Author: Riya A

Good morning everyone! I hope that you all are well and had a nice three-day weekend. As I have found myself more and more obsessed with oil painting since my last piece, I have come to learn a lot about the various different methods of applying paint to create a beautiful composition. My post for this week will be outline the main oil painting techniques that have been used throughout history and are now  at any artists’ disposal.

1. Alla Prima (Wet on Wet) – This is a great method for quicker studies and less rendered pieces of work. A favorite amongst Van Gogh and Monet, Alla Prima is a very direct method of painting in which the paint is not allowed to dry between layers, thus labelled “wet on wet”. The aim of this method is to finish the whole painting before the paint starts to dry. This allows a piece of work to be completed much more quickly. It takes great skill to apply paint to the canvas in the exact color and form that is intended.
2. Glazing – Glazing is an interesting and great technique for beginners to master. Glazing is the use of transparent layers on top of an opaque base layer that has already established shadows, tone, and value. When subsequent layers of color are applied they have a glossier finish. This creates an impressive multi-faceted look. I have never really experimented with glazing but it is a wonderful way to bring life to a more dull object and is used quite often with still-life work. This was an approach used by Vermeer in much of his work.
3. Scumbling – Scumbling is a great way to bring texture to a piece. Scumbling refers to the technique of using a dry, stiff brush to apply thin layers of paint to canvas. Generally the paint is applied directly out of the tube over top of an already dried base. The result is that the image does not have a smooth finish, with some of the underpainting still exposed while demonstrating bright, pure chroma overtop. J.M.W. Turner was a big fan of Scumbling as can be seen in his piece “Snow Storm, Steam-Boat off a Harbour’s Mouth”.
4. Underpainting – This is perhaps the technique that almost all oil painters use. This can be done with various mediums from creating a graphite sketch, carbon copying an outline, doing an acrylic base painting, or simply using washes of natural colored oil paints. The most common is using a color such as Burnt Umber or Burnt Sienna to tint the entirety of the canvas and create a sketch of the subjected being painted. I use this technique combined with gridding and graphite sketches before I really start applying any opaque paint to the canvas.
5. Impasto – This is one of my favorite things to implement in a painting and also my favorite to observe in other artwork as well.  Impasto painting was a key feature of many of Van Gogh’s works as well. Requiring deliberate strokes of thick paint, each mark of the paintbrush is clearly visible in the finished piece. When using this technique, paint is generally mixed directly on the canvas. When used on choice areas of a piece, it can create a beautifully capturing and three-dimensional effect, making those areas more prominent. You could even use a palette knife instead of a brush for impasto. Be careful though, these areas will take a very long time to dry so reserve them for the end of a session!
6. Grisaille – This is a very advanced technique of painting and one that is not as common anymore. Used frequently in the Renaissance Era for portrait painting, Grisaille refers to the art of painting in monochrome, using black, white and grey to show light, dark and shading. With the large variety of chroma and color available now, this technique has fallen out of favor. However, it is still used as a method of underpainting. Creating an entire rendering in black and white and then establishing hue overtop. Painting and drawing in black and white is used very often with beginners to help develop an understanding of tone, shadow, and value.
7. Chiaroscuro – Perhaps one of the most striking techniques to witness when done successfully, Chiaroscuro is a method of creating high contrast in your painting. The subject is generally shown lit up by a source of bright light in an otherwise dark (sometimes bitch black) environment. Chiaroscuro was used a lot by renaissance artists such as Rembrandt and Caravaggio and said to be developed by Leonardo Da Vinci. This method creates a lot of drama and ambiance in a piece, pushing a subject into the foreground and creating a 3D illusion. When using this technique, it is a good idea to start with one light focus, such as a lamp, and work outwards from there. My current oil painting is aimed at implementing Chiaroscuro.

Oil paint is a beautiful and extremely versatile medium if you have the knowledge of how to use it. I hope this post gives a little insight into the diversity of oil paint and the diversity that an artist can implement if knowledgeable. As I always say, if anything that I discussed in this post stands out, or if any questions arise please feel free to comment and share your thoughts!

Looking forward to next Monday!

~ Riya

Instagram: @riya_agg.art

Personal website: https://theindianartist.weebly.com/

Good evening everybody!

I hope that you are all doing well and have a positive start to the semester. This is the final out of the three posts on my most recent painting. This week, I will be explaining the story behind the gorgeous scene, a moment in which Krishna saves all of the people of his home against the angry and jealous God of Weather. Enjoy!

Lord Indra controls the rain and the thunderstorms. He resides in the heavens and controls the weather, watching over the citizens of Earth and blessing them with rainfall to grow their crops and cattle. However, Indra has some vices as well. He is very easily pleased and angered by the acts of those he considers to be beneath him.

