Tuesday, December 14, 2010

James Fullmer

Try a New Technique
     So here is a new technique I tried called, peinture à l'essence. It was a technique developed by Edgar Degas to mimic the look of pastel but because it is painted using traditional oils, it does not require the protective glass in the framing. Although Degas abandoned it, Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec adopted it and used it the rest of his career.
     It starts with using a piece of cardboard for a palette. This allows the oils in the paint to be wicked away into the porous board. The artist uses turpentine to get the drier paints to the right consistency and then the panel (an unprimed, untempered hardboard or chipboard) is painted using more of a pastel technique. In this technique one is not supposed to "paint" with the brush but rather draw with various layers of color. The paint dries almost immediately allowing you to continue with the next layer.
     Although mine is perhaps more textured than some, I found I really liked this technique.

6 comments:

  1. I love this technique! You've captured such emotion and energy. She is beautiful!

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  2. This is stunning. Thanks for showing a close up. I do love the texture in this. Wow.

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  3. James, great warm/cool stuff and the hatching really vignettes the image nicely.

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  4. Sooo Beautiful! I really like this technique! Good Job!

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  5. Thanks for explaining who used this and the main technique. It is a beautiful piece you've created here. Great job!

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