The Face Sketch....

Hey Folks,

I am doing a short post today and I will resume talking about planes of the face starting on Monday. I am off to the Bay Area to work on a project with my bud FX ( I am bringing my pastels to capture Bhagdad by the Bay ). But I just wanted to post a short thought about painting sketches of a face for a larger painting. It has been traditionally a good idea to paint a small sketch of the portrait you are about to begin. Its a good time at this point to experiment with some colors that you may have never tried before. Painting a small color sketch also familiarizes you with the subject and you start identifying with their features and personality and Humanity. You begin to really feel the person and they become more than an excuse to push around paint and show off your talent. At the end of the day, I want the viewer to feel THEM more than me.

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There is a great CANVAS weekend sale at JERRY"S ARTARAMA . I missed their 20% off sale Memorial weekend. The savings at Jerry's is really really good.

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Feeling the Hairline

Greetings Again,

Today I will discuss an oversight or misrepresentation that the student must address in painting portraits. And that is how to address the edge where hair meets skin , commonly called the hairline. The artist has to make a choice in how he will paint the edge caused by the color and value of the hair against the skin tone. I usually see the most trouble where the sitter has dark black hair. For that reason I am displaying two portraits where the subjects have dark hair.

The top painting is by Giorgione and is one of my all time favorites. I can look forever at this portrait of a young man , 1510 . It is at the San Diego Museum of Art ( hey Jeremy , get a good photo of this for me! ) . First off , by way of comparisons ( and most painting IS COMPARING shapes and values to one another to arrive at the right tones ) , look at A. The highest and sharpest contrast in value and edge is right at the collar line. In some ways he has " broken the rule" What rule is that Frank? It's the formulaic rule that says the the center of interest should be where the hardest edge occurs and where there is the highest value contrast. Giorgione masterfully gives us a small shape of shirt white to offset the softness of the rendered face. It works! But look what he has done with the hairline at " B". SEE HOW SOFT IT TURNS! Wow. No hard edge here. He gently looses the edge as the hairline , WHICH IS TURNING AWAY FROM THE LIGHT because it is a SIDE plane ( more on that next ) , and we FEEL the hair. As we move down towards B.1 see how he suggests the hair. He has not painted every strand . He has kept the value of the hair back in space and has SUGGESTED some hair strands here and there. This is a tour de force in my book. Giorgione has IMPOSED a hierarchy of skillfully rendered edges on this face. Look at the softness of the edge on the left cheek as compared to the shirt edge. I am going to move on to the next example but I believe a whole lecture can be given on Portraits just using Giorgione's painting.

So, what do we glean from this? The harder the edge you give the hairline the more POSTER like your painting will feel. If that is what you intended then you are on track, but if you had not considered this before , then paint in in such a way that the viewer FEELS the softness of the hair. The magic is making oils disappear and having hair appear...think about that!




Next is a painting I stood in front of for what seemed to me hours. This is a painting at the London National Gallery by Titian. Notice how on "C" that the hairline above his forehead is softer that the shirtline. You need to see this subtle edge difference. But then see what happens when the hairline moves down toward the ear and then across the chin line on the beard. See how gradually Titian softens this edge? I mean , this is awesome. Think of the hairline as 3rd string trumpet ( I'm a trumpet player ) . Its not the melody so have it be a supporting element that shows off the eyes nose and mouth!

Next....Planes....

Painting Portraits by Ordaz

Happy Birthday Isaac. 17 years old today! This is a small sketch for a painting I am composing called " what if? " Isaac had a great time in cross country and he and several teammates got flu like symptoms right around the time of the section finals. He lost a minute and a half off his time and almost passed out 3/4 through the race. But he finished and was somewhere else in thought as he surveyed the winners.






