Winter 1946 by Andrew Wyeth

 

What better way to start our Winter painting program than with a few words around a painting about winter: 74 years ago, Andrew Wyeth painted “Winter 1946”.

Andrew Wyeth was one of the best-known U.S. artists of the 20th century, a realist, often termed a regionalist because his favorite subjects were the land and people around him. One of the best-known images is his painting, “Christina’s World“.

 

“Winter 1946” was completed 2 years prior. It actually shares the same conception with a high horizon and single figure in the foreground. In this way, Wyeth contrasts the singularity of the figure with distance, space and perhaps a sense of something outside the “world” of the painting itself – what’s over that hill? why is the figure turning so? There’s clear movement in the figure, the topography, the farm tracks, the fence all frozen in time and space. I think the reason that Andrew Wyeth is considered an American master, when you strip away the skill and subject matter, is that he had a wonderful eye for intriguing compositions.

“Winter 1946” is almost entirely monochrome, there’s a little green in the grass, but not much – it is winter after all. Everything is essentially in shades of gray. Not “fifty shades of gray” either, as there are perhaps 4 or 5 main value groups. In this, Andrew Wyeth builds his painting from strong values and this characteristic is fundamental across all mediums. A quick search on Andrew Wyeth watercolours for example, will show the power of line, wash and form, all with colour used sparingly, if at all.

For this first week, we’ll take inspiration from Andrew Wyeth and focus on monochrome, value studies and also practice some sound foundations.

Developing a single pigment layout:

1- Composition and Value Sketching

Whether you’re developing studies for use on a future painting project or a drawing for it’s own sake, composition and studies are an excellent way to frame your art endevours. In the following video I review the process:

A composition sketch serves to organize the picture space, simplify forms, look at what’s important and (more importantly) what’s not: Invariably, photos have too much detail and picking out what is important is best done before you paint. Also, things may not be where you want them, so you can easily move stuff around. You can also easily check out different scenarios – perhaps that holiday shot should be cropped!

Some artists include values (that is, lights and darks) as part of a single preliminary sketch, however it’s a good plan to do another. The trick is to force the picture space into 3 values: light, mid-tone and dark…and be rigorous, no in-between values! This promotes confidence to then block in values in your painting and adjust for detail afterwards. Any evident value problems, perhaps a light form next to a light backdrop are fixed when you go through this process. Keep it simple – it works best like this and I’m sure you’d rather be painting!

Exercise

1. Sketch out a composition from the reference below or take an alternative reference from the Reference Gallery. Focus on the major forms, placement and balance. 
2. Now, freely interpret this as a value study. Make the primary focus the  lights, mid-tones and darks (3 zones).

 

Painting using only one pigment (plus white) – Monochrome foundation painting

Following our sketches, I’m sure that we’re all ready to paint that image! In the following video I take the ideas from my initial sketches and develop a basic paint layout.

The initial foundation can be the most important stage of a painting. Foundation blocking can be completed in any (typically subdued) tone: blues, browns, greys and greens can all work. Each will assert a certain feel into the final work – sometimes dramatically so, where the foundation forms an integral part of the final image. A monochrome painting can be delightful in it’s own right!

Notes for Oil Painters

In oil, I would tackle the study in essentially the same way as in the video, the fundamental difference of course being that whereas acrylics dry rapidly, with oil you have the opportunity to work with paint that remains wet: start with a thin “solventy” mix and save the more substantial, thicker paint until you have the image starting to form.

Notes for Watercolour Painters

The fundamental difference in working with watercolour is keeping that white or at least light space. I work from mid-tone to dark across parts of the paper whilst reserving white space, as in the above study.. You can in fact tackle a painting in a similar way from the video, lifting and scrubbing out whites – I like to do this quite a bit – however it’s a less common approach.

Here are some ideas on getting started:

1. Use a big brush to start…keep using it until you find you need a little more detail.
2. You may notice the paint dries a little darker than the wet effect, particularly with acrylics and watercolour.
3. Stand back from your work from time to time – many masterpieces look quite messy up close.
4. When in doubt, look to clarify or re-state those three or four value groupings!.

Exercise

1. Develop a monochrome painting along the lines described using my reference above or one from the Reference Gallery
2. Start with blocking major forms and areas before developing details…you can of course add as much or a little as you like!

Drawing and wash – for watercolourists and others!

One idea that repeats throughout art, as it does elsewhere in life, is the juxtaposition of two equally-weighted opposites…a combination that very often naturally reinforces and emphasizes the qualities of both.

Although this may be a watercolour-centric idea, it actually works well for any well diluted medium on paper.

Explore the juxtaposition of the sharp definition of line and the ephemeral, amorphous quality of wash. The key is to let one complement the other, generally letting the wash pass behind or in front – it does not matter. Try not to stop wash exactly at the line, thereby reinforcing a boundary – and maybe not in a good way!

In the following video, I focus on drawing and adding some wash to enhance:

Ink is my preferred medium for line and can be applied before or after the wash. Using a permanent, light-fast pen, the effect is often very similar and the choice is as much about how the artist evolves the image as well as intent. I would say that most drawings can benefit from a little wash – there again, I’m a painter at heart!

 

Exercise

• Take any drawing, plein-air or studio and add a little monochrome wash!