Hello, welcome back to my studio and in this
video I'm going to talk about the vague topic of clean color notes.
Now why clean color notes?
Well, first of all, what is a color note? When I talk about color notes
I'm really talking about each mark I make with the brush on the canvas.
So every time I put on a brush stroke
of paint, it leaves a mark and that is a color note.
The color note relies on the actual color
mixed and how it works next to all the other colors.
Kind of like in a musical arrangement.
Of course, if you put all the notes in the right place, the music sounds great
and you put your color notes in the right place,
the painting looks great too.
Or at least the color does. So color notes
are about the color you mix, but also getting them clean is important.
I want each color note that I put down
to work and be right in the place I've put it.
So I've got to mix the colors correctly.
But I've also got to apply it
in a way that makes the color stand out to best effect.
So brushwork is critical and something
that artists very often ignore. They focus on the paint and cetera.
But the brushwork? Sometimes just left to chance.
Let's have a look at a painting I've done
recently, this painting over here.
When you look at it up close, you can see a lot of the brush marks.
In fact, you're looking at many, many color notes all arranged
Over here
the yellows are very similar in value, but you can still make out different
brush marks, some a little darker, others lighter, a little warmer or cooler.
Over here perhaps more obvious with a strong value
contrast.
The color notes of the blues
and the colors of the orange more obvious or apparent when you look at it.
But what I want is when viewed up close, you can see interesting
brushwork and color notes.
All of those individual brush strokes have given
a different color note their own day,
their own special moment, and all of those notes hopefully working nicely together.
So don't blend your brush strokes away.
Don't fiddle with them when you put them down, because then you're probably going
to mix in other wet paint and muddy it up and lose the vibrancy you had with that
paint that you took all the trouble to mix, as well and then lose it on the canvas
when you put it down.
Let's have a look at master painters, especially the Impressionists.
Consider the the paintings, not just about the subject, but how they
painted the brush strokes. Why that color is used next to another color.
And the shape of the brush stroke as well, all play a part.
And if you consider each brush stroke and color note as put down
with an intention, and you're trying to achieve something, you will
respect that brush stroke a lot more and you give it closer attention.
And ultimately end up with a more vibrant painting and color that really is
beautiful, warm or cool or whatever you try to achieve.
You've got the idea across
and it looks so much more impressive when the colors are working.
Clearly a difficult subject to explain.
Hopefully it's giving you something to think about and apply
with your painting and get intentional brush work into your process as well.
All right.
I've added a few videos at the end of this video for you to look at on the end rolls.
So have a look at those.
They may also give you some useful information.
Excellent.
Well, if you enjoy this video, give it a like if you can.
That would be fantastic.
I'll see you again probably next week with another video.
So if you've subscribed, I hope to see you again.
In the meantime, enjoy your painting.
Cheers for now.