Monday, February 7, 2011

dry brush and scumbling research

One of the easiest and most exciting ways for a painter to create light is to use the technique scumbling.
This technique works great with both acrylic and oil paint. In preparation for scumbling start with a dark and dry underpainting. Scumbling is a technique using:
1. A dry brush.
2. A lighter color than the dark, dry surface.
3. Towels to wipe off excess color from the brush.
4. And the skill to deftly drag the brush while applying paint.
You start by taking a dry brush, using no medium, mix a color which is lighter than your underpainting. Then wipe off excess color on a paper towel, leaving a lightly tinted brush. Then delicately drag the brush over the area that you want to lighten.
You don't want to swirl gobs of paint around.
It is important to make this a one shot deal. If you apply too many layers, one immediately following the other, the paint begins to blend - destroying the airy gauze-like look. 
The scumbling technique allows for endless editing, and it can achieve a high level of realistic detail. If you are not happy with your scumbling results, let the canvas dry, paint back over the area in a dark wash, toning it down to the desired effect. After the paint is dry go back and scumble again. And repeat this as often as necessary to get ultimate results. 

Francis Bacon was well known for his scumbling technique. His work was very dramatic and riveting. I like that he used this technique to achieve the look he wanted. It added depth and a feel that couldn't be achieved any other way besides the scumbling technique. To look at his images of work, go here: http://www.leninimports.com/francis_bacon_gallery.html

Diego Velazquez was another artist whom often used the scumbling technique. Undoubtedly, Spaniard Diego Rodríguez de Silva y Velázquez is one of the most important figures in painting history. His innovative brushwork and direct manner of painting were revolutionary, creating a sense of atmosphere and energy in his work which led to more than one contemporary commenting that while others painted art, Velázquez painted "truth". Since his rediscovery in the early nineteenth century, Velázquez and his method have inspired countless young artists, from Manet and the Impressionists, through Whistler, Sorolla, Sargent, and many, many more. To look at his work go here: http: http://www.google.com/images?um=1&hl=en&client=safari&rls=en&biw=1024&bih=894&tbs=isch%3A1&sa=1&q=diego+velazquez&aq=f&aqi=&aql=&oq=


Dry Brush refers to a watercolor painting technique in which a little bit of painting is put on a dry brush. When applied it produces a scratchy effect. In Dry Brush most of the liquid is taken out of the brush to produce a soft feathery kind of effect. The technique is used to create a variety of textured surfaces such as foliage, bark, stone, clouds etc. In Dry Brush painting the brush is just dipped in water and using a paper towel most of the paint is removed from the brush.



Techniques of Dry Brush painting-


  • The Brush should be moved rapidly across the paper
  • The paint must be damp
  • The brush should be barely filled with paint
  • To make the color go faster in sideways very light touch should be employed.
  • Dry Brush technique utilizes no water or medium other than paint to wet the brush.

Andrew Wyeth was a realist painter using the technique dry brush. Museum exhibitions of Wyeth's paintings have set attendance records. 
He was one of the best-known U.S. artists of the middle 20th century, and was sometimes referred to as the "Painter of the People," due to his work's popularity with the American public.


                 

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