Newsletter May, 2005 A Free Newsletter for Those Who Love to Paint

Color of the Month

Van Dyke Brown

A deep cool brown. It has not been a popular color since the original version is not permanent. However modern chemistry has allowed the paint makers to create a permanent version. Double check the label and/or the color chart and make sure the one you get is the new formulation. Its a nice brown, good base for dark brown hair or wooden furniture. Mix a little into white to create an ecru or a nice cool beige. Now that it's safe, give van dyke brown a try.

Tool of the Month

Plastic Baskets

They come in all shapes and sizes, some are like crates, and some are like laundry baskets. They come in handy in your studio. One of their best features is their price, most are inexpensive any day of the week and even more so when they go on sale. I use one for rags, one for my acrylic paints, one for my drawing supplies, one for my stuff that doesn't fit anywhere else... Some you can see through, others I label. I have sizes that fit on my shelving unit and ones that fit on top of my cabinet. Get ones that hold what you need and fit in your spaces to organize your painting area and you will be able to find your stuff when you need it.

X Makes The Spot

No typo here, I am talking about crosshatching - making an x-shape brush stroke in your paintings.

If you've ever studied drawing, crosshatching is a concept you will know well. In painting it is a term I use to describe a crisscross style of brush strokes. I use this stroke when filling in a large area of color instead of long sweeping strokes. I do not mix my colors completely. I stop mixing on my palette when it is about 90% done, leaving the colors a bit marbleized. When I put the paint on the canvas it continues to mix there, giving me small variations of color which I find more painterly. When I use a cross hatching or crisscross brush strokes I get more of these small variations when filling in a large expanse of canvas such as when painting in a large area of sky or the background of a still life then when I use other strokes. The cross hatching also gives more texture to the area leaving interesting 'footprints' on the canvas. If you want to smooth out the area later, you can gently soften the strokes while still leaving the painterly effect of the color variations.

An easy way to create an interesting background for a still life uses a combination of the cross hatching stroke and at least three colors found in the items in the painting. Choose colors that work together while avoiding complementary colors that will mix into mud. Randomly place dots of each color throughout the area. Then add dots of some white or a very pale color where light is striking and dots of dark in the shadow areas. Now mix the dots together using the cross hatching stroke blending them as much or as little as you'd like. Add more paint if you need to. Evaluate the result and add a few dots to adjust any area that you feel needs it. You now have a background that will harmonize with the subjects of the still life. One that is interesting but does not overwhelm the objects.

Try this technique and also play around using this brushstroke in other ways. Use cross hatching in your paintings and add a new texture to your work.

'Fresh From the Market' by Jackie Stacharowski

Sample Palette

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