Layered Painting – The Many Details of Golden
Layers make a painting. My newest layered painting, Golden, is surprisingly a rebirth of an older piece of mine.
From Gossamer to Golden
The painting behind Golden was Gossamer.
Gossamer started as a test. I wanted to see if I could finish a painting in one go and with a more minimalist, modern style. I thought it turned out pretty nice.
But after looking at Gossamer for a while – especially the top-right corner – ideas started flowing. A beautiful tulip bloomed in my front yard. I found myself missing a sold painting called Elixir. And I got hooked on the hit song Golden (specifically the version performed at the Oscars).
So, I made a promise to Gossamer: “Even though most of you will be covered up, you’re going to be reborn as something even better.”
I bet Gossamer had its doubts at this point!
Layered Painting
Here’s a short video of one of the painting sessions in May.
It took almost three months, but layer by layer and detail by detail, Golden appeared.
Here are some photos of the finished details.
I like to use a lot of lines when I paint.
The secret of easy layering: Any blurry spot looks sharp when there are lines on top.
Drawing has improved my motoric skills so that I can easily paint all kinds of elegant shapes with a thin brush.
Here is a short video where you can see this layered painting even closer.
My long history of drawing influences my paintings, and Golden is no exception. I love a lively, soulful line, and all the different textures and tones you can create with it.
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Drawing a Summer Ornament
This week, I want to show that an ornament can be more than just a decoration. An ornament can be a framework for expression in the same way as a portrait, a still life, or a landscape.
I love drawing ornaments. It feels as though the universe is shouting at me: “This is right, this is a good thing!” If I’ve had past lives, I’d think this is the work I’ve always done in some form, because it feels so natural.
Step 1 – Grid
If I decide to draw an ornament, nothing holds me back—not even the requirement of symmetry. This time, I made a grid to help me achieve similarity on both sides more easily.
It’s good to have center guidelines, but there can be more and placed anywhere. All guidelines are helpful when drawing the ornament freely.
Step 2 – Pencil Sketch
I sketch the biggest symmetrical parts in pencil. But I try to keep this phase short because the best part of drawing ornaments is letting loose and discovering how the symmetry can be broken.
Drawing an ornament is like putting your soul into a lion’s cage and then watching it break out with cleverness, rather than violence.
Step 3 – Getting Creative with a Non-Erasable Pen
For the actual drawing, I use black markers. Here, I’m using Copic FineLiner pens and a Copic Gasenfude brush pen. An ornament is like a meandering canvas where you can draw anything. You can draw both the realistic and the abstract, and it all looks great because it’s embedded in the ornamental structure.
We currently have summer here in Finland, so I wanted to draw summer-related things: the sea, a garden, and birch leaves.
Step 4 – Getting Lost in the Details
When I have most of the things in place, I put on an audiobook or a talk show and focus on the details!
My ornaments almost always have jewels because I find them fun to draw and the result rewarding. A jewel comes to life when you draw geometric shapes with a fine pen and fill them differently.
I always include elements that are pitch-black to create contrast. The brush pen is quick in these details.
The Freedom in Drawing Ornaments
The longer I draw, the more I want to create tension and asymmetry. In this ornament, the lines took on a life of their own and spread beyond its borders. Ah, so liberating!
It’s exciting and even contradictory that such freedom can be evoked from a rigid ornament.
The Summer Ornament
Here you can see how I’ve used the pens for the fine details in the center.
I hope this summer ornament inspires you to pick up your pens and start drawing!
For more inspiration, see also these blog posts:
Abstract Composition in Watercolor
This week, we create geometric and modern art. Pick your supplies, and make an abstract composition!
>> See this painting bigger at the Taiko online art store
Lately, I’ve been exploring the extremes of my own style, especially when it comes to visual language. I’ve been searching for something angular and adventurous for inspiration, as my style has recently drifted perhaps a bit too much toward the organic direction. Quite by chance, I noticed the summer issue of Watercolor Artist magazine in a local shop, which introduced me to an interesting artist named John Salminen.
John Salminen uses photos of urban landscapes as the foundation for his work. He converts the photo into a high-contrast image and sketches an abstract composition from it. He calls this approach “abstracted realism.” I like his paintings a lot. To me, they feel sophisticated yet masculine and go close to one extreme of my own style.
Starting an Abstract Composition
I now wanted to create an abstract watercolor using mainly geometric shapes. Unlike John, I started my work freely without any reference photos. First, I used plenty of water.
