Watercolor

Watercolor Portrait Basics

As with any creative process, there are foundations upon which you “build” and a watercolor portrait is definitely such a process.  The bones of a portrait are represented by a detailed line drawing.  This drawing is most often done in graphite or sometimes charcoal, but pencil smears less and adds nothing to interfere with the colors in the painting.  The artist works with light strokes but with strong attention to likeness.

Once the true likeness is completed in line form, the process of “coloring” begins.  Each portrait artist approaches the process differently, but the majority applies a clean, clear water wash onto the entire face first—or perhaps to the shadowed areas so that glaze upon glaze can be added to achieve the tones desired.  This initial wash softens the surface and soaks into it so that the pigments can be applied in gentle and progressive layers.

The translucency of watercolor makes it ideal for creating tones of skin, the blush and life of the subject.  By starting with light tones in the areas of shadow, and by adding these to a previously dampened area, control and slow build-up of tone can be easily achieved.  Begin with a light tone and add deepened tones as needed.

Starting with the shaded areas gives you a wider opportunity to enrich with colors not normally associated with skin tones, but nevertheless often present.  Greens and blues (as reflections of the subject’s surroundings) can add interest and appeal to portrait works.  While not actually in the color of skin, they complement and enrich skin color.  Sharp oranges and reds can also be used to accent skin tones.  Dark navy and chocolate can add great dimension to shaded areas.

The brushes used in portrait work vary as much as the methods.  Flats are employed for broad detail areas, and high quality rounds that hold a good point are perfect for edge definition and detail.  But less expensive brushes—even some craft quality—are perfect for some application techniques.

For a slightly more descriptive way to look at watercolor portrait pigment application, do some quick studies using a lightly charged brush in any color.  Add the wet but not drippy tone to dry paper and then to damp paper and you will see immediately the way the paint moves on the damp surface.  While the somewhat hard surface of the paper and the way the pigments simply sit on top is valuable for some looks, the softest and most appealing portraits usually employ damp substrate. 

Keeping white areas in a portrait is difficult as in any watercolor.  Many portrait artists use opaque white gouache.  This is essential for the sparkle of light in the eye of the subject or any extreme light area.  But this is used as a tiny accent, not coverage.

Exhibition:  Capital Portraits:  Treasures from Washington Private Collections, 1730-2010 is on view at the National Portrait Gallery in Washington, D.C., through Sept. 5.  Sixty portraits, many of which have never been on public display before, reveal a remarkable range of styles, images and stories. The exhibition provides a window into the life of the sitter, the career of the artist, and the era in which they lived. Some of the artists represented include John Singleton Copley, Gilbert Stuart, Mary Cassatt, William Merrit Chase, Chuck Close and Kehinde Wiley.  http://www.npg.si.edu/exhibit/capital/visit.html.

The Art Marketplace

New NEO for Iwata Airbrush Series

Iwata-Medea is now offering the new NEO for Iwata Airbrush Series, a low cost beginner’s airbrush that sprays better than other airbrushes at the same low price point.  This achievement in performance at a value price is the result of Iwata-Medea’s ingenuity gained from years of experience in the airbrush market.  The NEO for Iwata Airbrushes are specifically for new users getting started so that they have a great first experience airbrushing.  And with the new NEOs, Iwata can provide the performance, technical support and service at a value price that will encourage airbrush neophytes to continue airbrush painting.

The NEO Series is available in two styles:

—NEO BCS Siphon Feed Airbrush – 0.5mm needle/nozzle and 2 oz. siphon-feed jar.

—NEO CS Gravity Feed Airbrush – 0.35mm needle/nozzle and two each screw-on gravity cups, ¼ oz. and 1/8 oz., for extreme versatility.

The NEO can be used with a variety of paints and mediums and it’s easy to use and clean.  The Series was designed to perform well at lower pressures when used with smaller air compressors, and it’s backed with an unprecedented five-year warranty.  See your favorite Iwata-Medea supplier and visit www.iwata-neo.com.

New Scratchbord Kit Designs from Ampersand

Ampersand Art Supply has introduced six new Scratchbord Kit Designs.  The new Linda Sheets designs include Crowned Monkey, Sunshine Monkey, Zoey Dog, Bertie Dog, Happy Buds and One is Enough.  Each how-to kit comes with detailed instructions, a 5x7 Scratchbord, 1 fine point scratch knife and pattern to transfer the drawing.  The illustration shown on the front of the label can be completed in black/white or in full color with the addition of Scratchbord Claybord Inks (not included).  These kits are the perfect introduction to the art of scratchboard.  See your retailer and visit www.ampersandart.com.

