chris newbrook 09 Jul 2009

I was working with Acrylics for 5yrs Darrell, had a certain amount of success with them but going back to oils was inevitable for me.

Cant deny that Acrylics dry quickly and they have an advantage, especially when having to work on a commission in limited time. But i found that the colors faded when they dried and I had to keep adjusting things for this. Also white acrylic has to be put on very thick for it to prevent being weak and translucent.

Oils are good to work wet in wet also, and i like to alter things and keep things moving even after a few days.

I wouldnt have been able to get the clarity in this painting if i had done it in acrylics.

bari titen 09 Jul 2009

thank you allan :)

you are the second person to ask me why i draw so lightly lol...i've never noticed that...they look ok in person....could be the mechanical pencil i use or the paper...another thing could be is they come out that way when i scan them..

Allan Barbeau 09 Jul 2009

How the pencil is hard ? Is it an HB, 2B, 3B ? I use between 2B and 9B for my pencils artwork . It can be the scanner ! It can be nothing at all and just be the way you like to it ;)

WESTERN ARTWORK By Denny Karchner 09 Jul 2009

Sorry to show up late here. Duty calls!

Hi Allen and everyone! First of all, I am glad to see you come to ArtWanted Allen. You are a great addition and really talented to boot! As I have said on another post, I think your work is "top-notch!"

To answer your question, I don't know what medium is best. That is up to each of you. I worked strictly in graphite since I was just a little kid. I hadn't picked up a brush in years, when I did it was to paint with watercolors. I went through a time period in the late 1970's that I couldn't paint enough old barns to satisfy all that wanted them. I burnt out quickly. In 2003 I started producing western portraits in graphite, I was finally asked by many here and many artists that I worked with at VF imagewear (Vanity Fair) in Tampa, FL to show what I could do with paint. I decided to give it a "whack." The portrait "painting" I did was the first one in over 35 years. The last one was in art school in 1971. I decided to work in acrylics first. This is it. It is Allan Baker as Buffalo Bill Cody. The piece is 16" x 20". Sorry Allen, I don't know my metrics very well.

WESTERN ARTWORK By Denny Karchner 09 Jul 2009

I painted one more acrylic and decided that I did not like them. They dried too fast to suit me. I made the quick change to oils. Like Chris, I like to go back in do my blending work after the oils set up a little with a dry brush. Matter of fact, going to a "commercial" art school, I was never taught how to paint or draw. We had a couple of life classes which I worked in charcoal, sometimes in acrylics. I never really learned anything from those classes. They did not teach the use of "fine art" tools. At the time, I was 17 years old and smart enough do know that I was never going to be a "starving fine artist." I would say, "teach me, get me out of here quick, just show me how to make money doing commercial art, please! Thank you very much!" Which I did for those 35 years and still do to this day.

But back to the oils, I did not know the first thing about how to even start. Out of the 40 plus artists I worked with at VF, there were maybe only 5-6 of us that were full-blown illustrators or painters. They told me what to buy, what to mix with the oils and I was totally on my own. I had to figure it all myself. That is why I pretty much tell anyone that I am a "self-taught" artist. Matter of fact, no one ever taught me anything about picking up a pencil and drawing. I figured out that myself as well.

I paint strictly in oils now. Every once-in-a-while I am asked to do a pencil study for one of my oil portraits. The owner of the Steelers likes these. I am not going to tell him no. Not with what he offers me to do them.

Even painting in oils for my commission work, I still find that the "slow" drying of the oils does not slow me down. Being a "graphic artist" first and foremost, I find myself painting on a large, tilted drawing desk and not an easel. I have a tool that I designed that spans my 1/8" Masonite "Gessobords" which enables me to rest my hand a 1/4" above my wet paint. If it was not for this steady rest, I would never be able to keep painting let alone hold my hand steady enough to get the detail I want. Here is one of my most detailed piece in "traditional oils." "Fringe from hell" is what I named this one, just in my head that is! This piece is 18" x 24".

Denny ;{

Minnie Shuler 09 Jul 2009

Denny, your work is incredible.

Allan Barbeau 09 Jul 2009

OMG !! Incredible , spectacular ! I'm speetchless .

The great thing to discover artist like you is that I feel deep down that ... I have to work even harder to get the quality I am looking for.

Per Corell 10 Jul 2009

I see it like this, that a painted portrait is there when you reconise the person. Reconise the small things that make it that person I stop then as othervise I would be ending with a foto. Also I think this is the idea with a painted portrait, not to satisfy the client but to deliver something people who know that person instantly would reconise as a portrait, -- even best if the painter can filter out an expression unique for that person.

Allan Barbeau 10 Jul 2009

You maybe right Per but all my costumers come to me to get a photo like picture !! What the point you may say !

Sometimes, people have 3 photos of there kids and want theme together in the same picture ! Those people don't want any artistic extravagance but a photo's like portrait of the 3 kids together ! Sad maybe for the artist but costumer is the boss !

Sometime you have people (like the last picture I show you) who want the kid with a costume. Of course, the photo they give you have no costume at all ! You have to make it up and make it realistic !

And more you have order like this and less you think about artistic like portrait. Or you always draw or paint this way and costumes come to you the the same ! I don't no.. what do you think Per ?

