Learning to paint with oil colours

After starting oil painting during last winter's art school season I have found this technique very interesting. I am familiar with ink and colour pen drawing as well as acrylic colours but, for some reason, regarded oil colours too difficult for me. But now I know that they are not - and the wide variety of shades which are the results of mixing only five basic colours is very challenging!

An equipment to hold the canvas in vertical position is needed when working with oil colours. Drawing horizontally, on the kitchen table, is easy - but to see the whole oil painting canvas with one look and not to drop any colours from the brushes on finished areas is not possible without an easel. I borrowed one to continue working home during summertime. I recommend relatively large model because it is more stable than smaller ones.

JYVÄSKYLÄ ADULT EDUCATION CENTRE Spring Exhibition April 27-28 2013

The annual art exhibitions of Jyväskylä Adult Education Centre are open during this weekend in several branches.I am joining an art group which meets weekly in Vanha Pesula which is situated some 20 km from the city center, in Säynätsalo. We have collected our works, finished during our winter term, on the walls of our atelier. The exhibition is open 11-16 and free. Welcome!

Orthodox Cathedral of Sortavala

Orthodox Cathedral of Sortavala in Russian Carelia, on the shore of Lake Ladoga (Laatokka). No more corrections - let it be like this. - This painting describes the church like it is today, with blue color on roofs and domes.

Final site for the drawing of Summassaari church

Here it is, at last: drawing of Summassaari in the middle of new frame!

Framing was actually very cheap: an old frame (with glass) from second hand market = 1 € and passe-partout from a local art shop (prepared to the final form)= 8 € makes total 9 €!

Reflection on the glass is certainly a problem - not a big one, but one should still look for a satisfactory point of view to see the drawing. I may remove the glass - I am not sure yet. My wife, however, says: "Let it be".

Orthodox Cathedral of Sortavala, Carelia

I will first thank Maria in Sortavala/Joensuu for this beautiful photo of Sortavala Church!

This cathedral seems to be in very good condition today. The colour of the roof and domes have chanced to blue (I have seen an old painting of it in Jyväskylä where the colour is different).

Some problems have caused a delay in the finishing of this acrylic painting.

I should start the drawing by making a decision about the vertical lines. My friend Petteri helped me by transferring them parallel (like in a photo taken with a tele objective). This, however, caused certain shortening of vertical lines (you can try it by taking a photo book and keep its upper side in a shorter distance from your eyes than the lower section). I finally got an agreement with myself by taken both the direction and the length of the lines into account (which means that the result is something between tele and normal objective views). I am not sure if I was right but "let it be"...

Next problem is the sky.

I like to draw (and I think that I am relatively good in drawing) but the colours are very difficult for me (actually, I am no painter yet). I will therefore thank my teacher Minna who helped me to correct the shade of blue (which was much too dark in the beginning)!

Last problem still stays: I started this work on a thin paper
by WINDSOR & NEWTON (excellent for drawing!) with pencils but, for some reason, decided to turn acrylic. Thin drawing paper does not suit to wet techniques! I shall now find a solution to this problem - how to get the even surface of the paper back again. "Let's see..."

Merry Christmas 2012 and Good New Year 2013!

I will wish all good to my blog friends for the Christmas time and new year 2013 with this photo, taken at my drawing table and featuring the nice candles, made by  Eira, the deliverer of my post cards!

New technique for Sortavala Church - accidentally!

Two large ink spots covered this drawing last night when I was joining our local art school. "What to do?", I was thinking. Could the problem be covered in some way? My teacher Minna suggested that I can use acrylic white to hide the spots (still seen in the middle of the drawing).

This was the way I found a new technique for my drawings: first pencil, the ink and, at last, acrylics! Goodbye, for awhile, colour pencils!