Vrindavan is a beautiful town in which Krishna lived and played. The residents of this gorgeous town were very dependent on agriculture and cattle for their living and relied heavily upon timely rains for their livelihood. This made Indra very important. One year, there were exceptionally good rains. The villagers decided to host a festival for Lord Indra to thank him for all of his kindness and mercy. When Krishna found out, he told the villagers that Indra was not responsible for the good weather, rather that it was the nearby mountain Govardhan, and that they should be praying to it instead.

This angered Indra severely. He decided to teach the town of Vrindavan a lesson. He brought down horrible rain and thunder on the villagers. Krishna, however, was not at all frightened. He assured all of his friends and family, placed his small pink hand under the mountain and lifted it entirely with his pinky. He started playing a gorgeous intoxicating melody with his flute and all of the fears of the villagers were dissipated. They gathered under Govardhan and started dancing and singing.

It rained non stop for seven days and nights and all the while, Krishna kept the massive mountain stable on his pinky finger. This affirmed that Krishna was never and would never be just an ordinary child. He was God himself. Indra witnessed this as well and suddenly was ashamed of his actions. He begged for forgiveness in front of Krishna and was forgiven.

This story teaches us that power, if not handles with care, compassion, and humility, can corrode even gods, let alone a person.

As always, if anything that I discussed in this post stands out, or if any questions arise please feel free to comment and share your thoughts! And for all other artists out there, take that leap of faith. Step our of your comfort zone. Who knows, it may turn your whole word upside down.

Looking forward to next Monday!

~ Riya

Personal website:   https://riyarts.weebly.com/

Happy New Year everybody!! I hope that you all had a wonderful and restful holidays. I am very excited to start off 2022, make some new art, dive into interesting classes, and hopefully do well on the MCAT (something that gives me nightmares). Over the break I completed the largest piece that I have ever done in a medium that I am not very comfortable with. I was commissioned to recreate a large oil painting by the artist Bijay Biswaal. A previous post of mine detailed my initial thoughts starting this piece. In this post I will share my experience really working with oil paint, what I learned, and my future plans. This will be the second of three posts that I will be doing on this piece. Next week, I will explain the story behind the scene that is being portrayed and the beautiful tale of Krishna.

This piece is titled “Govardhan” and is done completely in oil paint (with an acrylic underpainting) with a size of 2 feet by 4 feet. I had found the image of the art piece over a year back and had it saved on my phone. I would just randomly pull it up to stare at the gorgeous detail and ambiance that Biswaal was able to bring out in his painting and only dreamed that I would one day be able to paint in the same way.

The original artwork is done entirely in acrylic paint but I decided to do it in oils instead so that I could have more control and be able to work longer with the paint before it dries. The prospect of creating this art piece intimated me so much that it was almost crippling. However, I rode the momentum and the high of my last piece “The Festival of Colors” to just bite the bullet and jump right in.

Form this piece I have truly come to learn that I am so much stronger and more capable than I give myself credit for. I also realized that I truly love oil paint! This is odd seeing as I stayed away from the medium for so long. It is so amazing that I was able to fall in love with another medium. It opens up so many more possibilities for me to create future pieces and allows me another tool in my arsenal. Oil painting has taught me that no mistake is permanent. If something does not look that way that I want it to, I have all of the power to change the outcome and create what I truly want.

Patience is also something that I am sure every artist who has worked with oil paint understands they need to uphold. Oil paint is a slow drying medium so allowing time for the paint to dry is essential in order to bring out high chroma colors and bright highlights.

I have fallen in love with oil paint and have already started my next series so stay tuned for that!!

I really enjoyed writing this week’s blog post, I apologize for the little delay, trying to get back into the swing of things. As always, if anything that I discussed in this post stands out, or if any questions arise please feel free to comment and share your thoughts!

Looking forward to next Monday!

~ Riya

Personal website:   https://riyarts.weebly.com/

Hello everybody! I hope you are all surviving the beginning of the hell that is finals season! I for one am very excited for the next two weeks to be over with so that I can go home and celebrate Christmas with my family. This blog post is going to be one where I share some updates on my current art piece and what I have learned along the way.

This current piece is the biggest that I have ever done, in a medium that I am very uncomfortable with but also very drawn to. I was commissioned by my mom to recreate a religious piece done by an incredible Indian artist whom I have featured on this blog before named Bijay Biswaal. The first time that I looked at this piece of artwork I was shocked. It is beautiful and breathtaking, and I never imagined ever being able to tackle it let alone recreate it.

I decided to take the surge of confidence and the feeling of empowerment that my last piece of artwork instilled in me and use it as a sense of momentum to carry me forward through this piece. I wanted to step out of my comfort zone.

