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Sunday, May 17, 2015

The Man Across The Aisle

The Man Across The Aisle, In Progress
He photographed a lot bluer than he is, but the values are balanced.


Reference
Remember those six inch by eight inch canvas boards I primed with Hogarth pink? I put one to use for this character study, The Man Across The Aisle. On a long flight, his glitz caught my interest. He wore lots of gold jewelry--rings, necklaces, bracelets that reminded me of the character Mr. T on The A Team in the eighties. I wondered if  he had beat the tables this trip or the tables beat him; he was missing the earrings.

I had a lot of difficulties handling this little canvas.  I painted it laying flat.
I need some way to paint it standing upright so I can go back to long
handled brushes and being able to back away.  I need a mounting board for
these thin canvas boards; they slip and slid on the big easel ledge.  Peg
board mounted to a frame to give it depth came to mind.  hen, of course,
the question became how to secure the canvas to the peg board?  Long screws and bolts on a stretch of framing material  is as far as I got.  If anyone has a better. easier idea,
I'd love to hear it. I'd like to  do quite a few of these little gestural studies.

First painting effort in weeks!  Applause please. 











 

25 comments:

  1. Applause a-plenty! How did that feel? It is a good, bold, no nonsense study, the colour giving him much more power than the photo does. More please.

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    1. Thanks. It felt good to paint. All these little things are good for as far as I'm concerned is studies. A definite challenge to keep it simple.

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  2. CLAP ... CLAP ... CLAP!!! Good for you for getting back into painting! He's coming along well. I like the blues, gives the entire work so much more oomph, and you have made your model better-looking :)
    Kathryn

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    1. It was fun being back in the studio; not such fun working small. My hands got filthy holding on to the little thing. I gotta figure a way to secure the panel on an upright support so the edges are clear.

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  3. I applaud you! He looks exactly like Spanish golf pro, Miguel Ángel Jiménez . The panting is better than the photo.

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    1. Does Jimenez wear a lot of gold? Maybe it was? Although we weren't in first, but we were in the new section where more space and a couple of amenities came for a price above coach. :-)) I loved his bracelet!

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  4. Resounding applause.....
    What about using Blue Tack/ Presstick or similar to stick the small panel to a larger drawing board?

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    1. I thought about using rubber cement and mounting it to a larger stretched canvas or a piece of plywood. That may be the easiest remedy to hold that slippery little thing in place. How does rubber cement differ from Blue tack? What is blue tack?

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    2. From Wikipedia - Useful because it's re-moveable and re-usable
      Blu-tack is a reusable putty-like pressure-sensitive adhesive produced by Bostik, commonly used to attach lightweight objects (such as posters or sheets of paper) to walls or other dry surfaces. Traditionally blue, it is also available in other colours. Generic versions of the product are also available from other manufacturers.

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  5. how about a smaller, portable easel for thr small panels? Does the job for me.

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    1. I have one, but it too is too large. The little canvas has to have all its edges clear so I can carry a brush stroke off the canvas and not stop short.

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  6. Cheers, whistles, stamps feet and claps! The painting is coming along terrifically

    LITTLE CANVAS PROBLEM
    I know your very smart with your hands but I don't know what equipment you have. Also, we call things by different names to you ... so imagination needed. To solve your problem,(a)take a piece of plywood/hardboard/fibre board ...whatever, about two foot by two foot. (b) Lay your little canvas right in the middle of the board and pencil around it. (c) cut out the shape by saw (I would drill a small hole to let in the blade of the saw, but you or Ellis will know how).
    Now you can put the plywood on the large easel as you would a large canvas, and push each new small canvas into the hole you cut and paint away!

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    1. Believe it or not I know how to do that with a drill and jig saw. I have done it. I am looking for something that I could adjust for other size small canvas boards. That's why I thought of peg board mounted to a stretcher bar frame glued to the back and screws and bolts geared to size. I tried to explain my thought to Ellis, who really doesn't know all that much about tools, but he couldn't picture it. Carl's idea using rubber cement may be the simplest. Rubber cement does come off clean when rubbed with a rubber cement "eraser." I'll probable try that first. And draw a schematic to take to the lumber yard. Two feet by two feet may be too big?

