to anything resembling the arts. Even back in the New Paltz ceramics studio with Mary Roehm (*sigh*) I was talking a good game of filling in the gaps in my art education. Unfortunately, that wasn't the kind of nurturing space or the right audience for it then, and I probably wasn't ready for the kind of efforts which are involved in backtracking on skillsets.

Come to think of it, that was pretty common for a while. I could sense that there was something I was missing, something that needed to be filled in, some gaps that needed closing in my education (whether it was in the music world of clarinet performance, ceramics, Spanish Literature, and yes quite frankly, Graphic Design) but there was never any way for me to actually fill them in. I think it was a good deal of me just not being in the right head and heartspace, but I also think that it was a lack of a decent teacher, too.

What's different now

Aside from being 10+ years later, what I find that has changed is that as Dave presents each technique, I feel like a gap is filled and closed. I'm beginning to see the 'middle part' which is putting it all together. He was showing me colored pencil sketching this weekend and put a color down on the paper which was rather clashing and out there, but I could see that it was a color which 'bridged' two others in the composition. It might have looked very much out of place, but the tiny spots of that color were halfway between the base color and the background color. The result was that it helped to tie the sketch together tighter and helped to unify the overall underlying tone.

But see, I get that because you can play similar tricks in design. CRAP principle. Contrast, Repetition, Alignment, and Proximity. Those are the four cornerstones of design, which in painting gets called 'composition'. It sort of applies to color. In its own weird 'makes sense to Adam' way.

It's a good pairing for me to be Dave Gulotta's apprentice. It's one on one training, there's plenty of space for independent exploration in the time between training weekends, and he seems to understand intuitively the kind of teaching I need. I think I'm a peculiar mix. Advanced in certain areas, woefully unprepared in others.

Dutch Masters painting project

Well, of course not to become a Dutch Master. I'm not Dutch. ;)

But we're now beginning to approach learning how to paint in the method and using the techniques which were pioneered and perfected by the Dutch Masters. Vermeer. Egads, if I can get halfway toward Vermeer by the time I turn 99 I will have succeeded in these creative endeavors beyond my wildest expectations. Odd that I'm crowing about Vermeer when until last month I had never heard of him before. But Vermeer is phenomenal for his work, yet almost nothing is known about him.

So the first stage of this project is to select a concept. This is the deliberate style of painting. Everything planned, worked out, and constructed slowly. Deliberately. With care, with time, and with patience. Patience I think is going to be the key to making any sort of progress within the world of oil painting. Letting the materials be what they need to be.

And I don't know... there's some kind of inner resonance to the Dutch Masters style. If an Art Historian reads this they'll probably roll their eyes or cringe at my sheer ignorance of Art History terms and concepts... one step at a time, folks. Besides, I'm not learning how to talk about it... I'm learning how they did it, so that I can do it, and so that I can learn how to adapt those techniques for myself. Dali's secrets... first learn to paint like the masters, and from that point on you will be able to do whatever it is you want.

Inner resonance

Back to the inner resonance. Dave handed me a concept pad and told me to write down the stages of the construction of a Dutch Masters style painting. As he was dictating them to me, I began to feel a rush of emotional identification with the process. THIS was oil painting. THIS to me was what I had been missing – the steps of construction.

It's so strange to me to describe it. I knew (oy, did I know) that this was a colossal amount of effort involved, but I also know that it's this amount of control, this deliberateness which is going to fill some kind of inner need. The need to be able to be deliberate. Yes, I'm happy to experiment with freedom. I'll be happy to paint a la prima, I'll be happy to work impressionistic. But this... this is the idea of what painting is that I've been carrying around with me all a priori-like.

Not just from the amount of effort, but rather because it's a plan which is incredibly comprehensive. It's that comprehensive approach which is enticing. Suddenly, the old classical hierarchy of the arts asserts itself again. Charcoal, pen and ink, ink washes, even pastels... all as the means to work out the details and capture the spirit of the subject. To work through the process of selection, of research and refinement. Yet still remaining firmly in the world of art, where happy accidents are the keys to brilliance, and where the subject matters more than the intention behind it... the interplay of desire and serendipity, the ability to utilize the moment yet still prolong the process over the course that -it- needs to take... yes.

Yes, this is where art is calling for me right now. I'm so absolutely thrilled with this idea that I'm already resolved to complete this project. I guess only three of the apprentices thus far have done so. After hearing the 'broad strokes' stages of constructing this painting, I can totally understand why. When in the midst of labor-intensive steps you write the step "REPEAT AS NEEDED" and then bracket off a good 5 or 6 of those labor intensive steps... well, let's just say that it's a bit daunting.

