I like your 'chops'.....

Now, you are probably wondering 'what on earth is she talking about - what do chops have to do with folk painting?"  Has she gone mad?

No.

Let me explain.

Musicians practice to get a technique, or new musical skill, 'in their fingers', so to speak.

In other words, their brain doesn't have to painstakingly think it through each time they incorporate that technique in their performance - the 'memory' of the technique is now in the muscles of the hands and fingers.

This is what is referred to as a musicians 'chops'.  Skills that have been well developed in the musician, that are performed with seeming ease.

So how is this done?

It is achieved by repetition - training the brain, nerves, muscles, etc. to adhere to a pattern, until you can do it in your sleep and you don't have to give much thought to it.

Do you remember learning to tie your shoe laces?

The exciting part is, that this is where creativity really kicks in. Our early attempts at something are usually stilted, encumbered by the mental process of thinking each step through.

Once we become free of the thinking, our brush strokes 'flow off the brush' with seeming ease.

So, for those of us that want to improve our painting skills (develop our chops), here are a few points I've been mulling over.

Don't spend all your painting time working on actual projects that need to be completed, that need to 'become' something.

Get sample boards ready - or better still, get heavy drawing paper (at least 210gsm I'd say), tape to a board, base paint, practice away.  Without the hindrance of completing a coherent piece.

 



 



This is exactly what I was doing in the last post about Norwegian Folk Art.  I wasn't painting a design, just components of one.



Make notes as you go - list colours used, brushes, etc.



 



Store the pages in a folder.  This is a GREAT way to record your progress and to let you see how much you have improved.

Next.

Find beautiful strokework.  Get tracing paper and lay it over the pages.  Draw over with a pencil, stylus, whatever, and feel the rhythm of the shapes.

Continually doing this teaches your brain. You know - develops your chops. :)

Ok.

Now it's your turn.

Off you go.  And don't forget to have fun!

Till next time
Fiona

Folk art painting on canvas

It's pouring rain here today. Has been all summer.

So I am in the studio.
I want to paint, but I don't want to think too hard about what to paint. My concentration level is a bit on the low side.

I have boxed canvas that I had previously painted on, then didn't like the outcome.

If I paint over it, I can get one of my books from my all time favourite artist Jo Sonja Jansen, pick a design, then recreate it to fit the canvas.

That will be a great exercise in brush skills.

So, I choose this design.



This is the back cover of 'The Art of Folk Painting', by Jo Sonja Jansen (and David).
I bought this book over 20 years ago, as you can probably tell from the scuffs and scrapes on it.

It will be a good subject for practicing brush skills, but I don't want mine to look so 'neat'.
Let's see what we end up with...

Here is my canvas, all painted up and ready to go.

Ok, I have the pattern sketched on there - yes, I did say 'sketched'.  It is a good habit to get into to freehand your designs on, and this isn't too hard if you keep a few things in mind.

Like, if you look close enough, you can see that I have divided the canvas down the middle, both horizontally and vertically. You could then split those areas in half again if you liked.

These lines help you place things in a balanced, symmetrical way.  No real detail here, just enough for you to base in the shapes.

The more you practice, the better you get.  No shortcuts here.Here is the palette that I have chosen to go with.  All acrylic.

Going from the white on the top right, anticlockwise, we have -

Titanium White, Moss Green, Sap Green, Green Oxide (2 splodges of), Teal Green (but I didn't end up using it), Celadon, Cobalt Blue, Ultramarine Blue, Storm Blue (there is a splodge of Blue deep there, but that wasn't used either), Purple Madder, Burgundy, Napthol Crimson, Red Earth, Napthol Red Light, Raw Sienna, Yellow Oxide, Turners Yellow.

Most of the colours are Jo Sonja Artist Colours.

I always use a wet palette, when working with acrylics.  One in a shallow container with a lid.

Most folk art designs require you to base in the shapes in a medium value.  Then we come back to shade, highlight and decorate.

Can you see how I've used a sponge and a rough bristle brush to 'scrub in' colour to the background colour of the canvas.   I stroked this colour around most of the design objects, to 'ground' them.

It also gives the canvas more of the rustic look I was after.

Here is the finished painting.

till next time
Fiona

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