      I knew there would be trouble with these little canvases. Having no weight, they topple and slide and fall off larger easels. They have to be secured WITH NO BLOCKAGE of the canvas space so that a brush stroke with gusto can be carried out full swing without sending the little thing sai.ing across the room :-)) thanks for your input John. You are on the right track. If you come up with how to make the easel ADJUSTABLE. That doesn't involve electrical saws.....You just made me think of my son's fully equipped workshop. I think I'll bother him.

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    2. Sent you email with drawing of adjustable small canvas holder. Wish I were closer I could make it in an hour or so.

      When I said two feet x two feet it was only notional .... the size of the baseboard would be governed by the size of your easel or other constraints.

      Hope this helps

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    3. Loved the schematic! It would work beautifully--and yes, I do know how to do those things like drill and saw stuff. Lumberyards and Home Depot kinds of places are as fun to browse through as the art supply store--maybe more?

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  7. You captured him very well already! I have no solution for your small canvas problem, but I love Johns solution, hope it works for you!

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    1. Thanks. Painting this small does have a valuable lesson to teach,those of who are fond of details: KISS. Keep it simple sweetheart. :-))

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  8. Applause... plus several BRAVO'S.
    I like the painting - love the colors and the way the planes are formed.
    The best board support is something similar to Carol Marine's shown on her blog page at right side.
    Cost is VERY reasonable - it will save you the hours of shopping and making one.
    I also use couple of pieces of masking tape, rolled or folded, on back on a piece of foam core board and it works great.

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    1. Thanks Julie. I thought that Carol's buddy, A Painting A Day, sold one that her husband made. I didn't know Carol did. I went to that site and while she sold a board easel for a hundred, she had no stock and couldn't say when she would. Not reliable enough. Ingenuity is the answer. The small paintings are a nice way back to work. Not too demanding.

      I like the Styrofoam idea. Easy, I think I'll try it using a piece of plywood. I have all the fixings. The main thing is to keep it secure enough to keep it in place and the edges accessible.

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  9. Applause indeed.
    the nice thing about foamboard is how light in is.

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    1. I followed Julie's method using a Masonite board and 3 3M pieces of rolled tape. It worked while I painted yesterday. This morning, I'll see if it stayed in place overnight. I might have to get the foam board. It has tooth that Masonite doesn't.

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  10. I love circulation color across the painting.An unattractive subject (the man in the photo) is completely transformed with a touch of mysterious and unexpected.
    Bravo, Linda.Applause and congratulations for this beautiful synthesis of light, contrast and masses,

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    1. Thank you Rita. I was just pleased to be in the studio. While we are a lot better, Ellis and I are fatigued after the least exertion. The dix week cold/cough is like nothing we've ever had! Horrible enough where we have stayed away from public places to avoid getting it again. We are lucky, we're retired and don't have limited sick days. We would have used them up plus vacation days with this one. But that's why you hear coughing wherever you go. People can't afford to take all this time to get better. They keep passing it around and keep getting it back. It might never end! I think I may have turned germaphobic.

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  11. You captured the likeness in "The man across the aisle, Linda. Wonderful work! and I'm glad you and Ellis are both feeling "a little better" !! It took a long time but like you said there's so many people out there who are sick and continuously spread the germs. Take care!

    '

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    1. Thanks Hilda. He was interesting g to do. Working 6 x 8 in paint is very different than normal sizes or working in pencil in my 6 x 8 sketch pad. Mounting the little ting so all the edges are clear and it will stay put is the first problem to solve. With that taken solved with Rolled tape on the back and a spare 16 x 20 Pressed board lid from a paint box, I'm on to the best sized brushes for the job. I seldom use the 0 brushes, but I'll use them for these gestural sketches. I have no desire to do finished work this size, just quick sketches. The object is to simplify, to overlook details and stick with the forms. Being detail oriented from years of design, details have been difficult to over look. Hopefully this new venture will help with which are necessary and which must be eliminated. Limited palette on these of course. This little guy is not as blue as he photographed. I used Payne's Gray, no Ultramarine. --I do have a very large painting in mind for more than a sketch. But first I need to build my stamina back up. The sketches are a start.

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