Colours

Decide first

'Choosing'-a colour scheme for a new painting is a little tricky, but you must have a plan first, then go from there. Buy the outfit, then choose the shoes and purse! let Mother Nature guide you in your choices. Learn to see what is around you.

Focal Area

One of the best ways to help develop the Focal Point area of a painting is to think in terms of opposites. In trying to make this area stand out from the rest, it must be different. The Focal Point area is usually predominately opposite in temperature to the background of the painting. If the background is predominately cool, then the Focal Point will be established using hues that are warm or warmer than the rest! The Focal point should contrast the background, this contrast will fully establish it from the rest of the painting.

Hue

Hue - The hues or colours that are selected for the Focal Point area must be thought out within a set plan. As one selects the overall colour scheme for the painting, one must consider if these colours that are chosen for the focal point, when used in a different form, i.e. toned, dulled etc. Will they help to create the flow that is required to establish the harmony and balance within the painting as a whole. And more important, can they be used? If blue is a colour that could possibly be used within the Focal Point, could you use it again somewhere else, either on another element or part of an element?

Value

Value - the values of colours (how light or dark) they are, will be strongest in the focal point, any colour that is used in this area will have it's darkest values, along with the lightest used in this area. If one uses these here, they cannot be used at the same level of contrast outside this range. Reason.... if used in the same equal value, it will not only create distracting areas, but they will compete with the Focal Point.

Neadeen Masters CDA - Country Carousel Art©

'Feathers, Feathers, Feathers'

and painting more Feathers!!

What are their properties?

If you love to paint wildlife like I do, birds to be exact, mastering the details of painting feathers is important. In the following article I have tried to point out some of the details we must pay close attention to, to make these as realistic as possible. Let's take a look at the different types of feathers and the effects we can create with and on them.

Texture

Feathers, soft and silky, curly, smooth, stiff, fluffy and downy, however we choose to describe them and eventually paint them, they have always intrigued us. As an artist we are fascinated with the surface texture and we are in constant search of more realistic techniques and methods for rendering these wonderful coverings. In the yellow duckling above, we can see the light penetrating the outer profile of the feathers. This creates the effect that the feathers have very little weight and are spaced farther apart than they would be on an adult. This is what creates the effect of the downy or fluffy texture.

The feathers which cover young birds are 'down' feathers, these feathers do not possess 'barbs' which are the hooking mechanism that makes a feather smooth, these feathers trap air close to the body and help maintain temperature. When painting them we must use the 'less is more theory' to create this effect.

Believe it or not, in the photo above are the exotic and curly feathers from a chicken! Now that's texture! I was at our local country fair and just couldn't resist this handsome guy! Note the way the feathers actually curl and flair at the ends. Now this would present a painting challenge for any artist!

Now we see different texture exhibited as more than simply 'relief' This type of texture is called 'visual patterning'. Here we see the edges of the feathers above and below both have a little pigment around them and when they are layered, a unique and interesting pattern is created.

The adult Mallard duck seen below, where the feathers are mature and dense, are tightly hugging the contour of the body shape, the feathers appear smooth and slick, and not too fluffy or downy like the baby duck. Visually compare the one above with the photo below to see the difference.

Iridescence

Whenever we paint birds feathers we must consider another concept besides the bird species and the style of feather. We must consider the amount of light that the feather is actually receiving and reflecting. Here we see a common Mallard duck swimming, bathed in sunshine, the bright light causes an iridescent effect reflected from the neck and head. As we change the viewing position or the angle that the duck swims away from us at, the iridescence becomes either weaker or stronger and as well, the hues shift and or change.

Capturing this effect is not an easy one, as the brilliance of the iridescence is difficult, however with a few simple tricks we can come pretty close. Tip - Try adding the 'Mica pigments' from the Traditions Paint line to your paint puddle, by adding a little of either the gold, silver or pearl to your other pigments - the effect is quite stunning!

See the same Mallard duck as it stands in the shade now, and out of direct sunlight. Can you see the reduced iridescence and a change in the perceived colours?

