A quickie lesson in layering warm and cool paint

[Cynthia Daniel]

Yes, I've been reading all the posts and cringing as things seem to heat up. The purpose of the forum is to encourage others to reach their highest potential, no matter from what point they are starting.

In order to accomplish this, it is necessary for members to feel safe to express themselves without being attacked. I don't remember who the first member was that posted for a critique, but I commend their courage at being the first!

I agree that we should express outselves in a manner that is considerate of the believes and practices of another and if there is a disagreement to express it in a courteous way. This is especially necessary on this forum because of the wide variety of career levels. If this was a forum where everyone had a well-developed career and confidence in their painting, this might not be such a significant issue.

I also cringe at the thought of the impression we may be giving the extremely polite members from other countries that are on this forum. Are we being the Ugly American?

I agree that passionately-held beliefs are often the cause of saying something that is condescending to another. Sometimes this is intentional and soemtimes not. As we can easily see in the world today, this happens all the time in the area of religion.

There is more than one way to skin a cat and often no right or wrong. When I first started designing web pages, a potential client criticized the fact that I had put the images against a pure black background. He said I should never use pure black. My feelings were extremely hurt at the way he expressed it (he was a former minister!) and I turned him down for Stroke of Genius (he wasn't that good anyway). Also, when I looked at his web pages, I knew they weren't good pages, so he was no authority on design. But, for years, I never used pure black again. Then, in the last year, I had 3 artists complain because I wasn't using a pure black background. Who is right or wrong?

What I see is that both you and Steve are incredibly talented and recognized in the field and would love to see both of you continue as contributing members as I know you both have a lot of value to offer to other artists.

By the way, when a post is offensive, there is a line below the icons in a post that says "report his post to a moderator". In this case, I'm the moderator. I will add something in the registration agreement regarding coutesy. If a reminder is necessary, I can certainly do that.

[Cynthia Daniel]

Don't worry about your English Abdi, you're a pleasure to have on the forum. Thank you for the lovely post.

[Karin Wells]

It is OK to paint what you see, but it is much more important to paint what you know. The human eye is not always "sophisticated" or "trained" enough to observe reality and the Old Masters certainly knew this.

Here is a quickie visual lesson in layering warm and cool paint to define realistic looking form. It is excerpted from a longer and more detailed post "Building Art Beyond the Image" http://forum.portraitartist.com/show...s=&threadid=58

As a highlight transitions into a deep shadow, warm and cool tones begin to alternate. This creates each layer that defines form. The overlapping of warm and cool color is essential in building realistic form. (The terms "warm" and "cool" color are relative to the specific color used...i.e., warm and cool skin tones)

1. Highlight is cool. The lightest value, cool color paint on an object.

2. Light is warm. The next lightest value, warm color paint - and it continues to get lighter still as it approaches the area of highlight.

3. Halftone (where light and shadow meet) is cool. A mid-value, cooler color paint where light begins to turn into shadow - but can't be defined as either light or shadow.

4. Shadow is warm. A dark value, warm color paint.

5. Deep Shadow (cast shadow at the origin) is hot. Darkest value, hottest color paint.

6. Reflected light within a shadow is as close to pure color as you can make it. The reflected light should match the value of the shadow and it can be either warm or cool in color.

I like to make reflected light by mixing two color opposites (i.e., red/green, purple/yellow) to neutralize each (can look like mud). Add enough white to this mixture to match the value of the shadow (and sometimes a touch of blue in addition).

Below is a detail of a face by Rubens. With specific reference to the numbers above, I hope you can see the layering technique I have described. If you can begin to see this, you can begin to paint it.

[Karin Wells]

Steve,

If your paintings consistently look good when they are finished, you obviously have a very sophisticated and trained eye. You are lucky to have found that the method of "painting what you see with a very limited palette" works perfectly for you. And I would certainly enjoy seeing some of your excellent work!

However, not everyone can do what you can so easily do. If someone with a "less perfect eye" is not producing consistently good work, it would behove them to consider trying something else.

The Old Masters had an easy method they used and it is practically "lost knowledge." Unfortunately contemporary art suffers greatly because of a lack of genuine knowledge.

I think that the real "novelty" nowadays is to NOT paint what you (think) you see but to paint from genuine knowledge.

[Karin Wells]

I'll try to explain this again...

If you look, for example, at Vermeer....any Vermeer, he layered warm and cool paint to create "reality" in the manner explained above.

