Framing, Portraits

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Read on for my latest Tips & Tricks blog ~
Here's a quick primer on framing for all mediums:

Framing Oil & Acrylics

 1.      Place painting into frame

2.      Position 4 offset clips around painting and mark with pencil

3.      Make starter holes with awl and screw in clips

4.      Measure 1/4 to 1/5 down from top of frame and make starter hole with awl for hanging harware

5.      Install D-mirror hangers

6.      Wrap wire onto hangers, leaving 2” to 3” drop from top of frame.

Framing Watercolors

 1.      Measure painted height and width of artwork and subtract those numbers from the height and width of the frame, then divide by 2 to determine the width of the mat

2.      Adjust the width of the mat to be as close to even all around as possible.

3.      Tape artwork onto mat.

4.      Label back of mat with the following information: title, medium, artist, artist’s town and state, date and location if appropriate

5.      Place glass into frame (thoroughly cleaning beforehand)

6.      Place matted artwork onto glass.

7.      Cut foam board to fit inside rabbet

8.      Cut enough foam board to level the back of the frame

9.      Shoot flexpoints into back of frame to hold foam boards in place

10.  Cut piece of brown paper for back of frame

11.  Put double-stick tape (AGT) around perimeter on back of frame

12.  Put brown paper tautly over tape, burnishing and rubbing to make a good adhesion

13.  Using X-acto knife or paper-backing cutter, cut excess brown paper off.

14.  Mark with pencil where hanging hardware will be installed (approximately ¼ to 1/5 the way down)

15.  Make starter hole with awl

16.  Screw in D-mirror hangers in awl hole

17.  Install hanging wire to drop 1-1/2” to 2” from top of frame

18.  Repeat #4 onto brown paper.

Framing Pastels

1.      Repeat #1-2 above

2.      Before taping art to mat, glue a narrow strip of mat board on the inside bottom of the cut mat, to allow pastel dust to fall in behind the mat.  Then attach with tape only the top of the art to the inside of the mat.

3.      Repeat #4 to #18 to finish.

Framing Pastels Without Using A Mat:

1.      Cut a piece of foam board to fit snuggly inside of frame (but take it out before the next step)

2.      Using a tiny spot of glue, affix pastel to foam board in all four corners.

3.      Cut balsa wood (or plastic frame spacers) to fit inside rabbet of frame, beveling all four corners so that they fit snugly.  Remove from frame.

4.      paint balsa wood black

5.      Place glass into frame (hopefully, glass will fit rather snug also, to make this type of framing go well.)  Make sure glass is spotlessly clean.

6.      Glue balsa wood to inside of frame, on top of glass.

7.      Position artwork into frame

8.      Repeat #8-#18 till finished.

Floater Frames

 Appearing as if “floating” within frame with a space of about 1/2” between painting and inside of frame.  Best when using gallery-wrapped canvas and painting around sides, as a small portion of sides is visible inside frame. 

9.      Drill one hole on each side of frame from blackside.

10.  Place stretched canvas into frame.

11.  Using spacers such as foam board, place them all around inside the space between the canvas and the inside of frame, adding more until it fits evenly and snugly

12.  Slip over edge of table, and going underneath, put screws through holes and screw into wooden stretcher frame.

13.  Repeat #14 to #17.  No brown paper needed.

And now, a note about portrait painting . . .

How to Paint a Live Portrait in a Dozen Little Steps:

1.      Prime your canvas
I like to use either a sea foam green, beige-ish or orange-ish, using a big brush and whichever color mixed with turp.  (dries fast and is ready to paint over soon).

2.      Form and Structure
Consider the planes of the face, and the relationships between its features, for example, eyes, nose, mouth and ears.

3.      Light
Decide where you want the light to come from in relation to the model and based on the planes of the face, using the a position of the hands of a clock as a guide, and stick with it throughout your painting.

4.      Point of view
The position of the painter in relation to the model is vitally important, as is the distance.  Find your comfort level and preference, and the best angle according to where the light falls, the most interesting curves and angles of the face, and whether you want the model to look directly at the viewer or to look away.

5.      Photograph
Take several photographs when the lighting and position of the model has been established.  Be sure to take the photo from the exact location of where you intend to set up your easel.

6.      Sketch with raw umber or vine charcoal
Using broad strokes with raw umber and turpentine, paint in the structure of the face, including the shadows, being sure not to get bogged down in detail.

