-35.3-

Painting workshop with Galen day 2.
(from 12/2/13)
After we set up the still life, we got right to work and began using color and paint. I wanted to do monochrome, but I wasn't sure if I was allowed to, so I decided to paint with exact colors.
Since the 'sculpting' technique worked with charcoal, I tried to apply this technique to painting by putting down a rough "block" of the shape in a color darker than the object then "carving" out a finer shape of the object in a lighter color.
At first I was working smoothly and quickly, but then I got caught up in measuring the exact proportions of the objects and slowed down. I got a little frustrated, so I started to use colors that were completely different than that of the objects so I wouldn't be distracted, and so I could focus on the values.
-picture of first try-
Galen was checking in with us as we painted, and when it was my turn he suggested that I try again, so I did just that. This time I started with using different colors right away.
-picture of 2nd try-
I was having trouble, still, so I asked Galen if I could do it in monochrome. He said that would be a good way to see value (sometimes students start out with a few colors so they aren't overwhelmed) and agreed. I started again, but I was having trouble figuring out the distance between the box and the bottle, so Galen showed me how he approached it (he used the edge of the paper as a third point of reference.)
-third attempt-
Throughout the workshop, Galen kept on saying that if you out down something on the canvas, it isn't final. Thinking about it, I came to an epiphany. I realized that you could draw the other objects around the subject, then once the subject is in proper relation, you could just paint the other objects out again, if needed. That reminded me of how I use layers when I'm doing digital painting/drawings...huh!

Overall, I still am a little confused about Galen's technique, but I think I'm slowly understanding it. I also realized that I am very inexperienced at using paint, and painting is a very strenuous process. By the end of yesterday and today I was exhausted!