I think many of us artists have this problem – knowing when a painting is finished. Sometimes, without our realizing it, a painting is finished back a few steps. I know my tendency is to want to pick away, making the tiniest of tweaks. Often this can eradicate the spontaneity that was there especially when it comes to work done en plein air. We bring the piece back into the studio, study it, and then see the ‘flaws’ which we need to ‘correct’. Often these so called flaws are what bring the painting to vibrant life and ‘correcting’ them brings along a slow death. Unless we stop in time. And when is that time?
For this blog, I have another pastel I did last summer on Salt Spring Island. I can see a few things I think need to be rectified but so often, those improvements I make, though beneficial in one way, are often not in another. So rather than getting to work altering it right away, I’d love to hear your opinion. I won’t bias you by telling you the things I think I need to work on, I’ll just leave it open for your opinion. Is this pastel finished? And if not, why not?
Let’s have a look at the pastel painting as is then I’ll take you through the step-by-step progression. It was an overcast day and that made it challenging to bring life and colour to the painting. Nevertheless, I saw a scene with a great design of trees, ocean, and land that I felt was exciting enough to paint.
Gail Sibley, “Overcast Day At The Beach,” pastel on Wallis paper, 9 x 12 in
This is a shot of the scene I painted. As I was getting ready to do the thumbnail, this canoe came past. I thought it would add some life to I stopped this shot to remind myself of how it looked. By the time I took this photo, the wind had changed and the water ruffled with all the reflection gone!
The thumbnail in three values
Vine charcoal sketch on Wallis paper in preparation for the pastel
The first layer on – blocking in the big shapes with three values. I wanted to have warm colours under the cool sky and sea areas and the cool greens of the trees. I used a blue as my middle value so it would be under the one area that had a patch of yellow grass. (The image is a bit askew as I shot it quickly with my phone.)
And here’s that block-in shown in black and white. You can see the three values pretty clearly.
I took a piece of paper towel and gently rubbed the pastel to create an underpainting. You can clearly see the big shapes now.
Beginning to add a second layer.
Almost every part of the painting now has a second layer. Just the sea and part of the rocks remain as a single layer of pastel.
More pastel has been added and now the scene is emerging.
The last image before the ‘final.’ You can see I still need to get into the light side of the sea and also the rocks, both areas still being only one layer. I also need to insert the boats.
Here’s the painting again as it was when I took it home. I decided to leave out the dock to simplify the scene.
So what do you think? Is this pastel finished? Is it nearly finished? Or do you think it has a way to go yet? All opinions welcome! Like I said, I’m thinking about working on a few things but I’ll mention those later in the comments once we get chatting.
Have a look at the pastels and my set up:
Here are the 14 Schminke pastels I used. They are pretty bright but you can see that in layering, you can tone down colour as needed.And here’s my set-up on the beach. It was overcast but quite bright so I found an overhanging tree from under which to paint. It was tricky seeing the scene through the branches! You can see my limited palette of pastels and my thumbnail sketch as well as the Wallis paper with vine charcoal drawing.
Right, that’s it for this time. I sure look forward to hearing from you!!
Until next time,
~ Gail
PS. I’m excited to let you know that I have a guest blogger next week!!
PPS. This pastel above was done on Salt Spring Island on a plein air outing with my Mum and Dad so I had to include a few photos with them 🙂
En plein air on Salt Spring Island with Mum and Dad!
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32 thoughts on “Is This Plein Air Pastel Finished?”
Connie
Well I hate to say this but I see a face in the water, so my eye won’t move past it. it is in the reflection in the water in the middle part.
The left side is a little heavy, with the reflection having a definite sharp reflection, but the boat does help balance it out.
It is what you were saying when you start fixing one thing it does lead to another, etc. so I wouldn’t do to much to it. I ruined one this weekend by just not walking away, and it lost its vibrancy….and looks over worked now, not to happy with myself.
Thanks for sharing.
C
I hate when that happens, when you see a face, because as you say Connie, once seen, never unseen. And I think I see where you mean but luckily for me, it doesn’t leap out at me the way it has for you. Still, knowing that, I can do a small thing to make it disappear!
Yes, I am hoping the boats will balance out the heaviness. They are something I feel I need to work on….slightly!
Connie, thanks for sharing your own recent experience at overworking a piece. It’s a hard line to find – so often we know we are there because we’ve gone past it!
Hi Gail,
After reading your progression painting info and seeing the photo and finished painting, I decided that only you know if this painting is finished.
Here’s my reasoning: you were there, you know Salt Spring island and how it really looked that day and how you decided to represent it in your unique way.
I love the vibrancy and the feel!
