ARTIST'S TOOLS AND TECHNIQUES

by Joelle Steele

The following is some background on how I work.

TOOLS AND WORKSPACE

Canvases. I have no preference for any particular brand of canvas. I buy medium-weight, gallery-wrap, and pre-primed, about 3/4" to 1-1/2" deep, in a variety of sizes and dimensions. I particularly like doing diptychs and triptychs, so when I buy canvases, I generally look for sizes that will allow me to do some of those grouped works.

Paints. I have used many different brands of acrylic (polymer) paint and I have found them all to be pretty much the same as far as color is concerned, but I prefer Liquitex because it never cracks. My second choices for acrylic paints are Golden or Grumbacher. I also paint in watercolors, and use mostly Winsor & Newton and Cotman.

Brushes. I have a ton of brushes and no preferences for any one type or brand except for the ones I use on canvas when applying my first washes, and in that case I prefer 2"- and 4"-wide Purdy house-painting brushes. In most of my paintings I use flats and brights, as well as several different sized riggers. For varnishing I use a 1-1/2" flat wash brush. I also paint with my fingers and with a variety of painting knives and sea sponges.

Palettes. I have three watercolor palettes, but for acrylics I prefer Pyrex clear glass pie plates and custard cups to hold and mix my paints, as their transparency allows me to hold them over the canvas and check the color against the painting.

Easels. I don't use an easel anymore. I prefer to paint flat on my kitchen countertop where I have both a skylight and pot lights for illumination. I protect the countertop with a 9' square canvas painter's drop cloth. My floor is an entertaining spectacle of small paint drops.

Storage. I have two rolling carts for all my supplies. One has shelves and holds bigger items loose and in baskets; the other has drawers. I store my brushes, knives, pencils, pens, etc., in antique pottery vases and pitchers on top of the carts. I store unused canvases along the hallway floor, completed works on the hallway walls until thoroughly dry, and works ready for sale in a large hallway closet.

Other Tools. I use old toothbrushes and straws for spattering. I keep a spray bottle of water on hand to moisten the canvas if it is drying out too quickly. I always have Q-tips around for touch-ups, and I use old dish towels and rags for cleanup.

Clothing. I always wear a denim apron when painting. I wear disposable non-latex gloves when sponging.

TECHNIQUES AND PROCESS

Sketches. I have a very active dream life and most of my ideas for my art come from those dreams, so I always have a million ideas. I sketch a few thumbnails and make detailed notes about colors, canvas sizes, and any gels or special tools I might want to use. When I do a commissioned piece, I take my inspiration from the designer or the individual who requests the painting, make several sketches and value studies, and ultimately incorporate some of my own style into the work.

Background. I put a great deal of effort into the primary washes and layers of paint that form the background for each piece. If they are not done correctly, nothing else I do from that point on will work. I think this probably stems from all of the landscapes I have painted over the years and the importance I always placed on getting the sky right in each of them.

I start with about three colors to which I add either water or gel medium — sometimes both — to thin them, depending on how much translucency I want to achieve. I use a 2" or 4" brush and work very quickly at this point, working wet-on-wet and blending the colors together, but not allowing them to mix entirely or become murky. As they begin to dry, I work with a wet sea sponge to further shape the swirls and waves that make up my backgrounds.

After allowing the painting to dry very thoroughly, I work with a 1" flat brush and add undiluted colors to enhance the existing washes. I then work those colors further with a damp sea sponge to achieve greater depth in the background. After the painting is again fully dried, I repeat this process, often as many as three or more times until I am satisfied.

Foreground. I wait until the background is completely dry (usually overnight). I then apply paint with palette knives of varying shapes, and with whatever brushes work best for the piece, including everything from stiff-bristled brights to soft, miniature riggers. Any paint splattering is done either right after the background has dried, or as the final touch when the rest of the painting is otherwise completed, depending on the effect I'm going for. I either blow the paint through a straw or I use an old toothbrush along with my thumb or a palette knife, sometimes adding more speckles and dots with a tiny size 00 round brush. Lastly, I sign the piece and paint the canvas edges.

Finishing Up. I let the painting dry thoroughly for at least three days (often as long as a week). I then photograph it and load it up to my Web site. I then apply two to three coats of gloss varnish to the image and the painted sides of the canvas, waiting about six hours or so between coats.

Works in Progress. Because there is a substantial amount of drying time in my acrylic painting process, I am usually working on at least three canvases or as many as a dozen at any given time so that while one is drying, I am completing another, doing backgrounds for new ones, varnishing completed canvases, etc.

Painting with Both Hands. I am ambidextrous, which gives me a significant advantage when painting. I can paint equally well with either hand, and often work a brush with one hand and a sponge or palette knife with the other, almost simultaneously. This served me especially well when I did illustration work in watercolor because I could paint with one hand and use a hand-held hair dryer in the other to speed up the drying process when glazing.

General Work Habits. I am very neat and organized when I work, and I take good care of all my tools and supplies. I learned long ago that if you are sloppy or careless, you will inevitably spill or smudge or in some way damage your work, or you will destroy the tools of your trade. Disorganization is especially costly, whether you're painting for fun or being paid by the project. Time is money, no matter what you are doing with that time.