MOUNT ROYAL, MONTREAL - Painting Mountains

One of 78 illustrations in the book “Carnets de Montréal de A à Z,"

text by François Barcelot, watercolors by Raynald Murphy

“Remember that it is the unexpected and unsuspected color-transitions in any object (caused by the accidental influence of environment) that are most beautiful.” - John F. Carlson.

Mount Royal rises about 233 m (764 ft) in the center of Montreal. The Laurentian Mountains are about an hour away. However, my friend Helmut,* who is of Austrian origin, claims that compared to the Alps these “mountains” are really “hills”.

Nevertheless, I find either hills or mountains fascinating to paint. Last year I had the occasion to paint the Rockies in Western Canada, some of them at 12,000 ft or more in elevation.

If possible it is best to paint or sketch a mountain after having seen and experienced it first hand. Ideally I paint mountains or hills mostly on site much like Cézanne painted Mont Saint-Victoire. One feels the immensity of mountains when painting on site and can see subtleties the camera doesn’t record. I brought back sketches and photos of Rocky Mountains from my trip to Western Canada but I must admit I have not painted from them yet.

Here are comments and technical tips on scenes of mountains or hills I have painted.

1. Notice the varied tones and subtleties of blues and purples of the Rockies. By painting the foreground darker and muted I further created an illusion of recession. (Rivière Millet, Jasper, BC, 8 x 32)

2. The hill was painted first. The sky color was added afterwards while the paper was left unpainted around the mountain to create the illusion of clouds. The color of the sky is reflected in a deeper tone in the water reflection. (Jardin des Quatre Vents, La Malbaie, Charlevoix, 15 x 22)
3. When one’s viewpoint is close to the water surface it is imperative that the horizon line (where mountain meets lake) be absolutely level. Otherwise, it will seem that the water will flow out. (Lac de la Montagne Noir, Laurentians, 8 x 22)

4. A sunset such as this is best painted on site in order to see and understand the effect of the setting sun on the land masses. (Loon Lake, Haliburton, Ontario, 10 x 22)

5. The sky and mountains were painted on site. Once in studio I completed the water and foreground in studio from memory. ( Anse des Roches, Saguenay, 15 x 22)

6. Painted at the same time as the sky, the mountains in the distance seem to recede. The foreground color and tones were kept warm and hard-edged to contrast the blue receding tones of the mountain. (Lac Tremblant Nord, Laurentians, 15 x 22)

7. In a fall scene such as this it is important to avoid introducing too many warm tones into the mountains far away. Doing so would reverse. (Ste-Rose du Nord, Saguenay, 15 x 22)

8. This painting is all about contrast of shapes and color. The soft elliptical shapes of the mountains and the misty sky contrast with the hard edged angular shapes of the foreground trees and rocks. (Le Bic, Rive Nord, 11 x 14)


Hopefully these illustrations will motivate you to paint the mountains and hills in your area and elsewhere.

Raynald Murphy sca

Note: Consult John F. Carlson’s book Carlson’s Guide to Landscape Painting for information on aerial perspective.

*My friend Helmut Ronacher intends to visit western Canada this summer and would welcome a plein air painter to join him in his trip across Canada. If interested you may contact him through the link on the sidebar.

LE DESSIN DU NU – Une renaissance du dessin du personnage

Pose de 15 minutes. Dessin au stylo feutre et à l’aquarelle

« In varietas voluptas – La diversité réjouit »

À la section des revues d’art à la Bibliothèque Nationale à Montréal, la majorité des revues traitent d’art contemporain, d’art abstrait, d’installations, de vidéos … mais peu à propos du dessin.

Voici ce que l’auteur Peter Steinhart* écrit

- Dans un grand nombre d’écoles d’art à travers le pays, les étudiants peuvent étudier pendant quatre ans sans suivre un cours de dessin ou de peinture.
- De plus en plus le curriculum des écoles d’art et celui du contenu des galeries et des musées traitent de l’art de la vidéo, l’art conceptuel et l’art d’installations.
- De moins en moins l’art a le dessine comme fondement.

