Framed

The drawings of Lindley, Grace and Alex made it to Texas and have been framed and hung and if you click here you can see them in situ.

alkyding aside!

I said I wasn’t going to bore you about alkyds and quick drying oil paints but what else should I write about on an art related blog?

As I mentioned, when I was commissioned to paint a portrait of Kira the brief was it absolutely had to be oil paint, but time was pressing to get it ready for Christmas. Ordinarily oil paint, given the time I had, would never have been suitable.

But… There are things called alkyds.

This is the definition of an alkyd:

alkyd |ˈalkid|
noun Chemistry
any of a group of synthetic polyester resins derived from various alcohols and acids, used in varnishes, paints, and adhesives.
ORIGIN 1920s: blend of alkyl and acid .

Not so exciting maybe to just any old Tom Dick or Harry but for those of us who paint they are very good things. Indeed we all benefit from them in household paints and varnishes. They are what turn a regular varnish into quick drying varnish and help paint air dry etc. etc.

I’m sure a chemist could give you a much more detailed description of what they do if you want the nitty gritty then click here.

There are alkyd additives that can be purchased and then mixed with oil paint that will then dry faster, reaching a tacky stage during a painting session, but I’ve not used those. To be honest I am a fan of the lengthy drying process oil paint requires. I paint quickly but enjoy the luxury of living with a ‘finished’ painting for a while to see if anything bothers me. Oil paints afford me that luxury and enable me to make changes on a still workable surface.

Given the time constraints I had to try something new though. Rather than learn alkyd mixing and what worked and didn’t, I found Winsor & Newton Griffin Alkyd Fast Drying Oil Colour.

It was… adequate. I want to be more generous but I really didn’t get on with it. The fast drying part was perfect. It did exactly what it said on the tin tube but the texture was not to my taste at all!

When I first began to paint many years ago I used acrylic and I liked it well enough but when I first used oil it was a revelation. The stiffer consistency, the malleable characteristics even the smell. It turned painting into a real sensory experience. Acrylic never did that, it’s a softer, weaker animal. And the Griffin paint was more acrylic than oil to me. It smelled almost right but not quite and handled badly, blending almost instantly on the canvas. It was very wet; soft and limp like melting butter. I had to almost learn an entirely new technique to paint successfully. I like to build the paint on the canvas, moulding it overlaying colours and blending them as and when I want. The Griffin required more careful handling. Each colour had to be used separately lest they combine into an unwanted mix.

Now I freely admit that perhaps I am too rigid in my own style though I consider myself quite carefree and cavalier. Maybe I never realised I am just stuck in my own rut but the Griffin paint just does not do it for me. Would I recommend alkyd paints?

That’s a hard one. For that commission they worked well despite my having to get to grips with them and it not being an instinctive process but would I choose to use them?

In a word… No!

I hadn’t planned on this turning into a review…

…but since it did leave me a comment and rate this review! Thanks.

 

lindley, grace & alex

I was commissioned to do a set of three pastel drawings, again for a Christmas gift, by Jennifer in Texas. Yes that’s Texas USA. I am international!!

Little did I know the stress fun that would be involved in this commission. Trying to organise gmail conferences to discuss images and progress reports and things to be altered was interesting when we both have kids wanting attention. The time difference was an annoyance but also a help. I have no idea how many drafts were made but after a last minute change of photo all three were complete and just in time for the post to the US.

After a few days of obsessive tracking online they arrived and, thank God, did not disappoint and even moved  Jennifer’s husband, the Christmas giftee, to tears.

 

 

kira

Around the same time I was working on the “katie & charlotte” drawing I was commissioned to make an oil painting of Kira. This was slightly more involved as I was required to make a slight alteration to the photo (move a finger to show more eye) and as it was meant for a Christmas present and had to be oil I was pressed for time. Oil paint takes an age to dry. I wont bore you with a discussion on alkyds to speed drying but suffice to say it was a nervous time making sure it was perfect and finished in time to post. Thankfully it was and everyone was more than happy and it is even now getting framed. Phew!

katie & charlotte

This is the first commission I received just after I began work on brushfires the website. It was before Christmas so quite a while ago now.

 

The woman who commissioned me intended it as a gift for her in-laws but ended up keeping it for herself and getting a print made for her other halves folks. Which I find quite funny, I presume they don’t know that though!