Lesson 1 Block in with Shapes NOT Lines
Objective:
You will learn to block in complex floral scenes by reducing them to simple shapes, focusing on large areas of value and form before moving into finer details. This lesson emphasizes simplification and blocking in, which are crucial to establishing a strong foundation for paintings. By starting with basic shapes and ignoring the details, you will build a habit of focusing on composition, value, and form early in the process, which elements are essential for creating vibrant and compelling paintings.
Key Concepts:
– Simplifying complex forms into basic shapes.
– Establishing major color and value areas early on.
– Avoiding detailed line drawings at the start of a painting.
Color Shapes that Harmonize
https://www.masteroilpainting.com/how-to-paint-yellow-roses-in-10-steps/)
Step 1
We don’t have to begin with the background washes, but playing with swirling colors and value shapes helps set the stage for the star of the show. The intense lavender color in the distance is meant to contrast and harmonize with the brilliant yellows that will be added to the rose.
Small brushstrokes of color were swished around to resemble plants or rocks behind the flower. My plan was to leave the background fairly ambiguous and simple to contrast with the sophistication of the rose.
Step 2
Using a trusty paper towel or rag, I created an appealing shape for the rose by wiping off the background color back to the white of the panel. The edges were left fuzzy to help the rose harmonize with the background – letting some of the background colors softly combine with the rose colors creates a more integrated whole, rather than a stiff cardboard cutout.
Step 3
A saturated wash of cad yellow medium is brushed into the rose shape. Keeping the value in the middle-value range allows me to add darker shadows and bright highlights on top
Form and Dimension
How to Paint Daisies and Marigolds (9 Steps) | Master Oil Painting
Step 1
Using a mix of Walnut oil, Alizarin Crimson Permanent (Gamblin), Ultramarine Blue, and Transparent Oxide Red, I quickly covered the panel with a warm dark wash to create a contrasting background for the bright flowers. Notice that I left a lot of the brush texture for interest. I also wiped off the areas for the flowers so the colors would be clean and saturated.
Step 2
At this stage, I don’t usually worry about a detailed drawing. I like to add the middle-value colors to set the stage for the brighter values and colors that will go on top of those middle values. Here, I start to suggest some of the flower petals, but only in a very general way. Not concerning myself with exact details allows me to decide later how many refined petals I want to have and also lets me move things around or make them bigger or smaller without losing a lot of time-consuming work.
Step 3
Laying in the initial value shapes loosely allows me to blend some of the petals with the background for an overall harmony among the elements while refining other petals to a realistic finish, which is what I began doing right after beginning to define some petals. This whole buildup so far has taken less than a half hour. To demonstrate how quickly we can create the illusion of realism, I used my brush loaded with a darker reddish-orange hue to lay down a flower petal that transitioned from the darker tone to a middle value in one fluid stroke. I then added a bright yellow highlight on the edge of the petal to pop that petal away from the petals behind – a simple 3-D effect!
White Rose Shapes
Step 1
Rather than start with a single color to tone the panel, I decided to work the background shadow values around the approximate shapes of the flowers.
Since the reference image contained so much green, I chose transparent oxide red as an underlayer. The reddish tones are a wonderful complement to the green leaves.
Notice that I wasn’t worried about drawing everything out first to get the exact shape of the roses. I prefer to lay in large brush strokes and color shapes and then carve into the shapes to form the flowers.
When I start with detailed drawings, I end up with lifeless plants because I am too focused on painting within the lines. If I draw it out too carefully, I seem to focus on the ‘things’ in the image rather than the positive and negative shapes, and the edges become harder and less natural.
Also, if I concentrate on basic shapes, then it’s easy to move things around. If I don’t like the initial composition, I’m not as invested and won’t mind covering up a shape and moving it somewhere else.
The photo shows a cut-up credit card. I love texture in paintings and experimented a bit with a few tools to rough up the background paint. Even in the beginning stages, I play a lot with brush strokes and texture since those background effects will often show through in the completed painting.
Step 2
The flower shapes were left blank on purpose so I could play with light and dark values and colors, using larger brushstrokes rather than small, detailed strokes of color. The less detail I use in the early stages, the more likely I am to wipe off or start over when the design feels lackluster, or a shape needs to be enlarged or shrunk down.