How wonderful that you are able to paint with your parents.What a joy!
Thank you for this post.
Dear Sandi, you always have something warm and positive to say. Thanks for that. And I’m glad you like the feel of the painting. It was a cool day with pretty much no shadows – a challenge indeed. The reflection on the water was fabulous but it was gone so quickly after I set up. Luckily I captured it in my thumbnail sketch. In the end though, it was really all about the experience of painting. Just paint! AND the delight of being out on site with my parents who are two wonderful people. (I am biased but hearing everyone else’s view of them, I know this for a fact!)
And yes, in the end, I will need to decide when it’s finished :-Q
How generous of you to share this step by step info.
It is so informative and the final picture so good.
Yes, we tend to touch and retouch aiming at some vague idea of perfection. Spontaneity is thus lost. I did 3 pastels recently ,one plein air and agree. Leave it alone.
Thanks Gail
Iris, I’m so happy to know you found the post informative. Yes, it’s ever so easy to retouch way past that vague perfection. (I like the way you expressed that!) And thank you too for the compliment on the pastel!
So impressed only 14 pastels could creat so beautiful painting. I always take more than 90 pastels with me still can’t find the “right” color. Thanks for sharing the way to creat three value.
I would like to see clearier boat since it was nearer. That’s just my idea.
Shenghui, it’s my mission to help artists, especially those new to the medium of pastel, to see that they only need a limited palette (at least some of the time!). As you say, even when you have a large number of colours, often the “right” colour isn’t there. And so we as artists are called on to improvise and bring out our own expression, our own interpretation of the scene.
And yes, that’s the main thing I think I need to work on – making the canoe more distinct. As you can see, I dashed it in at the last minute before packing up.
Hi Gail,
Thanks for this opportunity to see if I think like you, a very successful artist!
Here’s what I’m thinking when I look at it:
1. soften the water by blending a little horizontally
2. soften the reflection by blending both horizontally and add a few downward blending strokes
3. tone down the canoe color a little
4. soften the background trees by blending and lighten the value from left to right (towards the point)slightly
Lorraine, first of all, thank you for the compliment! And thank you for your input. You obviously took time to examine the painting and come up with some ideas. I appreciate that!
1. When you talk about softening the water, I am assuming you mean the water to the right, in the light. I would like to make the difference between the two colours less conspicuous, especially in the background.
2. I hadn’t thought about softening the reflection. I have kept it fairly simple without definition, just swatches of colour, and hope to retain that. Because Connie above mentioned seeing a face, I do need to get rid of that and will do that with as few strokes as possible. I may think about blurring the edges between the colours more now that you have mentioned it.
3. I need to work on the canoe, that’s a fact. Part of what it needs is something to give it a more rounded form and that means creating a shadow on it’s underside. This will indeed tone down part of it.
4. I totally agree with graduating the background trees from the colour and value they are to a lighter value and perhaps even ‘greyer’ to the far right to give that sense of depth and feeling of the landmass receding from us.
As you can see, I am thinking about doing some of the things you suggest. Thank you so much for adding your ideas to the conversation!!
First, I enjoy your site very much and Thank you. I think your painting is not quite done. I would like to see more in the sunlit water, and sky.
I enjoyed the tour of Redon. His flower paintings inspired me to start using pastel to paint with oh so many years ago and although I use other mediums pastel is my first love.
Thanks for your input on the pastel. I will no doubt work a bit on both they sky and the sea. Without sunlight, the scene appeared rather dull. It was bright for sure but so much colour had to be imaginatively inserted.
I would say no it isn’t finished. I would think of adding more to the sky and the water on the right: it feels to bright and lacking in depth. I also feel that there is too much blue in the trees near the front on the left. The trees at the back on the right also appear a bit flat.
Kerry I appreciate your detailed input. Certainly I feel I could further consider the sky and water to the right. The trees in the background had very little definition in the flat overcast light but looking more carefully at and refining the outline of the hill against the sky might help.
Thanks again!
I’m such a beginner, it’s cheeky of me to have an opinion. I like it as is, but in the spirit of the exercise, might it be helped by lightening the sky as it approaches the far tree tops? Lightening the far right of the farthest shore to set it even further back in the distance?
Jo-Anne, thank goodness for your cheekiness! I love that you have an opinion. And it so happens, I think your ideas are spot on.
Evidently you are conversant in the concept of aerial perspective so yes, a lightening of the sky as it slips behind the hill will make it read as further away and the same goes with the land mass as it moves further away from the viewer. These are the type of things an artist needs to know to make a painting read as a three-dimensional image even though, on the day, everything seemed flat and washed out.
Well done!
