Michael’s style.

Q:  by Ningning Li on February 25, 2013 at 17:11

I agree with Ann, you make the average scene beautiful with your mix of warm and col colours. Michael, I particularly,  enjoy the detail of the road. how many hours did it take you to finish this painting?

 

A:  by Michael J. Severin on February 26, 2013 at 3:27

Thank you so much everyone!!!  I was 3 hours in the field, a little too long, but I had established everything that was going to change rapidly, so it was kind of ok.  Back  In the studio, I have a cup of coffee and stare at the painting for awhile.....the painting will "tell" me what it needs and I will make the "tweaks" and sign it.  I was surprised that everyone liked this painting so much.  I went to this spot to experiment with Richards' lesson, but thought I had failed.  I agree with Stu, it turned out not as loose as Richards work ....but I tried.

 

 

Michael’s  color palate.

Q: by Linda L. Kano on February 27, 2013 at 6:30

Michael, do you remember your palette colors?  I would like to practice this painting so I can learn from it. I've only been painting for a couple years and color mixing is quite a challenge for me.  This past week I made several color wheel charts, using different reds, blue, and yellow from my Holbein water soluable oils. I've practiced making greys.  I've tried taking green tube colors and adding purple or other colors to warm or cool it. I've read instruction books, videos, etc. But when I mix a color that looks right and put a lot of it on the canvas then I almost always feel that I overdid it!  You have the right amount of bright warm colors in the painting and everything harmonizes well.  I want to be able to do this.  Any suggestions for me?  Thank you.  ~Linda

 

A:  by Michael J. Severin on February 27, 2013 at 14:20

Hi Linda, my palette of colors is: yellow pale, orange, red medium, Ultramarine blue, thalo green yellow shade, ochre, and Transparent oxide red.  Linda, I struggle with the whole thing also!  If you have not already done so, I would suggest you get Richard Schmitt's book and "Composition in outdoor painting" by Edgar Payne.  When I paint Linda, I am really thinking about my value plan and then the color.  It is not so much "color mixing" as it is painting the color/temp. relationships.  this painting is based on Green, Yellow/green, Yellow, and Red Violet (the compliment of YG.  The darks are made from Reds and greens ..I try not to go outside the color scheme when making darks, neutrals, tints, shades, etc.  I would suggest, Linda, that you learn to mix colors by using just the 3 primaries ..red, yellow, and blue ..... or earth color primaries ... yellow ochre, burnt sienna, and UB.  You will be surprised how much you can do.  The other thing is that you must paint, paint, paint!!!!  Well that was a mount full and I do not think that I know what I just said!!  I am sadly defiecient on my spelling and teaching.

 

Q: by David DEntremont on Thursday

Great painting! I really like your style.Was wondering if you use a limited pallete and what brand of oils you like.

 

A: by Michael J. Severin on Friday

Thanks Davis.  I have used a limited palette of 3 primary colors plus burnt sienna and yellow ochre.  I have since added orange and thalo green/yellow shade.  I like to mix my own greens, violets, and neutrals.  I have also used a palette of warm and cool primaries (traditional) plus the green, orange, ocher, and oxide red.  My usual brand is Rembrant  .spelled wrong ..too lazy to look it up.  Although I use other brands depending on the color.  But, the main thing is I use only professional paint and stock up on the real expensive stuff when it is on sale.

 

Q:  by Jim Haycock on Wednesday

Michael,

Sorry, one more question...

Are you painting with a consistent color set?  Or, do you modify it to match the scene or the "mood" or "temperature" you're trying to acheive?  I ask because I've been advised to work with a standard palette until I gain a better understanding of the affects of color combinations and mixes.  I struggle with color matching, still.  And, I do some some consistancy in your painting where your colors seem to very nicely match the scene and even your paint style.

 

A:  by Michael J. Severin on Wednesday

Hi Jim.  Thank you for your comments on the boat paintings ...I do have a set palette that I work from:  yellow pale, orange, red medium, ultramarine blue, thalo green yellow shade, yellow ochre, and trans. oxide red.  When I mix color, I think in terms of the 3 primary colors: red, yellow, and blue.  So for every mix, I will employ those 3 hues.  When I look at a color in nature such as green ..I do not attempt to mix a color I think matches the green I am seeing ...I find that impossible.  Instead, I ask myself is that hue (green) darker, lighter, warmer, cooler, and duller or brighter (chroma) then what is next to it.  You will notice this with the warmer, more saturated tree in from of the cooler, duller, and darker green behind it ..and then warmer temperature shift of the trees on the right.  Anyway to answer your question ... it kind of harmonizes because I use the same colors in all mixes and I will try and toss around the colors in other parts of the painting.  For instance, the purple blues of the barn are thrown into the grassy area and the log.  The green is echoed in the log also.  My darks for the log are made up of red and green which dominate the scene.  The purple/blue hues are brushed into the muted greens and some of the greens are reflected into the barn.  As far as different palettes for different regions or different scenes ...there are many artists who do that.....the light is very different here in the west coast then it is in the east coast.  It is very different then ..say England or New Zealand where Richard paints.  One must be kind of careful when learning color from your favorite artist because if you try to duplicate his colors in your paintings, you might find your paintings of the Rocky Mountains looking like the sub tropics.  I hope that kind of answered your questions.  I am getting a lot of technical questions that I cannot answere with just a yes or no or a few lines.....doing my best.