7.      Color
With the introduction of the first basic colors, pay attention mass shapes, color, form and light.  Block in basic forms in darks and lights, without giving any consideration to detail and not getting hung up on likeness. These blocks of color help to sculpt and define the basic form.

8.      Refining and background
Refine your subject with more color and shape, then paint in the background (reshape the outside perimeters of head and torso as needed).

9.      Shadows
Add more dark values to the shadows of the face, using browns, reds and greens, and still keeping brushstrokes broad and gestural.

10.  Blending dark to light
Blur the line between light and shadow to show dimension. Experiment with scumbling a bit of orange or cadmium red within the transition, experimenting also with greens with white added, for cooler tones.

11.  Finer and final details
Refine, recolor where needed, then put in the surface details – brow, skin highlights and glistens, eye glisten and glow, embellishments, clothing details, etc.  Also reshape perimeter of head and torso once more if needed.  An good estimate of how long the process takes, ¼ of the time will be spent on priming and sketching, ¼ on blocking in, and ½ on refinement—which takes the longest in order to make your painting look professional and get a good likeness.

12.  Sign, and when dry (could be weeks but shoud be months), you can coat it with any commercial oil painting coating.  This will give it an even sheen.  However be sure to take a photo of it before coating as the sheen creates more bounceback of light and fools the camera.

A Video for You

Here's a video for you to enjoy and learn from.  Back in 2013 I gave a 6-session demo on a variety of mediums of portrait painting from a live model.  Tania Ortega-Cowan, singer and writer extraordinaire modeled for me for this one, painted in oils, and below is the finished product.  The fundamental principles of beginning a portrait--including special emphasis on the eye--was covered, and the portrait was finished at home with a photo reference.  Each portrait was gifted, framed, to the model when it was finished.   Videos were created by videographer Bob Barbour and are raw and uncut, so please excuse the faux pas.  (See Parts 1 and 2)

NOTE - After proofing this posting on-line I see that the coding is all off and sequence is skewed on several postings.  When time I will try to fix this, and if I cannot remedy it the bog will go away as you can't get to talk to a human on these things!! Eugh!

TANIA VIDEO PART 1

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LFCw3P8friU&list=UUEG0lLBEhyEHgPmI979Qa9w&index=6&t=0s

TANIA VIDEO PART 2

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iOXdVkIahJ4&index=4&list=UUEG0lLBEhyEHgPmI979Qa9w

Enjoy!

Judy Burgarella
Artist & Blogger

Teaching Tools and Other Stuff

Painting Mouths

I painted the below mouth examples as a teaching tool for my students, and also to get them inspired about painting mouths.  They are interesting, expressive, and each one as a totally unique quality.  Two of them are movie stars (now deceased) ... can you guess?

Painting Cloth

Below is a brief primer for painting cloth.  The kinds of lights and darks falling on fabric also depends on the type of fabric, from velvet to satin.  The below would do for cotton or wool or the like.  These are simple formulas, and if you are doing an "epic" painting you should experiment with an effect that pleases you, the painter.

"Prosepine"

Started my Spring Semester Museum class in Acrylic Portraiture Monday, and below is our subject matter for that class.  "Proserpine" by Rosetti, featured in the Vero Beach Museum of Art's new exhibition, "The Victorian Radicals," a must-see for all who love portraiture.  Such a thrill to see this great work in person, even though some of it is under glass.  The hair and the folds of her garment were quite a challenge, especially since I am always in such a rush and working right down to the wire.  To me, life is a banquet and I jam-pack as much in a day as I possibly can.  All good things though, including my granddaughter Salem and little doggie Piper.  Paintings coming of both of them ... when time in between classes.

"Prosepine" 16"x12" Acrylic
by Judy Burgarella, From Rosetti

Painting & Drawing Classes

Currently teaching at the American Legion in Sebastian (pen to the public), Indian River Estates (private group), VB Museum (sign-up ahead), and private clients.  I am available for lectures, critiques and demonstrations.  Call for pricing - 772-581-8281.

Homage to Red I & II

Below is my demo painting from Indian River Estates (Vero Beach), from March 15th.  It began as a "Wipe-Out," wherein I squeeze paint from the tubes right onto the canvas, using alizarin crimson and sap green (both transparents that mix really well).  The paint is pushed around by a big ol' bristle brush (purchased at a hardware store) in such a way that it does not blend together in one solid color, but leaves both color shades somewhat visible here and there.  To add the illusion of light coming from a corner, I squeeze a small amount of cadmium orange on and lightly blend into the darkness, fading gradually out of sight.