In the next layers, I applied less water to make sharper shapes.
Geometrical Abstract Composition
The basic idea is to create both small and large shapes, arranged in an asymmetrical composition on the paper.
You don’t need a ruler for geometric shapes. Thin brushes make lines easy to achieve, and a flat brush is perfect for angular forms.
What Do You See?
When painting abstract art, it’s best to first focus on the shapes themselves and forget about looking for realistic objects in the painting.
In my project, everything was going well until I realized that I was creating yet another flower painting. I’ve painted flower arrangements so many times that their structure is deeply rooted in my subconscious.
I turned my work upside down, hoping it would look different, but the flowers in the vase were staring right back at me! Give me any unfinished or finished painting, and I’ll turn it into a floral arrangement in a moment!
Shifting Direction – Making a Plan
This time, I didn’t want to paint flowers. I wanted a sense of space and adventure. So, I moved from my small painting studio to the computer and opened Photoshop. I planned out the perspective and started looking for shapes to support it.
Then, I designed the composition. I could have worked this out through painting as well, but then the final piece wouldn’t look quite as effortless. You can wipe watercolor away with water, but it’s hard to get the paper completely clean again.
Here are my digital additions created on top of the unfinished painting.
Purity, Clarity, Effortlessness
Lately, I’ve been inspired specifically by purity, clarity, and effortlessness. I’ve been watching a Finnish TV show called “Tähdet, tähdet” (Stars, Stars). It’s a singing competition looking for the country’s best performer. Each season features about ten professional performers, most of whom are musicians. The performers are pushed out of their comfort zones, as each episode focuses on a different musical genre.
In the latest season, one of the performers was the reggae musician Jukka Poika. I had never really paid attention to his vocals before. However, the other musical styles truly brought out the singer in him. His voice emerged pure, direct, and yet full of rich tones (listen to an example on YouTube).
Isn’t that exactly what we all want in visual arts: for our own voice and thoughts to come through pure and clear? “It’s so inspiring to think about the purity, clarity, and effortlessness we can achieve when we know exactly what to do in its simplest form, and have the skills to do it
The plan allowed me to bring beautiful tones and nuances into my watercolor without having to stress about perspective and composition.
Finished Piece – The Portal of Hope
I named this piece “Toivon portaali” (The Portal of Hope). There are situations in life that require going through the darkest of times – through a grey stone, as we say in Finnish. It is risky and requires a fighting spirit, but at the same time, the situation is also exciting as it’s a way to move forward.
Here are some photos of the details.
This was much faster to paint than flower paintings of a similar size. There were fewer layers, and geometric shapes are quick to execute.
I hope this inspires you to try an abstract composition with watercolors or colored pencils—or use a combination of both. My painting was done entirely with watercolors.
P.S. Check also this blog post, with more detailed instructions and for watercolor pencils: Modernistic Style – Create Abstract Art Step by Step!
Dramatic Peonies with Colored Pencils and Black Pens
This week, I have a free video for you. Create these dramatic peonies with me!
Use colored pencils to add the softness and color, and black pens to bring in the drama!
I used regular colored pencils and two black pens – thick and thin. My thick pen is the Copic Gasenfude brush pen, and the thin one is a Copic fineliner, size 0.5. You can use any brands. This is an exciting project with many things to learn.
Dramatic Peonies – Watch the Video!
By following the video, you can create your dramatic peonies. Start with the soil, and then grow a garden on it. Watch the video below!
It took me about an hour to create the dramatic peonies, so this is not a big project. The effect is based on sharp contrasts rather than details.
Dramatic Peonies and Your Living Line
In the video, I talk about discovering your living line. The longer I have been an artist, the more significant that has started to feel. When I look at my past work and compare it with the current paintings, I can see a glimpse of my style here and there. It all started with a simple line, so I wish I could inspire you to wake up your line and let it show the way. I am currently building a new course where learning from your line is the key content. Stay tuned!
Inspiration for Colored Pencil Journal
You can create dramatic peonies either on a separate sheet of paper or in an art journal. I created mine in an A5-size colored pencil journal, and the drawing fills the whole spread.
Useful links for you who want to start or make more pages for the colored pencil journal:
- Starting a Colored Pencil Journal
- All posts tagged with “Archer & Olive notebook”
- The course Fun Botanicum – Make a chapter for your colored pencil journal!