Artist Kelly O'Neill's Pastel Drawing Video

After watching this video by fine artist Kelly O’Neill I had to pass it on for others to be amazed just as I at a super talented artist’s creative genius. Please check it out and if you like it as much as I pass it on for others to enjoy. It is a must see video of an art friend doing her first pastel drawing in 10 years. Quite amazing I must say! Check it out.

Contact artist Kelly O’Neill:

website:  http://theartistoflife.com/index.html

toll free:  1.888.8.ARTIST

local:  615.419.6616

email:  kelly@theartistoflife.com

twitter:  twitter.com/kellyoneill

Thank you for stopping by Boyd Greene Fine Art for a browse it is greatly appreciated.  Please give Kelly a shout out for all of her hard work in developing her talent to such a high level.

Painting Demonstration: Step Four

I get letters from people about my work. The thing that pleases me most is that my work touches their feelings. In fact, they don’t talk about the paintings. They end up telling me the story of their life or how their father died.

~ Andrew Wyeth

Last, but not least, the handsome red rose.

I premix my base red using:

Blockx Burnt Sienna Deep.

Blockx Cadmium Red.

Blockx Cadmium Yellow.

Titanium White.

Some of the green I previously mixed.

I mix a shadow color using:

Some of the previously mixed green.

A little white for its opaqueness.

Blockx Cadmium Red.

Blockx Blue.

A little Ivory Black.

Blockx Burnt Sienna Deep.

I put down a light coat of amber so it is just a little sticky.

I start at the base of the flower and work my way upwards.

I start with the shadows, and then I put in the highlights and blend in between.

If you paint from the background to the foreground it is so much easier.

Painting wet paint into wet paint allowed me to easily create the soft edges between the rose and the background. Allowing my edges to blend together kept me from creating a cookie cutter look.

This painting was almost ala prima but with the blogging mixed in I run out of steam. I highly advise doing ala prima paintings as well as paintings from life as they teach a whole different realm than merely copying a photo. I use photos a lot but I love working from life and I’m sure I will do it more as I progress. Plein air painting teaches one to really see what they are composing with paint.

Thank you everyone for spreading the word about these demonstrations and for dropping by Boyd Greene Fine Art for a browse.

Painting Demonstration: Step Three

My aim is to escape from the medium with which I work; to leave no residue of technical mannerisms to stand between my expression and the observer. ~ Andrew Wyeth

Now to the fun part, the main character, a very handsome red rose.

I start with the stem as it is the base and the rose needs a strong foundation. I work my way from the bottom upwards focusing all my attention lastly upon the most important character of this drama, the red rose.

Don’t forget to put down a small amount of amber before starting to work on the stem and petals. If you use medium on one part of a painting you had better use it throughout if you want to escape the crack police!

Warning: If you choose to work on a canvas, do not use amber as it will crack over the years when the material expands and contracts.

I mix a base green with:

· A touch of Blockx Burnt Sienna Deep (my theme color)

· Blockx Blue (careful, it is a very strong transparent staining color)

· Blockx Cadmium Yellow

· Blockx Yellow Ochre (this color goes a long way as well)

Wow! What a beautiful green. I love color.

I put down the base green color of the stem and petals.

Did I mention that I’m listening to Renee Olstead’s new CD “Skylark” while painting? It is a must have!

Next, I go back and put in the accents, the details and the highlights of the green petals and stem. It is my depiction of the flower’s lovely character or personality. I hope I do him justice. I mostly use Cadmium Yellow and a small amount of Titanium White.

TIP: Clean that brush often when putting in details!

I paint the details into the petals with a stippling action pushing wet paint into wet paint. Just don’t mix too much or you’ll work yourself to death and lose the freshness you are shooting for.

I pull some of the background color over the stem and petals to simulate the light that wraps around edges in nature (reflective light).

Thank you everyone for stopping by Boyd Greene Fine Art for a browse. I hope you enjoy this rose demonstration that I’m working on this weekend posting updates from the beginning to the end. This is the third step.

Have a great weekend full of natural wonder while exploring your nearest natural habitat.

Painting Demonstration: Step Two

Artists today think of everything they do as a work of art. It is important to forget about what you are doing - then a work of art may happen. ~ Andrew Wyeth

First I put down a thin coat of amber on just the background to keep from losing the sketch.

Colors I’m using:

· Blockx Ivory Black

· Blockx Titanium White

· Blockx Yellow Ochre

· Blockx Burnt Sienna Deep

· Blockx Cadmium Red

· Blockx Blue

· Blockx Cadmium Yellow Medium

I premix a large portion of Titanium White, a large portion of Burnt Sienna Deep, a small portion of Ivory Black and a touch of Yellow Ochre for the background using a palette knife. I hope to create a grayish light sienna color in line with the real background of the rose.

I want burnt sienna to be my main color throughout the painting to create a unified color scheme that is cohesive.

I use a palette knife to spread the premixed color over the background of the panel. Premixing is so important for creating cohesiveness throughout your paintings and it allows for much quicker application of paint to panel or canvas. This helps in getting your ideas down as quickly as possible.

After spreading the color with the palette knife I go back and tidy up with my brush quickly blending problem areas.

I’ve covered the background and it is still a little darker than I want. I’ll use a palette knife loaded with white on its edge to drag a little texture into the background.

I’ll use a single paint brush and palette knife throughout as I think it adds another dimension of cohesiveness to a painting. My brush is a Winsor and Newton Artisan Flat #2 with a long handle.

Thank you everyone for stopping by Boyd Greene Fine Art for a browse. I hope you’ll enjoy this rose demonstration that I’ll be working on this weekend posting updates from the beginning to the end. This is the second step.

Have a great weekend full of natural wonder while exploring your nearest natural habitat.