Last week-end, I did those 2 studies in order to practice oil paintings and test some support
The first one is on paper, the second one on a cheap linen canvas board
After Lena Rivo
This week, I’ve bought oil paints, normal oils and not water-mixable oils. I’ve used water-mixable oils mainly because I paint in my appartement and it’s easy to clean brushes with just water and soap. Also in case of stains, it’s easy to clean with water. Finally I thought oil paints were harmful if we use them in the place we live due to solvants, turpentine etc, and I thought the smell of paint were strong.
Actually we dont need to use harmful solvants when we paint with oils. And, the paint itself doesnt smell. And they are not harmful except colors with cadmium and cobalt, but just if your skin is in contact. That’s why it’s recommended to use gloves when painting.
Also we can clean the brushes with kitchen oil to remove the paint from the brushes and with liquid soap and water.
And in case of stains, if it’s noticed quickly, we can use water. If it’s dry, we need to use alcohol, as for dry water-mixed oils
So, i decided to jump in and paint with normal oils.
I did this color chart and feel how creamy the paint were
I’ve bought colors from several brands on purpose: Micharl Harding, Old Holland, Rembrandt and Winsor & Newton
I did also this sketch to test on paper. It was really fun !
Last week, I’ve bought some linen canvas from Claessens in an art supply store in Paris, as I wanted to test this support. I’ve always painted oils on paper on cotton boards.
I got my water-mixable oils from Winsor & Newton and decided to use them directly from the tubes, with no medium, no water, as I want to practice using oils with no medium as much as possible. I’ve ordered “normal” oil paints from several brands and should be able to test them this week.
I decided to copy some Sorolla’s paintings, one of my favorite painters, after photo I took in an exhibition in Barcelona 2 years ago.
After getting used again with oils, the objective was to study Sorolla’s way to apply paint and his brushstrokes: Thinner in shadows, thicker in sunny area. And also apply paint with a little texture even if flat areas, such as the sky and the water as in the paintings below. The first one was too flat (maybe my gouache reflex), but in the second one, you can see more textured work.
During the past two weeks, I made studies and tests for a new oil pastels painting. I wanted to paint after a photo of the 2 little boys of a friend. I wanted to paint human figure, skin tones, reflections of lights bouncing everywhere on the bodies.
My main challenge was to paint with a still new medium for me: oil pastels.
Before to be able to achieve this result, I made crappy tests, black and white values studies, color studies and the final version was painted in 3 sessions, even if it’s quite a small painting: the younger brother first, the elder brother next, and then the final adjustements.
See some photo of the process:
Last weekend, I did a solo gouache painting trip in Vernon and Giverny. I stayed in Vernon so I painted mainly there around La Seine river. I painted the old mill twice, in the afternoon and in the morning. I painted the river in a misty morning surrounded by ducks and gooses. And finally, the view from the balcony of my apartment
Preparing dinner, oil pastels on Sennelier paper
After a scene from “Phantom Thread” movie. I havent seen it when it has been released in 2017, but watched it recenlty in a cinema in Paris
Love that scene :))))
Back to studio painting and to oil pastels than I havent used for more than 2 months. Oil pastels are real joy paint with
Sketches mainly with watercolor done on location during a trip in Emilia-Romagna and Veneto in May 2024: Bologna, Modena, Carpi, Parma, Ravenna, Ferrara, Padova, Vicenza, Verona
This is a video of my Crete sketchbook, with all my gouache studies painted on location during my trip in March 2024
Some gouache studies painted on location during a week-end dedicated to painting in Arcachon and Cap-Ferret
I’ve spent 2 weeks in Crete in March and did around 15 sketches, painted with gouache, all on location
After 2 studies to be less intimidated, I did the bigger painting yesterday on a 24*30 cm Pastelmat.
It took me around 4 hours to complete the painting, with a break after the third hour.
Thanks to the small study done with oil pastels, i had my selection of colors, that made the bigger painting process less overwhelming 🙂
Small study (10*12cm) done with pastel pencils, in order to understand the values and colors of this composition. Next step will be a small study again, but with oil pastels. Then, I will tackle a bigger painting with oil pastels.
Gouache studies painted in location: Amalfi coast, Matera and Puglia (Lecce, Monopoli, Gallipoli, Peschici) – Dec 23/ Jan
These are paintings made with oil pastels from Sennelier (softer) and Neopastel from Caran d’Ache (more opaque)
Yesterday, I bought new oil pastels from several brands, to test their quality. Sennelier is really creamy, soft and opaque, so it’s great for top layers. Mungyo, Talens or Sakura are harder, so good for first layers. I found also in my drawer my old little set of Neocolor 2 from Caran d’Ache. It’s always fun to discover a new medium
Flowers in the garden, after a photo I took during my trip in Italy in May
Gouache on paper
Bad weather is perfect to perform some master studies at home.
