Yes, in these increasingly hard economic times, you can save money by painting snow scenes!*
With the soaring cost of paint nowadays, why waste too much of it on your paintings? We artists need to economize and a snowscape is just the ticket! Simply remember where NOT TO PAINT!
Have a happy new year and remember: waste not, want not.
*this economic painting tip applies to watercolorists only. If you paint with any opaque medium, you may be sh-t out of luck!
I wasn't quite satisfied with this acrylic so I added some more yellow hues into the truck, barn, pipes, and tree, added blue violet hues into the shadows, some more texture and lighter values into the barn, added white to the sky, lightened the top of the seed spreader, and lightened and simplified the ground a tad. Now I'm done...time to move on!
Terry Miura's (click on his "studio notes") oil painting here is a done deal as well. He is a fabulous painter and is very good at writing about the process of building a painting. I strongly urge you to check out his blog and read about his "Lobentruck".
I have also posted Mike Bailey's wonderful watercolor "Lobentruck" iteration that he painted for my water color class. Enjoy.
And finally... the reference photo that we all painted from.
I most always demonstrate art assignments to my class. Talking and lecturing is fine but demonstrating is finer, and my students can see that I practice what I preach. Here are a sampling of student charcoal self portraits on newsprint paper. They worked from photographs. I told them to take photos with as much value contrast as possible. Most students will pull out family snaps where automatic flash units totally obliterate any strong value contrast. Some even tried to work from their driver's license! All of this, of course, handicaps them significantly. I also instructed my students to take a photo with some sort of attitude. Some did, some didn't. Unless you threaten your students (mostly the college age students) with an F grade or bodily harm, many will ignore the parameters of the assignment, and will work from flat lighted and unbelievably boring poses so as not to embarrass themselves. Apparently the embarrassing and sexually lascivious poses are saved for the social internet sites.
Mike Bailey, who came all the way up from Santa Cruz to do a most fab. h2o demo for my Sacramento City College water color class, is carping about his less than well endowed rudder (see his comment in the previous post). I say be proud of what your mama gave you, Mike! The last assignment for my college drawing class this winter semester was to do a self portrait in charcoal on newsprint paper. Fill up the page. I did the assignment with them... this one's for you, mama.
This "Lobentruck" painting is like the Energizer Bunny...it keeps going and going and going. Ever visit Mike Bailey's blog? A fab. and passionate painter indeed. Last Friday, he traveled up to my neck of the woods (Davis/Sacramento) from Santa Cruz, where he lives, to do a demo painting of said truck for my City College water color class (who, of course, are also painting the Lobentruck as one of their last assignments for the winter semester!) We painted on the vertical and side by side. I did not complete my vertical version as I wanted to watch Mike perform his magic. Mike composed his painting so as to have the truck in a backyard-like corner with a garage or barn behind and a fence on the side. He slyly stuck a post in the ground to cast a marvelously contoured shadow across the hood of the Lobentruck!
I also have posted one of my small Lobentruck h2o studies and at last, my completed acrylic painting.
Further progress on the "Lobentruck" that Terry Miura and I are working on. I also present the wining charcoal drawing from my Monday and Wednesday morning drawing class at Sacramento City College. My class voted this wonderful rendering by Anika Polyak as the winner by secret ballot.
I have noticed that my truck, compared to Terry's and my student's, is stubby. Well, maybe that's because I'm a little stubby. I weigh about 185lbs. and am 5 foot seven and a tad inches tall. That's OK. My Lobentruck will not be altered. Consider it the opposite of an El Greco painting.
I simplified the background foliage in color and value, took out some foliage in front of the capitol bldg. and deepened the bicycle shadows with slightly darker color (and by lightening the street). Worked a little with deepening some colors on the lead rider and rider coming out close to the viewer on the left.
Thank you everyone for your suggestions including a fellow artist/blogger who sent me a photoshop manipulation...very cool. I am not done with this painting, but would be interested if you think I'm on the right track and moving forward.
I have formatted my comment page to the old style as the "new and improved" blogger style was preventing people from posting their comments! Until Blogger gets that bug fixed, I'll stay an old fashioned traditionalist.
Is it not fantastic how we can all share ideas?!
This is a painting I am doing for next year's Tour Of California. I like the sky, Capitol bldg., foliage, cast shadows from the riders, and the road.. I like the way the bicycle riders are coming along, but they are going to be the last element in this painting to be completed. It is this element where I seek advice. I am going to darken the faces, arms, and legs somewhat,but what else should I do to pop out the riders more is my question. Suggestions on that point and anything else? This painter seeks help.
