Painting on Gesso like Karlyn Holman

Last week we covered an old painting (or just watercolor paper) with gesso and impressed it with textures: bubble wrap/textured roller, etc. We let it dry completely, at least 24 hours.

This lesson is how to paint on that gesso surface. It can be a lot of fun.

To start out, I've included this lesson from Karlyn Holman, which was not available when I first was introduced to this technique. The way I originally learned it was the way we did this zebra in 2021:

https://www.blogger.com/blog/post/edit/8812132386157895665/8330294453449949277

It is a subtractive method in which you cover the entire surface with color, and then lift out all the whites and lights.

Karlyn teaches it diffently, using a negative painting approach. I'll show both in this blog.

Karlyn Holman video: 1 hr 22 min start to finish

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bLLMTtTOSMI

Below is a painting I did from Facebook Free Reference Photos for Artists. The photographer was Melina Gioffre Fuda.

My interpretation using Karlyn Holman's suggestions, negative painting the darks and background first. 

Here is my first sketch. I ended up cutting off some of the details and making the painting a square format, something I would not have thought of if I had not watched the video first.

Draw the picture onto the gessoed surface with a pencil or graphite trace paper such as Saral. For this picture, there was a very dark earlier painting underneath the gesso, so a light box would not work on it. But I really like some of the "ghost" images and color showing through the gesso. You can see some of the pinks and blues coming forward especially at the bottom.

After I negative painted the background, leaving lighter colors around the bird, I began the flowers centers. I used a small liner brush to make short marks, first with yellow, then orange, then red, then quin burnt orange. If I wanted very dark at the bottoms of the centers, I added French ultramarine. Making the color in short lines gives it a fuzzy look.

For the bird, I underpainted with blue, then did some dark shading around the outer edges. I lifted a bit of the belly and cheeks to make a rounder bird. Do you see some of the texture coming through the paint?

For the flower petals, I first painted between the petals with cobalt. When it was dry, I used a pink to paint the petals. When all was dry, I lifted some highlights back to white. Cone flowers can be white, yellow, violet, pink, so choose your color.

For the stems, I first lifted any unwanted color. At the base of the flowers I painted a dark blue, (the same blue I used for the background and greens, in this case ultramarine turquoise) then added quin gold to create a green, then dark again at the bottom of the stems. When they were dry, I lifted some highlights on some of the stems.

As you paint, you'll discover five things about painting on gesso:

1. Colors can be very dark and vibrant

2. If paint dries in a hard edges, you can easily soften it with a little water and blend with colors around it

3. You can lift back to white IF you did not use a STAINING color, such as pthalos.

4. It's easy to clean up a "muddy" space, and also to wipe out and change color

5. The texture can be subtle or distinct. Either way, it makes the painting more interesting.

The Zebra

The reference for the zebra also came from Facebook Free References for Artists.

This one was from Andrea Ludman. She had other interesting photos, but this one looked easier to paint, less detail.

Start by drawing the zebra onto your gesso UNLESSS you decide

to paint a colorful background first, THEN draw your zebra.

Since it is difficult to see a pattern on a lightbox, through the layers of gesso and paint, use graphite paper to trace/draw your picture. If the color is very dark, the gray graphite will not show up well, so use

a colored Saral, such as white or yellow, which will show up better on dark surfaces.

It can start to get very confusing as you begin painting the stripes on the zebra. So I enclosed the dark stripes and left the white stripes open at the bottom of the neck.

The instructions for the subtractive method are on the blog listed at the beginning.

But you can just paint the stripes. It's fun to use a rainbow of colors for the zebra, just making the eye and muzzle very dark. 

IMPORTANT

A finished watercolor painting on gesso will need a protective coating, such as Kry lon Kamar varnish for watercolor. (In Karlyn's video she uses a Krylon acrylic finish, but the varnish is probably better. As long as it is UV protecting) It is normally framed under glass.

HALLOWEEN PICS

Here are some results from finishing the Halloween picture. So Fun!

It's Halloween again!

 I love creating a painting with mood, and nothing is moodier than a full moon on Halloween. This picture centers around that moon and silhouettes, and all the details are totally up to you.

I started by drawing a large moon, tracing around a plastic lid. After wetting the entire page, I used ochre and yellow to paint the moon, dropping in pale violet to create some craters. While the moon is damp, I painted some violet and orange around the moon, letting the edges soften around the moon. I concentrated some orange at the bottom.

I let all of that dry. I drew my picture over the color. This can be whatever you like..owls, cats, bats, scarecrow, witch...and I outlined tiny details with a black microns. This is because I want to get the face right on this picture, and my hands shake. I also added some details not in my sketch, like the broken broom at the bottom.

  

At this point you can either paint in some of the background, like the pumpkin or leaves on the tree, or start with the silhouette. On mine, I painted blue and indigo on the dark spaces .

When I painted the silhouettes, I painted with blue first, then added indigo on the darkest to give a little shaded effect.

