I often work to a theme with two or three companion paintings. This painting is a companion piece to a painting of an old Indian woman with ancient, gnarled trees. That painting is called ‘Older than the Trees’ and depicts the accumulated wisdom of age. This painting ‘Life from the River’ shows the life force of youth and beauty like the river, ever moving on. The Ganges River is held in great reverence in India. The Peepal tree in the background (right) is sacred to many people – it is one of the longest living trees and the roots grow very deep, just like a well lived life.
MATERIALS
• Dark brown pastel paper 75 x 55 cm.
• A selection of artists’ quality pastels (Winsor & Newton, Schmincke,Rembrandt, Art Spectrum). • Faber-Castell soft square pastels.
• Stabilo pastel pencils.
• Easel and backing board.
• Reference photographs.
• Micador fixative.
• Rags for wiping hands.
• Fresh bread.
STEP ONE
On the smooth side of the pastel paper I use an off white pastel pencil to sketch the bare outlines of the figure, the river bank and the tree. Precise drawing at this stage isn’t necessary; it’s the composition that is important. The pastel pencil line is easily removed with a soft rag if I want to change anything. Four different photographs are used for reference for this picture.
STEP TWO
I lay down a thin layer of soft square pastels and pastel pencil over most of the picture to establish the tones and modelling. Colour doesn’t matter too much at this stage. It is important to establish the head and hands so they can set the ‘feel’ of the picture. The buildings on the far bank are drawn in perspective to give the idea of the river stretching forever. Their sharp triangle shape also leads the eye to the figure. The Peepal tree, besides symbolically representing the sacredness of life, serves to prevent the eye slipping out of the top right frame.
STEP THREE
Now, the fun begins. I seriously begin to lay down the pastel, looking for colour relationships. I am using a triadic colour scheme of violet (key colour) with green and orange. I like to keep the pastel strokes visible with a minimum of smooth blending. The sky is blocked in and the picture is starting to take on the character I’m after. I work on the eyes as the viewer is always drawn initially to them.
STEP FOUR
The perspective of the buildings does not look right; so I make the ‘courageous’ decision to remove the pastel from that part of the painting with rolled up fresh bread. I sketch in new buildings with a lower horizon line, and remove the mountain. This has the effect of seeming to lift the head and shoulders higher in the picture and giving a more dynamic composition. The clouds and the trees are given more definition. The hair is stroked in.
FINAL STEP
The soft orange light on the clouds, buildings and mountains; the face and the hands; and in the sky holes in the trees pulls the picture together and echos the intensified orange of the woman’s sari. Short strokes of light reflections give sparkle to the water. I lay more colour on the figure. I suggest more detail in the foliage of the tree and put in the path around its base. The shadows on the clothing and figure are darkened. It is always tempting to keep adding touches here and there, but I finally say, “Enough!”
The painting is done.
I give the picture a coat of fixative to protect it. I try to use only a little fixative to protect the painting … not enough to make any change to the freshness of the pastel.
MASTER HINTS AND TIPS
• There are several different approaches to art. Some artists are spontaneous and like to be surprised at what emerges – the theme and title emerge from the way the work turns out. Others like to plan their work and keep full control all the way. There’s a time and place for both approaches to differing extents; so don’t feel you have to always stick with one approach or the other.
• When you are planning a picture, ask yourself the question, “What attracts me to this subject?” The answer will point you to the focal point of the work. Then ensure that no secondary details take over to distract the viewer.
•Keep a file of your own photographs and pictures from magazines and newspapers that you can use for reference and inspiration.
•Starting can be the hardest part of the artistic process. Don’t stress out about it. It may not happen overnight, but it will happen! If the will is there.
the way will become clear.
• Do some background research on your subject. The Internet is a wonderful tool – I’m sure Leonardo da Vinci would have loved to use it.
• Don’t try to use every colour in every picture. Use the colour wheel to try out colour schemes such as complementary, split complementary, analogous and monochromatic.
• Ensure that the artwork has a sound basic tonal structure and a good composition. If these elements are weak, it doesn’t matter how good your drawing and detail is – the picture will not be first-rate.
• If parts of your painting are not working, don’t be afraid to drastically rework it. There’s always a risk that it could get worse but more often than not, it will get better.
