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PACKED WITH ARTICLES YOU WON’T WANT TO MISS...Our featured cover painting is ‘Angel Fish’ by Donna Munsch

Winner of the July 2014 Challenge

Paint My Photo 11Autumn Edition 2014

Original reference photo, ‘Angel Fish 3’, provided by Paola Richey

‘Maple Leaves 3’ - Photo by Carrie Layne Mashon

Where Photographers and

Artists Meet

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Autumn is Upon Us... I can’t believe another summer has passed us by (almost). I hope that you have all continued to enjoy the many thousands of photos that our photographers have so generously shared and, of course, the amazing artworks that have been created from them.

As ever I’d like to extend my thanks and gratitude to everyone who make this site the amazing experience it is; Roy Simmons, the founder of PaintMyPhoto, for his vision of what could be, and the volunteer administrators who work so tirelessly to help members - never forget that these folks give many hours of their Precious time for free.

It is fantastic to see the groups and friendships that have been forged on PaintMyPhoto - what an amazing community we have become! Long may it continue...

I hope you will enjoy this quarter’s magazine, which has been made possible yet again by the generosity of members who have provided content for you to read - a heartfelt thank you to all who have contributed.

Ruth Archer

EDITOR’S WELCOME

Up Close and Personal

Beauty Has Her Way

Laundry, Burano

If you aren't a member of PaintMyPhoto, then please have a read of our magazine and find out more about us. Are you are a photographer who would like to contribute good quality, copyright-free reference photos for our artists to use for inspiration? Are you an artist using traditional media (a complete beginner or a professional, it really doesn't matter) who would benefit from being able to use photos without copyright worries? Perhaps, like me, you are a bit of both! Membership is free and you will find the site a very welcoming and friendly community.Everyone is welcome! ����������� ������������������  

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Emotive and Inspirational Images that will Inspire Everyone

First and foremost, on behalf of all members, may we thank you for your generosity in sharing your wonderful photos! Can you tell us how you first discovered Paint My Photo?

Hello. Thank you so much for this wonderful honour. My wife is a member here, Lissa Rachelle. She is a graphite and acrylic artist passionate about her craft. She is the one both responsible for telling me about this site, and for convincing me to post my work here. As well, Lissa is a Founder (and I am a Director) of the Pencil Art Society Inc., a global non-profit society that brings together pencil artists for Live and Online International Exhibitions. So we are both very interested in helping to promote any vehicle which will aid artists in the practice of their craft, and PMP does just that.

What is your favourite photography subject?

Quite frankly, I don’t really have a favorite ‘subject’ for my photographic interests. I enjoy the artistic side of being

able to create an image which will create an emotional response in the viewer. I’ve found that is possible in virtually every form of photography. I started in film photography when I was very young. Digital

photography has opened up a whole new world in cost effective photography and it’s a wonderful

hobby.

What type of camera and equipment do you use for the photographs that

you post on Paint My Photo?

I have one primary camera, and have used others. My primary camera is a Nikon D300, and I use a bunch of different lenses of all qualities: A Nikon 105mm Macro lens, a 70-300 Sigma Telephoto, a 50mm prime lens, an 18-105mm short range DX Telephoto, a 12-24mm Nikon wide angle zoom. Obviously I have preferences for different applications. I also have the other range of accessories also, flashes, filters, remote cable releases, tripods (the main secret behind tack sharp photos), monopods etc. I’ve rented some studio strobes and other equipment for studio work, but do not currently own any.

Vee Robillard

Visit Vee’s Gallery on PaintMyPhoto

Contact Vee via PaintmyPhoto

MEET THE PHOTOGRAPHER

Light, Shadows, Values

Vee Robillard

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What, if any, photography/image software do you use to manage your photos?

Software to ‘manage’ photo’s, is in itself, an art. The old rule, “Less is More” definitely applies here. Just as photographers used to enhance photographs on the enlarger table with dodging tools (prior to the digital age), software is now the rule to be able to raise the quality of your images to another level. But a gentle hand in this ‘management’ process is important. I use a variety of tools, each having specific things which they do better than others. I use Photoshop, Nikon NX2, LightRoom and others. The goal in ‘developing’ any digital photograph, is to apply just enough software management to bring out the best in the photo, without it appearing as if any changes were made.

If you had to choose just one photograph that you have posted on Paint My Photo, which one would it be and why?

At the moment one of my favorites is a landscape I called Moonscape. Sometimes the ‘attachment’ one feels to a photograph speaks to the degree of difficulty in obtaining it (sort of like raising children). It was a freezing cold Canadian winter night (about -20 Celcius on a cold January evening), and I had been chasing a crescent moon which was darting in and out of cloud cover. I was looking for the best place to shoot it, and I came across this stand of evergreen trees. I began to think about how I wanted to shoot it. So I set up my gear, freezing my butt off, along side of the road about 10 pm, and then I waited, yes, teeth chattering and fingers freezing. I waited for the moon to break through a section of clouds. So I decided to take a chance and created a long exposure (15 seconds I think it was), and then clicked just as the moon broke through a hole in the clouded. If you look carefully, you can actually see about 15 seconds of movement in the actual moon. When I reviewed the picture I was very happy with the results. The tones generated by the long exposure were wonderful. For me, the overall picture created the quiet, winter scene I had been looking for.

In fact, I’ve always considered my favorite shot to be the photograph I am going to take next.

