Newsletter January, 2004 A Free Newsletter for Those Who Love to Paint

Color of the Month

Cerulean Blue

A pale, warm blue. While other blues are usually very transparent, most brands of cerulean are very opaque, giving you good coverage. Most often used as a sky color, cerulean has a slight greenish tint which makes it a 'warm' blue which is rare. I like to use it as highlights on dark objects in a landscape, such as rocks or tree trunks or buildings. This gives the reflected sky color as well as more natural glow than using just white. You can lighten it to any value you need. Just don't try to lighten cerulean with zinc white. It is too transparent and weak to make any difference. Cerulean also makes a good base for many soft blue flowers such as Hydrangea. Keep using it for your sky but also bring it down to earth to brighten your paintings.

Tool of the Month

Stiff Plastic Place mats

You know the ones. You can usually get them for a buck printed with all kinds of designs. They are just a little more flexible than a credit card. I have found them handy to use around the studio while I paint. I use one the obvious way under my palette and my solvent containers to help control the mess. But my favorite thing to do is to cut them up. Strips cut from the edge give me a thin, firm straight edge to use with my paint brush then the paint easily wipes off of it. Cut to any length, dipped into paint, held perpendicular to the canvas, then dabbed onto the surface, they can be used to make thin straight lines, such as fence rails or spindles or whatever. If long enough, strips can also be held slightly curved to make a wavy line. Strips can also be used as a paint knife, or spatula, spreading paint onto the canvas in an unusual way. You probably have an old one somewhere in your house so cut it up and try a new tool.

Making a Move

One of the nice features of a stretched canvas or panel is that it is portable. You can carry them from place to place. Which means that they can move. Which also means that they can move in more ways than just from place to place.

Keep this in mind while you are painting. There is no law that requires you to paint with your canvas in a particular place or in a top-up position. It is your painting and you can paint it anyway that works best for you. If you want to turn your canvas to paint tree trunks in a horizontal position - do it! If you feel more comfortable painting the horizon while its vertical - be my guest! Do you have a comfort zone doing details while the canvas is flat on a table - go for it! Painting a reflection - turn the canvas upside down!

You are painting to express yourself and have fun. Being comfortable doing it will create a better painting than trying to duplicate a theatrical image of how an artist should paint. As long as you get the results you want, try different positions. You may just make a move toward more successful art.

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