Art Surveys

Artist Employment Projections from the NEA

The National Endowment for the Arts has announced a new report, Artist Employment Projections through 2018, that examines the projected growth rate for artist occupations.  The NEA note explores expected trends for more than a dozen artist and cultural occupations.  The data are based on the Bureau of Labor Statistics’ Occupational Outlook Handbook:  2010-11, which forecasts occupational trends for the entire U.S. labor force from 2008-2018, where artists are included in the category of “professional and related occupations.” 

It is predicted that during this period artist occupations will increase by 11%, compared with an overall increase in the labor force of 10%.  Also among the findings:

—Artist occupations with the highest projected growth rates are museum technicians and conservators, curators, landscape architects, interior designers, architects, writers and authors and multi-media artists and animators (14%).

—Artist occupations likely to increase at a rate on par with the growth of the overall U.S. labor force are graphic designers and actors, art directors, photographers and film/video editors, and fine artists, including painters, sculptors and illustrators (9%).

—Artist occupations with the lowest projected growth rates are choreographers, fashion designers, floral designers and media announcers.

Two key factors in job outlook include growth (the number of new available jobs) and competition (the relationship between the number of job openings and job-seekers).  Visit http://www.nea.gov/news/news11/Artist-Employment.html.

Sculpture

Welding:  Types, Materials and General Instructions

This information on welding is meant to inspire and to encourage those interested in learning to weld.  It does not include complete instructions, but nearly all colleges and technical schools have classes on the proper methods and safety for learning to weld.  That said, there is an ocean of great information in texts and on the web concerning the various methods of joining metals with welding equipment.  We’ll hit on a few of the basics here.

Welding differs from brazing (used by plumbers on piping) in several fundamental ways.  Brazing can be accomplished with much lower temperatures.  While the bond is permanent, welding uses a much higher temperature and that heat is directed to a specific area.  Brazing spreads its heat over an area larger than the actual spot being joined (as does welding).

The first type of welding is MIG (metal inert gas) welding, the easiest of all the processes. It requires the least hand/eye coordination and provides the best visibility of the weld deposit area.  MIG welding was originally adapted in the 1940’s as a way to weld aluminum and other non-ferrous metals.  The weld involves a semi-automatic process (hand/eye coordination is still necessary to control the weld location and speed of travel) in which a wire—usually mild steel, typically copper colored because it is electroplated with a thin layer of copper—is connected to a source of direct current that acts as an electrode.  At the same time the electrode wire is fed through the welding gun, a flow of inert gas (originally argon gas) is passed through the gun.  The gas acts as a shield that keeps airborne contaminants away from the welding zone.  Contaminants would prevent a strong bond and would create a less neat joining of the two metal surfaces.

MIG welding allows metal to be welded quicker than traditional welding that uses the “stick” melting techniques.  The auto feed aspect makes it less cumbersome.  MIG welding is perfect for welding soft metals such as aluminum.  Additional types of metals that can be MIG welded include stainless steel, nickel and a wide range of metals and alloys.  Argon can be replaced by a less costly inert gas such as carbon dioxide when joining steel.  In the past, thin metal pieces were the limit of MIG joints, but present day MIG welding can be used to join heavy sections when using the proper machine, wire alloy and shielding gas. 

Supplies needed include a MIG welding gun, a source of direct current, a constant and even flow of the appropriate gas and a continuously moving wire electrode, plus personal safety equipment.  An indoor area must be used for MIG welding because winds blow the gas away from the weld.

TIG (tungsten inert gas) welding is the process of blending together reactive metals such as aluminum and magnesium.  The development of TIG (and MIG) welding in the 1940’s made aluminum an almost instant major structural material.  TIG welding uses argon, helium or a mix of both, which creates a higher welding speed and penetration.  The gas creates an arc formed between a tungsten electrode (direct current) and the area to be welded.  With the gas shield, the welds are clean.  Filler rods are used in TIG welds and are usually made of the same metal as the base metal.  Filler rods are important to reinforcing joints in heavy metals.  The advent of square sine wave welders has greatly simplified TIG welding.

Welds that can be accomplished with TIG methods include a variety of metals such as steel and aluminum (most often), stainless steel, chrome, nickel alloys, magnesium, copper, brass, bronze, and even gold.  TIG welding does not create smoke or fumes, unless the base metal being welded contains contaminants or elements such as oil, grease, paint, lead or zinc. The base metal should be cleaned before welding.

What you need for TIG welding is a TIG welding machine, TIG welding gun with tungsten electrode, shielding gas (usually argon), filler rod or filler wire (for automatic feeding guns) and personal safety equipment.

Oxy-fuel welding (commonly called oxyacetylene welding, oxy welding or gas welding) and oxy-fuel cutting are processes that use gases and oxygen to weld or cut metals.  Oxy-fuel is one of the oldest welding processes, though in recent years it has become less popular in large-scale applications.  However, it is still widely used for welding repair work.  It is also frequently selected for fabrication of metal-based artworks.

