Summer 2019 Pastel Page

Project: Apple Turnover Revised Week 5

When I started out the class, I thought I had one more session after that class to finish up the project, but as I got closer to the end of class I realized that I was basically done! Surprise! Surprise! This happens with most paintings, you get to a point where you are circling the painting with either brush or chalk and looking for a place to land, that is usually the best place to stop at least of a couple of days then look at it with fresh eyes. This will keep you from over working a painting and ruining what was making it work.

When I got it home, I found a couple places I could improve but these things are minor and won't take more than a few minutes. If you are to that point in your's of if you just feel a bit frustrated, set your painting aside for a while, you can always come back to it if you want.

I started the class by adding shadows. Shadows are always darkest closest to the object that is casting them and get lighter as they get further away so most of my color was near the bottom of the apples or basket where they touch the table and I blended the color out from there. I also lightly blended the bottoms of the apples as I was blending the shadow on the table to give a "lost and found" look to the apple. I was using a dark indigo which is a dark blue/gray.

Once I had the shadows on I went back in with light colors for the table to add more light around the shadows and the apples.

After I had gotten the shadows and the table where I wanted them, I decided to breakup that big area of negative space behind the table with some branches and leaves.

I used a teal color for the leaves and brown for the twigs, and just quickly based in the shapes of the apple leaves. You don't need to be too exacting at this point because the leaves are not the focal point of the painting they are there to make that area less obvious. This is one of the areas I need to work on in class next time, see if you can figure out why.

This is about midway through the class. I have my shadows in and more table highlights and I am starting the leaves in the background. I also used a lighter indigo to add shadows to the table from the leaves.

Next I have to start adding the highlights on the apples and final touches on the basket.

The highlights on the apples have a couple of steps. The parts of the apple that are in the light but do not have the light spot can be  lightened using a light orange color. If you try to use white, you will just turn your red apple pink. On the green apples, you can use yellow.

This is for the overall color in the light areas. Look at the reference photo and look at the areas around the bright spot, that is the area I'm talking about. Follow the direction of the  apple so you can keep the curves of the apple, it is easy at this point to make them look flat by using straight strokes either vertical or horizontal so be mindful of your strokes.

Once that part is done, now comes the bright spot. You can use white if you don't have a very light cream color (being a bit on the yellow or orange side will make it look warm, white is a cold color). LOOK at your photo to see where the bright spot falls on each apple, add that warm white or white to that area then lightly tap the color you just put down. This will soften and blend the color and the edges. Then use pure white to the very center of this spot you made and leave it alone, do not blend. Do this for all the apples that the sun is hitting. You will be doing very little blending at this point.

I added a few stems to some of the apples and a leaf to one in the basket. Look for places you can add detail like the tops and bottoms of the apples to suggest the direction they are facing. Finishing up a painting is personal so do as little or as much as you feel comfortable with (I can get a bit overboard).

Don't forget your basket at this point. Be sure you have highlights where you need them and that you have followed the weave of the basket, this is important so you get the twist of the handle and the texture of the weave of the basket.

I brought the leaves across the page and behind the basket. I also took a darker version of the first color - you can use the indigo or a blue if you don't have a darker color - to add some suggestion of shadows and shadowed leaves as well as some of the apple green to suggest apples on the branches. 

Last, I took a light blue and hit some of the edges of the leaves with this color to help separate some of the leaf shapes from others and to highlight a few of the leaves. Don't get carried away adding detail to this area it isn't the focal point and too much busy work can draw the eye away from the apples.

This is where I stopped in class because I was looking for something more to do and couldn't find it. As I said at the beginning once I got it home I fond a couple places I think I will touch next class but basically I could call it done at this point.

You do not have to  get your's done by next class we still have a couple of weeks before the semester ends so if you are still working on you project take the time you need. If you are finished, bring in something else to work on and I can help you get started.

Keep painting and I will see you in class.