Dear Reader,

I hope all is well with you and that you are prospering in your art pursuits. I am demonstrating how I go about painting a portrait with the knowledge that there are many more qualified to do this but if I have your attention then it is my hope that I may add some information that may help you in achieving your goal. It is also important to understand that there are many other techniques that are equally valid, however, the student must find and apply an approach that works for him or her. Because at the end of the day, the sitter is not going to care how you came about to do it, only that it looks like them!

Having taught portrait painting many times over , for review , I tend to see the same mistakes repeated time and again. One area that seems to be difficult for the student is getting the right length of the nose. More often than naught, the nose of a sitter is often painted or drawn too long. There is a remedy for this. One way is to take a picture and project the photo onto the canvas. Of course that would take the fun out of painting. There is another way and that is triangulation and measuring with your paintbrush. You have probably heard this term Triangulation applied to politics but it is also applicable to surveying. Once you have established a "Benchmark" you can accurately find other locations by means of a triangle. This is contingent that you have established one point in the portrait as your benchmark. In our case, it will be the eye.

I often start out drawing a circle for placement of the head in a light wash. I then locate the horizontal and vertical center and indicate that with a light wash line. Often times I see students draw these lines fairly thickly and with much pigment. That may be okay if your subject will be in the shade but if your portrait has a lot of light areas you will spend unnecessary time painting over the dark lines. Once I have established one eye location I establish the next eye location as best I can. There is always adjustments and shifts at the initial stage so take your time and really look and see what is happening on the individuals face. I have attached a schematic by Andrew Loomis, a noted illustrator who wrote many how to books in the 40's, and his proportional lines are a good learning tool to get general proportions right. Of course, I have yet to find that perfect chiseled face. What makes you you is your uniqueness. We are not cookie cutter and the artist who paints every sitter like a Disney Portrait Session will soon end up with a tired repetitive formula.

I will use the tried and true average of the "Thirds method" in locating the mouth , eyebrows and hairline horizontals but they are only suggestions at this point. I will use my brush and align the center of the eye ball to the bottom of the nose . I do this with my arm fully extended. This alignment will create an angle. As this angle intersects the third that locates the bottom of the nose I have roughly located the proper distance of the nose. I then check the triangle that I have created with the two eyes and the bottom of the nose.

Okay here is the REALLY COOL part and it really works. Measure with the end of your brush extended the distance between the eye ball centers. Now keep your thumb at the measurement point and place one end over the eyeball center as best you can and the other end with your thumb at the bottom of the nose. The sitters nose will be slightly longer or shorter of this measurement. Its really works and will help you get that important feature right the first time out. Trust me it works!




Understanding planes is one way of painting a portrait. These are small drawings I did for my students in explaining the contours of the eye socket.

Below are some photos taken by one of my students of a portrait demo. I had a photo of my mom and it is important to SEPARATE your lights from your darks. This is a mantra that all my students get after taking one of my classes. A painting breaks down when too much is seen in the shadow area or the light masses is broken up with too many halftones. Keep the light planes as simple and distinct as you can. Questions welcomed.






Tomorrow ANOTHER COMMON MISTAKE made by all of us...treating the hairline.

Catching up Old with the NewCastle

Dear Reader,

I went out to paint yesterday in 94 degree weather and luckily my pal Silvio had some extra turpenoid as mine had evaporated. It was pure joy to paint these old trucks. We found a place that has a warehouse of old decaying trucks overgrown with blackberries and such just waiting to be painted. It was too hot for prissy Silvio and he bailed on me. It was just me and the old memories that these old rusted trucks could tell. What was their story? Who drove them? what parts of our country did they see?.......and oh yeah, I dropped the painting on the scorched grass as I was preparing to leave. You can see traces of debris that I left on the upper right corner.

Anyway, I came home and finished up the truck on the left and my youngest Dave asked me if I was prepared for Wednesday's presentation of my Art at his grammar school in the morning? Yikes . I had miscalculated because of Monday's holiday and had forgotten about it. I was planning to get up early and do a thoughtful post about getting the triangle right in painting Portraits but instead I am putting together samples to show the little brats at Bowman Elementary. I did not want to rush the post as I feel that it deserves some careful explaining and thoughtful elaboration.....so here is a filler until that time...

