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Oil Paint : Student Grade or Professional Grade?

Oil Paint Quality
Student Grade oil paints are usually less expensive and of a poorer quality than Professional Grade oil paints.  They are appropriate to use if:

• You do not consider yourself to be a professional artist (now or in the future).
• You really, really want your paintings to deteriorate more rapidly over time.
• You have to choose between eating and buying high quality paint.

Comparison of Oil Painting Changes Over Time
Student Grade Oil Paints over Professional Grade Acrylic Gesso on Canvas:  

BEFORE

AFTER

Observations of a Painting Stored in the Dark for Over 10 Years; Why I don't use student grade paints:

• Background pigment faded and patchy
• Cast shadows have taken on violet hue versus original neutral
• Highlights have dulled
• Edges of objects in shadow have taken on a hard, sharp line 
• Forms have lost 3-dimensionality and appear flattened and without structure

Due to my experience with various types of paint, I can only recommend the highest quality at any stage of your career.  Professional Artists Oil colors are even appropriate for doing studies, in my opinion.  Studies sometimes become an important point of reference in later years.  Furthermore, a study can take on a life of its own and become a painting in its own right.

Please Post Your Comment or Suggestion by Clicking 'Comments," Below.

Photograph That Painting!

Taking Digital Photos of an Unfinished Painting

I photograph my paintings throughout the painting process. This allows me to see things I may be overlooking while I am engaged in putting paint on the canvas. It also documents aspects of my painting process I may want to refer to later.

 Oil Painting Error is Revealed

The detail photos below are from a work in progress:

Wave Detail 1 Blocked In

The two photos of this first detail  are taken several months apart.  Initially the shape is blocked in and then many layers of glaze are applied. 

Wave  Detail 1

In the second photo above, I can see that the sky area above the box is blotchy.  This was not my intention and something I noticed more easily in the photo.  This is an example of how photographing my painting process helps me. 

The photos that follow are of another area of the same painting.

Wave Detail 2 Blocked In

These remaining photos show Detail 2 throughout many months of the painting process.  Again, much glazing and scumbling has been done.

Wave Detail 2

In the next post I will show successive shots of the entire painting from which these detail photos are derived.

Please post your suggestion or remark by clicking 'comments' below.

Ten Steps to Photographing Artwork

Below is the method I use to photograph 2 dimensional work.  I start with an unframed piece.  Drawings or works on paper can be taped to a support.

1. Set up outside on a bright overcast day with no or few cast shadows
2. Arrange piece on a black background
3. Level the piece
4. Set up camera on tripod at center of piece at closest distance to fill the frame.
5. Turn off flash
6. Adjust camera settings according to built-in or separate light meter
7. Use highest mega pixel setting available  & adjust any special settings- know your camera's capabilities*
8. Level the camera
9. Take photo with timer or remote button release 
10. Crop/Adjust image size with computer program
    

For small pieces I use a French easel to secure the piece.   For the black background I use a black cotton sheet.  Some people use black velvet.  I use a small level on two sides of the stretched canvas to level it (top or side and front or back).   The camera is leveled the same way.  I have eyeballed or estimated the left and right side of the canvas to be same distance from the camera (or parallel to the camera).  For larger pieces this would be measured for accuracy.  If needed, I then use a program on a pc to adjust the image size and to center it.

* I wrote about some special settings here: Photographing Artwork 2.

Have I forgotten anything?  What would you add?
Please post your contributions by clicking 'comments' below.

Photographing Artwork 2

Continuing from Tuesday:  by adjusting 3 settings of an HP R707 digital camera a piece of artwork went from being poorly photographed to professionally represented.  See the example here: Photographing Art.  The settings on this camera are saturation, sharpness and contrast  and are found by clicking menu, and scrolling down the screen.  There you find all three defaults set to medium.  By changing each one to high, indicated by a "+" sign, photography magic happened.  I suppose this could have been photoshopped, or something.  With this discovery on the camera, though,  I am just delighted to save time skipping this extra step.  did I just type, 'delighted?'  I don't use that word often, so this is a big deal discovery.  I also used an old tripod that I had for my heavy 35mm's.  It is so cool, I have to show it to you:

              Click Any Photo To Enlarge

It would be particularly useful for plein air painting because it is so compact.  It can't weigh much more than a pound and measures about 4x1x3" when folded up.  What is great about this mini tripod is two of the legs, which are the small metal rods, store inside the handle.  The third leg is adjustable in that it can be lengthened.  This third leg is also a clamp that can be attached to a tree limb, portable easel, bicycle, or a pole up to about 1-1/2 " thick.  The device that holds the camera has a ball socket joint that can be adjusted from straight up vertically to 45 degrees on the side horizontally.  Furthermore, this ball socket rotates 360 degrees on a horizontal plane.  I hope the photos show this tripod well.  Unfortunately, I have no idea who made it.  It has "Made in Germany" stamped on the side.  I know I obtained it at least 20 years ago and, amazingly, it fits the digital camera.  Once the camera is in place on the tripod, it can be set to go off automatically with the 10 second timer.

To Read Labels, Click Photo To Enlarge

Doing a search online, I found this exact tripod had sold on eBay for less than $5 on October 30th.  I also found a similar model in a store in Oregon, but it is no longer available.  So they can be found with some diligence.  There are many other models of mini or table top tripods.  What those are lacking, however, is the clamp feature which is really nice for those of you that like to paint out in the woods; oh, sorry, en plein air.    

More on photographing artwork will be posted next week. Saturday, I have a work in progress update for you.



Add your thoughts by clicking 'comments' below:

Photographing Artwork

An important part of art marketing is having quality images of one's artwork.  What I am learning as I delve deeper into the subject of self promotion, is that art experts overwhelmingingly agree that too many artists are submitting substandard photographs of their artwork.  There is no leeway on this point.  With so many artists' applications to weed through, the ones with poor photographs are quickly removed from consideration.  They are not considered good candidates for an exhibit on many levels.  We as artists are repeatedly and strongly urged to get this right.   The photos below are of a work in progress taken with an HP digital camera:

 

                                                                                                   

"Be Mine"

Oil on Canvas

30x40"
(work in progress)

These two photos were taken minutes apart with only an adjustment of 3 settings.

I began photographing my work before the digital age worked on my technique until excellent slides were produced.  Many of the do's and don'ts have not changed since then, though I was having difficulty producing representative photos of artwork with my current digital camera.  With a 35mm, I felt I had much more control over the settings.  Until recently I thought I may need to upgrade my digital camera, an HP 5.1 MP R707 with a 24x zoom.  As it turns out, I needed to adjust some settings I did not realize existed.    Thursday I will post the details of how the better likeness was obtained.

Please post your contributions by clicking 'comments' below.

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