Concept is king

But it's also a bit envigorating. The concept needs to be strong enough to carry interest, vital enough to engage the artist (let alone the viewers) all throughout the process.

Not to put undue pressure. I'm not. I'm psyching up, not psyching out. I give myself full permission to make mistakes, to change my mind, to be responsive as I need to be.

Ah well. What a grand adventure this is going to be! And I'm happy to share some good news on the blog that started out as more of a testimony of depression.

One from the road

It's Sunday morning and I'm at Gulotta Studios in PA, finishing up the latest apprenticeship weekend. For those who are interested in seeing some of "Guru Dave's" work, you can check out his studio homepage at www.gulotta-studios.com.

In the time since my last blog post, much has been going on in my life. The major bout of depression lifted, and as the smoke continues to clear from that a lot of things have clicked into place to lead to a new perspective on life, art, me, etc. I begin to seriously think that this past depressive episode, which honestly was the most intense for the most prolonged that I think I've had (since I knew what these "fits" were) -- well, this past bout that I like to call "January" was the end of a major life cycle and the starting of a new one.

For example, I find myself working as a freelance agent for Creatives and being in a job with tremendous earning potential, a cushy setup with my boss, and the flexibility and free time to work from home some days, leave early others, set my own hours, etc. I find myself working in fine art once more, and this time all of my life experiences are beginning to come together. I'm old enough to be able to look at this with a kind of wisdom and maturity for long range planning, and at the same time I'm enjoying myself enough to let the pursuit of fine art be its own immediate reward for myself.

It's just kind of amazing. I guess I'm "ready" for this next stage, and I really do think that the seeds for the next major portion of my life have been planted and watered and are now beginning to sprout.

Anyway, I brought my digital camera this time to begin to add more of interest to this blog for other artists. I'm not going to be trying to teach anyone, but I do want to document my journey in this amazing, fascinating world. Look for more photos, including some of my homework and 'practice' projects.

I guess in a real way this blog is mostly for myself, but I really am confident that in the long run this is going to be a wonderful record of the journey. I guess there was a reason for me becoming a Graphic Designer and being taught how to write by the talented Rosemary Edghill after all. ;)

Time for breakfast and then back into the studio for wrap up and homework review, then the long trek home.

Tidal Shift

Right on time. At about 5:30pm yesterday the energy tides shifted for me, and I'm sure that my recent prolonged bout of depression (what shall hereafter be remembered simply as "January") finally ceasing also added to the sensation. Imbolc or Candlemas came in, and with it the edge of winter is gone.

There's been a kind of relentless psychic pressure going on since late September. While the sun was still shining past 6pm amid days of unusually high temperatures that late in the season, the ebb of the year began to make itself known, and known with a vengeance. Whether from the tide of battles long distant yet echoing through the astral, or just a particularly harsh seasonal variance, witches were muttering all across the country. Giving a shudder here and there for no reason amid the golden late summer.

But autumn was muted this year. As the leaves turned they went quickly to brown, quickly down, quickly beyond the brilliance that you sometimes get, and right into that wan and faded stage. Perhaps a symptom for whatever it is we just passed through. There's still clouds... always clouds, especially for us pendulum people... but the season shifted. And my own inner weather front broke finally, too, so I'm sure that's heightening my own sensitivity in the matter.

And anyhow, it's passed. Whomever's battle it was this time, they got it done. I don't know what that means, but I have to trust that it means something good, if it means anything at all.

Oh, I picked up some art supplies from Jerry's Artarama yesterday. Couple of Newsprint pads (small ones) meant for my Richter Boxes, and a 12 pk of graphite sticks, assorted hardnesses from 2B down to 9B. Ink for my Rapidograph set-- note to self, clean that out tonight to be ready for the weekend when I'll do the grid assignment, or a serious beginning to it.

The most excellent news of all? They carry Old Holland oils -and- watercolors. Master Guru Dave trusts them to be archival, and I'm all for the method of testing the oils. (They paint 2 boards in a color and put one in hermetic sealing and one they expose to sunlight... for 50 YEARS. Then they take the sealed board and compare the sun-exposed board, to ensure that they're the same color. If there's any variance at all after 50 years, they mark the color as being 'fugitive', if they'll manufacture it at all.... Gotta love those standards.)

