tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2999230124118604245.post4364877969663860921..comments2024-03-18T07:23:32.809-04:00Comments on Gurney Journey: Solomon J. SolomonJames Gurneyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01870848001990898499noreply@blogger.comBlogger13125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2999230124118604245.post-17691919220734777142014-05-04T11:50:02.141-04:002014-05-04T11:50:02.141-04:00Sheldon, I believe we'd call that "steel ...Sheldon, I believe we'd call that "steel wool," but it might be a bit more like a screen scraper.James Gurneyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01870848001990898499noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2999230124118604245.post-51646833338834923822014-05-04T11:42:10.300-04:002014-05-04T11:42:10.300-04:00I bought the Solomon book and have been enjoying i...I bought the Solomon book and have been enjoying it (thanks for getting it re-issued with color plates). And--I have a question: SJS refers to "wire plush mat" as a scraping tool. Do you know what that is? I couldn't find anything with my searches.Sheldon Tapleyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07219166681575693350noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2999230124118604245.post-17694849169184465192013-06-29T09:11:01.910-04:002013-06-29T09:11:01.910-04:00This is a really good find. Whilst artists were bu...This is a really good find. Whilst artists were busy painting, so few thought to leave their precious teachings behind (or simply wanted to keep things secret!)<br />I found a good illustrated online copy here:<br />http://www.artgraphica.net/free-art-lessons/oil-painting-book/oil-painting-book.htmlGavinhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12120455549012225566noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2999230124118604245.post-76194288006388513742009-05-11T05:14:00.000-04:002009-05-11T05:14:00.000-04:00Old Soloman's book is quite a find. Thank you Jame...Old Soloman's book is quite a find. Thank you James.<br />Now, me... I prefer stage 1 to the finished version of the little girl. And I think Sol's having us on. That tight little black and white was done at the end of the whole process, not at the beginning.limbolohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04590847271728360506noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2999230124118604245.post-7729630661406973112009-04-24T16:43:00.000-04:002009-04-24T16:43:00.000-04:00I was unaware of this little jewel written by Solo...I was unaware of this little jewel written by Solomon. Thank you for enlightening us of it's existence.Jared Shearhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14879406947140189516noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2999230124118604245.post-88465644868898693202009-04-21T12:24:00.000-04:002009-04-21T12:24:00.000-04:00Daroo, thanks for those great painting insights, a...Daroo, thanks for those great painting insights, and Victor, I appreciate the insights about camouflage.<br /><br />Actually, I didn't have any other Google books or posts planned for other possible "winners" of the poll, but there are some obscure books by other artists that I'll spotlight on future posts.James Gurneyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01870848001990898499noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2999230124118604245.post-1308735460889018392009-04-20T23:12:00.000-04:002009-04-20T23:12:00.000-04:00This is good, thanks for posting this.This is good, thanks for posting this.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07699546973021233767noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2999230124118604245.post-77556744673861009182009-04-20T08:25:00.000-04:002009-04-20T08:25:00.000-04:00Thanks Jim -- the download worked fine for me. Jus...Thanks Jim -- the download worked fine for me. Just curious, do you have links to the other artists' books that you would have posted if they had won the poll?<br /><br />I agree Victor, it seems counter productive to paint in all that detail and then cover it up. I would probably rough in a big shape of that flesh tone and then go back and cut into that with my shadow shapes.<br /><br />But establishing those shadow shapes first does a couple of smart things: 1)It keeps the darks transparent 2)Establishes accurate proportions 3) Immediately establishes the tones of the shadow family and distinguishes them from the halftones (which are part of the light family of values)4)It is a good practice run -- if you draw it right once you can draw it right again -- and painting wet into wet is about constant redrawing as you pull one color over another and adjust edges etc.<br /><br />As relates to #3 above possibly Solomon changed his mind about the area around the mouth -- its a reflected light within the shadow, so it is grouped close to the shadow tone -- but it is easy to push reflected light too high in value and confuse it with a halftone.<br /><br />More likely though he just wanted that light flesh tone to paint into and the shadow shape was a small enough shape that he knew he'd reestablish it in the next stage. Big shapes then small shapes.Daroohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02269629297022511462noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2999230124118604245.post-12476522009494111542009-04-20T05:07:00.000-04:002009-04-20T05:07:00.000-04:00I would imagine that an underdrawing with the shad...I would imagine that an underdrawing with the shadows indicated would be helpful, even with a mid-tone painted over it, as it would probably still be somehow visible through the paint layer. Visible enough to serve as a guide to the forms that will be more thoroughly worked up in the next stage.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2999230124118604245.post-27630684891818636152009-04-19T13:42:00.000-04:002009-04-19T13:42:00.000-04:00I also have a question about that head painting pl...I also have a question about that head painting plate in the Solomon book: what's the point of drawing in all those little shadows in step 1 (like in the hair and under the mouth) if you're just going to paint over them with your mid-tone (as in the upper right square)? Why wouldn't you just leave that drawing for after the application of the mid-tone?Victorhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16334033221403464054noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2999230124118604245.post-60359182842423274022009-04-19T13:37:00.000-04:002009-04-19T13:37:00.000-04:00Solomon is one of the those unheralded masters; I'...Solomon is one of the those unheralded masters; I'm especially appreciative of him because of his book. He's a bit of a guilty pleasure, though, due to the somewhat misogynistic subject matter of his most famous paintings.<br /><br />An interesting fact about Solomon is that he played an important role in the development of camouflage in World War I.<br /><br />Camouflage is all about confusing the light/dark patterns that the eye immediately recognizes, so I suppose it was only natural that a painter would be the one who had expertise in that area.<br /><br />Also, note Solomon's very French drawing. Many of the most technically proficient Victorian British painters were trained abroad: Alma-Tadema, Leighton, Poynter and Solomon (who studied with Cabanel in Paris). There was a lot of friction between proponents of the French style of art instruction and those of the British schools during this period.Victorhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16334033221403464054noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2999230124118604245.post-35804661985613943702009-04-19T12:57:00.000-04:002009-04-19T12:57:00.000-04:00I absolutely love this Ajax and Cassandra painting...I absolutely love this Ajax and Cassandra painting, it is one of my all time favorites. It is one of those paintings that makes my stomach and my head do somersaults at the same time everytime I see it. I am glad Solomon is getting some love here.Cindyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11923117880033685098noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2999230124118604245.post-68153425669249157602009-04-19T06:25:00.000-04:002009-04-19T06:25:00.000-04:00SJS rocks!
couldn't manage to download the book fr...SJS rocks!<br />couldn't manage to download the book from the google books page but I found these in case anybody else has trouble, too:<br />http://www.internet.is/b22/books/default.html<br />http://www.painting-technique.com/painting_1.html<br /><br />a pdf version would be nice.. ;]Dorianhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17501401298131402275noreply@blogger.com