In oxy-fuel welding, a welding torch is used to weld metals. Welding metal results when two pieces of metal are heated to a temperature that produces a shared pool of molten metal. The molten pool is generally supplied with additional metal called filler. Filler material depends upon the metals to be welded.

In oxy-fuel cutting, a cutting torch is used to heat metal to melting temperature.  A stream of oxygen is then aimed along the metal surface and metal burns in that oxygen.  The cut is accomplished as the metal flows out of the cut as slag (waste).

For oxy-fuel welding you need a two-tank setup with oxygen and acetylene, hoses, regulators for gas pressure monitoring, check valves for flow regulation, flashback arrester, welding and/or cutting tips and all personal safety equipment.

The temperature of the combination of oxy-acetylene can reach 6,000 degrees.  These temperatures, as in all welding, elevate it to the realm of dangerous if not handled properly.  Extreme care and all safety regulations should be followed at all times.  No flammables should be nearby and definitely no pets or children should be nearby, as the dropping slag can cause serious injury.

Lastly, the classic stick welding process is the workhorse of the welding trades and is employed even under adverse conditions where MIG and TIG might not be suitable.  With an AC/DC welder, only the change of electrodes and current values is necessary to switch from one metal to another.

For all welding equipment and accessories, contact any local welding supply center.  They can be helpful, too, with hints and safety regulations for the beginner.

Sculpture Exhibitions

—Alexander Calder and Contemporary Art:  Form, Balance, Joy – Orange County Museum of Art, Newport Beach, CA, through Sept. 4.

—Mark di Suvero at Governors Island:  Presented by Storm King Art Center – NYC, through Sept. 25.

—Contemporary Sculpture at Chesterwood 2011 – Stockbridge, MA, through Oct. 10

—CURRENT – 2011 Summer Sculpture Exhibition by Garrison Art Center -  Boscobel House and Gardens, Garrison, NY, through Oct. 10.

—Anthony Caro on the Roof – Metropolitan Museum of Art, The Iris and B. Gerald Cantor Roof Garden, NYC, through Oct. 30.

—Sculpture in the Streets (works by late sculptor George Rickey) – downtown Albany, NY, through March 2012.

—Isamu Noguchi at the Philadelphia Museum of Art - PA, through summer 2012.

Art Competitions & Opportunities

Learning & Product Expo:  Art
Pasadena Convention Center, CA
Oct. 28 – 30
Class Registration Now Open

This year the Expo will be held in the brand new Exhibit Hall, where you can visit booths of your favorite art material manufacturers, try products, see free demos in all mediums and visit the juried art exhibition.  Classes in the Conference Center and Sheraton Hotel are offered in all mediums, from lectures to all day hands-on workshops, and registration is now open.  Register early to save time and money.  Visit www.learningproductexpo.com.

Richeson 75 Online International Art Competitions
Animals, Birds & Wildlife 2012
Nov. 15, 2011 – Jan. 31, 2012
Deadline:  Oct. 1

This competition is open to all artists over age 18.  Artwork must be 2-D and drawn/painted entirely “by hand.”  Acceptable media are oil, acrylic, oil pastel, soft pastel, water media, dry media or hand-pulled prints.  Seventy-five finalists will be selected and will participate in the online exhibit.  Awards include $2,000 Best in Show as well as certificates for Jack Richeson & Co. art materials.  http://www.richeson75.com/callforentries.html.

Allied Artists of America
98^th Annual Exhibition
National Arts Club Galleries,
New York, NY
Nov. 4 – 20
Deadline:  Sept. 12

The exhibition is open to all artists, and works eligible include those in oil; watermedia, pastel and graphics; and sculpture in the round or relief.  All subjects and styles are eligible:  traditional, contemporary and abstract.  $24,000 in cash awards and medals.  http://www.alliedartistsofamerica.org/prospectus.htm.

Airbrush

Tips for the Airbrush Artist

The surface you spray on is important! – Smooth surfaces result in smooth spray, whether you work on paper, metal, canvas or illustration board.  A coarse surface is denoted by airbrush spray, making it difficult to develop airbrush effects such as chrome, high sheen, plastic, neon, etc.  Hot press paper is the smoothest, while cold press paper is coarser.  Gessoed surfaces must be sanded to achieve the particular smoothness required.  Note, too, that frisket film will adhere better to a smooth surface than a coarse one.

What to do when your trigger falls out! – Eventually all airbrush artists will be confronted with the trigger falling from the airbrush, and this usually happens during the cleaning process.  First, be sure to refer to the instructional booklet that comes with your airbrush.  Most will have instructions and a cutaway rendering that shows the internal parts.  