Finally, we’d love to know a little more about you, do you have a personal website (or other online presence) where we can see more of your work?

I do have a personal web site. It is: http://veerobillard.smugmug.com/

I offer my photographs for sale in various forms through this web site. Most of the photographs there are already uploaded onto PMP, because I enjoy seeing what artists can do with my photographs....it’s all for a great cause. As I create more, I will continue to upload them in the future.

Links to Vee’s gallery and PMP profile can be found at the beginning of this article.

VEE ROBILLARD

Portrait of an Old Man

After the Storm

You Think You Know Heat?

Gala Apple

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VEE ROBILLARD

Pink and White

Sunset Tree

Canada Goose

Young Man

Vee’s Choice - Moonscape

Dreaming in Watercolor

Red Barn

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VEE ROBILLARD

Belle

Pond

Gala Apples

Hibiscus

Halcyon Dreams

Peeled Banana

Whisper

Leaf

Winter Berries

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VEE ROBILLARD

Stalker

Sunflower

Enchanted

Come Closer

Portrait of a SeamstressPortrait of a Dandelion

Symphony

Raspberries

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Robyn’s Been Busy Finding us a Fabulous Selection of Photos - Enjoy!

Robyn LovelockRobyn (Ro) is a very talented artist and photographer based in Australia. She is also one of PMP’s superstars, helping to keep PMP running smoothly and looking after members.

You can view Ro’s gallery or contact her though PMP.

RO’S HIDDEN TREASURES

Robyn Lovelock‘Simon’s Tassie Pic’

Bird in the Flowers by Neil EmpsallPink Tulip by Gillian Floyd

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RO’S HIDDEN TREASURES A Mixed Special

Sunset1265 by Alan Thomas Lillies in Vase by Sue

Alpaca by MaritaThe Blue Door by Rosie

NY Botanical by Lori Ippolito

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RO’S HIDDEN TREASURES A Mixed Special

A glimpse of yesteryear by Fredda

Simon's pic Tasmania 4 by Ro

Window Lacock Abbey by Ann Bentley

Hawaii by Kelly Broughton

BrightMay09 032 by Ro

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RO’S HIDDEN TREASURES A Mixed Special

Michigan Red Barn by Kathie Luther

Reflections by Doti Moody Hunt

Titch by Paul H Kemp

20 Mile Creek by Doti Moody Hunt

I’m Adopted and it is the Best! by Christine Coffey

Heartbreaker with Blue Eyes by Inge Hartmann

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RO’S HIDDEN TREASURES A Mixed Special

My Friend by Kelly Broughton

Evie - Hand Under Chin by Rob

Grand Tree by Max Hemingway

Riding the Wave! by Kelly BroughtonThe Troubador by Rob

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RO’S HIDDEN TREASURES A Mixed Special

Going Bush! by Ro

Custom Mule Resonator by Rob

Chilled Cows by Max Hemingway

Dog-Day Afternoon by Ruth Archer

Waiting by Ruth Archer

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RO’S HIDDEN TREASURES A Mixed Special

Black Bear Sleeping by Doti Moody Hunt Marsh by Doti Moody Hunt

Autumn Road, Michigan by Kathie Luther Father & Son by Ruth Archer Dawn Sail to Hydra by Ruth Archer

Autumn Leaves by Nicola B Berries by Nicola B

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The Trouble With Acrylics...I don’t know why, but I seem to have the knack of going into battle with every medium I use. Acrylic paint is certainly no exception and, while there are many advantages to its quick drying time, I tend to struggle with creating soft and subtle blends when painting with it. I’m not a fast worker, so this problem is compounded for me.

I recently read a very interesting article in the International Artist magazine by an artist called John Stephens, who paints wonderful acrylic artwork with extraordinary soft blends and amazing detail - take a look at his website:

johnstephens.com

Isn’t his work incredible? Now I know I have no chance of producing anything on this level, but I thought I’d try out his technique of scumbling and glazing to see if I could start to find a way of improving my acrylic paintings. He works on a toned background and then uses white to paint the subject and a dark colour for the shadows. I thought that you might like to join me on this latest painting odyssey.

Ruth Archer

Visit Ruth’s Gallery on PaintMyPhoto

Contact Ruth via PaintmyPhoto

ART IN THE MAKING

Ruth Archer‘Up Close & Personal’

Sail Away, Sail Away, Sail Away

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Choosing my Subject

I recently had a wonderful few days sailing on our boat in Torbay, Devon. The sea was mediterranean blue

(no exaggeration!) and we were blessed with the company of many dolphins on more than one occasion. It

was a very moving experience that I felt I wanted to paint, so using one of my PMP photos, ‘Sail Away, Sail

Away, Sail Away’, I decided to make this my subject for this demonstration. Coupled with another photo

that I took of our marine visitors, I formed an idea as to how I thought it should look.

Materials Used

Acrylic paints (A mixture of brands, but all artists’ quality)

• Ultramarine Blue

• Cobalt Blue

• Cerulean Blue

• Light Blue Violet

• Dioxazine Purple

• Payne’s Grey

• Burnt Sienna

• Raw Sienna

• Cadmium Red

• Alizarin Crimson

• Naples Yellow

• White

Assorted brushes

Linen canvas 14” X 10”

Let The Fun Begin...