Hot Press vs Rough

Hot Press vs. Rough Press Papers

I am painting this cat twice, once in hot press and once on rough to show the advantages of each type of paper.

Hot Press

Hot press is very smooth, almost like Bristol board. Think of ironing your clothes to remove wrinkles--Hot press.

Hot press is often associated with botanicals because you can get such detail with it. People love it with ink and wash. Its smooth surface doesn't damage your pens. The colors seem brighter and bolder because the color sits on top of the paper more than being absorbed by cold press. Another advantage is that it is easier to lift color.

There is a learning curve, however. Hot press seems to dry faster initially so that blends are a bit trickier. You have to use more water at first to get a smooth wash or getting the colors to mix wet on wet. You also will find that you see more brush strokes than on cold press. When the paper is damp, color will spread, but not as much as on cold press paper. 

Here is how I painted the hot press kitty. The reference is from Karen Lindh on Facebook References for Artists - Animals.

I began with the lightest colors and shadows first. I wet the ears and added a pink mix, even when they aren't going to end up pink.I painted the nose also. I wet the areas first, making certain they don't dry before I can add the paint. I used transparent pyrrol orange on the face.

I found the areas of shadow that were pale.

Here I wet the light shadow areas and added blues and pinks, especially to separate the head from the body.

Here I've added some darks in the ears. I put the first blues in the eyes. For the eyes, which are not done yet, I wet them and added cerulean blue, and as it was drying I took advantage of the fact that hot press allows you to add paint to a damp area without spreading too far. White the lighter blue was drying I added French ultramarine to the centers. I lifted some lighter areas in the tops of the eyes while still damp.

While waiting for the eyes to dry, I began making darker fur with Paynes gray and a fine brush. Around the nose, I darkened the nostrils with a brown and used a light lavender for the shadow under the nose. I also created the mouth, starting with a bit of pink and added blue and brown. I also outlined the eyes with Paynes gray  on a #2 brush.

Continuing black marks on his face. I'm beginning to wish I had masked out the whiskers, but I can grab those later. 

I darkened the eyes with some turquoise, with Paynes gray in the pupil. For the dark fur on the body, I used burnt sienna and French ultramarine and salted while wet.

Next I softened some edges with a brush that is a little stiff, but not a hard bristles brush that we consider a "scrub" brush. I made a pretty wild background by wetting it first, then dropping in transparent pyrrol orange and French ultramarine.

USING ROUGH PAPER FOR THE CAT

Rough Paper also has its own learning curve. The surface has more bumps and texture. It is great for landscapes and seascapes that you plan to dry brush on. If you are after a smooth blend or graduated sky, you will have to be sure the paper is wet, and don't use granulating paint on those areas.

Granulating paint and texture techniques work great on rough press. The heavier particles in the paint fall down into the crevices and look sandy. It's not hard to find granulating paints you can use: French ultramarine and burnt sienna, especially together, will do nicely. But for other heavily granulating paints, you can try:

"lunar" paints: black, earth, blue, etc.

"genuine" paints--they are made from genuine stones like jadeite, serpentine, etc.

 French Ultramarine, Manganese Blue Hue, Cerulean, Cobalt Turquoise, and Ultramarine Violet.lunar blue

Greens: Cascade Green, Undersea Green, and Green Apatite Genuine.

Earth Tones: Raw Umber, Burnt Umber, Lunar Earth, and Garnet Genuine.

Blacks & Grays: Lunar Black, Mars Black, Payne's Gray, and Davy's Grey, shadow violet, sodalite genuine

There are others, but these are very common

One thing to remember about achieving texture with granulating paints is that they will granulate better if they are not thick and dark. Lighter and watery shows more texture.

Except for masking the whiskers this time, I began the cat on rough press very much like the hot press: the pink in the ears and nose; light blue in the eyes, light shadows on the body. The difference is that I used some granulating paints on the dark areas on the body.....just French ultramarine and burnt sienna.

On the fore paw, I wet the surface and added some blue/gray paint while it was drying to create a furry look. I darkened inside the ears.

I began making some of the fur and darkened the nose. I continued to make some shapes of the face lightly.

Used a #2 brush on the black fur and used burnt sienna for the brown fur. I deepened the blues around the eyes, and the color in the mouth area. 

Removed the masking on the whiskers and nose, and used a lifting brush to soften the furry edges and on the nose and eyes. I decided on no background this time. I may yet go in with some white for the fur in the ears. 

side by side comparison of rough on the left, hot press on the right

       
Here are some masa paper paintings from last time:

Pam M.