Studies from Paul Serusier, James Wilson Morrice, Clarence Gagnon and Lena Rivo
All done in gouache in my hot-pressed paper sketchbook
Sunday practice of the view on Alexandre III bridge and Grand Palais, along with @3lodab, who painted the same view in oils
Gouache on paper
This week, I did a night plein air painting session, in Paris, with a group of painters
Sunday afternoon plein air near the river Seine, during a meeting with 2 others Paris painters
These are the gouache sketches I did during my trip in Hokkaido, Japan, all on location
September 2023
My paintings done en plein-air, Le Pouliguen, France. August 2023.
Gouache on Canson cold-pressed paper.
Sunday morning plein air practice, clouds moving fast due to wind
Sunday Morning plein air painting, at Jardin des Tuileries. Gouache on paper
Sketchbook started last summer 2022, watercolor in Scotland, gouache in Paris and various studies.
Quai de Seine, Master copy after the impressionist Russian Painter Bato Dugarzhapov
Oil on canvas 18*24cm
You can check my gouache and watercolor sketches done on location in Northern Italy in May 2023, in the main menu of my website
They were painted in Alba, Pavia, Mantova, Lago di Garda, Cinque Terre, Genova and Torino
Some of them were painted during grey and cloudy days, others under a strong sun and some were interrupted by rain and storm. This is the joy (and difficulties) of plein air painting!
Violets, gouache on paper
After a Stuart Park’s painting that I saw in Glasgow last summer
Studio cloud painting after a study I did at Champlieu, in the Compiègne’s forest
After the storm, Jardin des Tuileries, Paris.
Gouache on W&N watercolor cold-pressed paper
Portrait parctice, mainly on skin tones and values, with oil painting on paper in my sketchbook
Study of clouds and value relationships between the clouds and the lights on the building
After a big storm, the sun is back. Sunrise painting of the Gran Castello in Ir-Rabat je Gozo island
From the bow-window of my hotel in Rabat, near the entry of the lovely old city of Mdina
Quick sketches of Birgu and Casa Rocca Piccola’s garden
First morning sketch from the Upper Barraka Gardens.
Gouache on paper
Severals sketches done on location. Colored pencils, pens, Posca pens, Ecoline brush pens…
A5 hot-pressed sketchbook from Etchr. November 2021 – September 2022.
All sketches are done with gouache.
Sketches done on location or studies.
Julie Manet, after Ernest Rouart
Painted in gouache on Etchr hot-pressed sketchbook
Some figure studies in watercolor, after the great american teacher Charles Reid
Just needed to paint a quick gouache sketch at home, after several weeks of using watercolor exclusively
This is view of Kyle of Tongue, one of the most beautiful landscape I saw in the Highlands
I completed a full sketchbook during my first two weeks in Scotland and started a second one
See below the a sketchbook tour of the first one, and you can see my sketches in my Scotland gallery if you click here.
I will publish soon my watercolor paintings done in my sketchbooks, during my trip to Scotland this summer 2022
See below the painting I’ve done at 7 am in a lounge room in my hotel at PortPatrick, when everyone is still sleeping…
According to me, one the best sketchbook for watercolor is the Etchr cold pressed sketchbook.
Not really possible to use it for pen and ink, but for watercolor, this heavy paper is the best.
I love the look of the sketch, and the paper is very forgiving. I can go back to the clouds with no risk of dirty blooms.
You can compare it with the 3 tests I did on the other sketchbooks from my previous posts. On smooth paper, the colors are more vivid, but I find it more difficult to create soft edges and mix colors on paper.
Testing the paper of several sketchbooks
-Watercolours Book from Boesner. 250 g/m2
-Premium Sketchbook Zeta Series from StillMan & Birn 270gm2
-Watercolour book cold pressed 250g/m2 from Hahnemühle
Still life practice.
Oil painting on mdf pannel primed with gesso
Photo reference: Remi Cárdenas
This is my study of a painting done by the landscape painter Lena Rivo. I wanted to practice some situations I had during my trip to Mediterranean Sea during sunset: the contrast, the sparkles on the water, the colors.
Gouache on paper.
All painted on location: Marseille, Cassis, Cap Canaille, Hyères, Porquerolles, Saint-Tropez, Saint-Paul-de-Vence, Antibes, Nice.
Gouache on paper.
