CAFE - Group watch of Barbara Jaenicke video (Edges & Editing)

Jan Pini and Anne Trimble will share the four-part video they bought showing the pastel landscape painter Barbara Jaenicke's technique (although this is not necessarily a pastel class). $3 studio fee. After watching the session video, we will do recommended exercises for each session (details for this session below).

2/20 - Composition
2/27 - Color Harmony
3/13 - Color Temperature
3/21 - Edges and Editing

Edges & Editing Exercise (see below for supplies):

Editing leafless trees 

Choose one of your own reference photos that has a cluster of leafless trees no closer than middle ground. 

Create a thumbnail sketch according to the composition segment using either the tracing paper method or a sketchbook, reducing the composition to about five shapes. Squint hard at your photo and connect similar-value sections of the landscape wherever you can in order to reduce the number of shapes. 

Remember to combine the mass of leafless trees into ONE SHAPE (or each mass into one shape if more than one). The initial generalized value you assign for this type of tree mass should be slightly lighter than what you see when you squint. You can allow for dark-to-light gradations within a shape if needed, otherwise each of your shapes should be FLAT VALUES without detail or indication of form. (Squint harder if you’re having trouble with that.) 

Using a small size painting surface (such as 8” x 10” ), follow your sketch (not your photo!) to block in your painting with hard pastels in the colors shown in the lesson. Wet down the painting with alcohol, holding a bristle brush (a #8 or #10) fairly loosely toward the end, especially for the leafless tree mass. Use the skinny side of the bristles to apply the alcohol in a loose, drippy manner so that your edges are very vague. 

This takes practice! Try several attempts until you become in control of achieving the edges you want. Back up frequently from your painting! Edges that look soft and loose close up, will look stiffer from further back.