I spent a while thinking about how I wanted to

position the boat and the dolphins and made rough

sketches in a small sketchbook. I always work from a

black and white print, so I made colour notes on my

(very) rough drawing.

ART IN THE MAKING byRuth Archer

The Trouble With Acrylics...

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I primed the canvas with a background colour of light blue violet and then used dioxazine purple and white

to lay in the lights and darks of the image. I think with hindsight I probably should have used a darker

colour for the background colour and then more white within the initial layout, but that’s part of the fun of trying out a different technique - always learning with experience!

One of the traps I’ve fallen into more

than once is to paint what I think I see

rather than what is actually there, so I

paid extra attention to ensure that the

movement of the water being caused by

the boat was correctly placed.

I used alternate thin washes of white and dioxazine purple on the sail’s shadow and

I have to say I liked the way it gave the

sail the illusion of billowing out. I also

enhanced the darkest darks and lightest

lights to help me judge the values.

I probably should have spent more time

on the the first value session, but I was impatient and desperately keen to see

what would happen when I started

adding colour glazes.

I painted a very thin glaze of cobalt blue

over the shadow areas of the boat, the

sea and the sky.

I added a second glaze to the UV strip on

the sail, which can be seen here and demonstrates here how the colour starts

to build up.

ART IN THE MAKING byRuth Archer

The Trouble With Acrylics...

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I reinstated some of the lighter areas in the water with another thin glaze of

white. I then decided to added a small

amount of naples yellow to the lower

area of the sky and in the lighter areas of

the sail.

A thin glaze of raw sienna was washed

over the teak decks which gave a sunny

glow to them.

I felt the hull needed more shadow and

glazed it with cobalt blue.

The thin nature of the glazes means that

although you may cover over lighter or

darker areas, you don’t obliterate them,

which makes it easy to reestablish them.

I scumbled white over the shadow of the

sail and the hull, which started to soften

the transitions between light and

shadow.

Another glaze of cobalt blue was added

to the sea and a glaze of payne’s grey

was washed over the dolphins and the

darkest darks.

ART IN THE MAKING byRuth Archer

The Trouble With Acrylics...

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More white scumbling was worked over the sail and hull of the boat, then a very thin wash of white was laid over the distant sea to push it back a little.

I reinstated the details on the boat (boy are they fiddly!) and started to tidy up the deck detail.

I worked up the froth on the crest of the bow wave with impasto white, a little was also added around the dolphins. I had a think about what I remembered from those wonderful days and decided that I needed to give the distant clouds a stormier feel.

To make life a little easier for myself, I used a couple of pieces masking tape along the horizon and the front of the sail. I then used heavier paint to create the clouds. Burnt sienna and cobalt blue were used to create the greys in the lower parts. I decided to use cerulean blue for the sky colour to add a little variation, and then also ran a little of this through the distant and middle sea area.

You can see that I’ve also decided that the right-hand area feels a little sparse so a red sail has been added in.

ART IN THE MAKING byRuth Archer

The Trouble With Acrylics...

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Finally, I reinstated the red sails and dark hull of the distant boat. I added the suggestion of reflections of the white tops of the clouds and the red sail in the distant sea. I made a final pass around the boat, bringing up the highlights and had a final fiddle with the foreground water, then decided to stop.

The Final Painting: Wave Dancers

This painting certainly isn’t anywhere near the skill of John Stephens’ wonderful work, but his workshop gave me some great guidance and I will certainly try this technique again; acrylics lend very well to this technique with their speedy drying times.

The violet and purple base colours give a glow to this painting, which at first I wasn’t sure about, but as I progressed with the glazes and scumbling I grew to quite like it. It will be fun to experiment with different coloured backgrounds as I think they will make a radical difference to the mood and depth of the painting.

This was great fun to paint and I hope you enjoyed joining me on this little adventure - why not have a go and see what you think?

ART IN THE MAKING byRuth Archer

The Trouble With Acrylics...

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Creative Lighting Effects

Dean Simmons is a member of PaintMyPhoto and recently published his book, ‘Creative Photography for Beginners’ on Amazon. It is receiving excellent reviews and is a great guide for those who wish to improve their photography skills and confidence when taking photos.

Dean has kindly shared an excerpt from his book in the magazine, which I’m sure you will find very interesting.

If you would like to purchase Dean’s book, it is available on Amazon for Kindle devices and reading apps. Please note: buying our ebooks supports PMP!

USA LinkUK Link

For other countries search in the Kindle store. Please leave a review if you are able.

Read on for a small taster of Dean’s book...

Dean SimmonsDean is a talented photographer and author of the book ‘Creative Photography for Beginners’.

Contact Dean on his profile at PMP. View Dean’s photos in his PMP Gallery.

CREATIVE PHOTOGRAPHY FOR BEGINNERS

Dean Simmons‘Candid Indonesian Boy’

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The use of long exposures to create interesting effects has already been mentioned with regards to motion blur and panning. The same technique can be applied effectively to nighttime scenes. This is typically used in fireworks, lightning, astrophotography, and nighttime street scenes where the lights from moving vehicles create luminous streaks. Fairground rides and other recreational nighttime scenes can make use of those glowing lights and create colourful luminous streaks of neon light by using a long exposure.