 

Warm and cool in each color.

 

Q: by Ningning Li yesterday

Michael, We rent a stock room for our unused stuffs. I use half of it to paint. I will go there this afternoon and will  check the name of the violet for you. At the same time, would you please let me know what colours are included in your traditional palette of warm and cool primaries. For example, what blue? Ultma  blue or phalo blue?

 

A:  by Michael J. Severin yesterday

Hi Ningning.  cool and warm primary palette:  Lemon Yellow (cool), Cad. Yellow Medium (warm), Cad. Red Light (warm), Aliz. Crimson (cool), Ultramarine Blue (cool), Cerulean or Thalo Blue (warm).  Any other colors such as earth colors and secondaries would be optional.  Does that give you the info you needed??

 

How to mix different value,

A: by Xiao Li on February 28, 2013 at 4:25

 Michael, how do you make different values? Is white the only color to add to change the value of a color or chrome?

 

Q:  by Michael J. Severin on February 28, 2013 at 4:54

Hi Xiao.  Actually, white is the last option to lighten a color.  I will first tint a color with the next lightest color of that same hue and then add white.  When you make the color charts I was referring to, you will find that some colors take white quite well without losing its identity (cadmium yellow  light) and that other colors change quite dramatically with white added. .....cad red becomes a chalky pink which you must add yellow into to get the chalkiness out.  With green, I will add yellow long before I add white, or I would add blue to darken the green.  Yes, both will alter the temperature, but you will have to adjust the mix to your painting needs.    I like to change the chroma of a color by adding its compliment or a color that is in the same family but already muted:  I would suggest that you purchase Richards' video  "Mastering Color" ...I think it would answer your questions a lot better then I can.  Anyway, I hope that helps a little, Alas,  I am not very good at explaining this stuff

 

What is atmosphere color and what is sunlight color.

Q: by Xiao Li on Wednesday

I have one more question.  I am not sure what do you mean by “atmosphere color”.  Do you mean lighter value of the same colors?  I think I have asked you before on how to lighter the values.  You said white would be the last one to be considered to use to achieve needed value. I have to practice on this one, because I always grab the white whenever I think I need lighting up the value.  That could be the reason my painting sometimes getting chalky I think.

 

A: by Michael J. Severin on Wednesday

Your atmosphere color is normally the main color you have chosen for your sky.  So if I am painting a seascape for instance and I have near rocks and far headlands.  Both are made of the same material, but in the far headlands I would mix some of my sky color (atmosphere) into the basic color of the rock ...the further I go back in space, the more atmosphere I mix into it.  Your sunlight color is the color of the particular light ....morning sunlight is a little cooler then afternoon light ....so any objects that are being lit by the color of the light will have that color as part if its natural color.  This is exactly what I did on my posted painting:  "The Fallen Oak".  Note how my dark trees get infused with the atmosphere color as they recede.  Also note how my greens loose the yellow as they recede, then they loose the red as they go back further, until the greens become a grey.

 

The way to mix different greens.

Q: by Xiao Li on Tuesday

Thank you Michael and Jon for your encouraging comments.  But I still can’t get the green right.  They are so yellowish.  Although the original doesn’t look as yellow as the photo but the green in shadow look muddy.  I used the mix of viridian green, raw sienna and some ultramarine blue.  What is the best mix for the green in shadow?  I appreciate any suggestions. Michael?

 

A: by Michael J. Severin on Tuesday

Hi Xiao.  Your mixture of Viridian, Raw Sienna, and UB is fine  for closer trees.  Your trees are a little more distant so require a little less yellow and more atmosphere.  What I do for distant trees is to first make up a cool grey and atmosphere color and sunlight color.  I mix a large, dark blue green pile  with UB + a small amount of yellow ...keep it on the cool side.  Then I will add some red .... I will then mix atmosphere color into that.  The further back the trees are, the less yellow I will put into the mix ...Into the corners of this large pile, I will mix various values and temperatures of little piles:  yellows, oranges, greys , etc.. + atmosphere color ..so I will have at least 3 values and a warm and cool piles of dark value.  The lights are made by mixing yellows and oranges into this pile and adjusting with your atmosphere color and your sunlight color.  This is really easy when you are looking at someone doing it, but hard to verbally make it clear.  Watch Richards videos real carefully because this is what he does very nicely.  Hope that helps Xiao.  Let me know if you need some more info?

 

 

Critiquing your painting using the Language of Painting.

A: A good way to analyze your paintings is to use the "Language of Painting".  What is this "language".  A painting is composed of these five categories:    Drawing, Composition, Value, Color, and edges.   Each of these categories has a long list of academic study and each must be mastered.  When you critique your own work, use the "Language of Painting".  If you feel there is something  right or wrong with your painting,  the answer can only come from these five categories.  I have certainly not mastered any of these categories.  If I feel something is "wrong" with my painting, I will ask myself ...is it:  my drawing, my composition, my values, etc.  If I feel that it is my composition, then I will access my current knowledge of composition to find the problem.  If my knowledge is inadequate to find the solution, then I will research and ask others for help.

 

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