Tip Alert......Sometimes someone gives you a tip about a new material that can make all the difference in the world. Well Mick McGinty of " Twice a Week" has been singing the praises of Gamblin's " Flake White Replacement" to me for awhile now and before he left he gave me a tube. I used it on this painting and it is terrific!!!!!!! It performs as if you added a bit of stand oil. It is a " drier" white and floats on the surface as you apply it over other paint. It's wonderful if you want to see the color underneath a stroke. It has great body and is ideal for scumbling. 5 stars.

A Big Ol Salute

Dear Reader,


ON BEING FRANK stops regular programming today and honors those soldiers who served and payed the highest price with their lives . We remember and salute our brave servicemen and women on Memorial Day. The life of an artist can often times be so self consuming that we can easily forget what is happening around us.

On days like today I remember the brave men and women who served with my uncle Ralph in WWII. My Uncle Ralph is a survivor of the Bataan Death March in the Phillipines. He was a prisoner of war for 3 years. Hearing him recount stories of what it was like back then in prison and seeing men die every day really has made me appreciate the sacrifices of our enlisted soldiers. We will have a ceremony to honor our fallen warriors in Auburn Ca at 9 AM. I will be there.

The portrait painting tips resume this week.

Norma

Dear Reader,

So much has happened this week.I plan to resume my postings on portrait painting next week but I feel passionately that I must share with you the impact Norma has had on my life.

I met Norma Yocum when I was 11. She was going door to door in our neighborhood campaigning for assemblywoman in our district. As she came inside our living room she was impressed with my drawings and she became a mentor and friend to me ever since. She has written me letters from that time until now. I have kept a good majority of them. She is 99 years young and has always had the energy of a steam locomotive as she was raised by a father that worked on the railways around the country. Norma is a can do woman. She was mayor of Alhambra Ca.and was instrumental in introducing me to Sam Hyde Harris, a prominent California Plein Air painter , who was also instrumental in my artistic development. She also introduced me to Ronald Reagan when he was Governor of California. She has continually encouraged me on to artistic achievement ever since I can remember and has remained one of my fiercest cheerleaders.

We will be driving to Napa today to visit Norma as her health is failing and her last letter that I received this week shows me that physical ailments are getting her down. Also, the business her and husband started in the 50's , Yocum Business Furniture closed its doors last year. She is a believer. And her spirit has been felt literally throughout the world by way of 100 letter writing correspondences that she keeps. She has always chided me that I am not a letter writer but I think she would be proud, if she had internet, to know that I write a Blog about my art world.

She wrote me something about writing that I want to share....

The Art of writing a letters is something that can be learned---by much serious practice. It has been my hobby since I can remember. One of my high school papers that I saved is in fact a letter written to a non-existing friend. The teacher gave me an A+ and she wrote a note to me that said: "If all your letters are as interesting and as well written as this your friends will indeed be blest."I have kept that in my mind and I try to make every letter I write one that is worth the reading.

My simple steps in writing a letter are:

1. Take a blank sheet of paper and pen. Lay them before you and take a moment to think of the person you are writing to. Remember the friendship you share. Does your friend have a need for sympathy, for encouragement , for entertainment , for information?
2. Mentally embrace your friend and give him a sincere greeting. Let him know that the two of you are alone and together. What is about to be said is for him alone---and he must know that it is the truth.
3. Now proceed to tell him a story.
4. That is all there is to it. You must enjoy the time you spend together and he will too. It has been a visit you yearned for, one of pure joy.

Norma has lived a rich and full life and has given me a special friendship. She has truly blessed so many friends like me with her letters. It is one of lifes absurdities that she has outlived so many close friends.

She sent me something 3 years ago that has impacted my walk. She has written a saying or aphorism for each year of her life. I will list some that have touched me and spured me on to reflection and action. Some are more serious than others as Norma loves to laugh and has that golden sparkle in her eye.