The long exposures can vary from seconds, minutes and days. Some astrophotographers capture the movement of a star and those exposures can even last for months. To create the long exposure lighting effect; you need to make use of the 'Bulb' setting. Using the Bulb allows you to manually open the exposure for as long as you wish. This is accomplished by pressing and holding the shutter button for the duration of the exposure. The exposure will last until you manually release the shutter button.

The lengthy exposure means that the camera must be fixed to a tripod or stable surface, it is impossible to accomplish the effect handheld (unless you want to create a mesh of blurred light streak which could also be rather interesting). Some photographers make use of a remote shutter button; this allows the shutter to be locked with an external remote and will prevent camera-shake and avoid holding the shutter button down for a long period. The external remote is a useful accessory for particularly long exposures, but it is not a necessity.

CREATIVE PHOTOGRAPHY byDean Simmons

Creative Lighting Effects

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The top-left photo is a passing carnival vehicle, covered in neon lights. The camera is set on a step and the bulb exposure captures the neon streaks as the vehicle passes.

The right scene, taken from an overhead crossing is Singapore night time. It shows the streaks of lights as the vehicles navigate the road, the lamppost light produces a 'star' shape that is a result of a bright light source on long bulb exposures.

Bottom-right is a street scene in Central Jakarta, the monument towers above the street vendors. The blurred movement in the scene conveys the busy, bustling street that is ongoing throughout the day and into the night.

The bottom-left photo is Barcelona's famous street, La Rambla. The camera is rested on the floor and uses a long bulb exposure to capture the Christmas lights and a nice reflection on the ground. The lines of illuminated trees and the grid on the pavement create an interesting composition.

All of the demonstrated bulb exposures were captured without a tripod. It is recommended a tripod is used but don't be put off by not having a tripod available. You can't always predict a good bulb-exposure opportunity, so make use of your surroundings and find a ledge to set you camera down.

CREATIVE PHOTOGRAPHY byDean Simmons

Creative Lighting Effects

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The Dock is on Fire! By Bill Peppas, taken in Stamata, Greece

This stunning shot perfectly demonstrates the use of the lighting techniques discussed. Bill took this photo shortly after dusk at Kavouri Beach, not far from Greece's capital city, Athens.

“The "light" effect is the result of burning ( set on fire ) steel wool being rotated in the air inside a whisk while I was running across the dock. To make it last long enough to cover the whole length of the dock I mixed up some #1 steel wool ( which needs a lot of heat to catch fire and burns slower).

“This photo is all about color. The beautiful colors at the sky, the hot yellow/orange-ish sparks from the steel wool, the colorful reflection of the sparks on the seawater, the color of the sand as it was lit by the flaming steel wool and the lights of the city in the background. Apart from all those wonderful colors, I also like the uniqueness of the shot, it's different than any steel wool photograph I've seen."

Bill enjoys travelling and has a portfolio of various subjects, many of which are enhanced by his 'light painting'.

“I'm a semi-pro landscape photographer situated in the suburban area outside Athens in Greece. Together with my partner, Andreas, we travel around the country looking for beautiful natural landscapes or seascapes and sometimes cityscapes/country-side small towns or villages to capture.

“We like to try different things, and sometimes combine our landscape excursions with some creative photography action like light painting, steel wool, levitation, etc.”

Like a wizard creating streaks of light, enjoy simulating the magical light and experimenting with the bulb setting.

CREATIVE PHOTOGRAPHY byDean Simmons

Creative Lighting Effects

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Making the most of the inspiration!

I am constantly amazed by the skill and vision of the wonderful photographers who share their photos on PMP. There are thousands of photos on the site which are works of art in their own right. We artists are so fortunate to be given permission to make paintings and drawings from these images.

While there are many photographs that can easily be converted into successful paintings just by copying them as they stand, I would like to encourage artists to add something of themselves to the painting – something beyond that goes beyond skill and reaches into expression and inventiveness.

I’d like to reassure you that photographers are just as pleased to see a re-imagining of their image as they are to see it painted directly.

Feel free to interpret, add, remove, re-organise, combine and otherwise adapt the images that are offered to you for inspiration and reference. In this article, I have chosen to highlight just a few of the artists who have done that.

Lorna WebberLorna is a very talented artist and photographer based in the UK.

View Lorna’s Gallery on PMP.

You can contact Lorna by visiting her PMP profile page on PMP.

PAINT MY PHOTO... CREATIVELY

Lorna Webber‘Tree Abstract 3s’

A Celebration of Skill and Imagination that will Inspire You!

‘Ice Dancer’

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Changing Moods

Here is Brenda Thour’s Night Owl – a fabulous background treatment provides Glennis Weston’s beautiful photograph with a different mood and a lot of drama.

In his lovely watercolour, Robert Reid has changed the feeling with tone, colour and lighting, to make a different but equally beautiful scene based on the source photo by Pixel Bloke (David Smith). ‘Into the Realm’ was Rob’s wonderful tribute to a superb photographer who is greatly missed.

A Celebration of Skill and Imagination that will Inspire You!

PAINT MY PHOTO... CREATIVELY byLorna Webber

[27]

Terrific Technique

You will probably be familiar with the gorgeous banner art that has been PMP’s identity for the past few months. It was made by Laurie Boone Henry with alcohol inks on Yupo. Here is another of her paintings from her own photograph:

This technique has become very popular. Some of our best artists in traditional media are experimenting with alcohol inks. Sammy is new to this medium, but you would never guess it. Here is her painting of Angeline Rijkeboer’s owl…

A Celebration of Skill and Imagination that will Inspire You!