I have been awarded/tagged by three of my fellow artist bloggers: Theresa Rankin, Milind Mulick, and Barbara Muir . All three are great artists, and I'm honored to share the blogospheric art community with them! These things make the rounds on a fairly regular basis, but what I liked about this one is not only the call to pass on the honor to 7 other bloggers but to list 7 things about the recipient's life, so here goes----
1. I cannot believe that in Feb. of next yr., I'll be 62! What's up with that!!
2. In 1966 (can you grasp that long of a time span?), I was flunking out of UCLA, because I was stupid enough to be a science major. Where in the f--k were my high school counselors!? Dejected, depressed, and disgraced, I spent my semester trying to understand integral calculus and quantum mechanical physics! I also played pool with my fellow science major room mate at the student union (the bastard understood all this stuff and could afford the time to play pool). I also built up a portfolio of drawings to validate myself as a worthy member of human race. This is one of my drawings that I did of the ceiling of the main library as I was vainly studying. At the end of the semester, I went over to The College of Humanities and Fine Arts, showed them my portfolio and asked if I could change my major and stay at UCLA. This was my idea alone and without the aid if any stupid counselors. They gave me an academic test, told me to take a summer class at my local community college, and said sure, you can come back in the Fall and be an Arts major!!! The rest is history.
3. I'm an adjunct art prof. at Sacramento City College and a full time artist.
4. Did I say that next year I'll be 62?! What's up with that!
5. Ta hell with it, that's enough info. except that I'm a Caucasian registered to vote,my wife, Cheryl is a great high school English teacher and dynamite knitter, and we both voted for B. Obama!!!!
Seven of my fav. bloggers:
1. Terry Miura
2. Milind Mulick
3. Bonnie Luria
4. Cooper Dragonette
5. Jennifer McChristian
6. Rob Ijema
7. Carol Marine
8.And ALL the rest on my blog roll!!!
Ma plan is tuh end up with ma "Lobentruck" paintin to have a rough hewn Turlock country look if yer git my drift. Sumthin that ma brother, Billy Joe Bob Lobenberg would be mighty proud of. Wha sucks, he might even twist a few more arms and git it in the Turlock Museum of Modern Art side by side with ma huge portrait paintin! Now I ain't got a strict plan. I'm kinda feelin ma way here and there with ma values, colors, and such. I love irrigation pipes ta death y'all, so I put some in leanin against the barn and on the ground tuh emphasize sum forward motion. It ain't dun, but it's movin along now. Wish me luck, y'all!
**Just added a pen/watercolor plein air sketch I did 2 yrs. ago at the site of this "Lobentruck"...rear end view with other abandoned old ranch equipment scattered about.
Hope all of you that read my ramblings have checked out Terry Miura's blog. I sent him this farm truck sinking into the ground in response to a farm truck he painted sinking into the ground that he posted on his blog. He then suggested that we both do a painting interpretation from said photo and compare the results. I got to determine the size and target date for the finished. His painting will be in oil and mine in acrylic. I have also distributed said photo to my college drawing class after a lecture about the phenomenon of derelict farm trucks slowly sinking into the ground after many seasons out in the open weather. They are doing their interpretations in charcoal on newsprint. Naturally, since I teach two classes of art per semester, I'm having my watercolor class do an interpretation in h2o. By secret ballot, both classes will pick a winner that will, sometime in December, be posted on this blog with Terry and my paintings. Should be FUN!
OK...so here's the "I'll be damned!" part. The preliminary oil wash you see here is Terry's "start" ( his working title is "Lobentruck" and it's the 2nd photo). That's "start" and not "finished" painting. My reaction when I saw this start posted on his blog today not only was "I'll be damned" but "Am I too easily please?" I should have replaced "pleased" with "impressed" because impressive it is. At least I think so. Howbout you all, dear readers? The 1st photo with the over all red is mine painted on cradle board.
This is a half sheet watercolor I did about two years ago. I painted it side by side with a workshop student of mine who wanted to do a portrait of this policeman and give it to him as a retirement gift. We worked from a photograph. He copied my painting steps so that in the end, the gift was HIS finished watercolor. Every time I look at this painting, I smile.
Currently, I'm working on a commissioned painting to commemorate the '09 Amgen Tour of California (a race that Lance Armstrong will make his come back in), and a painting of an old farm truck that both I and a very talented Sacramento artist by the name of Terry Miura will be painting (from a photo I snapped two years ago). We have a rough due date of Dec. 15 to get together to compare our painterly efforts. These will be future posts with other stuff coming up in about a week or so.
Wow! My rowdy brother, Billy Joe Bob Lobenberg twisted a few arms of the pansys that run the Turlock Museum of Modern Art, and they have hung one of my large watercolor paintings in their "Hall of Modern Masters"! Like I said, don't mess with ma brother!
