How to Paint Kimonos?

Satin Kimono Day
12 x 16
Oil on Archival Board
$500, free shipping

New Purchase Gets Painted

Sometimes my brush seems to take over, and exuberance overcomes us both. I don't mind these moments at all.

I bought this kimono this past weekend at The Cambria Wine and Art Festival Weekend in CA.  Some wine did indeed get drunk in the company of good friends, especially by MOI, but as soon as I saw this kimono, I knew it was mine. I felt like I had hit the art jackpot when I walked with it out of the store.  I was itching to paint it.

Sure enough, I found time this week amid a busy portrait workload to do just that and a lovely model into the bargain. The kimono was also a bargain by the way which makes the whole thing really sweet.

All those flowers on it though? How do you calm them down in paint? Ah, just forget about them. Let the brush do the work. So that's what I did.

Sometimes when I think about things, it all goes South. How about you?

How To Paint Gold?

How to paint gold?...well, I have seen students,  and myself, crumble at times...this was today's effort  and  a few golden oldies from a few weeks past. Yesterday this cast wasn't looking so golden.

So how to paint gold? Concentrate very hard around subtle shifts of value. Don't paint the mid-value, base too light on the light side of the form, or you will have no place to add the ZING later. Look for green and purples in the shadow sides. Anything other than yellow. Block-in the light side with a dullish yellow like raw sienna, then start building up the gold with, say,  a bright cad. lemon yellow and white mixed with a very light clean cool green. Think GOLD very last.

The most common problem I see watching students paint gold - and myself included - is we try to paint gold too fast, and too darn yellow.

We are all students of GOLD.

Keeping Abreast of Things...365 Days of Drawing

I am keeping abreast of things in my daily drawing challenge this week. Are you?

Won't be posting this weekend. Off to San Francisco. Guess I will have to draw that red bridge again.

No Butts About It...365 Days of Drawing

No butts about it, when you complete a daily discipline you gain. I received an interesting email yesterday from an artist asking me how I kept going on a daily drawing challenge without burnout. How did I stay inspired? Let me tell you, the burn out factor is huge, and very present, but then I think of the gain, and I stop feeling bummed out and get on with the task at hand.

A Dog's Life...365 Days of Drawing

I sat with my dog, nose to nose on the carpet and did some quick-sketch of him for the daily drawing challenge yesterday. I never knew my dog wriggled so much. I got carpet burn.

I also post a previous more finished drawing I did of Bentley in the dog days of summer, earlier in the challenge, which I really liked. Woof, woof.