THE COLORS OF KATE SIMPSON - ARTIST

Uniball pen and watercolors on paper 9" x 12".  Kate Simpson is a klassmate at SBS and her artwork is terrific.  She views my work as "psychedelic" (whatever that is) and that is fine with me.  She called me the "King of Color" which made me laugh.  A few questions from Donna Schulte and other Klassmates were posed as to how I choose to use colors in my art.
I think drawing and painting are the same thing.  So the first part of the process is to draw.  I use the pen which forces me to really spend a lot of time looking.  I spend more time looking then drawing for sure. There is a huge difference between drawing from a photograph and drawing from a live model.  But out of necessity I use photographs and I don't worry about it the way others do.  No big deal.  Relax...
To me getting a likeness is just that.  A likeness.  I like the drawing to RESEMBLE whatever I'm drawing, but it doesn't have to be photo realistic.  That is all about seeing and trying to get the relative shapes fitting together.  In Kate's portrait I just try to make sure one shape is placed correctly next another. When I'm satisfied with the drawing I brake out the watercolor.  I get asked a lot about what brand I use.  Honestly I think as long as you use artist grade instead of student grade they are all great.  One thing I do differently than other water colorists is that I really lay it on thick.  I may put five or more layers on top.  I don't care if the paper wrinkles or warps.  If that is a concern I will use  watercolor block paper. But I like crinkly paper. I can't over emphasize the need for everyone to just have fun and not drive yourself crazy over things like expensive art materials.  For me it's more about no choice but to make the art.  Show up and get it done.  

When I first started reading about watercolor a lot of artists warned of it's "unforgiving nature".  Sounds like a threat, right.  So, what...  if I put down something on watercolor paper and it's "wrong" that's it...I'm doomed?  Bah, I don't by it.  That's too neurotic.  The only thing I guard against is muddying up the colors.  All the rest are happy accidents that are incorporated into the drawing. As long as I try my best then I'm having fun.  I love being in the uncertainty of the moment.  When things are feeling hopeless and I'm falling, then I know I'm ok.  Instead of feeling bad at this moment, I feel good because I know this is the creative process.  It's not accounting for Pete's sake!

In looking at the photo of Kate I view it in the Picasa 3 program.  I zoomed it up to see what colors I see.  When drawing from a photo I try to see how the light travels around the head.  Remember you are not painting Kate's head, eyes, nose, etc.  You are painting the EFFECT of the light spilling over these forms.  For quick fun paintings like this I just use 3 degrees of tonality: Shadow, halftone and light.  David Hockney (I urge you to look at his work) uses various shades of purple for his shadow areas.  So I did this around the eyes, cheeks and chin.  Anywhere I could see shadow (and I squint when I look) I put a mixture of purple, red, burnt sienna.  I use a piece of bristol board paper or watercolor paper to the side and test out how the color mixtures work and look before I put them on the drawing. (Later if it looks wild enough I draw over this test bristol board and get interesting drawings or just utter crap).  I adjust the colors if I have to on the palate or even on the drawing itself.  I don't worry about it looking too neat. After I put in the shadows I repeat the process for the halftones(cheeks, nose, around the mouth) using a basic skin tone formulas of white, cadmium yellow and red.  Then for the highlights I use white and yellow ochre or naples yellow.  On the background I just put down the colors I thought went well against the head and would reflect what I imagine would make the viewer happy.

So for this kind of sketchbook painting I do play with it very loosely, I do go by my mood and improvise a lot.  I'm not trying to duplicate. Rather I'm trying to re-create . I like it loud, bold and happy!

What I do lot of is copy the work of artists whose work I like.  I don't pass it off as my own, of course, but it is a fun way to get used to using the tools and colors.  I recommend the work of Elaine De Kooning, Xenia Hausner, van Gogh, Joan Mitchell, Alice Neel, David Hockney just to name a few. Some books on color that I use are:

Color Healing by Lilian Verner-Bonds

Colors For Your Every Mood by Leatrice Eiseman

Artist's Color Manual by Simon Jennings

Vincent van Gogh's letters to Theo

I read that Adolf Hitler said "Anyone who sees and paints a sky green and pastures blue ought to be sterilized."  This made me so mad that I have since gone out in total freedom to paint using whatever colors I wanted to! I try to entertain the viewer and make them feel good.

I hope this explains how I use color.  If you have any questions just ask in the comment section and I'll answer them.

VEIL

This was done from a photograph that I saw online.  I used a Uniball vision fine pen and Schmincke watercolors in a Moleskine watercolor album 8 1/4" x 11". Previously posted on Sketchbook Skool.

COLLEY STUDY IN COLOR

You can see from my copying this study by Colley that the Pitt pens have a wide range of color and blend really easily.  Done in the Strathmore sketchbook.

