bdk wrote:
My engineering/non-artist mind finds it odd that you would finish one wing before even starting the other. I would paint the entire wing a base blue color and then add the lighter and darker areas to give depth to the wing like around the leading edges. You have to mix each shade by eye before you brush it on, right?
I try to work alla prima, by section, but as I add more "sections" I adjust previous sections'
values, mainly. This is made easier by beginning with the darks, such as the engine area in this Corsair piece. Establishing the "darkest darks" early on makes it very easy to judge subsequent values. This technique is also made easier by working wet-into-wet, i.e., "changing" previous sections or areas is made immensely easier if the paint is less than a couple of days old.
In regards to
color, I use
only a limited palette of the three primaries, plus white. Even my "black" is made from the primaries. This ensures an automatic harmony, and more correctly emulates natural sunlight -- "White" sunlight is actually composed of the full spectum of ROYGBIV colors. The "additive synthesis" of all these "colors of sunlight" makes "white light" - or that's how it appears to our eye, but the full spectrum is there in sunlight at all times, or things wouldn't appear to be
different colors to our eyes. The "subtractive synthesis" of pigments makes "black", a poor substitute for nature's light, but it's all we've got!.
Through wasting a LOT of paint, I have developed "formulas" for my Non-Spec Sea Blue, Intermediate Blue, etc, etc. - all made strictly from the 3 primaries. My custom mixed colors aren't weighed out in exact scientific measure, but I "get close" each time - 4 blobs of this, 3 blobs of that, with the "blob" sizes TLAR'ed relative to each other - and the result is usually pretty close to the last time I mixed that particular color. What I do for each two-day session (I try to use my paint for two consecutive days, changing palettes in between) is
pre-mix and lay out my "black", all my custom-mixed local colors (such as Non-Specular Sea Blue, or whatever I'll be using that session), and my custom-mixed warming and cooling colors, and I then "paint", lightening or darkening, or warming and cooling as necessary.
You have to also remember that by the time I'm sitting in front of that big blank final canvas I've done not only a detailed line-drawing outline of the plane(s) - and clouds - but I've done a pencil study and usually a small color sketch before I "tackle" the final large canvas. The latter are my rough "guides" as I paint. Unlike a portrait artist (which is a specialty that has it's own very unique challenges), my subject isn't sitting in front of me, so I have to "approach" things differently.
bdk wrote:
How much time do you typically spend on the entire job from start to finish?
Hard to say, since my current schedule is so weird,
and I work on at least two at a time, especially when I'm in the early stages, such as working on the detailed outlines for each plane or whatever - mainly to keep my sanity and avoid burnout. If I were to work on only
one project from initial idea to signing my name on the final canvas, 40 hours per week, it would probably take me, oh, around four to six weeks, I guess, for a large canvas, depending on the complexity of the composition.
bdk wrote:
What percentage of the time is spent on the actual final painting versus the research and doing the preliminary studies to flesh out the concept?
I've estimated in the past that about 75% of my "sweat equity" for the entire project is research and initial planning (including any pencil and oil studies). By the time I get to the final canvas, I'm on cruise control for the most part, and rely much less on "research material". When the paints and brushes come out, I'm thinking mainly how to apply the paint to get the effect I want. I already know my subject in detail, I know where the darks and lights go, and I know what's lit up and what's in shadow (warms and cools) - and, very importantly, I've had a chance to solve a lot of problems and/or think of new ideas for lighting, etc., through my studies. Even then, heh heh, I'll take a short break and I'll find myself flipping through a book or two and sure as shootin' I'll see something I totally missed in all the hours and hours I've spent "researching".
bdk wrote:
For that matter, what are the steps you go through to do a painting?
My first step is always to start hitting the net for reference material LONG before I "officially" begin work on a project - I print out interesting stuff and start a file to refer to later. Once I do "officially" commence actual work on a project I'll gather up that file of early research and a giant pile of very expensive books (honest, I
need all of them!
) and I get out a legal pad and I start taking notes - markings timelines, equipment used, etc. From there, I finalize a "rough" sketch or two to get me in the ballpark of what I might like to do. From there, rather than re-invent the wheel, I refer you to my website - I have a LOT of in-progress pics and explanation there. It's interesting to me to note the "changes" in my procedure as I gain more experience.
bdk wrote:
Just general curiosity. I won't be taking your job anytime soon I assure you!
Heck, if I could hire you to do it, I would - I'd rather be hopping rides in AF jets and buzzing the clouds in a puddle-jumper! Painting's work! - but very satisfying, so I keep at it!
Thx for the questions!
Wade
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