Like Butter!

quick study: R&F paint sticks on paper

quick study: R&F paint sticks on paper

So, the quick small study reveals that R&F oil paint sticks are super buttery! Which, in some cases will be exactly what I want. It makes them more difficult to work with on a small scale. The next experiment will be on a larger scale…maybe 9x12ish. I need a broader range of colors in these paints–and I probably should do a little color mixing with them to see what colors I can make. These paints will work very nice using a brush I think.

Next up to try will be the Windsor Newton Oil bars!

Discovery

Sunflower study: oil pigment sticks on paper

Sunflower study: oil pigment sticks on paper

I think that I have discovered a medium that I will stay with for awhile. I feel like I have been on a discovery project for the last couple of years…playing around with lots of different mediums and subjects. The oil paint sticks are awesome! So, my plan is to commit to them for the next 12 months and see how the work goes.

Not to say I am going to put away my pens and watercolor type mediums…I love those for sketches. Now that I have decided on the medium, I think I will be able to focus on my subject matter in a more serious and planned way. I need to get back to a sketch a day to continue to improve my drawing skills.

Feeling good about making some specific choices for the next few months!

Finished painting: oil paint stick on canvas

Finished painting: oil paint stick on canvas

Sketching

sunflowersketch

Sunflower: 5″ x 5 1/2″ watercolor and colored pencil

Sometimes I don’t have enough time to do finished work. So, at times a sketch will have to do. I think that sketching might help me loosen up anyway. I am going to isolate some resource images to do sketches from. For this, I put down a base layer of watercolor and then added the pencil. I like the looseness of the watercolor underneath, and it acts as a really minimal guide for the drawing. The great thing is I can put the watercolor down and then come back and add the drawing without a lot of time commitment.