Thank you Myrna Wacknov for the link to: Dumpr.net
Remember folk dancing in early grade school? Do they still do that? One of the dances was "The Mexican Hat Dance"...great piece of music, but you had to dance with A GIRL...and...your dancing sucked (still does!). NOT FUN! This weekend I went to a charity event, and they had some Mexican folk dancers. They were great, and I bet they loved dancing as children as I loved to paint and draw. Viva "The Mexican Hat Dance"!!
This is my fifth of six full sheet watercolors that will go into the booths at The Three Sisters Restaurant here in beautiful Sacramento.
As a child, I went trickertreating on Halloween, and my daughter did the same, but you know what?...I think the holiday is a tad cheezy and sleazy (am I getting crotchety in my old age?). South of the border and coming up this Nov. 2 is a somewhat similar holiday that I believe is more relevant in our lives...Dia De Los Muertos...Day Of The Dead. It reminds us of our mortality so we can appreciate the moment and the lives of those around us. It honors those who came before us and on whose shoulders we stand. And. like the Gringo's Halloween, it too has sweets and fabulous decorations and costumes. Viva Dia De Los Muertos!
I'm working on the last three water color paintings for The Three Sisters Restaurant. This is my little sister Rosaretta Hildago Consuella Cinco De Mayo Lobenberg. She is a member of the Turlock Folklorica California Mexicana Dance Group. I'm quite proud of her! In fact, so is her other older brother, Billy Joe Bob Lobenberg. I started with her head first, because if I failed there and had to start a new painting, I wouldn't have any time invested in the rest of it (i.e. the complicated dress!) The goddess of art fortunately smiled down on me and guided my hand into painting a successful likeness of Rosaretta. I then proceeded to render her dress and complete the painting. Like the other three paintings, this one is on a full sheet of 140lb cold press Fabriano Artistico water color paper.
On Oct. 8, I started another portrait of my brother Billy Joe Bob Lobenberg as a demo. for a local art club here in Sactown (Sacramento). This good ole boy from Turlock sure ain't no high falooten city boy...he was born at a party in a barn, and that ain't no lie! So my challenge was to capture the raw essence of the man. Acrylic on canvas.
First off, I don't speak Spanish so this headline could be mangled big time. It is suppose to be translated into English as Three Sisters. This is the first three of six full sheet watercolors I'm painting for the Three Sisters Restaurant here in Sacramento. This is a mucho favorite Mexican restaurant that my wife and I like to dine and get take out from. I went in one afternoon about a month and a half ago and proposed to one of the sisters that I do a watercolor for each of their booths. I went in armed with samples of my work so they could see what type of hombre (gringo) they were dealing with. We swung a deal on a handshake. Half to be paid in U.S. dollars and half in dining credit. Here are the first tres on 140lb cold press h2o paper. The next tres may be Mexican cuisine related. Getting hungry?
I maybe goin out on a limb on this here blog but I ain't afraid! I'm about ta commence a acrylic paintin of ma brother Billy Joe Bob Lobenberg. He's a cat fishin, bagel-eatin -son- of- a- bitch, good old boy from Turlock, California who don't cotton ta mean spirited words about his older brother's artistic efforts if ya catch ma drift. I'll be a postin his portrait in this here spot in a week or two. Think twice about any negatory comments!
IT'S NOW A WEEK LATER AND MA BROTHER'S PORTRAIT AIN'T DONE YET, so don't you go a thinkin that it is or yer goin rile him! I gotta give a little talk and demo at a local art club on Oct. 8, so it ain't gonna be done until shortly thereafter. This is ma blocking in stage using an acrylic color palette of Acra Crimson, Cad. Red Light, Cad. Red Medium, Cad. Yellow Medium, Ultramarine Blue, and Titanium White. I'm startin ta work ma colors, values, and shapes. Next up is "polishin"...getting in the finished colors, values, shapes, and any final blending that I may want ta do. I don't know why I'm writing in this stupid faux southern accent and this here ain't ma brother, but sometimes I need a hit of Dixie in ma life. Yer ain't gonna give me no lip on this is ya?!
This October and November, I will be conducting my 5th annual Holiday watercolor and acrylic workshops here in the Sacramento area. This is the scene we will be painting. This first one is acrylic on stretched canvass (12"X16"). Workshop participants can make their own greeting cards from their completed painting. In a few days, I'll post a few greeting cards from past workshop participants and a watercolor version of this scene.
The top painting is a paint- over of the first acrylic nocturne I did (bottom painting) for my acrylic holiday workshop in Nov. I needed some more drama, and I got it from the full moon. The second painting is a watercolor version for my holiday watercolor workshops in Oct. The bottom acrylic is my first try but no cigar.