9. When I waved to people in the country, they stopped what they were doing and waved back!

15 It is hard to admit it, but I'm secretly glad my parents are strict.

24 Silent company is often more healing than words of advice.

26 Brushing my child's hair is one of Life's great pleasures.

42 There are people who love you dearly, but just don't know how to show it. Be kind and generous with them.

51 You can tell a lot about a man by the way he handies thses four things - a rainy day, lost luggage, a tangle of Christmas tree lights, or a meal that isn't ready when he is.

61 If you want to do something positive for your children, love their Mother more deeply and tell her that you love her.

83 Even when I have pains, I don't have to BE ONE. ( she was recovering from cancer when she wrote this )

96 I have learned that if you like yourself and treat yourself with kindness and humility, people will like you too.


There are more golden jewels but this post would be pretty lengthy. As I grow older I am more aware of the blessings heaped upon me by Norma. What a wonderful priviledge it has been to have met Norma! Its time for me to be a Norma to my friends.


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ON BEING FRANK salutes our galant men and women who have given their lives for this country on Memorial Day.

Buying a Car?

Sorry for not posting today but Jana and I are in the market for a new car. The car salesman is the missing link and these guys are wearing me out. I am mentally beat by the end of the day. We even had a guy run after us as we drove away....


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Seeing is Painting and Painting is Seeing

Well today I start my foray into a little portrait teaching. I have taught portraiture many times and I see several mistakes and patterns committed by students. By teaching some easily understood methods and approaches to seeing masses , proportion and planes a student can , with careful deliberate study, become proficient in painting a competent portrait. I mention competent with the intention that not all portraits will be inspired and full of life. The quality of putting LIFE into a portrait requires that special something where the artist identifies with the spirit of the sitter and tells his story with truth and conviction. I am impressed by those artists that have the flair of painting with much confidence and boldness of stroke. I admire the athleticism of their application of paint. But often times I see more of them than the sitter. Its as if the sitter could have been anyone and the portrait was just another vehicle to impress peers.

A story. I got into the habit of painting miniature portraits for friends awhile back. I would give them as presents. There was one friend who was married with 3 children. He was a man, who in his past, was dragged through the mud . He was rejected by his father and had no friends, Drugs were his only reliable companions. He was an outcast. As he spoke to our church he recounted how he often felt suicidal. Then one day he was touched by Grace and was saved. I was listening intently in the audience when he mentioned that his friend Frank had painted a small portrait of himself with his new daughter. He said he saw in the painting a confident masculine man who was loving and being loved by his daughter. He mentioned that the painting gave him an image .... a vision of himself that was the total opposite of the voices of ridicule and shame from his past. It was at that moment that I felt the full impact of how important a portrait can speak and minister into the heart of the sitter.

Okay...here we go...Let me start with some COMMON mistakes I see time and time again with students. As you look at the image on top you will see that I have the letter A on the right cheek. A is surrounded by the dark shadow cast by the nose and the dark shadow area on the side of the face that moves back and away from the light source. Often times this area is painted BRIGHTER than it really is by the student. They are fooled by the contrast of the darks around the plane of the cheek. I see this time and again. What I do to show the student this truth is to paint this area in a demo and then compare the light mass on the right cheek versus the light mass on the left cheek. They are often amazed that the area mass on the right is a step darker than the left side mass. Its great to see the light bulb above their head pop on. ...Now the student is starting to SEE. I have taken a small section from each cheek and compared them on his shirt.

Okay, let me briefly state some things as my wrist is started to ache ( drat ). Look at C and C.2 and how I have made the highlights on the hair set back and NOT COMPETE with the face. I usually see students overemphasize the highlights of the hair. Why? What is so important about getting that glossy sheen compared to the attraction of the EYES on the face. If I showed you just the eyes and took the same space and showed you a sample of the hair ...from which sample would you identify the sitter? Notice how the highlight gets rounded as it moves away from the light source.

