Michael Burns Art

Painting Session 4 Date: 12/30/2017 Subject: Bobwhite Quail Medium: Mixed Media (Watercolor, Gouache, Ink) Paper: Canson : 90lb traditional surface watercolor paper Gouache: Zinc White, Naples Yellow, Yellow Light, Ultramarine Blue, Burnt Sienna Ink: Prismacolor fine blank ink permanent marker Links to previous sessions: Session 1 , Session 2 , Session 3 Gouache, Ink Bobwhite quail This is only the second painting I have done in gouache and the first full painting. It turned out to be quite the challenge. Although the quail was not easy to paint it did not pose as many challenges as the grass and background.  I never really got either to the point I was satisfied, but I decided to stop before overworking and ruined the painting.  I think I experienced all of the difficulties with gouache people talk about, especially the drying properties. I could never get the values the way I wanted and any highlights on the grass. I struggled with the paint underneath r...

Painting Session 3 Date: 12/30/2017 Subject: Bobwhite Quail Medium: Mixed Media (Watercolor, Gouache, Ink) Paper: Canson: 90lb traditional surface watercolor paper Watercolors used: French Ultramarine, Burnt Sienna, Brilliant Yellow, Winsor Red Gouache: Zinc White, Naples Yellow, Indian Yellow, Yellow Light, Ultramarine Blue Ink: Prismacolor fine blank ink permanent marker Links to previous sessions:   Session 1 ,  Session 2 Due to scale and perspective issues between the quail and barn, I decided to take the barn out of the painting and raise the horizon line. I am not sure why I did not notice the problem in the original sketch, but I didn't. I wanted the barn to be back in the distance, but I got the perspective wrong and ended up with a giant quail towering over something that looks more like a small dog house rather than a barn. I did start to notice the issue at the end of session one but thought I would continue to paint it as is or possibly m...

Painting Session 2 Date: 12/12/2017 Subject: Bobwhite Quail Medium: Mixed Media (Watercolor, Gouache, Ink) Paper: Canson: 90lb traditional surface watercolor paper Watercolors used: French Ultramarine, Burnt Sienna, Brilliant Yellow, Winsor Red Gouache: Zinc White, Naples Yellow, Indian Yellow, Yellow Light, Ultramarine Blue Ink: Prismacolor fine blank ink permanent marker Link to previous sessions -  Session 1 Painting Bobwhite Quail Session 2 During session two I spent time working on the overall details of the painting.  The head of the quail is painted with watercolor, and I incorporated small strokes of black ink to add detail to the dark portion that runs from the beak down to the neck. Also added some ink at the end of the tail. The rest of the bird is still all in watercolor, with a lot of work still to do. I may add in some gouache where I want the features to be more opaque. I darkened the sky, but I was a little unhappy with the res...

Expanding Your Artistic Horizons Series Painting Session 1 Date: 11/29/207 Subject: Bobwhite Quail Medium: Mixed Media (Watercolor, Gouache, Ink) Paper: Canson: 90lb traditional surface watercolor paper Watercolors used: French Ultramarine, Burnt Sienna, Pthalo Blue, New Camboge (yellow), French Ochre, Vermillion Hue Gouache: none Ink: none Add caption I decided to do another Expanding Your Artistic Horizons Series, and as before I wanted to try a medium I have little experience using. After reading an article about James Audubon by Reba Fishman Snyder titled " Complexity in Creation: A Detailed Look at the Watercolors for the Birds of America" I was inspired to try a mixed media painting. The study of the Audubon paintings was performed by the New York Historical Society, and Reba writes how James Audubon used different techniques and methods creating the paintings for the Birds of America. According to Reba "Over 300 drawings for The Birds ...