PAINT MY PHOTO... CREATIVELY by Lorna Webber

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Roy Simmons is well known for his beautiful loose-style watercolours, especially landscapes of the Lake District. He has experimented with stencils to further enrich and enliven his technique. The first painting is a combination of inspirations from Oggy’s album of Italy.

The second, a painting of Venice, again using stencils, is based on Neil Cartwright’s photo of the Grand Canal.

A Celebration of Skill and Imagination that will Inspire You!

PAINT MY PHOTO... CREATIVELY by Lorna Webber

View Oggy’s Photos

[29]

Another new medium – ‘Scratch Board’ (also known as Scraperboard) is now hugely popular especially in the USA, and increasingly in the UK and elsewhere. The art of scratchboard has been elevated to an astounding degree of excellence and we have some world-class ‘scratchers’ on PMP! There is now a dedicated page for the medium with in the Drawing Group. Diana Lee made this outstanding piece from The Closet Painter (Rosie)’s photo The Needlewoman:

Scratchboard can be coloured too, as Sheila Daniells expertly shows, using Steve Lyddon’s splendid photo Dreamtime:

A Celebration of Skill and Imagination that will Inspire You!

PAINT MY PHOTO... CREATIVELY by Lorna Webber

[30]

Another delightful, coloured scratchboard piece, this time from Jenny Dalleywater – Fawn, from a photograph by Lenora Melville.

Getting stuck in with collage:

Who could fail to be impressed by Mary’s portrait of Avo? Just look at the inventive use of collaged fabric to make this character really come to life. The texture is perfect for his craggy face. The reference used was Rosalind Amorin’s wonderful photographic portrait of Avo.

A Celebration of Skill and Imagination that will Inspire You!

PAINT MY PHOTO... CREATIVELY by Lorna Webber

[31]

Take a look at Patty Henderson’s chicken, based on a photo by Billie Crain. Patty has used collaged papers to produce this colourful, lively piece - perfect for a fresh country feel and a perky hen.

Alex Lee Johnson’s striking portrait “Mood” was the inspiration for this wonderfully surreal painting by Carolyn, which includes real playing cards within the acrylic painting – a very inventive way to reinforce the meaning of the piece. I like the way the cards form a kind of mask for the poker player.

A Celebration of Skill and Imagination that will Inspire You!

PAINT MY PHOTO... CREATIVELY by Lorna Webber

[32]

I love Vivienne Adams’s interpretation of Rosalind Amorin’s photograph of the Vancouver skyline. The newsprint provides an excellent impression of the detail of the buildings, as well as giving it a great urban edge.

Our Queen of Collage, Cherry Aron, has made many fabulous mixed-media paintings with PMP photos as a starting point. In this one, she used a marvellous photo by Viacheslav, representing his multi-layered photo with multiple layers of collage and paint glazes. Beautiful!

A Celebration of Skill and Imagination that will Inspire You!

PAINT MY PHOTO... CREATIVELY by Lorna Webber

[33]

Form and Format

Some artists apply their invention to unusual and original formats for their paintings. Here, Judith Farnworth has adopted a grid format to display four varied but related watercolour paintings of the same subject. Donna Sommer provided the inspirational fruit in Sugar for Shawn!

Richard Long has employed the same format. Perhaps a tribute to Andy Warhol, but Richard didn’t cheat by screen printing (hahah) – he has painted each image in gouache to give a great pop-art result. The portrait was shared by Alex Lee Johnson.

A Celebration of Skill and Imagination that will Inspire You!

PAINT MY PHOTO... CREATIVELY by Lorna Webber

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Not stopping at format, Harold Kirby has actually painted a form. His Portland Head Light is painted on an artist’s palette, from Teresa Houston’s fine reference photo. You’ll be glad to know that Hal didn’t use his only palette for this!

This is a real three-dimensional painting on a very unusual support. J.D. Fields has painted a blown goose egg to produce a small world of colour. J.D.’s painting was based on a beautifully coloured photo by Laura Moore.

A Celebration of Skill and Imagination that will Inspire You!

PAINT MY PHOTO... CREATIVELY by Lorna Webber

[35]

In Summary

I’ve written on this topic in the last 4 PMP magazines, so if you like what you’ve read and want more explanation and examples, please feel free to look here:

http://issuu.com/paintmyphoto

I do hope you will be inspired to try something new and to experiment a bit.

Once again, I would like to thank all the terrific photographers who share their inspirational work so generously on Paint My Photo. My thanks too, to all the artists who have kindly allowed me to include their work in this article.

May I take this opportunity to remind every artist to let the photographer know when you have created a painting inspired by their photo? It doesn’t happen automatically when you post a painting with a link. All it takes is a grateful comment on the photo in question, to show your appreciation.

I look forward to displaying some more of your great work next time. Prepare yourselves – it may be an abstract extravaganza! Until then – happy creative painting!

Lorna’s work can be seen here http://lornawebber.blogspot.com/

and here https://www.facebook.com/LornaWebberVipond

A Celebration of Skill and Imagination that will Inspire You!