Peacock feathers, especially the tail feathers have this iridescent appearance as well, this, teamed with the unique pattern create the unique beauty of this incredible bird.

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Colour Details

Birds come in all colours and in all combinations of colours. The colour of feathers comes from different pigmentation. For painting purposes we need to read all the shades and tones of each bird's distinct feather pattern and colorations, this way we can depict them accurately. The colours will usually be isolated on certain areas and of course we know that often the male bird is more brightly coloured than the female. I did not pluck these from the bird, but instead collected them carefully from the bottom of a macaws cage.

Feather Details for Realism

Take a look at the way the vanes on the feathers can split or tear and separate. The bird will often spend a lot of time and hours re-applying natural oil to make the feathers waterproof and to groom the feathers which will re-align the vanes and make the feather appear smooth once more. Most of the feathers below are called 'contour' feathers, these are the ones that are mostly used for flight and to cover and protect the major parts of the bird's body.

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Everything on one bird!

Here we see several of the properties of feather types and styles on one bird, giving reason to why it is often so difficult to paint realistic birds and why they often present a challenge for the artist.

Here we see several different coloured feathers, mixed texture, complex patterns on the breast, iridescent feathers on the head, curled feathers on the tail, straight tail feathers, soft downy feathers on the underbody and the list goes on and on.

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Everything on one bird!

Feathers hug the contour of the birds body, note the way they softly follow the same curved line of the head, and flow down the neck of the Macaw. Pay close attention to the direction they grow in always growing away from the beak and down the neck.

Follow the flow of the feathers on the hen below. This photo captures the growth pattern and the direction of the different feathers as they hug the body areas.

The tail of this macaw shows the large 'flight 'feathers of this bird. These kinds of feathers are strong and smooth.

Neadeen Masters 2006

New Articles

New articles - added Sept 12 - '06

	Global Blending
	Beautiful texture
	Allegory & Symbolism
	Glazing
	Perspective
	Colours
	Feathers
	Yellow Hues

Brush Mixing

How to 'Brush Mix' ?

This is a simple technique and one of my favorite methods for mixing and blending color. When one uses the bristles of the brush to pick up two colors at the same time and blend them together on your blending palette. Instead of mixing one large puddle of paint with the palette knife, think of it as mixing tiny patches of color.
Follow this procedure when you need to use just a little at a time to adjust an area of an object or the painting. Brush mixing does not refer to using your brush as a tool to stir large amounts of paint together into one color. Students often misunderstand this term, 'brush mix' and end up ruining a perfectly good brush this way. Brush mixing is a gentle manipulation of two or more colors, blending them into the brush to create a third hue.
I prefer to brush mix almost all my colors, that is to say, instead of having huge puddles of pre-mixed colors on the palette, I like to have fresh paint sitting on my wet palette. I pick up a little at a time, selecting the particular hue to control the value and intensity of the color on my brush. I might load my brush with two or three colors and then blend on my palette before moving to back to the painting. This can give your work a more 'painterly appearance' as opposed to a stiffer look. It is easier for me to correct one single brush blend than a whole puddle of one mixture that has gone wrong! If you are new to color theory, brush mixing can teach you quite a lot as you make mini discoveries about each color that you create.

Prioritize

We need to prioritize the players and elements in a painting, each one telling a story that is part of the whole. We need to have them add to the whole story, each in their own way, not out doing each other or over shadowing each other. No one player stands alone, their characters are all interwoven and play off each other to make the story believable and successful. Each player will have a role to play, will have to support and enhance the other, yet still suggest contrast, and variety, and just like the players in a movie, they will add texture and interest. All the elements within a painting do the very same thing, they add interest and texture, all the while making the story very clear and easy to follow.

Intensity

Intensity - The intensity of colours used (how dull or bright) they are, again will be the strongest in the Focal Point area. It's useful to include both dull and vibrant colours within this area, as one against the other will help to create the visual contrast that is necessary to set this part of the painting apart in visual interest.

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