Lots of artists (with the exception of you and a few other lucky ones) are not able to make their paintings look "realistic" like the subject matter they wish to paint no matter how long they stare at a subject.

There IS a way to do it when the eye fails....why would you wish for so many artists to continue to produce unsatisfactory artwork when it is not necessary for them to suffer and fail at all?

As you know, there are many ways to paint a picture...and the one way most used is to try to directly paint what one sees. If that method worked all the time for all the people, the world would be filled with much more wonderful art.

If an artist finds that a way of working (even if it works for you) is not getting a satisfactory result, it would be silly to continue in that manner without considering another way of looking at things.

Painting what "you think you see" just doesn't work for everybody. Get it?

[Karin Wells]

So here's my dilemma Steve....when I post something to try and help someone who wishes to paint better portraits, are you going to attack me again? I don't much like it and I find it hurtful.

I would like to think that I am safe to express an idea, opinion or question without the possability of a sarcastic attack by someone who may disagree. It takes a lot of courage to post anything here, most especially my artwork. It is frightening to think that someone may make fun of me (or anyone) when I need help or try to help.

Sarcastic remarks/attacks have no place here - ever - it undermines the whole idea of this forum.

[Karin Wells]

I know that you're out there reading all of our postings. How about if you start a new thread in the intro. section regarding a POLICY ABOUT THE USE OF SCARCASM AND PUT-DOWNS? Everyone should be alerted to this potential problem and notify you asap if they spot this kind of thing in a post before you do.

I suggest that anytime someone posts something that even borders on the nasty, pull the post, and privately email the person who put it up. Give them the opportunity to reword their thoughts in a way that is beneficial to all.

I think that most scarcasm is the result of a passionately held belief. Sometimes someone pretends that - or maybe even really thinks that - they are "just being funny". But this causes hurt and is counterproductive to the growth of this unique forum.

I am really worried that some timid soul is lurking out there, reading the unpleasant exchanges posted above, and would never feel safe enough to express an idea or an opinion on this forum. We would all lose so much if this kind of thing is allowed to continue.

I would like to think that the person who mistakenly directs a put-down toward another person on this forum will be given an opportunity to express their thoughts and opinions in a way that benefits everyone.

What do you think?

[Karin Wells]

Wow....nice portrait. My computer monitor makes it difficult to see much subtle color, but your skin tones certainly look good (realistic) to me. I assume that I am looking at a detail?

I am not familiar with the lighting you mentioned but whatever you did it worked for you in this portrait. Lighting is so important in portraiture. Not only does shadow define form, it can be made to fall on the subject in interesting patterns. When I pay a lot of attention to proper lighting, I get a better portrait.

I got a chuckle about your story concerning Ingres and Rubens....I had never heard that before.

[Karin Wells]

How do you get that 'hot' color besides just using red? How does it look like Rubens did it here?

There are lots of ways to do this and the easiest is to glaze a "hot" color into the deepest shadow....it does not have to change the color, but it adds warmth. i.e., try a thin glaze of cad. orange, indian yellow, or alizarin crimson.

I understand how reflected light within a shadow is close to pure color, but could you explain why you mix two color opposites? Is it because two color opposites give you some 'movement', some excitement/light in the reflected shadow? This makes me think of some of the Van Gogh's I saw at the VG Museum, for example green and red to create movement. Is this the same principle you're using?

I can probably agree with all you say but basically I do it because it "looks good." Sometimes a "pure color" also looks good but not as often as this mixture of opposites. What is important is that you do NOT put whatever you used in the light into the shadow area. The value of the shadow must always be darker than any value in the area of light. This can be subtle because it "fools the eye" but if you really look, you will be able to see it in the work of the Old Masters. I think that Vermeer is the easiest to see these important lessons in the layering of warm and cool paint.

[Karin Wells]

Adrian, I agree that formulas are not rigid rules. I think of them as a bit like learning to ride a bike...some of us (not all, but some) need training wheels until we learn to get it right.

When you really learn to ride, the training wheels will get in the way...just like those pesky "rigid rules."

Meanwhile, so many begining painters crash and burn...sadly, left alone to suffer from an untrained eye, they never learn to paint really well.

I feel that any help a beginner can get to produce a good result is valid. With a few successful paintings under their belt, so to speak, the beginner will gain the necessary knowlege and experience with which to judge what methods and techniques work for himself/herself.

Thank you for your kindly manner of disagreement, I appreciate it. Personal attacks over differences of opinion serve no useful purpose.