Recently, I stumbled upon a luscious piece of floral fabric that I just could not resist purchasing. I knew it would be a terrific prop for a painting one day. Sometimes it is very worthwhile to ramble aimlessly through a market just to see what captures your eye. When I saw the pattern on this cloth, I instantly knew it was something very special … [Read more...] about Harvest Moon Gladiolas – Thanks to Neil Young
burnt sienna
Color Studies
Beads and Dogwood is a 6x6 study done with the color theme described in the previous post. If you will look closely, you can see how few color mixtures are in the composition. The background was toned with Graham burnt sienna then allowed to dry. Lots of smooshing and brushstrokes were left visible so as to give lots of character to the background … [Read more...] about Color Studies
More Mummy Tales
Many followers of this blog often ask if I had ever read anything about a pigment called, mummy yellow, or mummy brown. Well, I have, and this is probably the most bizarre and creepy pigment story yet. In her book, Colors, Anne Verichon says that in ancient Egypt mummy yellow was sacred because it was made from real mummies. In the embalming … [Read more...] about More Mummy Tales
Burnt Sienna Differences
I have three jars of burnt sienna pigment purchased over the past years. They are also shown here in the pure form on the left with linseed added and on the right with lead white added. The Kremer pigment at the top is the lightest and has a distinct hot feel to it. The Sinopia English variety is darker but still very warm. The one at the bottom … [Read more...] about Burnt Sienna Differences
The Sun, the Moon , and Burnt Sienna
Burnt Sienna is an extraordinarily versatile and useful pigment. In use since antiquity, the siennas sometimes are grouped into the "brown" category, but they are far from plain old brown. With their iron oxide ingredients, they range from rich earthy reds to foreboding darks. In earlier times, sienna was found in Siena, Italy and was … [Read more...] about The Sun, the Moon , and Burnt Sienna