Jane Appleby answers questions from her students:

Q: How do you add depth to a painting?

A: Several Layers (Glazes) in the dark areas. Highlights in the foreground.

What is a Glaze?

A Glaze with acrylic or watercolour paint is a smooth application of paint mixed with transparent medium such as gloss medium to mke it transparent. Layering with glazes adds depth to areas.

Depth:

By layering colours one gets darker areas. Appling a layer of a colour’s complimentary colour over it subdues it and causes it to visually recede (purple over yeloow, blue over orange, red over green, etc.). Layering with glazes adds depth to areas. All the primaries layered in subsequent layers after drying will get rich deep tones. Glazing with purple, black or pthalo blue also will push areas back and make them dark. Mixing lighter grey tones for the distance of a landscape works well. Deep darks (Umber + Ultramarine Blue) are good for shading of up close objects and thus are areas of dark which adds depth also.

Highlights:

To bring things into the foreground I use pure and warm colours and highlights. Orange is the warmest, yellow next, green then blue then purple. Opposite colours side by side also help with depth. Highlights are made with pure white and the desired colour. The warmest highlight is Titanium White mixed with Cadmium Orange with a bit of Cadmium Yellow. This mixture is the brightest highlight I find and should be used sparingly.

Q: What primary colours do you use?

A: I use light yellow, pink toned red, light blue, mixed with black and/or white.

I can mix all the colours with these but some pigments mix better than others and they vary in strength.
Favourite Acrylic Paints: Hansa Yellow light, Quinacridone Magenta, Phthalo Blue (green shade), Ultramarine Blue and Cobalt Blue, Cadmium Orange, Quinacridone gold and Umber for darks.

Q: How do you determine your painting is done?

A: Intuition and The Three C’s

I look for 3 C’s as a starting point. These are Contrast, Colour and Composition within the painting and I ask myself questions about these within the piece.

Contrast:

Do I have at least three value tones? Where is my main highlights and what are they presenting. Are the darks in strategic places to bring about the best contrast where it is important and are there varying degrees of contrast that flow with in the work? The value contrast is the first major impact and if I squint does anything catch my eye that doesn’t seem right? If it seems to draw too much attention then I try to either decrease the contrast or increase it elsewhere. Placing a white mat with a black sub mat helps to look at contrast.

Colour:

Did I use colours that are pleasing or setting a certain mood? How do the colours interact and are there soft blended areas that help transition through the piece? Colour contrasts are effective visual components – did I place them where I want that impact. Do adjacent colours enhance each other or make reverberations. Do the same colour tones bring your eye through the entire painting in a certain harmony or are they placed to keep you in a certain area longer (like in the focal point). Are warm colours bringing shapes forward and cool making them appear to recede? Do I have a small colour surprise as well as some areas of less intensity for rest. Have I used my whole palette including the three primaries that I decided to work with for that piece? Is there any colour that I feel is missing?

Compostion:

What did I intend to compose: a picture of something or impression of something within?

I sit with the painting in my living space where I walk by casually and notice things that may need change. For instance is the subject off centre for a more pleasing affect or if it is central what impact is it giving? Where are the contrasts and what are the harmonious components? What is the primary theme of shapes or repetitions that are presented and are they varied enough in size and shape and have colours that support or excite. What does this piece “say” to me or how does it make me feel? Is there a linear, diagonal or circular theme and a counter theme or point? Is there an area of impact that is interesting or entertaining visually with brush strokes, detail, interesting shapes or colour expression? Is my eye led through the whole painting and does it imply the subject to some degree while leaving something for the viewer to interpret or involve themselves in? Do I get stuck anywhere? Where are the areas of high contrast vs. low contrast, warm colours vs. cool colours? Do any areas cause me to leave the painting and what brings me back into it? Lastly if there is not anything that I find disruptive in some way I say to myself it could be finished. And leave it for another day if I am not sure.

It takes some time to ponder all of these elements and most of the time not all of them matter. This process becomes an intuitive thing that I mainly analyze to eliminate undue distractions in the piece. If it seems to work I leave it. Usually I resist changing too much in case I over do it. Most of the time the painting left in its initial expression with a few adjustments is what works best.