Carol #3

Karen Rice loose landscape on rough press

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b324G1lVapg

Rachel Parker varner paints on hot press

https://www.google.com/search?q=find+a+video+on+painting+watercolor+on+hot+press+paper&rlz=1CATRIY_enUS1215&oq=&gs_lcrp=EgZjaHJvbWUqCQgDECMYJxjqAjIJCAAQIxgnGOoCMgkIARAuGCcY6gIyCQgCECMYJxjqAjIJCAMQIxgnGOoCMgkIBBAjGCcY6gIyCQgFECMYJxjqAjIJCAYQIxgnGOoCMgkIBxAjGCcY6gLSAQk0MTc1ajBqMTWoAgiwAgE&sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8#fpstate=ive&vld=cid:70333ef1,vid:1At1F2pBXKg,st:0

 YUPO

Yupo is a polypropylene plastic non-porous surface. The paints slips and slides and never soaks into it like paper, so the color remains on top and is very intense.

There are several techniques, OK LOTS of techniques for yupo. First, there are 4 things to remember about painting on yupo:

1. It gets fingerprints easily, which make it hard for watercolor to adhere to the paper. So clean your paper with alcohol and a soft cloth that has no lint in it. You can clean it with soap and water also.

2. Generally, you will paint with a thicker consistency than you normally would. You have more control over it.

3. If you don't like something, just apply water and erase it. Some colors will stain it and leave a "ghost" print, but generally, you can paint and erase all you want.

4. Try to used a watercolor pencil for your drawings. You don't want to erase on this paper.

5. When painting one color over another, just paint lightly with one stroke. Two strokes will move the paint underneath.

I painted these peppers I found at a local farm down the road.

First I applied some yellow paint to the entire page, and then used a 3" sponge roller to spread it and flatten the color. Then I let it dry. You can see it has some spots in it. That is from lint that got on the paper and in the paint from paper towels and tissues that I'd wiped it with.

I used a colored pencil to draw some of the pepper shapes, beginning with the red on the left. I used a warm red and a cool one. When it was completely dry, I pulled out some white highlights with water on a brush...not super wet, just damp. Too much water causes problems.

You can either pull the background color off with a damp brush to paint in your shapes, or you can paint right over it. 

You can use lots of tools, some you find in your kitchen, like small spatulas, or squeegie, or color shapers used for pastels. Alcohol , plastic wrap, paper towels, spray bottles.Credit cards and other sharp edges tools will work, but they will also leave scratches on the paper. You can do a certain amount of stamping and stenciling. 

When finished, you can use a workable fixative to set the work. I usually frame tthem under glass to protect the paint from moisture. 

Here are a few (mostly not finished, but looking good) that students did in class:

Jackie

Melanie used transparent yupo

Sarah added pen

Lydia

Sylvia

Vickie used alcohol spray

Below is a link to a lengthy video. The beginning shows many ways to create textures in yupo.

Mary Schlosser Shumaker WC 1 hr 23 min

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=59Oxl8XjCSE

Below is a shorter video using some basic techniques for a sunflower:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hWNiybDBlOo

someone asked about using plastic wrap: (Lynda Norman)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C07ycF4rZ-k&t=178s

There are several other blogs on yupo. Here is one below:

https://www.blogger.com/blog/post/edit/8812132386157895665/6463799288270858032

Finishing touches on Masa paper: Using pastels and watercolor pencils

 

PASTELS AND PENCIL to add details:

After you have painted as much as you can, and the painting has been mounted and dry, you can darken or lighten areas with paint, pastels, or watercolor pencil.

Here's a little show and tell from class. Each project was so unique and beautiful.

My petunias before enhanced with pastels and after:

            I used some watercolor pencils and inktense pencils to darken the flower centers and make some dark greens in negative spaces. I added a little pastel to some of the flowers, and dragged a dark pastel across the shadow of the pot. I added some light green pastel to some of the leaves that had gotten too dark. I also darkened some of the wood grain with some pastel.

Carol L.

Carol's cropped a bit to make it more interesting. I think she used some

pastels in some of the yellow and dark areas and some pencil between petals.

Meg: That table looks like it has the sun shining on it.

Lydia freehanded all of this. She has some pastel to enhance the flowers, I think. WC pencil in the darks to create some hard edges. 

Judy's woodpecker.

Jackie's panda. Used white pastel around the face to make it furry. Dark pencil for the eyes and mouth, with some white gel pen for highlight in the eyes. Some pastel black on some of the fur.

Barb: most of these vibrant colors are in watercolor with some ink outlining. Mostly used a bit of pastel to add some orange to the petals and to add white specks in the centers.

Sylvia's background blends so well with the foreground. It reminds me of antique parchment.

Cathi's has a bit of pen and ink added after it was mounted and dried.

Robby's lemon's are so fun, they pracically painted themselves. She didn't need

any more enhancement at all.

Sara negative painted some darks around the flowers and leaves to balance out the dark in the foreground. There is some blue pastel over the dark and brown areas. I like how the dark moves you through the picture now.

Pam's parrot only needed a few minor touches. She used some pastel to lighten the wood stump and give it texture. Black WC pencil on the beak, and a few dark touches to the legs and body. 

Carol S just got started, but it looks good already. I'll post the finished one when she finishes it.

I still need Francis' deer, Shirley's hummingbird, and Vicki's sunflowers, hopefully next week.