Now the obvious. ALWAYS be aware of where your light source is. How strong is the light? What is its intensity? Is it a diffused or direct light?

Also , as the light trails off towards the bottom of the face again I see too much emphasis on making " B" too bright. Think about SETTING IT BACK.




Next I will explain the triangle and how it can really help you site see the relationship between the nose and eyes and enable you to get it looking right every time...next....


Another common mistake...seeing way too much in the shadow area. More on that too.



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Isaac Portrait Demo

I wanted to post this for awhile...but my plate is full lately. I am TOTALLY reinstalling software on my iMac as the main volume was so corrupted that performance was deteriorating daily.

Any way, this is a 9 x 14 oil portrait demo that I did last summer for my portrait class in about 3 hours. I worked from a photo of my son Isaac and laid in the masses quickly. I used just 3 colors. Titanium White, Venetian Red and Ivory Black. I will discuss some basic concepts in following posts for the few that are interested. There are some key elements to get right in painting portraits and I will show you some trade secrets. I am a firm believer that if you have a good model or photo, you should be able to do a good competent portrait in about 3 hours time.

The Soloist and TeZeus

A mural that TeZeus painted of himself.


Jana and I went out into the night and saw a new Hollywood release called “ The Soloist”. I was in the mood for a dramatic story line but I was not prepared for the emotional spiral I was soon to experience. The movie is a true life account about a young black youth whose giftings on the cello soon admits him to Julliard. Once there he unexplainably experiences severe schizophrenic bouts which eventually causes him to drop out. We find him on the streets of Los Angeles Ca. playing violin as the movie starts. The movie played on , but I was haunted by the memory of my friend TeZeus. I kept flashing on his face throughout the movie. Terrence Parker...TeZeus.....

As we walked back to our car. Jana carried on a conversation with me but I was no longer there in Auburn. I was 13 and showing my drawings at an Art Show in Pasadena behind City Hall. As I sat by my sketches a young man came up to me and started complimenting my scribbles. He said he was an artist and poet. He was 17 years old. His name was Terrence Parker. He was an unusual looking black youth as his skin color was mocha like me but he had freckles around his nose and his short afro was reddish brown. My dad told him about my art teacher, Theodore Lukits and soon Terrence would ride with us to L.A. on Saturdays and take classes along side me. But there was something strange about Terrence . He would never quite look you in the eye when he talked to you and he always seemed to be somewhere else. As we drove he would be gesturing in the air and silently speaking with himself. He could draw like Da Vinci and I am not blowing smoke here. He saw himself as a classist at a time when Abstract Expressionism was Dictator. His dream was to paint murals like Michaelangelo.

He drifted out of our lives for awhile and then one day he walked from Pasadena to where I lived in Monterey Park and he looked different. He was dressed like a cross between Jimmy Hendrix and Shakespearean Dandy. By now he had one of those bulbous afros that glowed bright red and he waved a walking stick as he strolled up to our front door.He “air painted” as he walked up our steps.He was covered with bright colored scarves tied around his legs...he announced to us that he was now TEZEUS. Uomo Universale...Renaissance Man. His goal in life was Art and he wanted to pursue commissions where he could paint large murals.

The challenge for TeZeus was that he was a strange combination of introvert and exhibitionist that often times scared people with his sudden histrionics as he imagined himself, in his mind , in the act of painting. I must tell you that he was a very kind soul who felt that he was born in the wrong era. He never seemed to have a permanent address and he often was carrying his poems and artwork around with him. He walked everywhere and never drove a car...at least as far as I know. He saw himself as Don Quixote and waxed eloquent in his poetry of his devotion to secret loves and the charms and beauty of womankind. He would eventually do large murals around Pasadena for the Urban League and local restaurants but he was pretty much hand to mouth and many patrons took advantage of him. He always painted his portrait into every mural he designed. At least he tried. He was a colorful fixture on Colorado Blvd.