Per Corell 10 Jul 2009

You are quite right, -- I has an agreament with a profesional portrait fotograf as plain family pictures are often a huge challance and the portrait fotograf know better what I want to refine. I tell people that the quality with paintings is that over time they will love the painting, foto's is different, but made by a profesional people get twice or more than what they expected ; both quality portrait foto's and how a painter refine the expression.

bari titen 10 Jul 2009

hi allan :)

since i use a mechanical pencil, the lead in the one i use the most is 0.7mm...i don't know how the softness-hardness rating works on that... sometimes, i do use an art pencil 4b, 5b or 8b for the darker areas...

Allan Barbeau 10 Jul 2009

I think that I am this kind of crazy artist that try to recreate with his hand event better than what a camera can do . Nevertheless, I can understand that some people find it pointless ans even "Artless" ^^.

WESTERN ARTWORK By Denny Karchner 10 Jul 2009

Hi Allen.

Trying to make a piece of art better than the photo has ALWAYS been my main objective. The more you know about things, like how shadows are cast, how cloth folds react with each other, local color, etc, the better you can "bring out" or "accentuate" those kind of things. Just like you did with those wonderful spots of light hitting this beauty's face created from her knit hat. This piece of yours, is one of my favorites Allan.

BTW, thanks for all the great comments you posted on my work. Thanks to you too, Minnie!

Denny ;{

Allan Barbeau 10 Jul 2009

Thanks Denny !

This painting is my very lastest one (just finish this morning). I think that I would have to come back on it to finish this t-shirt and her back. It's not very clean.

Your welcome for my comment on your work ! :)

Per Corell 10 Jul 2009

With foto's as basics acting it to an image of what you want to express with a face or catching it with a lens I see no difference. These are two diferent tools, for an arrtist, wll act the wish of expression onto a material ; done that a lot. Not allway's with portraits that I know can be made just as well as foto's , no doubt, foto is equal in choice of tool compared painting, -- I often realised I sometimes paint with my eyes closed, but again I am also a different painter, while I do not create in the painting process -- that one are layn rutine, the motiv are mainly there before I start paint. My creativity are not in the creating but in the projecting level.Sure there as allway's is a great potential delivering an image something not seen before just the perfection, so there are different measures ; people here obviously are known to the portraits I local has painted on our local legal Grafitti fence meanwhile I been profiting some nice paintings, using the murals as template for new smaller series of paintings. I guess many would soon start to want my latest mural, even equal to the Obama Mural I put up before, offcaurse I allso rarher sell my murals --- then check what it made, a Mural on a masonit sheet hand painted and ready to nail onto another fence or a wall. I realised that the one presant would last many years outdoore and forever beside rugid, indore. Once again I realised how different we are as artist, as humans. Guess I forgot to say I love all the graphics in this tread.

WESTERN ARTWORK By Denny Karchner 10 Jul 2009

Thanks Per! You and I have not conversed much, but I truly admire your work. Doing what you do, you have tons of people admiring your work up "close and personal," unlike people viewing my art on the internet! Congrats, my friend!

Denny

Per Corell 10 Jul 2009

You can say I force it on them and at the same time Grafitti people has a bit alian wise attitude sometimes, --- but things is changing and it's on the web exactly as in the street ; a very fine line as the critic are there both to please and provoke, unless you move all the time or hold ground it all depend if you reconise an audience. I had one portrait where I now see I shuld had used my brains a bit more, and as I has the princip that I will not sell a portrait the person will not like I did not deliver it, others say the picture are Great but the guy don't see himself that way ; but as I told the guy, the good thing about a painting is, that it will still be there for him to buy, in ten years and, that day will come when he suddenly remember that portrait, and that day he can just buy it, -- if it's there. Seems some realy expect a new suit, in the picture, flowers or sparks whatever, and I guess you also are right as long as the money come.

chris newbrook 11 Jul 2009

When comparing photography to Painting i often think of Descartes' ideas about photography being limited by it's mechanical functions. and the final image is always made up of elements that the camera is limited to, nothing else.

I agree that some photographers can create iconic powerful images. But i feel the magical quality of photographs only work because the viewer of the finished work is projecting experiences and memories on to the image. And the quality of the image is dependant on how much it attracts this from the eye.

Painting is different because the final work is an accumulation of experience and ability, a language in itself manifested in the medium. Painting often expresses the inexpressable, which is why abstract art was so important.

To me painting is like archeology in reverse, it adds layers of history and experience, rather than chipping away layers.

Photography is a useful tool for me when using it for source material, as in using sketches for a painting. Though if someone is going to paint directly from a photograph i think they should add a personal flair and a personal expression, rather than trying to copy exactly, otherwise the painting becomes a weaker version of the photograph.

i'll be interested to hear any ideas relating to my views.

mandy thomas 11 Jul 2009

it doesnt matter what medium...i even brake rules by mixing mediums to achieve the realism.whatever works for the individual artist stick with it.well you can play around of course with all sorts of ideas and sometimes suprise yourself with the end result. i have to study a character a while before i paint them to understand their true character. photographs to work from sometimes can be misleading...people 'pull a certain face ' when they know they are ' on camera'. i randomly shoot pics then get them to sit in 'their pose' its then a juggle with whats false etc. to me there are no set rules ...i play around till i get a painting i feel portrays their true self.your work appears to do the same thing.so keep them coming

Minnie Shuler 11 Jul 2009

Mandy, I really like your portrait. Very unusual but seems to just fit the young model. Very good. I like your work. The only thing I would stay away from is acrylic over oil. You can do an acrylic base and put oil on the dried background because the plastic stays more flexible. The oil gets very hard. I have read that it is a bad idea for permanance, especially on a canvas. I have not tried it. Have you mixed those two? I would like to know the result. I use oil finish over acrylic background a lot and never had any trouble.