COLLEY STUDIES

People studies copied from Don Colley.  Done in Strathmore sketchbook with Pitt pens.

COPYING MORE DON COLLEY

This sketch is actually a combination of a Don Colley sketch of someone driving and I sketched in a R. Crumb on the phone. Done in a Strathmore sketchbook with Pitt pens and Uniball pen.

STUDYING AND COPYING FROM DON COLLEY

The work of Don Colley is very instructive.  One can learn a lot from his sketches online and also from watching his Youtube videos: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2EK4OiwWgU8 
He got me hooked on the Faber-Castell PITT artist pens.  I am patiently waiting for him to return to the Pacific Northwest so that I can attend one of his lectures.

This drawing was done using the Pitt pens in a Strathmore sketchbook.

STUDYING AND COPYING FROM JAMES JEAN'S SKETCHBOOK

James Jean is one of the artists I study.  His work is fantastic, but I have not been caught up in the rush to buy the type of pen that he uses.  I am hooked on my Uniball vision fine pen but I do love Jean's lines.  So I practice in my sketchbook by looking at his sketchbook (PR-3) http://www.jamesjean.com/bound/2010/Process+Recess+vol.+3/1

TOMMY KANE'S HAT

This was done on Canson Comic art board 11" x 17" using Uniball vision fine pen, Pitt big brush pens and Schmincke water colors.  Since I get asked about what tools I use I'll talk about them a bit.  I love the Uniball vision fine point pen.  It is water proof and fade proof.  That is a must feature since I use watercolor right over the top of the ink.  It can blob but I don't care.  If it does I just work with it and incorporate it into the work.  It rolls on smoothly and it feels so good in my hand.  It has a clip on the cap so I can put it securely in my shirt pocket.  They are cheap.  I buy them by the dozen.

As for the Faber-Castell PITT artist brush pens, well, they are one of the greatest inventions in the drawing world.  They have great colors, they last a long time, and MOST importantly, they DO NOT SMELL.  As an added bonus, they are waterproof and will not bleed through the paper and show on the other side.

Schmincke watercolors...I buy the travel pan.  18 full.  Yes, they are expensive but I'm worth it.  I like to lay the color down thick, even with watercolors, and this product is very juicy.  The colors are brilliant.  They last a long time and I can also use them with other brands when putting on layers.  I also like Sakura's Koi travel kit and the Winsor-Newton Cottman watercolors (professional grade).

Tommy Kane, great artist and teacher, is a hat guy (like me).  His wife Yun told me that he gets them made by Barbara Feinman in New York http://www.barbarafeinmanmillinery.com/shop/.  I think there should be special "KANE" editions.  The squirrel is Tommy's logo (he was a squirrel in a previous life, apparently).  That is a mushroom the squirrel is sitting on.  And no, I don't.   

MORE TOMMY KANE MADNESS

Another painting of the infamous dream done in Uniball oen, Pitt big brush pens and watercolor on Canson paper 11"x 15".  Refer to blog post : https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=1397808000502888&set=gm.317020511783638&type=1

then check out this:  http://vimeo.com/94423701

I need help, I know....

A GENTLE MADNESS

Books at our house. Uniball pen and Pitt brush pens in Strathmore sketchbook.  Previously posted in Sketchbook school.

THE RAINBOW BODY

Acrylic and Gouache on paper.
"As they die (advanced practitioners) enable their body to be reabsorbed back into the light essence of the elements that created it, and consequently their material body dissolves into light and then disappears completely.  This process is known as "the rainbow body" or "body of light", because the dissolution is often accompanied by spontaneous manifestations of light and rainbows".  - Sogyal Rinpoche (The Tibetan Book of Living and Dying)

FAMILY MEMORIES SKETCHBOOK

SUNSET ON THE OREGON COAST

Uniball pen and watercolor in Moleskine sketchbook.  From photograph by Julie Bain. Previously posted in Sketchbook Skool.

OREGON COAST HOUSE

Uniball pen and watercolor in Strathmore sketchbook.  Prevously posted in Sketchbook Skool.

SPARKS MARINA NEVADA

Sparks Marina Nevada uniball pen and watercolor in Stillman and Birn sketchbook. Previously posted in Sketchbook Skool.

HOUSES IN MONMOUTH OREGON

Uniball pen and watercolor in Moleskine sketchbook.  Previously posted in Sketchbook Skool.

CITY LIGHT BOOKSTORE SAN FRANCISCO

Uniball pen and watercolor in Moleskine sketchbook.  Previously posted Sketchbook Skool,

PORTRAIT OF TOMMY KANE

Portrait of Tommy Kane 14" x 17" Yasutomo Suni ink and PITT Big Brush ink pens on Strathmore Bristol Paper.  I tried it with the white background but liked the Sumi ink background better.

