PAINTING WITH LINES – Morag Caister
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Morag Caister’s ability to convey the essence of a person using only a few lines has blown us all away over the years. With her help, you will be able to do the same. Are you ready?
Reference Image
Materials
Paper
Set of oil paints: Titanium White, yellow, brown, blue, red
Selection of fine brushes
Palette
Solvent
Find these items at cassart.co.uk
How to start
Begin by observing your sitter. What do you deem to be the natural starting point when painting this sitter? Is it where their leg meets the sofa? Their arm? Their hair?
We recommend to start by painting the sitter’s eyebrow.
Dip a thin brush in some brown oil paint and begin to sketch directly onto the canvas.
Your first mark should feel like an anchor for the whole piece.
Add more detail to the area surrounding your first mark (hair and side of face).
Try to paint in continuous lines. You should only take your brush away from the canvas when your paint runs out.
Let the paint run for as long as it can before topping it up. This will add texture and variety to your lines.
Keep looking at your sitter throughout this process. Squinting can help you focus on key shapes and simplify what you see for when you relay it on paper.
Top tip – Line paintings cannot be overly detailed but don’t ignore details with edges (i.e.hair) as the outline of a sitter can tell us so much.
Adding to your first marks
With the first marks made, take your brush and work around the rest of the body.
Remember to try and make continuous marks and not lift your brush away from the canvas.
If something is not sitting where you would like it to be, simply paint over the incorrect line with a line that works. Painting with lines allows for exploration and mistakes and corrections can add to the character of the piece.
Work your way around the canvas and paint the main aspects of the model.
Do not get bogged down in painting one area. If your attention is drawn to somewhere else, go with your gut and paint the area that is pulling your focus.
Keep stepping back and assessing your work, does it match the model? Go back to your first mark and look at all the subsequent marks.
Top tip – if you are happy with the position of a hand, arm, or leg, paint over it with a darker and thicker line. This will allow you to quickly see the correct proportions as you continue to draw with paint.
Adding detail
Once the basic form is complete, you can move into adding details. Try to paint a line in a slow and heavy manner. The hair of the model lends itself well to this technique.
As ever, try not to lift your brush away from the canvas.
Adding colour
When you are happy with the amount of lines you have painted, it is time to introduce some colour.
Tiny patches of colour can stand in for the details that line work does not allow for.
Squeeze some white, yellow, brown, blue and red oil paint onto your palette.
Mix the soft blue shadow that can be seen on the model’s shoulder. Once mixed, apply the colour to the shoulder of your painting.
Apply the paint in a similar way to your lines, i.e. a continuous stroke, dragging the brush until there is no paint left on the bristles. Feel free to draw the shape of the colour and then fill the shape in if that is easier.
Look at the reference image. Can you see any other details you would like to add? If so, mix up their correlating colour and paint them in.
Remember, less is more. Do not paint just for the sake of it.
Keep adding colour and detail until you think you have captured the essence of your sitter.
Top tip – clean and use the same paintbrush for each colour, it will add cohesion to your painting.