The last time I saw TeZeus he arrived in my doorstep in Northern California while I was working at ILM. He had hitchhiked to Jamaica and back ( don’t ask me how ) and seemed truly exhilarated about his art . He even taught me how to dance to Ska. He is probably the fiercest free spirit I have ever met and his vision for his life was to be a bohemian and follow the muse of his art. I have no idea where he is now and I hope he has an internet connection as I would love to see what he is doing these days. Where are you Tezeus?

Mendocino Morning

Last Summer , our Art Fellowship group stayed on a campground known as the Lord's Land. Its a very short distance from Mendocino and it was started in the 60's by a women who had a heart for wandering hippies. She invited them onto her many acres of land and they built hobbit like cabins on the property. We had 20 art types stay in the main hobbit house and we ate , played and painted. It was a great time. While everyone was snoring I woke up early to catch the first light and I saw these tangled cypress trees, like old craggly gates opening up to a cobalt blue Pacific Vastness. I was removed to another world and dimension and again my friends this is why we stay here in California and tolerate so much political incompetence!

I wasn't planning on posting this 11 x 14 oil painting but my friend Mick really liked it when he stopped by on Monday. So heres to you Mr. McGinty...

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Painting with Mick and Craig

One of the pleasures of painting outdoors is that it can sometimes be a communal event. On Monday Mick McGinty of "Twice a WeeK" , Craig Stephens of " Daily Painting" and I set out for No Hands Bridge and painted away. It was great comradarie as Art can often times be a lonely exercise just short of forced solitary confinement.

I decided to do something different and paint without my glasses on. Since my eyes are so bad, I get the effect of painting with a perpetual squint. We painted for about 2 hours and I returned yesterday to the same spot and wrapped up this 11 x 14 with some detail. My first attempt was pretty lame. But I really could relax the second day and play with color temperatures.

Star Trek Time Again

This is a scan from a polaroid printout that I saved. It has paint and smudges all over it. Its the only copy of the painting that I own. If memory serves me right , there is a a copy of this image in an old copy of Cinefx . Painted in acrylics and oils.



I believe I'm praying that this backing will come out OK. Wait a minute. I could not be praying , because I was a dilussional atheist around this time.





I guess its Star Trek time again and the new movie is a big hit from what I hear. I worked on several Star Trek movies and frankly other than the Wrath of Khan with that Latin Villain Ricardo Montalban playing Khan I could not tell you the names of the other movies. I have forgotten them. Most of the movies that I worked on have receeded into the gray closets in my brain locked away forever to keep me sane.

My first background painting was for E.T. and I had literally no clue what I was doing. Hey Frank...You are needed on the stage to paint a 15' backing for the establishing shot for E,T. and it needs to be done by a weeks time and Steven Spielberg is going to expect it to be real good. Now go do it and no pressure. Right.




The top image is the beginning stages of a matte painting for one of the Star Treks . I was painting in acrylics back then and I was very comfortable with that medium. I have not worked in acrylics since thank God. The black area in the center of the painting is where the live action will be wedged into the very fake alien landscape. They were really fun to do.

This bottom image was for a backing that included fancy aeronautical flips and dives from an alien space craft. You know, stuff young 14 yearolds pay lunch money to see.

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I spent the good part of today with Mick McGinty of " Twice A Week" . We did a 6 minute video that I will post sometime this week. He was still on a high from teaching at the Masterpiece Conference at the BoxR Ranch. We later went to the Confluence of the American River and joined Craig Stevens of "Daily Painting" and had even more fun painting No Hands Bridge.

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I will share more books in my library. Next will be the John Stobart Out Door Painting Book.

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My hand is feeling better!

Happy Mothers Day

I ALMOST forgot it was Mothers Day. Happy Mothers Day to all you women out there who have nurtured brats like me into adulthood.