Images are pulled out of the darkened canvas using a rag, Q-tip, toothpick, and whatever tools or household objects that give you the effect you want.  The vase was pulled out with a rag wrapped around my finger, the berries and stems were pulled out with a foam make-up applicator,

"Homage to Red I" 8x10 oil by Judy Burgarella

This little painting above was painted on stretched canvas, as a prelude to my demo piece below.  I applied a thin coat of linseed oil on the primed stretched canvas, wiping off as much as possible with a paper towel before painting.  It went quick and was very enjoyable,  After wiping of course you have to add some color.  I added color on all elements, skipping some on the twigs.  The beautiful blackness under the lip of the table is achieved by adding prussian blue.  You just can't get that from any black out of the tube.

"Homage to Red II" 12x16 oil by Judy Burgarella

Above is a repeat from the day before so I could work out any problems ahead of time, this one was painted on "bargain" canvas board I purchased off Amazon.  Never again will I skimp like that.  Since I do lots of demos--and have for many years--they pile up quick wen painting on stretched canvas.  Therefore I now do my demos on canvas board--easier to store, and less apt to get damaged in my carry box.

The 12x16 one came out good in spite of the disappearance of oil from the pigment.  My best guess is that it probably had sawdust inside instead of cardboard, and there was not much priming on the canvas.  While wet it looked beautiful, but I could see the oil disappearing before my eyes, and by the time I brought it home it was miraculously dry!  This technique usually takes a couple of weeks to dry.  But it was fun to demonstrate and the audience really enjoyed it.  When I coat this piece it will look much more colorful and lustrous.

Well, that's all for now.  will post again when something artsy-interesting happens.  I hope you're doing something artsy with your spare time--it's good for the soul!

Judy Burgarella
Blogger

Demo at Indian River Estates, Vero Beach

"Pastre Scene" 11"x14" Oil by Judy Burgarella

"Pasture Scene" began as an oil wipe-out demo At Indian River Estates in Vero Beach, wherein I squirt on the canvas with alizarine crimson and sap green, mix it all right into the canvas, then proceed to wipe the elements of the scene off the canvas, leaving ghostly images.  Refining it is really fun, using a rag wrapped around my finger, with additional series of wiping out with Q-tips and other instruments which may or may not be wrapped in a rag.  Intense contrasts can be achieved using turpentine.  Painting can be worked on with other colors while wet or when dry, however if worked on when wet it gets that soft "antique" look as it mixes with the brownish residue left after wiping.  Such fun, and makes a good demo, especially if it is a face emerging out of the canvas!  This is a nice little peaceful scene as is, but I may put a few cows grazing in the sunlit pasture, and maybe some birds flying overhead.  Pretty but dead without life in it.

Will post more later, time to go to the beach.  (In Florida ya' know!)

Judy Burgarella
Blogger

The Glisten and the Glow

How to Paint Eyes

I usually demonstrate painting "The Glisten and the Glow" in my portrait classes, however I made a "how-to" sheet to help my students remember.  "The Glisten and the Glow" is a phrase I created, and I predict that in the future it will be bantered around quite frequently in portrait classes (she said humbly...).  So here it is ~




This process can also be viewed in Youtube where I demonstrate painting eyes in pencil, charcoal, pastel, watercolor, oil and acrylic.  Just Google Judy Burgarella.  There are only 2 Judy Burgarellas in the world, one has passed on (my husband's cousin), and then there's me, alive and kickin'.

A "How To" and Tip for Y'all

"The Mandolin Player"
From John Everett Malaise, whose work is featured in the Vero Beach Museum of Art's current "Victorian Radicals" exhibition.  However, I have found some questionable authenticity about Malaise having been the sole artist of this piece.  This was a very popular model at the time, and other "Radicals" were using her.  Truly a beautiful woman.  This painting of mine is only a partial of the complete painting, but this is the image I found online that was the most beautiful, and so I wanted it for myself.  However it sold off the wall of the Museum at the Faculty show, so now I must paint it again--but next time in oils I think.

"The Mandolin Player" from John Everett Malaise, by Judy Burgarella,
12"x16". acrylic, with gilded wood frame

I used this painting as a teaching tool for my Portraits in Acrylic class at the Museum, and following is instructions in case you would like to try it yourself.  This painting had many interesting and enjoyable elements in it to paint, but the hands on the original painting were not of good quality, and so I spent a lot of time on them to get it right.  Even to taking a photo of my own hand in the desired position, and copying it from my smart phone.

