Monthly Archives: February 2012
Painting a Monarch Butterfly with Pastels
‘Beauty Among Us’ 11×14 pastel ©Karen Margulis
Not only are butterflies beautiful they are often powerful symbols. Many cultures associate the butterfly with life, hope, change. They can also symbolize celebration and journeys. I have heard many stories of Monarch butterflies appear after the death of a loved one. I have had the privilege of painting this beautiful butterfly in pastel. I have shared a step by step demo on my blog. I invite you to have a look HERE
Summer Meadow in Maine with Devil’s Paintbrush
‘Knee Deep in Wildflowers’ 11×14 pastel ©Karen Margulis
Do you need a good reason to use an Analogous Color Wheel? How about Harley’s Law for Color? If you are familiar with Harley Brown ‘s work and books then you may have read about his ‘Law for Color’ in his book ‘Harley Brown’s Eternal Truths for Every Artist’. The entire book belongs on every artist’s book shelf and the chapter on color is a must-read. Harley’s color wheel is based on the Munsell theory of Color. Using an Analogous Color Wheel will help you follow Harley’s Law. Read more about the Analogous Color Wheel in my post HERE. I used an Analogous colore wheel to help me select the palette for this painting.
New England Summer Landscape
‘Windswept Meadows’ 8×10 pastel ©Karen Margulis
I’ve got my shipping down to a science. Since I have been a member of Daily Painters.com for 6 years and now Daily Paintworks, I have shipped many pastel paintings to their new homes. And the method I use has not failed me. My paintings arrive safe and sound. I only ship unframed paintings. If I ship a framed piece to a show I use an airfloat box. So what is my shipping method? I make a foamcore sandwich! To read more and see photos of my shipping method see my post on my daily painting blog here.
Southeastern Marsh Painting 18×24
‘It’s A Beautiful Day’ 18×24 pastel
Some paintings take awhile to be born. This one has been waiting for a couple of years! It started out as a commission. The client wanted a large marsh painting with several very specific details. There was to be a jon boat and a tree with fishing nets in the foreground. The sky had to be a particular shade of blue. I got as far as blocking it in and doing the sky when the commission was cancelled due to family circumstances of the client. So I filed the painting away in a stack of foamcore pieces and forgot all about it. I discovered it a few weeks ago and not wanting to waste a big piece of paper (18×24) I starting thinking about how I could remake this painting. This is the end result. If you would like to see a step by step demo of the birth of this painting, I invite you to visit my daily painting blog HERE
Southwestern Sunset Pastel Painting
‘Chasing the Desert Sunset’ 8×10 pastel ©Karen Margulis
Sometimes less is more. Sometimes you need to take something away rather than add some more. And so it is when painting things that have fine lines such as grasses and branches. One of the first things a beginning pastel artist usually wants to know is how to make the fat pastel sticks make delicate fine lines. It actually is possible with the right touch and technique and I will share that in another post. There is another technique for creating fine lines and it involves an aluminum push pin! If you are interested in how this technique works you can see my daily painting post HERE.
Southwestern Winter Pastel with Complementary Colors
‘Winter Solitude’ 11×14 pastel
I love playing with Complementary colors. When deciding on what colors to use in an underpainting I often turn to using complimentary pairs. I shared my thoughts about using local colors to set up aerial perspective in a painting in my daily painting blog. Using complements in the underpainting can lead to a more exciting and interesting painting.This painting started with a watercolor underpainting in the compliments of the final colors used. See work in progress photos here.
“An artist finds his happiest combination in the play of complimentary colors. They are direct contrasts yet do not jar; they awaken the beholder,but do not disturb him.” Charles Burchfield
Some Thoughts on Naming a Painting
‘Beauty Emerges From the Mist’ 5×7 pastel ©Karen Margulis
Paintings deserve a good title. I admit that I am not the best at naming my paintings. Usually the titles are afterthoughts. And usually the titles are just descriptive like ‘Morning Marsh’ or Summer Meadow’. But I have been thinking about it a lot and I am convinced that titles should be given with thought. I know that when I like someone’s work, I also look at the title and I am drawn to the more evocative titles. A title such as ‘Kingdom by the Sea’ is more interesting than ‘The Sand Castle’. These evocative titles give me a little more insight into the artist and the painting. As Robert Genn says in his post about Painting Titles “… titles serve to confirm what’s seen but also to add knowledge, insight, and a glimpse into the author’s mind-set.” Genn says artists should take the time to determine what they are trying to say with their paintings and if the titles they choose supports or detracts from their purpose. I have renamed several of my wildflower paintings with titles that have more insight into my own thoughts of the painting. You can see them on my daily painting blog HERE
Wildflowers with Bumblebees pastel
‘Believe in Magic’ 19×27 pastel ©Karen Margulis
I have been wanting to add some bumblebees to my wildflower paintings so this one was a lot of fun to paint. I started the painting with a watercolor underpainting which I love for this subject. I enjoy the drips and unexpected blooms that come with the watercolor. If you would like to see a step by step demo of this painting please visit my daily painting blog here.
Twilight with Fireflies 18×24 pastel
‘Into the Twilight’ 18×24 pastel ©Karen Margulis
I love the versatility of pastels. There are so many ways to start a painting and one of my favorite ways is to start with oil paint. I do some kind of underpainting for probably 95% of my paintings. I find the painting process more exciting with an underpainting, especially the wet drippy ones. I recently posted a watercolor underpainting demo and starting with oils is similar but the results are most definitely different! To see a step by step demo of this painting, visit my daily painting blog here.