They also have a table easel for dirt cheap. I know, I know... maybe there's a reason the Renoir table easel is marked down about $100, but to be honest I need something basic for right now. I can't afford to invest that much all at once. I need to space this out over a little while. So each week I'll put some money into oil paints to get a set of colors ready and start working through.

I tell ya, too... the lines practice I did last night sucked ass. Being away from the page for so long really does show in the technique. This is training muscular control, so it takes continual repetition and sustained practice. Can't cheat... clowns will eat me.

The Audacity

I work as a headhunter/recruiter/employment agent for Creative industries in Southern Connecticut. I meet with a lot of folks, and I try to help them find jobs or get settled in the industry.

In the course of telling one of my candidates whom I haven't heard from in a while about a possible job opportunity she'd be a good match for, I got some news about some rather upsetting practices by one of the design firms in Stamford. I won't name names here, because libel gets pretty ugly and the courts don't distinguish between libel that's true and libel that's not. More's the pity.

My candidate, who I'll call Entry-level Jen (names changed to protect the victim), applied for a job with SSC ("Said Stamford Company", for convenience, also a fictitious name and abbreviation). She went to the job interview, met with everyone, met with senior designers, etc. etc. Took hours. A bit unusual given the length of the interview, but all in all a very positive sign for her. If they're taking the time to show you around to the different head designers and senior art directors, you've got promise. So far, so good. Remember, gentle readers, Jen approached this company on her own - I guarantee you had she gone through an agency they would have put a stop to the nonsense immediately.

SSC then tells Jen, "We need to evaluate your skills. Please come back tomorrow for a couple of proficiency tests." In and of itself, this is not a problem. It's poor time planning not to have the applicant take any such tests right then and there, but when hiring someone for specific skillsets it's a good idea to get a sense of what they can actually do vs. what they stuck in their portfolio. Again, not the problem.

Theft of Professional Services!

But the actual problem was this: the "tests" included working for them from 9am-7pm for THREE DAYS. During this time, Jen did not take part in tests meant to evaluate her skills, but rather she was given a computer and told to do various designs and projects. Were these projects which had been assembled from old files in order to see how her solutions to the graphics problems compared to those that actually went to press? NO. These jobs were -LIVE JOBS-. They were actual work that SSC was doing as part of their push to get an annual report done for a paying client.

Let me reiterate that: SSC was using Jen's "interview" as an excuse to get her to do work and provide designs for FREE which they in turn tried to pass off to their actual client. She received no money. No compensation. No guarantees. What she did do, actually, was get told that she needed to sign a release form which guaranteed that SSC got full rights to the designs that she created during her "test".

This isn't just a mistake made by an overeager HR/Recruiter trying to satisfy demanding internal line managers. The fact that SSC specifically required Jen sign a waiver is the clincher for premeditation. This is an abusive practive. They robbed her of goods and services under false pretenses. When she wrote to inquire about the job, they told her that their client still hadn't gotten back to them and they would call her to let her know.

Mmm hmmm. Suuuuuuuuuure they will.

If by any chance someone trying to break into Graphic Design reads this entry in the blog, PLEASE learn -right now- that ANY job interview which requires you to work FOR FREE on LIVE JOBS from which the agency is going to make a PROFIT is robbing you at psychological gunpoint. The advertising agency world DOES NOT OPERATE THIS WAY.

If by any chance someone from, oh, say, SSC's real company reads this... you should be ashamed of yourself. Just who did you think you were fooling by this pathetic charade? Yourself, obviously, since you don't seem to quite understand just how -small- the Graphic Design industry is outside of Manhattan. I've already taken steps to drop a word to the wise in the ears of all of my friends on the recruiting circuit. Word is going to get out, so hopefully no one else will fall victim to the same abuse and theft.

Any time a designer is asked to be on site for any kind of work purposes, they need to be getting paid. Any time a designer is doing work for someone else's paying client, they need to be getting paid. I'm not lying to you when I say that 3 days worth of work from a talented designer can get close to $1500, especially freelance going direct to a company. (You might have to wait 90 days after the project is completed to get paid, and you'll have to pay your own taxes & FICA out of it, but figure $500/day is about normal for guesstimates.) Suddenly that's not such a small thing to be robbing from someone, is it?

Well, Jen is chagrinned but has learned from the experience. We'll see what comes of grassroots advocacy. "I'm sorry, Your Honor, but if SSC didn't want the negative press they shouldn't have engaged in the unethical interview practices."