4/27/21
The pointillism painting that I have been working on has continued to be a challenge. I did not paint on it as much as I hoped to this week, but that is because I mainly spent my time focusing on the technique itself and the colors that I am using. During my cohort meeting with James, we discussed how I am approaching the piece. I’ve learned that I can do a better job of executing the pointillism technique by understanding what colors I am using and where (that being warm and cool). With this painting, I am using a different material than the original (Seurat used oils, while I am using acrylics). Most of the acrylic paints that I am using are not the same colors that Seurat used. I’ve also realized that working with pointillism at such a small scale is more difficult than I thought. If I were to go back in time and fix something, it would be the colors that I’ve chosen to apply to my board, and the size of the board itself. Though these are two changes that I cannot make, as I continue my painting, I will focus on James’ recommendations. Through doing a deeper study of the pointillism technique, as well as focusing on which colors I am using where I hope to find myself happy with the final product.
2/29/30
On Friday I was able to go to the studio for the entire day (9:00 Am – 3:00 PM). Here I got to start working on my new painting (which is an oil painting inspired by Edward Hopper’s “Nighthawks”). I found this to be really fun and exciting as I got to continue painting with oil paints, as well as work with colors that I have never worked with before. Though this was only my second time using oil paints, I find that I enjoy using them a lot. The mixing, painting process, and clean-up of oil paints are all very different from acrylics. Instead of painting using acrylic paint and water, I am using oil paints, along with Turpentine and linseed oil. When I paint on a canvas or board, it is a lot smoother and doesn’t dry. Though the paint remaining wet can sometimes be messy, it allows for me to take my time working on certain sections of the painting, as well as blending parts together (although I do try my best to avoid over blending, which can be difficult with acrylics). I am happy that I got to study the colors that I was working with, so they are a bit more accurate for this painting compared to my last one. I am also working on a canvas, which happens to be much bigger than I am used to. The canvas is nice to work on and I find painting on a larger scale to be both exciting and new. I did not stretch the canvas, but I was able to gesso part of it. James also tinted the canvas for me, which is different because I usually work on a white surface.