Here's a nice trick to help you in your painting life ~

PHOTO HOLDER

This little ditty I found at a garage sale.
It is a homemade whachamacalit,  that I felt
somehow I could put to good use.  It actually is a car antennae stuck in a wood plaque, with it's top curled into a "U".  On its end is a clip, and the antennae scopes from 10" to 34".  I soon found a use for it, as pictured here.  I can't tell you how
handy it is to a painter.  It enables me to place
the photo so close to my canvas, at any level I
need, and any angle I need.  Simple, cheap, low-tech lightweight ... Perfect!  Here's what you need:
1. Old car antennae (Ebay? Junkyard?)
2. Clip (fishing, hardware or craft store)
3. Wood base (craft store, Walmart?)
4. Glue
NOTE:  Some of my students have made their
own holders, copying this idea, with much
success, and they love it too!

Hope these tips and tricks help you, and stay tuned for more ideas--and please pass it on!

Judy Burgarella
Blogger

"Misty Morning" in Acrylics ... and more!

As promised, brief directions for painting 

"Misty Morning" in acrylics.

(I used an 11"x14" canvas)

To get interesting colors blending and residing side-by-side--and also to add some excitement to a usually boring part of starting a painting--just squeeze the paint on.  I used titanium white, phthalo green, dioxizine purple and ultramarine blue.  Using a big brush blend colors together, but not so much that the canvas ends up all one color.

Notice how you can see the variations in color, and that it is lighter on the top.  In order to get this effect, you must work fast and blend just enough so that you can see individual colors here and there.

Paint soft waves using a large brush towards the bottom, gradually making the ripples smaller as you get towards the middle.  Dark shadows on the underside of the waves, lighter highlights on the tops.
When dry, trace a sailboat with graphite paper (see next photo), wherever on the canvas you choose.  I plan on painting in a couple more far-away boats, more misty,  on the left side.

 The following is as far as I got during the 1-1/2 hour demonstration, and I was painting fast.  For the sails I used yellow ochre with lots of white, then added for shadows sap green, phthalo green, and purple.  Very sparingly but it was beautiful close up and pulled in the background somewhat. 

This piece probably needs another 4-5 hours to be worthy of framing, especially if I add 2 more boats in the distance.  But it was a fun piece to paint and demo, and everybody liked it and learned from it.

"Misty Morning" 11"x14" acrylic by Judy Burgarella (unfinished)

Spent a good part of my day yesterday (Saturday) demonstrating oil portraiture at the Vero Beach Museum of art, where I am on the faculty.  Other faculty members were demonstrating too, and it was a very successful event, one that fills our classes up.  I demonstrated a portrait of my brother, Timmy, who worked for NASA in Cape Canaveral most of his life - and so I put a rocket going up in the background.  When I am finished I will post it, but it's pretty rough right now.  He was a great guy, good brother, whom I miss very much.  Unfortunately he passed on 2 months before me and my husband moved to Florida 15 years ago. 

Anyway, the whole Museum was open and admittance was free, including their fabulous "Victorian Radicals" show, subjects which I will be using in my next set of classes there.  If you are in the Treasure Coast area and love to see really fine art, please stop in and see the show.  Worth a trip.

Hope you enjoyed this posting.

Judy Burgarella
Art Blogger

Learn How to Mix Skin Colors

Below is my Skin Color Palette which I have given out at some of my classes.  My students have found it very helpful. 

For Asian and Caucasian baby skin, add a tiny bit of yellow to the lightest value of the top row.
For black skin, use any of the darker and medium colors, with some interesting shadows created using sap green with a little white.  Light hilights use cool colors as in the lightest values in the 5th and 6th rows. American Indians call for a little more reddish in the skin, with dark shadows.

A Note About Painting Portraits ~

Unlike painting a landscape, you must have a good photograph of your subject.  Preferably in good lighting, large format photo, clear and crisp, printed on gloss photo paper.  The more information you have about your subject (by information I mean detailed, clearly seen photo) the easier it is to get a likeness.  I do not recommend changing any part of the position from what your photograph is.  The best way to paint a portrait is using a model, where you will find limitless opportunities to see all aspects of the face.

It is not always possible to get a clear photograph, especially if the subject is someone who has passed on.  In that case, get all the photographs you can of the subject, color and black and white, and pick the best pose and paint it using all the extraneous information on the photographs you have collected.

An Invitation for You!