As I have talked about before, my favorite thing to do with my artwork is to give up all control and throw myself into a piece without any expectations. However, this time was a little bit different. Maybe it was because I was creating it for my mother. Maybe it was because it had a religious subject that I did not want to get wrong. Maybe it was because I was just nervous to fail and waste supplies.
But I decided to have faith in my abilities and push myself. I decided to begin the largest piece that I have ever done, two feet by four feet. I decided to use a medium that I was not at all comfortable with, oil paint.
This piece has already taught me so much about myself. Even though. I still have a long way to go before I am completely done with it. I am so grateful that my mother pushed me to create this piece and that I was willing to take on the challenge. I have added some images of my progress thus far. I think the fact that it is not an original idea makes it a little bit easier to tackle and offers the perfect starting off point for even bigger oil paintings.

The biggest lesson that I have learned, and that you will hear me iterate time and time again, is just do it. Go for it. Start that project that you have in the back of your mind. Try that thing that you have a deep yearning for but are also terrified of. Push yourself. Push your comfort zone. Because not doing so, not allowing yourself the space to try, not allowing yourself to make mistakes, is the biggest failure of them all.

I will be writing a final blog post on this piece once I complete it and am able to tell you all the beautiful tale behind the scene being depicted!

Thank you all so much for taking the time to read my words and thoughts. As always, if anything that I discussed in this post stands out, or if any questions arise please feel free to comment and share your thoughts! And for all other artists out there, take that leap of faith. Step our of your comfort zone. Who knows, it may turn your whole word upside down.

Looking forward to next Monday!

~ Riya

Personal website:   https://riyarts.weebly.com/

Happy Monday everybody!! I hope that you are all doing well and had a restful Thanksgiving break. Mine was much needed and helped me to press the resent button in time for the next few weeks of final exams. Today I will be sharing a quick post on an interesting artist that I discovered recently who uses a very unique surface to create her work.

I introduce to you all Daria Kolosova, a Russian artist that creates incredible oil paintings on beautiful reflective, mirrored canvases. The signature of her work, more so than the subject and technique itself, is the glamorous rose gold surface she uses to paint. I was first drawn to her work for this reason as it is so unique and unlike anything that I have ever seen before. I am currently in pursuit of getting my hands on a similar canvas but it seems that it is a commercial secret as I have been unsuccessful in my attempts.

Hi everybody!! I hope that you are all doing well! I have had a not-so-fun week. I’m getting over a cold and have three exams to look forward to (gross I know!) I thought that I would share a list of the top 3 things that I have learned through my art, things that I would advise others who are starting on their own art journey or have been in it for a while. Enjoy!

#1) Inspiration is overrated

For the longest time in my life, I would call art a “mood” that I would need to be in. I blamed my inability to create at times due to the fact that I wasn’t inspired or that I wasn’t in the right head-space. I have since come to learn that this is just an excuse. Being inspired is an incredible feeling. However, it comes and goes without any rhyme or reason. Much more important than inspiration is dedication and resolve. Having sheer force of will oftentimes is what gets pieces done. Sure inspiration is the catalyst behind some incredible pieces of work. But careful thought, dedication, and discipline are what create a long-lasting and influential artist.

#2) No art is wasted

Artists identify themselves intimately with their creative work, almost to the point where their creations and identity become one and the same. This is not constructive as any sort of failure tends to lead artists to become discouraged and disappointed with themselves. As someone who is constantly growing and learning, I have a compilation of many “failed” art pieces. Pieces that I could not bring myself to complete, pieces that did not turn out as I had intended, pieces that felt like a complete and utter disappointment. However, what I have come to realize is that out of each and every one of those pieces, I learned something. I had something to take with me into my next piece. No art is ever wasted. It is time spent learning, growing, and becoming a better artist, and oftentimes, a better person.

#3) Be a jack of all trades

Though there is great value in being a master of your craft, there is even more value in being versatile, adaptable, and open to learning. It is so much more valuable as an artist to have experience and knowledge in various styles and mediums rather than exclusively drawing on an iPad or painting only faces, only with oil paint, only in realism. I approach creating art as a means of using everything that I have at my disposal to create the effect that I want. The more weapons that I have in my arsenal, the more damage that I can do. The more styles and mediums that I am comfortable with, the more choices that I have to be able to create what I want and how I want it. This has been huge for me over the years. I have come to realize that the only limiting factor when it comes to my art and my progress is my own willingness to learn. The moment that I opened myself up to the endless possibilities and creative outlets, that’s when I truly became an artist. It’s interesting because people think that they infamous quote says that “a jack of all trades is a master of none”. However, those who believe this don’t realize that this is only half of the actual saying…

“A jack of all trades is a master of none…

but still always better than a master of one.”

I really enjoyed writing this week’s blog post! It is something that I now realize I should have shared with all of you a long time ago, but hey, better late than never, right?

As always, if anything that I discussed in this post stands out, or if any questions arise please feel free to comment and share your thoughts! And for all other artists out there, what are some of the biggest lessons that you have learned through your journey of creation?

Looking forward to next Monday!

~ Riya

Personal website:   https://riyarts.weebly.com/