Lemons and Limes
Ross Psakis.
The artist chose a simple subject that relied on the lighting to make it interesting. Without the long shadows and highlights, it might not have caught her attention.
STEP ONE
I drew in (with a turpsy line) the most basic drawing. This was only to place the shapes on the canvas. Too much detailed drawing at this stage would restrict the freedom of brush strokes and the application of paint.
Life is too full of restrictions already … let’s have a bit of gay abandon with our painting. I feel that if we adjust and correct the drawing in paint as we go along we are not tied down to a ‘perfect and detailed drawing’ so utterly correct that we are nervous about putting paint onto it.
STEP TWO
Here I placed in the shapes of the shadows and the darker sides of the fruits. See how I selected a colour for the shadows that would sit well against the complementary colours of the lemons and limes.
The photograph suggested that the shadow was only an uninteresting grey, but as painters we have to push a colour into more ‘colourful’ territory to make it sit well against its neighbours. Also, the ‘swirly’ shapes of the shadows gave a feeling of direction to lead the viewer into and around the picture.
STEP THREE
Working in order of importance, I covered all dark and medium tones first; then the stage was set to place the highlights. Because there were so many areas of light in this subject, I was careful to let the big masses of white have some feeling of colour by adding tiny dots of yellow or red.
The edges were still very soft. The drawing was still being adjusted as I went along. I suggested small details of the pattern on the plate and holes in the embroidered cloth … still being careful to keep the ‘line of direction’ going in the swirly movement of the shadows.
STEP FOUR
Working around the painting, I was looking for more details to take care of – although the edges were all still very soft.
Notice all the reflected colours in the shadows. Everything was based on red, yellow and blue; and their mixes of orange, purple and green. All those colours were mentioned in very subtle appearances in the purple shadows. I didn’t have to make them up – I referred to the subject and they were there for me to see (this applies whether I work from real life or a photograph). I just had to be careful to make them the same tone as the shadow. If they had jumped out of tone, it would have broken up the whole tonal area.
STEP FIVE
A few more tidying-up brush strokes were done, slowly bringing the picture into focus. I was still making sure that I stood back and looked at the picture as a whole. It’s so easy to stand too close and get caught up in the little things.
Here, more than ever, I needed to refer to the subject and avoid the temptation to make things up.
FINAL STEP
The painting was still very soft edged, but it was complete enough for me.
Too much detail is not what I look for in a painting. I want only an impression.
The palette of colours for this painting was very limited – based only on red, yellow, blue and white. Well, what else is there? But with a study of this sort when there is a challenge to sit white against white (with only the simplest objects for interest), it is rewarding to see just how far three primary colours can be pushed. In every mix, all around the painting, those three were used: Red, yellow, blue; and their mixes of orange, purple and green. In all tones and strengths.
Try it. Set up a little still life with a white cloth, three eggs, a pale yellow jug, a couple of brown onions, and some strong lighting. Take the time to understand what you see and either paint it on the spot or take a photograph (without the flash). Study your subject through half-closed eyes and the truth of the tones and colours and shapes will be seen more accurately. What a great lesson!