PAINT MY PHOTO... CREATIVELY by Lorna Webber

‘Rusted Memories’

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Making the Most of Colour

I know I mention colour in virtually every blog I write but thought a full blog on colour where I tie everything together would be useful. I get asked a lot about colour on all my workshops and I find as I progress I get more and more specific about what I want from a particular colour. You may be interested to learn about the colour planets I do before starting a painting especially if I want to find a new interesting combination or I am looking for something specific, which I feel will compliment the subject (more about these later in this article). What I am not necessarily looking for is to find exact colours to match my subject although I do that as well. I am looking for colours which may not immediately be what you might choose but because of the way I mix them will still look attractive.

I also choose a dark colour so that I have something which will give me a good deep tone... it isn't colour which defines a subject it is shape, and tonal value is what helps to give you the shape of a subject. My dark may be a blue, a purple, brown or sometimes a red but it has to be a colour which will give a full range of value so for example a palette with lemon yellow, permanent rose and cobalt blue doesn't have the very darkest values and so I would either swap a colour or add in another to give me the range.

Judith Farnworth

View Judith’s gallery on PaintMyPhoto

Contact Judith via PaintmyPhoto

COLOUR THOUGHTS

Judith Farnworth‘Rolo’ - reference photo by Gwen Card

I recently came across Judith Farnworth’s great art blog and found some wonderful articles that she has written about how she works with colour. Judith is a long-time member of PaintMyPhoto and produces some beautiful artwork. She has kindly agreed to let me share an excerpt of her blog in the magazine.

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I have spent a lot of time studying colour and am still

learning and as you will have read do not keep my

colours to a limited palette although for any one painting I rarely use more than 6 colours. I love

having a good choice and enjoy all the different

colours and particularly those which can't be mixed.

Winsor & Newton Opera Rose is a prime example; a

vibrant almost fluorescent pink, which is unlike any

other colour and impossible to mix at least not with

the colours I have. Schmincke Translucent Orange is

another - impossible to get from any red or yellow at

least any that I have in my palette!

I have listed the colours in my palette later in this

article and I think I have only added a small number

since, Perylene Green would be one, a lovely silver

green, and interestingly, I am realising that the more adventurous colour combinations come when I am

painting animals. With flowers I tend to stick with matching the colour to the flower and maybe adding

something a bit more adventurous for the backgrounds, although invariably the background will have some of

the flower colour mixed with it. With animals I either see potential colour mixes or if don't see them, I make

them up testing them on a planet. I often work from black and white images for animals so I am not bound

by the colour I see. I find I can be a bit more inventive and creative if I'm not viewing the subject in full

colour feeling freer to experiment with anything I think might look different and interesting.

Four colours I have been using a lot recently are

Ultramarine Blue, Alizarin Crimson, Burnt Sienna

and Raw Sienna. I seem to have been drawn to

them for a number of paintings recently, I

sometimes add in a prussian blue as well and a

cad yellow for some brightness but am going to

start experimenting again with some of the other

colours. I really like Turquoise but don't seem to have used much of it recently so for no other

reason I might introduce it into the next painting

I do.... scientific eh?

ART IN THE MAKING... Colour thoughts byJudith Farnworth

Making the Most of Colour

[38]

One thing I do really want to emphasise is

that although I really believe there are no rules for painting, there is no substitute for

getting to know the colours you have in

your palette, get to understand the tonal

value they will give you, learn how they

interact with other colours, and it can only

be done with practice. it's fine to read all

about them, about analogous, harmonious,

complimentary colours, opaque colours,

transparents, staining but reading and

doing are two different things and the only thing which will give you a understanding

of your colours is to use them!!

One example to illustrate the point is a colour called Winsor

Red; a rich red, veering slightly more towards pink than

Cadmium Red. I have used it to paint the red shoes both for

the shoes and background. When I come to add it on the

paper to mix with the Prussian Blue or Indigo, whichever

blue I am using it explodes and takes over, pushing the blue away quite significantly. For that reason I now know I have

to go easy with it when mixing with other colours if I don't

want it to take over, other colours do this but none as

pronounced as the Winsor Red.

Granulation is also another property colours may have but it

is so much easier to remember it when you see it

happening rather than just reading about it, easier to see

how an opaque colour can both lift or dull a painting

depending on how and when you use it, easier to see how much livelier colour can be when mixed and mingled on the

paper rather than in the palette. Seeing is believing! So get

your paints out and play!

ART IN THE MAKING... Colour thoughts byJudith Farnworth

Making the Most of Colour

[39]

I spend a lot of time mixing little "planets" to try out different combinations for my work. I just drop paint in

wet in dry or wet in wet and leave the colours to mix. I

DO NOT go back in with my brush once the colours are

mixing otherwise I start to get mud!!

These planets are an example of what I do, I have pages

and pages of these, which I can then come back to when

I want to see what colours will work well for a particular

piece of work - don't worry, I won't bore you with them

all!!!!! These have 3 colours mixed, I do tend to use transparent paint but I still don't get mud even with

opaques or semi opaques. The secret is not to fiddle with

it, to let the paint and water do the work on the paper.

You can try this with any colours and you will be

amazed how many beautiful combinations and

effects you can get with colours that would be so

dull and uninteresting if you tried mixing them

together in the palette.

Give it a go and you will find your work will

move on to a different level!!!

ART IN THE MAKING... Colour thoughts byJudith Farnworth

Colour Planets

[40]

I bought a new palette from Ken Bromley

recently and as many of you will know I am

not the most decisive person in the world and, as the three radial palettes I currently

use have 36 colours (I know, I know..... what

on earth am I doing with so many colours -

back to that later) and this palette only has

21 wells, I had to have to have a serious cull

of colour. It was a sad day!!!