You are invited to the reception posted below at the Emerson Center in Vero Beach.  I will be there to greet you, along with the other artists.  Three of my paintings are on display, and many other wonderful works by renowned local artists.  Wine and hors d'euovres will be served.  Hope to see you there!  I will have several paintings there on display, including my new oil painting of Waldo Sexton.

Judy Burgarella
Blogger

Saying Goodbye is Hard To Do

Goodbye to "The Artist" and Goodbye to "The Mandolin Player ... must let my babies go.  Although I did not put an entry into the Vero Beach Art Club's "Art By The Sea" show this year, for the first time, I did have a couple of paintings on display in the Vero  Beach Museum of Art's Faculty Show (I teach portraiture there). and sold both during the Club's ABTS show there in the Museum.  Two people had to use the rest room after seeing the ABTS show and fell in love with both my pieces in the Faculty show.  Below is "The Artist," Oil on canvas, in a really nice gilded frame.  Going to a good home!

"The Artist"

The other one that sold is "The Mandolin Player," inspired by one of the same name by Victorian Radical member artist John Everett Malaise, which I painted as part of my class project for the Museum to coordinate with their upcoming "Victorian Radicals" exhibition, to be opened February 9th. The frame was a bit pricey, but I (and the framer, "Ridley's Frames of Palm Bay, FL) thought it was worthy of a grand frame, especially since it would be hanging in the Museum for a month or so.  Paid off in spades, as it sold within days.  Tom Ridley, et al., sells fine frames at reasonable prices, and has done it for me while I wait.

"MISTY MORNING" ~ My Next 2 Classes

Thursday February 7th's class at the American Legion  I will do an hour or so demonstration on how to start this painting, including painting rigging and ripples, quick background and sails.  This was a very quick painting, but I plan on painting one for myself in a finer technique, and with more phthalo green in the background to go with the lovely frame I have.    It's a small one, 11" x 7", however I will paint a larger on (12"x16") for the demo so that all can see.  

Perfect beautiful gilded wood frame for "Misty Morning"

It is now February 7th, a few hours after my demo/class at the American Legion, and this subject was easier the second time around, as many of the composition and painting decisions had already by made, and many mysteries solved. So now I am anxious to share even more about painting this picture tomorrow with my next class in Vero tomorrow, February 8th (my birthday!).

Here's a good tip: if you have a collection of frames, create a painting to fit whatever frame you have.  Just makes sense.  I will post step-by-step photos on how to do this one soon as my classes are over.    

Will post more tomorrow (I think!).

Judy Burgarella

Blogger

Welcome to Burgarella Art Tips and Tricks ... Stay tuned for helpful information each week!

Dear Artists and Artist-Wanna-Be's ~

This blog has been created for all those aspiring to learn more about creating art.  During my years of teaching others how to paint and draw, I have developed some helpful teaching tools and techniques that I am happy to share with all who can appreciate them, my students in particular will benefit from this blog since they are fans of my teaching style and techniques.

So much to share, where do I start.  First of all let me start with a short bio and visual of a time-lapse video of creating a portrait in oils, which is also available on Youtube,  Please watch and enjoy, and hopefully you will gain from following my weekly (or maybe daily) blog.  Click on the link below and see me paint Bob Barbour in about 2 minutes (actual painting time is 4-1/2 hours)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FcLf7ACVaJk

Live Portrait Demonstration - Painting Bob Barbour

Brief Bio:

Currently teaching portraiture in Acrylics at the Vero Beach (Florida) Museum of Art, and on March 29th-30th two full days workshop in Portraits in Oils.  Also classes held at the Sebastian American Legion, and Indian River Estates, in addition to private and group classes and demonstrations.  Teaching art for 20 years, crafts for years before that.  Belonged to lots of clubs, shown in lots of galleries and shows, won awards, love to volunteer in anything artsy, and love learning new artsy things and sharing freely whatever I learn.

Stay tuned for helpful information on portraits, landscapes, animals, seascapes, etc, in all mediums and styles.  Learn along with me new tips and tricks as I discover new and better techniques myself with each new painting.   My mission is to spread the joy of art, so I hope you enjoy my blog.  Visit again soon as I expand and grow this blog.

Yours in Art,
Judy Burgarella
Blogger

Same day - later
Just want to upload at least one of my charts to get this thing started.  Following is a simple color mixing chart, would work for oil or acrylic, and each color may be different in your collection of paints, depending on brand, quality, etc., so I suggest you make your own chart with the colors you normally use. Bold black outlined squares indicate cross-section of same color.  Feel free to print this out, or for that matter anything on this blog, for your own use.  Hope it helps you.

Judy Burgarella