The needle runs through the trigger and holds it in place.  Therefore, when the needle is removed for cleaning, the trigger can fall out. The spring-loaded mechanism that pushes the trigger back into a shutoff position will fall forward and sometimes drop into the housing of the airbrush.  You must pull back on the needle holder, relieving the spring pressure against the return lever in order to replace the trigger.  Each trigger has an air plunger on the bottom that must seat itself into the airbrush for it to work properly.  You can tell when the trigger is in place if air is emitted when you depress it.  Once it’s back in place, gently slide the clean needle back in until it’s snug against the tip.  Tighten the needle chuck screw to hold everything in place.

Don’t take the airbrush apart! – One of the biggest mistakes new airbrushers make is taking the airbrush apart before first using it, particularly when they have a brand new airbrush.  The airbrush arrives in the best possible spraying condition, so you should spray something (ink or even water) through it to find out exactly what to expect.  Then, if for some reason you disassemble and reassemble the airbrush, you will know whether it has been done properly.

New E-Newsletter

The FREE new issue of AirbrushTalk at www.airbrushtalk.com is now available.  Included are Revisiting a Favorite Airbrush Project:  Image Extension by Janean Thompson; Fire on High, Illustration Effects – Part IV by Thomas Adams; Journey from Dark to Light—The Art of Life and Experience by Shen; and more.  Sign up for your free subscription now!

ArtPourri

Laureates Announced—Winners of the 23rd Praemium Imperiale, the international prize for outstanding achievement in the arts established by the Japan Art Association in 1988, have been announced.  Included among the five laureates are Bill Viola (USA) for Painting, Anish Kapoor (UK) for Sculpture and Ricardo Legorreta (Mexico) for Architecture.  Each will receive approximately $182,000, a diploma and a medal in recognition of his achievements, for the impact he has had internationally on the arts and for his role in enriching the global community.

Auction News – Swann Galleries - So far in 2011, new auction records across all departments have been set:  prints, autographs, books, printed and manuscript Americana/African-Americana, maps, photos, posters, American Art and African-American Fine Art.  See http://swanngalleriesinc.blogspot.com/.  Sotheby’s—A recent four-week major summer sale series in London totaled in excess of $589 million.  Forty-nine artist records were set, and 95 works sold for over $1 million.  Francis Bacon’s Crouching Nude (1961) sold for $13.3 million and a cityscape (1914) by Egon Schiele sold for $40 million.  Highlights of Christie’s London sales include a 1939 painting by Picasso of Dora Maar at $29.1 million, Francis Bacon’s Study for a Portrait (1953) at $28.6 million and George Stubbs’ Gimcrack on Newmarket Heath… at $35.9 million.

Rockwell at the White House –The Norman Rockwell Museum has loaned the iconic painting The Problem We All Live With to The White House, where it will be exhibited through Oct. 31^st.  The loan was requested in commemoration of the 50^th anniversary of Ruby Bridges’ history-changing walk integrating the William Franz Public School in New Orleans as part of a court-ordered integration in 1960.

Prize Awarded – The Baltimore Office of Promotion & The Arts has announced that Matthew Porterfield is the winner of the 2011 Janet & Walter Sondheim Artscape Prize and will receive $25,000.  Works of art by the prizewinner and four other finalists are on view at the Baltimore Museum of Art through Aug. 7.

Collaboration Preserves Works – IBM and The Metropolitan Museum of Art (NYC) have announced the successful installation of a new wireless environmental sensor network at the Museum called Low-Power Mote that will help preserve the works of art in its world-renowned encyclopedic collection.  In the initial phase, 100 sensors have been deployed in strategic locations that allow for high-def monitoring of the environment.

NEA News – A new class of NEA Lifetime Honors recipients has been announced.  The NEA is awarding $450,000 to this group of 18 remarkable artists, recognizing their artistic achievements and supporting their ongoing work as performers, crafts people, teachers, mentors, scholars and/or advocates.—And the NEA has announced the inaugural round of “Our Town” funding, totaling $6.575 million in grants to 51 communities in 34 states that have created public-private partnerships to strengthen the arts, while shaping the social, physical and economic characters of their neighborhoods, towns, etc.

Milestone – The Gagosian Gallery has announced that Cy Twombly, celebrated American painter, has died in Rome at age 83.  He is best known for his abstract works combining painting and drawing techniques, repetitive lines and the use of graffiti, letters and words.  However, Twombly also dedicated himself to making sculptures throughout his 60-year career.  Current Exhibitions:  Cy Twombly:  Sculpture is on view at MoMA, NYC, through Oct. 3; and Cy Twombly:  Sculpture Selections, 1948-1995 is ongoing at The Art Institute of Chicago.

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Copyright ARTtalk Vol. 21, No. 10 — August 2011