Skip to main content

Practice Practice Practice


Last night, The Princess (pictured above) and I set up Tootsie Roll still lifes and did some 10 minute paintings.

This is a concept I first learned in college. Back then we called them gesture studies. They were charcoal sketches done with 10/15/30 second live model poses. It was the perfect warm up to larger drawings and helped me better understand the principles of movement and balance.

In painting classes I also did my share of thumbnail sketches - small studies at 4-5 minutes each of a still life setup, with the object placement or lighting shifted in each. These are a great way to figure out problems BEFORE you get to the big painting.

Also key - working quickly takes the pressure off making something perfect from the get-go and allows you to focus instead on capturing the essence of your subject.

I was reminded of the value of this exercise when theDaily Paintworks' challenge (a few weeks back) was 10 Minute Paintings. I've been meaning to paint me some 10 minute pieces ever since.

The Princess and I had so much fun that we're repeating the exercise again tonight. This time with Cadbury eggs and breaks for homemade chocolate mousse.

What should we paint tomorrow night?

Thanks in advance for sharing my artwork with your friends and family,
Kim
(4) 10 Minute Paintings done on an 11" x 14" canvaspanel -
the photo's a little dark due to our glum and gloomy day.
10 Minute Tootsies

I love painting Tootsie Rolls - each one is uniquely shaped and wrapped. When spotlit they take on a special character.

Do you have a similar sweet tooth? I've got several Tootsie Roll and candy-themed paintings available for purchase.

I'm open to painting commissioned candies, too - one of the perks of painting candy is getting to eat the setup when the painting is done! Let me know if you want to see something special.

And if you are interested in the above 11" x 14" study ($150), shoot me an email.

Thanks in advance!

Comments

  1. martinealison11:59 PM

    Merci pour ce partage... Il est vrai que plus vite on travaille on départ, plus le poignet se délie et les automatismes aussi, ainsi nous allons à l'essentiel...
    Bravo Princesse.
    Bisous à vous

    ReplyDelete
  2. Kimberly Kelly Santini9:52 AM

    Martine, merci, merci, merci!! :)

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

“Katie’s Moustache,” 6x12, pet portrait in acrylic on canvasboard, $90. Inquiries to ksantini@turtledovedesigns.com . One glimpse of Katie’s face, and I was hooked. Not only did she fall into my beloved “black & white” category, but she came with a full moustache and doe-like eyes. I first covered the canvas with a variety of blues and purples, using a (mixed) light green and pink for the highlights. (Right now my palette has been expanded to include the following: pthalo blue red, azurite hue, cad red dark, alizarine crimson, cad yellow dark, and then for graying/hazing out I use light green yellow and ultramarine purple.) I lighten with titanium white and darken with one of the blues and a touch of one of the reds. As a side note, at this time last year I was really struggling with my limited palette (I went from about 60 pots of paint to 3), but I have lived the benefits – I am so much more familiar with what I can mix given just this handful of colors. My paintings are also m...
Post a Comment
Read more

Dear Copyright Thieves

Dear Copyright Thieves,   Just because it's on the internet doesn't mean it's free for the taking. So let's just stop pretending the internet is a free-for-all.   Don't play the card that you didn't know - that's insulting. And don't also tell me that you meant to follow up and get permission but never got a chance to. That's insulting too. And by the way, don't you have a copyright protection notice on your own site?   And don't even try and point the finger at a third party who commissioned you to make a copy of my painting - again, an insult - you and I both know the difference between a reference photo and a painting.   And don't tell me that I asked for it because I share my artwork on the internet. I share my paintings and ideas and the stories behind them so as to encourage others to pursue  their own passions . I do not share so that those lacking integrity and morals can copy and market the images as their own...
33 comments
Read more

Golden Open Acrylics

I get all sorts of process oriented questions. Most recently I've been getting asked a lot about my paints and palette, which made me realize what a nice blog topic this would make! I use a Masterson Sta-Wet Premier palette box . This is comprised of a box (think Tupperware) with a sponge liner and a slice of palette paper that work together to keep my paints wet. This setup allows me to work with the same palette for about a full week, having the box open for multiple hours every day. You can see what the palette looks like at the beginning of a new session above - below the exact same palette after this week's work. For the last 25 years I have used Golden brand acrylics, mediums, and varnish. I love the overall quality of these paints and the fact that, when I have a question, their customer service department is made up of artists who actually use the products. Until last year, I used their Heavy Body paints exclusively. They have a buttery consistency, a little loose...
11 comments
Read more