Of course my momma is a very special person. If it wasn't for her constant nurturing and encouragement, I would probably be a homeless artist peddling signs by a grocery store that read "will sketch for food...God Bless." She always told me that I could do it. I still remember her bringing me food when I first moved out of the house ( come to think of it...was she spying on me...). Oh the many heartaches and heart breaks of a mother.

I drew this colored pencil portrait of her about 18 years ago. She is famous around our family for being afraid of catching a cold. It could be 90 degrees outside and she would still be bundled up. In fact, the utility of being protected from the elements is more important than color choices and matching clothes . The combinations she uses at times can be downright hysterical...of course I would never tell her that. " Mom..You are just a beautiful Woman...I love You" your little boy Frank.


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Inspiration Sunday

If you are hyper and amped up like me...I mean..I was born caffeinated...then having high energy music playing while you are painting is standard fare. I also loke music that gives me a positive message. If you like the reggae beat with a Christian message pounding into your brain connectors then may I suggest ....Christafari...see you next week!!!!!!

Robert Sandidge Wins the Sonoma Plein Air Competition!!!!

Robert Sandidge won this years Sonoma Juried Plein Air Competition. Congratulations Bob!

I have had the good pleasure of painting with Robert many times and he is a real inspiration. My guess is that he will be insufferable for awhile as he beat out some real good competiton with a 15 x 30 painting. My buddy Silvio is on his way to the event and I was stuck here meeting an illustration deadline. Drat. I really wanted to be there.


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I erased my Star Trek post and I will post it another time....


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Man with no Eyes Paints!

Everyone should be put in DebbieLynns seat for one day. She is one of the most inspiring individuals that I have met in my lifetime.. She has no use of her limbs and she struggles to speak but her mind and spirit are sharp as a Ginsu Knife. She is also one of the funniest person's to have around at a party. Her laugh is infectious.Her Blog is called Joyfully Christian Woman's Museum and it is here http://joyfullychristianladysmuseum.blogspot.com/

She has read my blog and turned me on to a video that shows a Turkish man who sees images in his mind even though he was born without sight. Be prepared to be moved and filled with wonderment.

Box R in Ashland Oregon

A big hug and shout out to my friends at the Box R Ranch Workshop today through Saturday. Mick McGinty of " Twice a Week" is doing a demo and the very talented Michael DuDash will also be demonstrating. The Big Norse , Chris Hopkins , will be there to enforce total compliance from any slacker. If you are in the area...you can still stop by! Just say Frank said it was cool. The purpose of the Workshop Conference is to strengthen skills and inspire Christian artists to use their giftings to glorify God.





The Big Norse , Chris Hopkins in Green, threatens (;v) Tim Solliday on the sparse amount of paint on his palette. These former wrestlers are just waiting for a flinch.




Tim Solliday waxing up the lather as he demos in front of an adoring crowd.

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It's 1:24 my time and I just talked to the Big Norse. There are about 30 participants this year from as far away as Montreal , Canada at the Conference!

Mick McGinty of " Twice a Week " will be stopping by and making a visit to " On Being Frank" on his way back to Arizona. Look for a joint video broadcast with the ever shy McMan. Also...we will be Plein Air painting at the Confluence Monday and hopefully I'll get Craig Stephens of " Daily Painting" to join or motely crew. We paint and then we hit the Auburn AleHouse....RRRRRRR matee!


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Its getting better

Folks, I may have discovered part of my problem with my wrist. It could be my lack of ergonomic care on my desktop computer. So for now , I am typing on my MacBook and I will keep the chicken pecks to a minimum.

I did this video on the fly and I am a wee bit repetitive and I mentioned Marin County. I meant Placer County. I lived in Marin for 15 years and sometimes I get confused...I also have bad dreams.

For those interested....

Asaro A New Romanticism , Artra Publishing ISBN 0-936725-06-0

Next Book on the block will be " The Pleasures of Painting Outdoors with John Stobart"
NorthLight Books
ISBN 0-89134-54

Asaro's Golden Age

I hope to make sharing my book collection a regular feature and I will include links in future posts.

