Leisure Painter - UK (2019-06)

SHARE YOUR TIPS, SUGGESTIONS, IDEAS

AND QUESTIONS WITH OTHER READERS

Letters

10 JUNE 2019 http://www.painters-online.co.uk

Mixing black

I recall an art teacher discouraging his

students from using black from a tube

when painting with acrylics, but I don’t

remember the three colours he

suggested mixing together to make a

more authentic black.

I would be grateful if someone would

let me know how I can mix a ‘true’ black

using acrylics.

David Stephen

Steve Strode (www.stevestrode.com)

replies: The reason for mixing your own

dark is it gives you more control over the

results. Using black from the tube gives

a dark value with little colour identity

of its own and adding white to this will

give the same neutrals every time.

Making your own dark, however, gives

you more control over the resulting

temperature and underlying colour of

the mix.

Make your own dark with any three

primary colours. It’s the same as mixing

complementary pairs, although the

resulting mix will depend on the value

of the primary. For instance, using the

darker value ultramarine blue and

crimson red, with say a cadmium yellow,

would give a darker mix than the lighter

value cerulean blue, cadmium red and

lemon yellow. But whichever three

primaries you opt for, making your own

darks gives more control over which way

the underlying colour leans by adjusting

the ratio of the mix, whether that’s

towards the cooler blues or greens, or the

warmer browns and oranges.

Alternatively, you could mix ultramarine

with burnt umber, making it bluer for

a cooler dark and browner for a warmer

one; just add a little white or water to

see which way it leans.

The bonus is by changing your black

you change your greys, and soon you’ll

be mixing your own colourful versions.

Hope this helps.

Copyright issues

Please tell me if, when I’ve painted the

painting project of Kerry Bennett’s owl

(Leisure Painter, May 2019), I would be

allowed to sell it. The photo doesn’t

have the artist’s name on it; it could

well be from a copyright-free photo

website, such as Pixabay.

I have completed many of the painting

projects, and my friends ask me why I

don’t sell them.

Annie Porter

The editor replies: Thank you for asking

this important question that needs

addressing on a regular basis. Recently

I have begun to tell readers when the

published photographs come from

Pixabay or a similar site, but I can’t

promise that I have picked up on every

one of them. If you have followed the

demonstration, however, using Kerry’s

colours and techniques, and have

produced a similar painting to Kerry’s,

there are still copyright issues involved.

You are, in effect, reproducing Kerry’s

painting.

I always recommend that readers learn

from following the demos and projects

then, if they want to sell their work, use

their own photographs or copyright-free

images to paint their own version of the

subject. You are then in no doubt that

your painting is original.

In future, I will check who owns the

copyright of the painting project

photographs. If it comes from a royalty-

free site, I will publish the information

in the tutorial. If there is no credit,

please assume the photograph is owned

by the tutor.

Water-mixable oils

In reply to Philip Evans’ questions about

water-mixable oils (Leisure Painter, April

issue) and different types of palette, I

was rather forced into using water-

soluble oil paints, as the conventional

ones were severely affecting my asthma,

even when using the low-odour

solvents. After doing a fair bit of

research I ended up giving away over

£100 worth of conventional oil paints

and solvents, replacing them, rather

reluctantly, with the water-mixable oils.

The first important thing to remember

is that although these paints are water

soluble, they are not supposed to be

diluted with water, as this will make the

paint appear a lighter shade then

darken again as the water evaporates.

It’s important to use the thinners that

have been designed for these oils. The

only time water should be used is for

washing out the brushes. This solved a

problem I had of how to dispose of

contaminated solvents after cleaning

the brushes.

I use Winsor & Newton’s Artisan paints

and find them to be considerably

thicker in texture than the conventional

versions. I have experimented with the

fast-drying medium, but found that it

did not make a great deal of difference

in drying speed and tended to leave a

sheen on the paint.

I do find that there is a subtle

difference in the texture of the paint in

use, but after perseverance I have got

used to this.

As regards the ideal palette, after a bit

of experimenting I found a thin sheet of

stainless steel, about 15x20cm, is ideal.

It’s a neutral colour, you can’t break it

and you can scrape it clean no matter

how hard the paint dries on it. Just run

a file around the edge to take off any

sharp burrs.

I do keep my palette in a shallow,

sealable plastic box. The paint stays

perfectly usable for several days

between uses.

Stephen Watson

Send your letters to

Leisure Painter, 63-65 High Street,

Tenterden, Kent TN30 6BD or

email the editor at

[email protected]

All letters published this month

win a Technograph pencil set

containing Technograph pencils

each of HB, B, 2B and 3B and

a single hole metal sharpener

in a gift box (worth £18rrp),

courtesy of Jakar and Caran

d’Ache http://www.carandache.com