Gail,
The field of consciousness is tiny. It accepts only one problem at a time. (Antoine de Saint-Exupery)
I have enough trouble figuring out how to finish mine… and, I know you know just what to do. So please
tell your plan in another post.
Gailen
PS
Perfection is achieved, not when there is nothing more to add, but when there is nothing left to take away.
(Antoine de Saint-Exupery)
I think a painting of your adorable parents would be a happy challenge…what do you think? They’re
awfully cute!
I like it just as it is but then I am not an artist. The approach is very provoking. It reminds me of writing letters and showing them to a superior for approval – it is not often the superior can resist making changes. The end result seems to show that only the originator can say when it is finished for them but art seems to be even more complex. Enjoyed all the comments, S.
I’m glad you like it the way it is Sandy. I think it’s close to being finished and am anxious about doing too much to it and overworking it. I’ll need to work slowly, taking time with each change to review. I laughed at you supervisor analogy!!
Thank you so much for sharing your step by step painting process en plein air.
I think it stands on its own quite well. I love the vibrant yellows in the reflections. If anything I would lighten the trees.
Thank you for your thoughtful posts.
Theresa
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32 thoughts on “Is This Plein Air Pastel Finished?”
Well I hate to say this but I see a face in the water, so my eye won’t move past it. it is in the reflection in the water in the middle part.
The left side is a little heavy, with the reflection having a definite sharp reflection, but the boat does help balance it out.
It is what you were saying when you start fixing one thing it does lead to another, etc. so I wouldn’t do to much to it. I ruined one this weekend by just not walking away, and it lost its vibrancy….and looks over worked now, not to happy with myself.
Thanks for sharing.
C
I hate when that happens, when you see a face, because as you say Connie, once seen, never unseen. And I think I see where you mean but luckily for me, it doesn’t leap out at me the way it has for you. Still, knowing that, I can do a small thing to make it disappear!
Yes, I am hoping the boats will balance out the heaviness. They are something I feel I need to work on….slightly!
Connie, thanks for sharing your own recent experience at overworking a piece. It’s a hard line to find – so often we know we are there because we’ve gone past it!
Hi Gail,
After reading your progression painting info and seeing the photo and finished painting, I decided that only you know if this painting is finished.
Here’s my reasoning: you were there, you know Salt Spring island and how it really looked that day and how you decided to represent it in your unique way.
I love the vibrancy and the feel!
How wonderful that you are able to paint with your parents.What a joy!
Thank you for this post.
Dear Sandi, you always have something warm and positive to say. Thanks for that. And I’m glad you like the feel of the painting. It was a cool day with pretty much no shadows – a challenge indeed. The reflection on the water was fabulous but it was gone so quickly after I set up. Luckily I captured it in my thumbnail sketch. In the end though, it was really all about the experience of painting. Just paint! AND the delight of being out on site with my parents who are two wonderful people. (I am biased but hearing everyone else’s view of them, I know this for a fact!)
And yes, in the end, I will need to decide when it’s finished :-Q
A couple touches of the darker cloud layer in the ocean and done!
Yay!! Thanks Linda!
How generous of you to share this step by step info.
It is so informative and the final picture so good.
Yes, we tend to touch and retouch aiming at some vague idea of perfection. Spontaneity is thus lost. I did 3 pastels recently ,one plein air and agree. Leave it alone.
Thanks Gail
Iris, I’m so happy to know you found the post informative. Yes, it’s ever so easy to retouch way past that vague perfection. (I like the way you expressed that!) And thank you too for the compliment on the pastel!
So impressed only 14 pastels could creat so beautiful painting. I always take more than 90 pastels with me still can’t find the “right” color. Thanks for sharing the way to creat three value.
I would like to see clearier boat since it was nearer. That’s just my idea.
Shenghui, it’s my mission to help artists, especially those new to the medium of pastel, to see that they only need a limited palette (at least some of the time!). As you say, even when you have a large number of colours, often the “right” colour isn’t there. And so we as artists are called on to improvise and bring out our own expression, our own interpretation of the scene.
And yes, that’s the main thing I think I need to work on – making the canoe more distinct. As you can see, I dashed it in at the last minute before packing up.
Hi Gail,
Thanks for this opportunity to see if I think like you, a very successful artist!
Here’s what I’m thinking when I look at it:
1. soften the water by blending a little horizontally
2. soften the reflection by blending both horizontally and add a few downward blending strokes
3. tone down the canoe color a little
4. soften the background trees by blending and lighten the value from left to right (towards the point)slightly
How did I do? Did you have these things in mind?
Lorraine, first of all, thank you for the compliment! And thank you for your input. You obviously took time to examine the painting and come up with some ideas. I appreciate that!
