Impasto - OR Texture on Paintings

Hello Everyone:

Okay, yes, I am a real Geek.  I read and research everything.  I am having a blast this summer reading Art History and color therapy.  I am learning so many things that I have to pass on some of this knowledge to others.  For instance, I learned a new word it is Impasto.  

It means according to Wikipedia: Impasto is a technique used in painting, 

where paint is laid on an area of the surface very thickly, usually thick enough 

that the brush or painting-knife strokes are visible. Paint can also be mixed 

right on the canvas. When dry, impasto provides texture, the paint appears to 

be coming out of the canvas.


Okay, they had me at texture.  I Googled the Impasto process and found videos on it including how to make homemade texture paste as impasto means paste.  Well, I shopped my stash and found most of the ingredients.  I made a video to chronicle the process and stills of the result.  My challenge was could I use it with watercolor.

According Caftsy (2016), The impasto technique is mostly used with thicker, opaque paints like oils, acrylics, gouache and tempera. While impasto is technically possible with some watercolors, it is rarely seen in that medium. Let’s take a look at some examples of impasto at work.  I smell a challenge here!

Do you see the texture through brush work-texture?

The texture here stands off the page-- up, literally


Of course, I got started with these ingredients found in my stash... I used a combination of cornstarch, flour, elmer's glue, a little H20 (water), and white craft paint.

These are ingredients I found at home

This painting is a watercolor and added yellow watercolor to the white texture (impasto medium-home made) then I applied with a knife (could not find my palette knife) to the sun only and waited a couple of hours for it to dry.  I hesitated to use the heat gun...didn't want the flour to and cornstarch to bake.

See the video for the process and the results.



References:

1. Impasto - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Impasto

2.  http://www.craftsy.com/blog/2013/06/impasto-painting/

https://www.google.com/webhp?sourceid=chrome-instant&ion=1&espv=2&ie=UTF-8#q=Impasto

Friday Gallery - Celebration of World Watercolor Month....here is my Take on watercolors

My week in art!!!  Check out my painterly landscape below in watercolors.

This my week. In art!

Friday's New Word: "Painterly" - Mixed Media Research

Hello All:

Still reading my Art History books this summer.  Found a new word.  I had to research.  Funny, when your self taught in mixed media; one has to absorb more information to decipher, code, and retain information.

Okay, my new word is "Painterly".  Seems made up, but it is a word and has a meaning that relates to all mixed media artist.

According to About.com (June, 2016),

The above patinging has brush strokes that literally stand out and give depth and reality to the painting.  This painting is Vince Van Gogh's Landscape with carriage and Train

Definition of Painterly

The term painterly is used to describe a painting done in a style that embraces, shows, and celebrates the paint medium that it is created in (be it oil paint, acrylics, pastels, gouache, watercolor, etc.), rather than a style that tries to hide the act of creation. It is a loose and expressive approach to the process of painting in which the brushstrokes are visible, rather than one that is controlled and rational, and tries to hide the brushstrokes.

Paint can be thin and still be applied in a painterly way.  Painterly means that the style or approach does not try to hide the fact that a brush or knife was used to create the artwork, and that celebrates the paint or art material itself (the surface of a sculpture might even be said to be painterly if the carved or modeled marks resemble brushstrokes or are visible.) 

According to the Tate Gallery's Glossary (2016), the term painterly "carries the implication that the artist is reveling in the manipulation of the oil paint itself and making the fullest use of its sensuous properties.

As stated earlier, a painterly style clearly shows the brushstrokes and the energy of the gesture that went in to making those brush marks.  A mixed media Artist, can use a combination of Impasto and Painterly to express their styles.

An example  of a Painterly style is:

Here in this painting you see the brush strokes (painterly) and texture "impasto"

Look at the platoon of men on zoom you can see the brush strokes.

This Portrait called Rosina by John Singer Sargent shows his style of doing "Painterly" paintings.  The brush strokes are apparent.  His style also included drawing and underpainting, and layering.  He relied in the proper placement of tones of paint.

here is my attempt at "Painterly and Impasto"...can you see the brush strokes and texture?

References:

Tate Gallery -www.tate.org.uk/learn/online-resources/glossary

--John Singer Sargent (January 12, 1856 – April 14, 1925) Johnsingersargent.org

-http://painting.about.com/od/artglossaryp/g/defpainterly.htm--About.com

So All, we have two new words and mixed media techniques this summer, I am still reading will have another word for you real soon.  E.L.

Travel Watercolor Palette that you can make yourself - Choose your favorite colors

Happy  World Watercolor Month to Everyone: 

#WorldWatercolorMonth

Paint with watercolor ((watercolour), aquarelle) while raising awareness for the importance of art and creativity in the world.

Henri Matisee said, "With color one obtains an energy that seems to stem from witchcraft.   Since it is World Watercolor Month and vacation time, I have taped a short video Tutorial on creating your own travel watercolor palette with very few tools and items from around the house or dollar store.  Enjoy!  It is really fun and you start thinking of ways to palettes for all you mediums to carry on your outings.




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References:

Read more at: http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/authors/h/henri_matisse.html

https://doodlewash.com/world-watercolor-month-july-2016/