FAMILY MEMORIES HATS

MY KITCHEN : HOW I DID IT PART 2

Time to add color. I start in the right corner adding darks, then medium and leaving white paper for highlights. The grain patterns in the wood are made with pen and then several coats of watercolor (chrome orange, cadmium red, cadmium yellow, yellow ochre, burnt sienna and venetian red)..Grey, phalo green and sometimes purple for cast shadows.  There are still some weak passages like the left corner where the kitchen counter tops meet, the freezer handle on the refrigerator and the diffusion of light onto the stove (and any other places you or I see) but I plan to touch it up here and there with color pencils and stop before I overwork it. Some things I learned were the importance of going slowly and really looking at the way the light hits the objects, work with mistakes and make them into something.  Don't quit or get discouraged, just have fun.  It's only lines on paper! Let me know in the comments what you think.  

MY KITCHEN : HOW I DID IT

This was a fun homework assignment from Tommy Kane (legendary artist and Creative Art Director in NYC).  Our kitchen done in Uniball vision pen, watercolor and Pitt brush pen in Moleskine watercolor album over two page spread 8 1/4" x 22 1/2".
It started out like this.  From where I was sitting looking at the kitchen I knew I was going to get wonky right away and tilt the refrigerator door.  I like to bend objects or make then wavy because to me it makes them feel alive. Then on to the calendar and various things we stick onto the refrigerator and put in some cabinets. Then I drew a line to indicate where the cabinets would go and decided to draw in the stove. Then back to the right side and start filling in the details.  Over to the left side I ran into a problem of angles.  It wasn't working out at all.  I sat and looked at it for over an hour.  Pretty soon it started looking back at me so I just drew it as best I could and moved on.  Whoa!  I forgot about the dishwasher.  Oh well, guess I'll live without it and do the dishes by hand. Now onto to the last section and we are ready to add color.  I spent a LOT of time just looking at the kitchen and observing how the light traveled over all the objects. I really was thinking about that rather then thinking of the objects name.

HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY

Happy Mother's day to Julie's mom. (Like a Mom to me). We love you.
18" x 24" oil on canvass  Portrait of Julia Cofer 1995

FAMILY MEMORIES SKETCHBOOK

BUZZ DREAM

Here is what happened on May 7th. I wrote :

I'm so jacked up this morning. I had a vivid dream so real and weird and wonderful I had to get it down. I'm in the woods with Danny Gregory and we are calling in Tommy Kane. Turns out Kane lives in a tree. Danny knocks on the door at the base of this huge tree and Tommy's wife answers. I'm feeling sheepish and embarrassed because I don't know these people at all and it is kind of early to be knocking on doors.. Tommy's wife disappears without a word and then Kane appears in a tee shirt, underwear and hat. He looks like he just woke up. Kind of sleepy and scratchy. I figure he must be pissed off because here we are early and unannounced. Kane reaches up and gets a remote control, points it outside and says "Check this out"...he clicks...Danny turns around smiling and I see a barrage of colors fly out and turn into a giant peacock! Then I wake up and rush to my desk to draw this. Sketchbook Skool...Worth every penny!

 It was a lot of fun and we all had a day full of laughter.  The weird thing for me about this dream is that I didn't know Danny Gregory and Tommy Kane were working together at Danny's place in LA.  I pay attention to my dreams.  I keep a notebook by our bed and when I wake up from a dream I jot down single words or phrases in my sleepy state and go back to sleep.  In the morning when I get up I look at these "prompt" words and the details of the dream come back.  Sometimes I start at the end of the dream and work back.  The important thing is to write it all out.  I do this in a special Dream Journal.  Then I set about drawing a scene which tells the story.  This one came fast.  I got up at about 2:00am and finished it by 6:00pm,  color and all. When they come out fast it's great.  It's as if I just hold the pen or brush and the characters draw themselves.  I really love the Sketchbook School.  All the teachers were great, I've learned so much and most of all my fellow Klassmates are wonderful.  I love them all.

Here is the Facebook post: https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=1397808000502888&set=gm.317020511783638&type=1

Then:
Check the video:http://vimeo.com/94423701

MONMOUTH OREGON HOUSE

Out and about on a sunny day on the other side of town.  Uniball pen and watercolor in Moleskine sketchbook.

ART MAKING STUMPS

My father-in-law Art was a timber faller for 60 years.  He made a lot of stumps in that time.  Hard, dirty dangerous work.  He was injured a lot and probably used up all of his nine lives and then some.  He is very knowledgeable about the outdoors and the conservation of the forest.  At 82 he is still pretty active.  He no longer works in the woods but he still will cut out limbs and trees for people on their property.  He is expert and getting the felled trees to land right where he wants them.  And he is an all around good guy.
Watercolor and pen in Moleskine sketchbook.