I love my radial palettes, the wells are so big

when I add water to them I can get quite a

dilute wash within the wells and as you know I do the rest of my mixing on the paper so

rarely have to use the central area.

When I first got them I was doing a workshop on mixing greens so chose a selection of yellows and blues and

filled one palette with those. I then added the other more popular colours I use in the second palette and the

final one I filled with my less used colours and any new ones I have bought since.

The Palettes stack and although they don't

have a lid (should contact the manufacturers about that as it would

improve the design if they did) they really

suit me and I get on well with them!!

So what have I bought another palette for?

Well although these stack and I like using

them they are rather large and a bit

cumbersome for me to cart about to all the

groups I go to.... as I mentioned, a lid

would help as I could stand them up and any wet paint wouldn't run all over the

place but as they are I have to have a bag

wide enough to fit them in laid flat.

ART IN THE MAKING... Colour thoughts byJudith Farnworth

The Trials & Tribulations of a New Palette!

[41]

I saw this new palette advertised at Ken Bromley's

and happened to be speaking to a friend who had just

bought one and was very happy with it. The wells are quite large and when I saw it thought it would be

much easier to carry about. As I do workshops both at

my own group and others and I also go to Bolton Art

Circle I thought I would try it out... phew!!!

Here you can see it all white and virgin like... it has 21

wells and because the minimum colours I wanted

were 22 I have had to use one of the 6 little trays for

one more colour (think they might be pouring trays).

For those who use mixing areas there are 2 large trays and the whole thing is very versatile.

Here it is with the lid on... already splashed some paint on it.... I am just so messy!!!

The number of colours I possess have been accrued over many

years and I am a sucker for buying anything anyone says is a nice

colour! So my basic palette I think would be:

Ultramarine Blue, Cobalt Blue, Indigo, Prussian Blue, Cerulean

Blue, Windsor Violet, Helio Turquoise, Raw Sienna, Burnt Sienna,

Cadmium Yellow, Lemon Yellow, Translucent Yellow, Translucent Orange, Quinacridone Gold, Alizarin Crimson, Permanent Rose,

Opera Rose, Green Gold, May Green.

My other colours include: Quinacridone Magenta, Rose Carthame, Pthalo Blue, Aureolin, Sepia, Brown

Madder, Raw Umber, Cadmium Yellow Light, Permanent Magenta, Permanent Mauve, Perylene Maroon,

Perylene Violet.

I also have a few other blues and yellows which seem to be very close to the ones listed and one or two reds

and oranges so in total a lot of colours. Having said that I rarely use more than 5 in any one painting but I do

intend to start experimenting with some of the colours I don't use as often. What seem to happen is we have a comfort zone of colours, we know what we like and what works for us, what to expect of those familiar

friends and for me at least, I forget to try the different ones.. but no more!! I have already started on them,

using them to create my colour planets and trying to get some different combinations.

ART IN THE MAKING... Colour thoughts byJudith Farnworth

The Trials & Tribulations of a New Palette!

[42]

A scientist by background but bit of a butterfly at heart (OK,

I am speaking metaphorically here!!), I came to art fairly late

in life having never discovered what it was I wanted to do "when I grew up!!!" I had always been able to draw fairly

well but never ever thought of a career in art when I was

younger and when I attended my first painting and drawing

class I still had no idea that I would ever pursue a career in

it. What I did know however, was that I loved it, especially

when I started to paint and somehow even though I was

abysmal (there really is no other word to describe my earlier

efforts) I still loved it and for some reason had this

unshakeable belief that one day I would "get there!!!"

Now where "there" is, is another whole article, suffice to say,

I will never get there but as I love the journey so much,

"there" doesn't seem as important to me now, in fact I don't

want to get there... it would feel like the end of an amazing

book, a superb film, a beautiful relationship.

However I did struggle for many years and I feel that was

very much in part due to lack of the right tuition, if I had

known certain things early on I am convinced I would have progressed and improved much faster... I did

improve but only very slowly. I now know, that painting is a skill and not a talent and that with the right help anyone can do it... all you need is the desire to improve, and the motivation to practice, and the desire will

make you practice... as the golfer said, "It's amazing... the more I practice the luckier I get!!"

I was asked to give a workshop for my local art group 3

years ago....they asked me, I said yes then came home

and panicked!!! Luckily they gave me several months

notice and I practiced and practiced what I was going to

show them and delivered the session with what I have to

say was very positive feedback. and more importantly I

loved it!! They asked me back and when I retired early from my "day" job I decided to approach one or two local

groups to see if they were interested in having me come

to tutor them for a session... and they said yes too!! And I

loved that as well!!

ART IN THE MAKING... Colour thoughts byJudith Farnworth

Judith’s Art Journey

[43]

Now I visit groups all over the North of England and would love to start traveling further afield. I run both half

and all-day sessions but the emphasis in all my sessions is on techniques, skills and painting in a loose way. I teach all the things I didn't know and it is amazing how many people at the groups I visit don't know lot of

those things either. Any groups who would like me to come and deliver a workshop just need to get in touch

and I will see if it is possible to organise and possibly do several sessions in the one trip.