Healing

As some of you have noticed , I am not posting as much as my wrist is really giving me problems. I am praying for a miraculous healing as this is starting to bum me out. I am not too thrilled about painting with my teeth or feet but if that's what its going to have to happen , well........






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Artist's Materials

Flake White vs. Cremnitz White...What's the difference?




“If a job is worth doing...It is worth doing well” So many problems can be avoided if this aphorism would be taken to heart . And one area that I have seen neglected over the years out of either ignorance or laziness is the proper attention to materials and technique . As an illustrator , Norman Rockwell was not concerned with permanence and many of his paintings were completed without regard to how the layers would react over time. He expected his paintings to eventually explode. Some collectors have been put on notice about his lack of concern in this area. In many ways, the artist is a semi alchemist , he uses tinctures of metals and earth soil floated in a medium and mixes his witches brew on a fibrous weave of plant material. When these distinct elements come in contact with each other over time they will follow the molecular qualities that are inherent in each . Sometimes with disastrous results . Even some of our most beloved artists are not immune from the course of chemical reactions.

I was at a Museum recently and noticed that certain greens were doing some funky things with a certain artists work. I am a big fan of George Inness , but I have seen enough of his landscapes to wonder what kind of green he was mixing. He was very sensitive about color, but some of his greens are turning psychedelic. Which leads me to my main point.

As artists, we must produce not only the best work that we are capable of, but if we are in the marketplace, selling our wares , I believe that we must produce a product that has integrity and permanence. Such was the attitude of the Guilds during the Renaissance and many of their paintings still are as vibrant today as they were back then. We are not left alone in the dark, because there is a valuable resource that explains in a most thorough way the materials and techniques that are commonly used by artists today. It is a book called...” The Artists Handbook of Materials and Techniques by Ralph Mayer ISBN 0-670-13666-2.

This book is the bible of what you need to know about the tools of your trade. No artist who is serious , should be without it. But Frank...I just want to paint and express my self...I don’t want to get into all this technical stuff dude “ Fine but don’t cry to me when a collector of your work says that a bunny is appearing across the sky above a beautiful seascape.

Ever want to REALLY know the difference between Bone Black and Ivory Black and Lamp Black? Mayer has the answer. What is the difference between Rose Madder and Alizarin Crimson ? Mayer knows . What binders are the best for paints and does it matter if I use Walnut oil over Linseed oil? What about grounds? Oil based grounds are used by many artists as well as Gesso...which is better? Or maybe I should use a lead ground because Vermeer used it? Does it matter? Mayer knows.When is the best time to varnish? What about resins? When I stretch my canvas , does it matter if I use staples over copper brads? Who can tell me the benefits between cotton duck and linen and does it matter which weave I purchase?

Mayer literally lists ALL the available colors on the market today and lists their properties. Her is a sample...

Viridian. Hydrated Chromium Oxide. Very bright , clear , transparent, cool emerald shade; absolutely permanent except when roasted to more than a dull red heat, when it is converted into the anhydrous chromium oxide green. First made by Pannetier and Binet , Paris , 1838 , as a secret product; introduced to artists, and the process first published by Guignet , Paris 1859; available in England , 1862.

Mayer is the definitive authority on the properties of all the whites. Flake , Zinc, Titanium etc and he has summaries of Green Pigments , Blue Pigments etc.

Mayer is a walking encyclopedia. He has a chapter on every conceivable medium from oils to encaustic painting. If you ever want to attempt a mural, Mayer gives a lengthy and detailed account of ALL the possible ways of creating a mural that will not fade.

Mayers chapter on Solvents and Thinners is a must read , especially since the characteristics and quality of so many standard items have been changed due to environmental concerns.

Even those artists who want to learn how to conserve paintings ,reline canvases and generally restore older paintings will find information on many arcane methods now forgotten.