Sometimes the hardest thing to decide about a new painting is what medium to use.
I have a new image I want to start and I normally spend lots of time on design, color harmonies, accents, the narrative and armatures, but then the seemingly simple question- what to use to paint it- seems too hard.
Oil? pastel? watercolor? A mixture of them all? Then what surface? Do I need extra texture? More layering ability? What surface could enhance the final image? Do I see brushwork as being instrumental to the piece? Pastel could be bright and solid… But oil could give a dark and rich glow…
Sigh. So many decisions, so little time.
But then I thought, why choose?
I rarely do the same image twice. I feel like redoing someting has the potential to correct a bunch of things that may have gone sideways along the way in a painting, but in doing it again I tend to lose my enthusiasm for an image and then it…well, it just goes sideways. (and then I put it away and lose interest)
So I am trying a little experiment for myself. I am going to do the same image in oil and pastel at the same time. For the last year I have mentionaed that I have been bouncing around mediums and even subject matter. Plein air street scenes, scribbly portraits, oil on copper, water media panels, new pastel surfaces and grits. When I ask myself why am I doing all of this, my brain kept whispering to keep going… and that it would all meld together one day. (and no, I am not schizophrenic) So maybe this is it. I can bounce between the two and learn and apply the differences and also the similarities onto two images at once that can be side-by-side and I can learn from them both.
Or they will crash and burn.
Either way, I am having fun in Studio #10 at the Greenville Center for Creative Arts. Both paintbrush and pastel sticks in hand. Pop by.
Your creative dilemma reminds me of a difficult choice I and people with whom I work face. I do low budget film making and now days given the power of computers, software, etc., animation is well within the reach of even those who work with low budgets. So we ask ourselves, ‘Which will it be?’ Live action or animation?’ And we really do struggle with finding the proper medium in which to tell our stories.
Absolutely. The set up and direction can be tough to choose.
I hope you post samples while you go. This is very interesting.
Will do!
Love it – how true
I understand totally the not “feeling” the love by do overs. However, I only strived that once. (Differently substrates) I agree that the second was hard to finish. I haven’t felt the need to do that again. I do use a simple sketch Using the same, or nearly same subject when testing different pastel manufactures to different substrates. Apples. I bet I’ve done hundreds of them. I don’t have to see one to paint one. I’ve learned much about how the pastels react differently to different paper and boards. And how different sticks in the same set act differently. (You haven’t lived until you paint purple apples. ) I truly enjoy the incite in your blogs. I look forward to them. Thanks.
OOoh, looking forward to seeing the results! I have the same issue 🙂
Your experience inspire me to keep going. I doubt I will ever master any medium. But I have hopes of understanding a few techniques!
If you ever decide to do classes in oil I will definitely be there!
Good luck with the paintings!
I teach oils to my mentorship students. If you are looking to learn oil I have room for new students on Tuesday mornings or afternoons in Greenville. Let me know if you are interested.