CHURCH IN INDEPENDENCE

This church in on Main street in Independence Oregon .  It was a quick study made on a rainy windy day that I posted in Sketchskool.  I sat in my truck to draw it and left out a statue which stands out front.  I'll get back on a day with nicer weather and do a more complete rendering.  Watercolor and pen in Moleskine sketchbook.

HOUSES IN MONMOUTH

Now that the weather has improved I've been sketching the houses in Monmouth and Independence.  Uniball pen and watercolor 8 1/4" x 11" Moleskine sketchbook.

ONCE MORE WITH TARA

I painted this one of Tara in 1994.  18" x 24" oil on canvass.  She has come a long way since then.  The last time I visited her in the Netherlands she took me to the Kroller-Muller museum in Otterlo and we had a wonderful day.  Thank you for that time Tara.  We love you and are so proud of you.

MORE TARA

30" x 40" oil on canvass  1995
Tara sat for this and then it was painted mostly from a photograph.  It was one of the first portraits I ever painted so it started out as just an experiment. The look on her face is serious but she really is a lot more jovial and accessible than this.  She was a good sport about posing for me.  It is not an easy thing to do as I am a slow painter.  Really S.L.O.W.  We live in different countries now but I hope some day I can do a better portrait of her.  And this time I'll hone in on her wonderful personality and have her in more stylish clothing.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TARA!

Today is our Tara's birthday.  She is a remarkable woman.  A professor at The University of Amsterdam. Mother of three children.  One of the smartest people I know.  Loving, kind, generous and passionate.  Even as a child I knew there was something really special about her and that she was destined to do great things in this world.  She worked hard to get where she is. Nothing was given to her, she earned whatever she has. She always worked while attending school.  She has been all over the world.  Her passport has more pages stamped than any passport I've ever seen.  She's worked in China, Korea and taught school kids in Gaza, Palestine. If anybody can help foster world peace it's her. She has been a great influence in my life and she is one of my sheroes.  T: I know you are not that crazy about your birthday but I'm glad you came into this world.  We love you very, very much.
Oh, and she has the greatest laugh you'll ever hear.

COPY KANE SAN FRANCISCO

Tommy Kane's drawing in San Francisco is in his new book "An Excuse to Draw".  This is my version of it. For some reason I really like to make buildings in my drawings wavy.  Sometimes it bothers people. Perhaps they think I'm unbalanced.  When they tell me "Yeah, but that ain't the way a building really looks" I smile and tell them "Yeah, but I draw them the way I want you to see them".  The light bulb goes off in some peoples heads while others just shake their heads and wander off muttering under their breath.

COPY KANE BUILDINGS

Kane really does buildings, roofs and traffic control devices well.  I did manage to get some building tilt in this version, maybe too much.  I dunno, it's just fun to work on.  This was done in a Strathmore 400 Series sketchbook that claims it is "ideal to use for experimentation in the field or classroom and for perfecting technique with a variety of media".  So I used a Uniball pen, koi watercolors and PITT pens.  I don't get it when people complain when their paper crinkles or watercolor gets muddy.  What the heck?  It's just lines on paper and I'm having fun.  Even Bob Ross used to love "happy accidents".  To me it's all part of the experience and I roll with it.

FAMILY MEMORIES SKETCHBOOK 4

My Mom used to like to ride the Penn Central trains.  We took them to visit relatives of hers who lived in the Hudson Valley in New York.  Like the other drawings in this sketchbook I have used a black Uniball vision fine pen and PITT artist large brush pens by Faber-Castell in a Daler-Rowney Cachet sketchbook 7" x 10".

FAMILY MEMORIES SKETCHBOOK 3

The Guggenheim Museum on 5th Ave and 89th street.  Designed by Frank Lloyd Wright.  When my Mom would take me here it was like walking into a space station or another world.  I've never seen anything like this building anywhere.  I could never figure out how it could stand upright since it is larger on the top than on the bottom.

FAMILY MEMORIES SKETCHBOOK 2

Guernica 1937 by Picasso 11 feet 5/1 inches x 25 feet 6 inches.
I posted this on FB skool page.  My mother took me several times to see this painting when it was at MOMA.  The sheer size of this painting is staggering.  There is a scene in Julian Schnabel's movie Basquiat (excellent movie) where Basquiat's mother takes him to see this painting.  I completely related to that scene.  When you stand in front of this painting you understand the futility of war. In case you can't read what I wrote in the sketchbook it reads: My mother often took me to see this huge painting and she explained that it showed the tragedies of war and the suffering it inflicted on people, especially innocent civilians. It depicts the bombing of the city of Guernica in the Basque region of Spain by German and Italian war planes.  During World War Two Picasso was living in Nazi occupied Paris.  A Gestapo officer observed a photograph of this painting in Picasso's study and asked him "Did you do this?".
"No, you did" was Picasso's reply.