My website is:

Any of you who have enjoyed the articles here might want to check out my blog... there is a link from the

website or you can visit it here:

ART IN THE MAKING... Colour thoughts byJudith Farnworth

Judith’s Art Journey

Link to Judith Farnworth’s website

Link to Judith Farnworth’s website

Note from the Editor:I thoroughly recommend following Judith’s blog - she shares a great deal of experience and advice that is extremely helpful for beginners and experienced painters alike. It’s a fun read too!

[44]

An Interview with Donna Munsch - Her Painting Features on the Cover

Donna, as a first-time winner of the July challenge, "A Fine Kettle of Fish,"we were wondering what there was about the challenge that caught your attention and gave you the inspiration to take up the challenge to paint an underwater scene?

I was looking for something different to paint than I normally would. When I saw the challenge was fish, it immediately caught my attention. I searched the PMP site and saw Paola Richey's photo of an angel fish. She posted several so I thought I had a good collection to put an interesting composition together. Also I thought I might have a chance to sell it on the Daily Paint Works site.

What would you like to tell us about yourself and your art? Did you have specific training in art, or are you a self-taught artist? Do you have a website or do you paint purely for pleasure?

I graduated college with a art education degree and taught 32 years as an art teacher in Berlin Wisconsin. I could only work on my personal paintings during the summer breaks but now that I am retired I try to paint a little almost everyday.

Donna Munsch

View Donna’s gallery on PaintMyPhoto

Contact Donna via PaintMyPhoto

FEATURED COVER PAINTING

Donna Munsch‘Pitcher of Flowers’

Strawberry Copper Colander

[45]

I took a couple of online courses from Dan Edmundson to refresh my skills and that is what motivated me to look into selling them online. Luckly I have been able to sell a few this year to help pay for the supplies it takes to do my hobby.

I have a blog: http://donnamunscch.blogspot.com/ where I post my paintings and also have a link to my prints and Daily Paint Works. I also sell on Etsy but do much better with Daily Paint Works.

Is there a particular medium or style that you like to work in most, and why?

Oil painting is my only focus now. I did watercolors and acrylic paintings years ago but once I tried oil paint I was hooked. I love the buttery consistency of the paint.

What drew you to the photo "Angel 3" by Paola Richey of a golden angelfish to use as your reference photo? Was this your first entry to the monthly challenges on PMP?

This was my first try at a challenge on PMP. I have only been using this site this year. The photo references are vast and very good. Paola's photo was very clear and the fact she posted several angel fish it gave me options.

Do you have a designated studio where you go to create your work? What is it like? What kind of atmosphere is most conducive to your creativity when you paint?

Right now I paint in a corner of my large kitchen where I have a folded table set up and lap top. The ceiling is high so it has good ventilation and the lighting is excellent. I store my paintings all over.

How did you learn about PMP? What do you think of the idea that photographers share their photos with artists around the world to paint, free of copyright here in our online community? Is having such a vast selection of photos as reference helpful to you as an artist?

I learned about PMP on Daily Paint Works. I was viewing Lynn Darby's paints and she noted the site as a resource. Once I saw the site I was in heaven. I have been looking for photos that I could use as references with no copyrights attached.

COVER FEATURE An Interview with our Winner Donna Munsch

An Interview with Suzanne Munsch - Her Painting Features on the Cover

Who’s Spurs?

[46]

I do paint from my own still lifes and photos but it is no where vast enough to keep the motivation going. I could spend a whole day on setting up a still life and take many photo just to find one to paint. This sight saves me time, lots of time. Now I can paint more and spend less time looking for ideas. The photographers here are so generous to post their photos to paint from, without them I would not be progressing as much as a painter.

Donna, your painting was the very first since the PMP challenges started, that was given 5 points by each of our judges, the highest score they give. A perfect 20, and well deserved!! How did you feel and what was your reaction when you found out you had won this fishy, underwater challenge?

When I found out that my painting won the July challenge I was blown away. I have no words to express my surprise. To have people appreciate my paintings and send such wonderful comments is really a treat. I am so honored when the photographers of the photos I have used as reference comment that they like my painting. Thank you PMP for being here. PMP is one of the best things in life for me.

COVER FEATURE An Interview with our Winner Donna Munsch

An Interview with Donna Munsch - Her Painting Features on the Cover

Spotted Tropical FishTea And Cookie Break

Beach Day Golden Finch

[47]

Well, that’s it for another edition everyone - I hope you’ve enjoyed reading the articles that have been so generously supplied by our members.

Are you a member of PaintMyPhoto that would like to contribute to the magazine? If so, then contact me via my PaintMyPhoto profile for a friendly chat - we love to promote our members!

A Little Pot of Wonder

One of my favourite ‘must-haves’ in my art stash is Dr PH Martin’s Bleed Proof White. Although I’ve tried (and tried and tried!), I just don’t get on with masking fluid when attempting to paint with watercolour, so when I discovered this little pot of loveliness I was one happy bunny!

It really does do what it says on the jar - the two paintings I have

shown here were both painted in watercolour, but rather than using masking fluid to keep the highlights, I reinstated the them at the end using this product.

It will take a certain amount of diluting with water but this does reduce its opacity, although I find this useful for softening hard edges away. I have also tried white gouache, but for me it doesn’t perform as well as this product.

One little jar also lasts a long time, so I think it is a worthwhile purchase. I purchased mine through Jackson’s Art Supplies, but it is easy to find other suppliers by using Google.