Painting blends & Shading Posted by Catharine C. Kennedy on March 22, 2004
Posted by Larry White on March 26, 2004Where can I get information on how to paint blends, split blends & shading for lettering? Are there books on the subject? Thanks!
Posted by Larry White on March 24, 2004...I still hope to do a photo essay on this technique... please be patient... but as for now, here's the text version...
There is a difference between what I would call a blended shade and a split blended shade. On a split blended shade I would first paint the outer "stop" line where the shade will be ending (this becomes an outline around the shade and letter). Secondly, I would pick the two colors for the shade and mix them from transparent artist oil colors mixed into some spar or quick rubbing varnish (I suppose you could use Frog Juice too). With a flat brush, half the width of the shade, single stroke in the first color glaze. After this is dry, single stroke in the second color. Overlapping the colors just slightly adds a slightly darker line between the colors and is desirable. I have also heard of these glazes being silkscreened. After the two glazes are dry, mix up 3 to 4 graduated tones of gray, using japan color, usually white to dark gray. Extend the open time of the paint with Smiths cream and/or a touch of linseed oil. Using a copy of your artwork, make a road map of where the colors will fall. Keep all the highlites and shadows in their correct places. I usually use colored pencils to make the road map. I number the colors 1 thru 4. Along with numbering the colors, you'll need to number the blocks of color. Where ever there is a sharp corner on a letter, you'll want a hard line of color on the shade. This line must dry before you can put the color next to it in order to hold that hard line. Hence when you paint the first hard line, you'd be working in a #1 color block, next to it would be a #2 and next to it on the other end could be another #1. (It almost works out that you're paintinting every other block first, then their neighboring blocks secondly.) So as you make your road map, number the colors and the blocks. Typically I have found to have about 60% of the shade executed in block 1's, 30% in block 2's, and a few fall into block 3's. I hope this is making sence. So within a block you lay down your numbered colors right next to each other, I typicall use a quill, one for each color. I then blend the colors together using a deerfoot blending brush, one for each blended color. Continually inspect from the front, without any light shining through the back, this is required to determine sufficeint blending. One of those rotating glass easels is helpful. Do all the #1 areas and allow to dry. Then do all the #2 areas, then 3's etc. After it's all done, back-up the whole thing with the middle value (only). The color picked for the glaze alters the grays blended in behind them. When doing a regular blended shade, skip the glaze step and mix your desired colors straight from Japan color. I've also seen One Shot being used, but I prefer the japans.
Posted by Mike Jackson on March 22, 2004As taught to me by Rick Glawson...
Divide the area for the blend into thirds. The center third gets the lightest value of the color. The outter half of the end thirds get the deepest value, and the inner half of the outter thirds get a middle value. This middle value is often created by mixing the light and dark values together.
When mixing the paint, I prefer to use japan colors, extend the paint with an equal amount of Smith's Cream. A small amount of Linseed Oil or Slow size can be added to also extend the open time of the paint.
Ox hair japan brushes work best for blending. Mark the indicated 1/3 and 1/2 lines on the front of the glass. Paint the light value color into the middle third section. Paint the middle value color into the middle half section. Then with the japan brush, break the color intersection diagonally back and forth to rough up the line between the color and start the blending of the two. Then blend back and forth 5 or 6 times, then up and down 5 or 6 times moving progressively outward then back over the area you've blended. Inspect from the front (without any light shining through the paint) to insure adequate blend. Blend more as required. It's okay if some brush marks show. Repeat the process with the darker color on the ends. After the paint is dry, back-up the entire area with the middle value color only. Trying to lighten or darken the blend by painting the back with a lighter or darker color won't work. Always test your colors on a scrap piece of glass first or place some clear static cling to your panel and test there.
For the red blends use straight Bulletin Red for the center, straight Arterial Red for the outter, and a mixture of the two for the middle.
For green blends use CP Green Light mixed with Chrome Yellow Light for the center color, use Prussian Blue and French Yellow Ochre for the dark color and a mixture of the two for the middle color. This mixture of colors gives a nicer color than blending with the various shades of green japans that get a bit muddy when blended.
For the blue blends use Bulletin Blue for the center and Prussian Blue for the darker.
For examples of these blends look through my website, walljewelry.com as they are fairly prevelent in my work.
-LW
Posted by Mike Jackson on March 22, 2004Catharine,
There are numerous variables in your question, depending on whether you are painting the shades on the surface of a panel, or from the reverse side of a piece of glass.
There are several examples of split shades above. You can at least see what people are talking about. Split blended shades are a bit tougher since the designer is trying to show highlights and shaded areas "within" the shade. If you were to cut out a letter in a piece of plywood and look at it at a slight angle, you would be seeing spit-blended "shades" even though you were actually be seeing layers of plywood.
On reverse glass, the shades are painted with transparent glazes. Once they dry, the idea is to stroke the appropriate lights and darks over the glazes. I've done it a few times and I have watched Bill Hueg paint them several times. He's very good at it!
On surface painting, some people use airbrushes and some use transparent glazes to create the shades and highlights.
From a personal observation, on many occasions, I've seen the split shade overpower the actual lettering--becoming more important than the letters. When done right, it can be pretty impressive.
Maybe someone here has photos of Bill doing a split blended shade?
Mike Jackson
Here's an R that Bill Hueg painted a long time ago. I somehow managed to talk him out of it--maybe just for this purpose?
You can see the subtle blends and detailing. Also notice how the pale red and pale blue glazes were overlapped to give an additional purple split. This R is about 4.5" tall.
For anyone interested, Bill is now out in Pennsylvania working for John Lutman. He's a very talented dude!
Mike Jackson
Denver Chapter of the Letterheads