Jansen Art Online/ Art Videos Direct

 What do I mean by "See?"
Many years ago, my wife, Martha, bought me a fantastic book about seeing through Rembrandt's eyes. Studying the Master's drawings helped me understand how he developed compositional planes that underlay his incredible paintings. I was instantly inspired to apply the principles to my own work. These lines and design theories apply to all genres because they describe edges and light- elements that are vital to the artist.
Below are a few of the concepts I will present in this new online class. We explore a variety of artistic concepts to help you develop your individual style. It takes time to learn to see new things and break habits. That is why this is an open class that will never end. It is part of our life long artistic journey. We hope you will join us- there is so much to show... and paint!

Carl Rungius (1925)

One of our goals is to see the planes of light through a line sketch. Sketching is a powerful tool for planning a painting. Many masters create preliminary drawings with short lines rather than soft shading. Small lines depict the planes and edges of tonal changes. Every angle change in a line equals a plane change on the object. Every plane change equals a change of color tone. Setting the planes of light clearly in a sketch helps you plan your brush marks. 

Look closely at the vertical tree in front of the moose. There are small, thin lines across the plane of the tree which suggest the roundness of the trunk. In contrast, the main design lines indicate the vertical power of the tree. These lines determine how you are going to paint that tree. Most of the brush calligraphy can be established with vertical lines. Then use a few crossing marks to show the roundness of the tree. 

Student Question:
A change in a line's slope indicates that it is not flat, and there will be a tone change in the color. Is it OK to draw with curves?
Is it an optical illusion that the curves seem to be used? 

 David:
Great question! Stroke work, like Rosemaling, and many decorative styles use curved lines. However, when I want a realistic effect, I don't use curved lines because light does not curve. Light moves in straight lines. When we want to capture accurate light movement, we do not curve the brush.

With alla prima techniques, we create small strikes of color rather than long strokes. To paint a tree, the artist marks across the tree to show roundness and uses longer marks to create the vertical of the tree. Most of the curved lines you see are an optical illusion. They are small lines put together. 

Light is key to an exciting painting. Sometimes it is easier to study light movement on a round subject, such as a rock, and then apply it to a floral composition. Notice the difference between the light warm colors and the cooler shadow side of the rock. Do you see the color differences between the first rock and second rock? They are only about 8 feet from each other. Here is my morning rock on a cloudy morning compared to a bright warm morning at the same time of day.  On a clear day, the front rock is almost violet in the left side form shadows. The soft diffused colors of a grey day show what clouds can do to light.

Student Question:
Is light warm and dark cool? That's the way it is in my mind. Am I right on this? I've been confused about this issue lately because I've read several articles where the artists say that light is cool and dark is warm. Please help me out with this. 

 David:
Light can be either warm or cool. The temperature of light is a spectrum that we measure in degrees Kelvin. This numerical reference helps us explain light and its effects. You can buy many kinds of light bulbs with different temperatures to control the feeling of a room. The light bulbs in my studio are around 3500 K so that I can clearly see warm/cool colors and related tones. Morning light is very warm, and as the sun rises higher in the sky, the light changes depending on the atmosphere. In our paintings, we control the light temperature to create a mood and tell a story. 

These photos were taken 10 minutes apart. See the vast difference in the warm/cool tones? Notice the change of the blue in the sky. Colors change, temperatures change, shadows change. Everything we paint depends on the light. Throughout this new class, one of the main goals is understanding the path of light in landscapes, still lifes, florals, and portraits. Light controls the colors, contrast, and mood of your composition. As artists, we must respect the light and use it effectively in our work. It is King!

Balthasar van der Ast
Flowers in a Vase with Shells (1628)

Broken Color
Working Edges
Controlling the Light
Establishing Harmony

Half Tone Control
Simplifying Shapes
Core Contrast
Contour Strokes 

Movement Strokes
Contrast/Softening Strokes
Visual Texture