1. When you talk about softening the water, I am assuming you mean the water to the right, in the light. I would like to make the difference between the two colours less conspicuous, especially in the background.
2. I hadn’t thought about softening the reflection. I have kept it fairly simple without definition, just swatches of colour, and hope to retain that. Because Connie above mentioned seeing a face, I do need to get rid of that and will do that with as few strokes as possible. I may think about blurring the edges between the colours more now that you have mentioned it.
3. I need to work on the canoe, that’s a fact. Part of what it needs is something to give it a more rounded form and that means creating a shadow on it’s underside. This will indeed tone down part of it.
4. I totally agree with graduating the background trees from the colour and value they are to a lighter value and perhaps even ‘greyer’ to the far right to give that sense of depth and feeling of the landmass receding from us.
As you can see, I am thinking about doing some of the things you suggest. Thank you so much for adding your ideas to the conversation!!
Loved the step by step. Looks done to me! Beautiful. What a lovely gift to spend time like that with your folks.
Thanks so much Karyn!!
And yes, it’s truly a gift these times with my parents. I look forward to these outings every summer. Long may they last!
First, I enjoy your site very much and Thank you. I think your painting is not quite done. I would like to see more in the sunlit water, and sky.
I enjoyed the tour of Redon. His flower paintings inspired me to start using pastel to paint with oh so many years ago and although I use other mediums pastel is my first love.
Cheryl, I’m delighted that you like the website so much. And thank you for mentioning the Redon article. For anyone interested, here’s the link to that post: https://www.howtopastel.com/2014/03/odilon-redon-a-portrait-painter/ (Or just do a search on Redon.)
Thanks for your input on the pastel. I will no doubt work a bit on both they sky and the sea. Without sunlight, the scene appeared rather dull. It was bright for sure but so much colour had to be imaginatively inserted.
I can’t think of anything I would change.
Patricia
Patricia, you’re a doll 😀
Thanks!!
I would say no it isn’t finished. I would think of adding more to the sky and the water on the right: it feels to bright and lacking in depth. I also feel that there is too much blue in the trees near the front on the left. The trees at the back on the right also appear a bit flat.
Kerry I appreciate your detailed input. Certainly I feel I could further consider the sky and water to the right. The trees in the background had very little definition in the flat overcast light but looking more carefully at and refining the outline of the hill against the sky might help.
Thanks again!
I’m such a beginner, it’s cheeky of me to have an opinion. I like it as is, but in the spirit of the exercise, might it be helped by lightening the sky as it approaches the far tree tops? Lightening the far right of the farthest shore to set it even further back in the distance?
Dying to hear your thoughts…..
Regards
Jo-Anne
Jo-Anne, thank goodness for your cheekiness! I love that you have an opinion. And it so happens, I think your ideas are spot on.
Evidently you are conversant in the concept of aerial perspective so yes, a lightening of the sky as it slips behind the hill will make it read as further away and the same goes with the land mass as it moves further away from the viewer. These are the type of things an artist needs to know to make a painting read as a three-dimensional image even though, on the day, everything seemed flat and washed out.
Well done!
Gail,
The field of consciousness is tiny. It accepts only one problem at a time. (Antoine de Saint-Exupery)
I have enough trouble figuring out how to finish mine… and, I know you know just what to do. So please
tell your plan in another post.
Gailen
Gailen, I couldn’t help but grin broadly at your comment! Yes, another post with the end result and thoughts.
PS
Perfection is achieved, not when there is nothing more to add, but when there is nothing left to take away.
(Antoine de Saint-Exupery)
I think a painting of your adorable parents would be a happy challenge…what do you think? They’re
awfully cute!
A challenge indeed! And yes, they are adorable!
I like it just as it is but then I am not an artist. The approach is very provoking. It reminds me of writing letters and showing them to a superior for approval – it is not often the superior can resist making changes. The end result seems to show that only the originator can say when it is finished for them but art seems to be even more complex. Enjoyed all the comments, S.
I’m glad you like it the way it is Sandy. I think it’s close to being finished and am anxious about doing too much to it and overworking it. I’ll need to work slowly, taking time with each change to review. I laughed at you supervisor analogy!!
Thank you so much for sharing your step by step painting process en plein air.
I think it stands on its own quite well. I love the vibrant yellows in the reflections. If anything I would lighten the trees.
Thank you for your thoughtful posts.
Theresa
Thanks Theresa. Yes, I too love that yellow underneath coming through. I don’t want to lose it!
I’m still deciding how to proceed…
Wonderful ” plein air ” work !
Wow thanks Alain!