Néanmoins, Steinhart pense qu’il y a quand-même une sorte de renaissance du dessin du personnage. Il constate que le dessin du nu était auparavent quelque chose qu’on ne faisait que si on était inscrit dans une école d’art. Aujourd’hui, dit-il, le dessin du modèle vivant est pratiqué plus souvent que jamais par des « amateurs » et ce dans des centres de loisirs, des musées, des ateliers privés … et même dans des salons.

Afin de promouvoir le dessin et surtout le dessin du nu, j’explique ici quelques exercices faits lors de poses courtes. L’apprentissage, selon les pédagogues, accélère lorsqu’on introduit de la variété.

1. Je fais un dessin contour en commençant par la tête. Cette mesure me sert de standard pour comparer les autres parties du corps. Je ne soulève pas la pointe du crayon de la feuille. Je reprends certaines lignes mal placées sans effacer, à côté des premières.

2. Je fais un dessin gestuel de la masse à partir de l’intérieur. À cette étape j’ignore le contour. Finalement, avec un crayon d’une autre couleur je rends le contour du modèle.


3. Je réduis le modèle à des formes géométriques triangulaires et carrées. Les points placés me servent de guide.

4. Uniquement par des hachures pâles ou foncées je rends la masse du modèle en silhouette sans contour.

5. Je dessine le modèle par des ellipses de toutes dimensions, certaines à l’intérieur. D’autres, plus grasses enveloppent le contour du corps.

6. Avec un stylo feutre à pointe grasse je répète l’exercice no 1. Cette fois il est plus gestuel et énergique. Les cinq minutes me permettent d’observer intensément, de comparer une section par rapport à l’autre. Je reprends au besoin plusieurs lignes par-dessus ou à côté de l’autre. Néanmoins, je tente de garder le même rythme, en travaillant partout en même temps.

7. Je dessine d’abord le contour au stylo feutre mince, puis j’ajoute le volume avec la mine grasse d’un crayon.

8. Avec un stylo feutre à pointe mince je dessine les contours et je rends les ombres par des hachures expressives et spontanées. Je me concentre sur l’effet de lumière.

9. Au crayon brun je dessine plus lentement qu’à l’exercice précédent. Cette foi-ci je me concentre plutôt sur l’exactitude des proportions que sur le gestuel. Une grille imaginaire et des points de repères me sont utiles.

10. Avec un crayon je dessine le nu par des contours toujours en ajoutant des hachures pour rendre le volume. Je tire des traits verticaux et horizontaux afin de situer les limites du nu dans l’espace et de situer une forme par rapport à l’autre.

« Nous vivons dans une société qui met en valeur le succès rapide et facile, une société qui prête moins attention à l’effort caché d’une performance raffinée qu’aux acclamations qui suivent.»*

*The Undressed Art – Why We Draw, Peter Steinhart, Vintage Books, 2004

D’autres livres sur le dessin, fort intéressants:

L’art évolutif du dessin, Joanna Nash, Éditions Robert Davies, 1996
Keys to Drawing with Imagination, Bert Dodson, North Light, 2007
The Art of Pencil Drawing, Ernest W. Watson, Watson-Guptill, 1968
The Pencil, Paul Calle. North Light, 1974

Note : Dans les librairies, une grande quantité de livres sur le dessin est en vente!

Raynald Murphy sca

IN THE METRO – Two-Minute Gesture Drawings

Quick draw

The other day while riding the subway I decided to do one portrait per subway (Metro) station. In Montreal, on average it takes two minutes of travel time between stations, including twenty seconds of immobility while the train is in the station.

Strategy

Armed with a short stubby pencil and a fine point permanent marker, I initiate a quick contour in ink while the passengers embark and disembark. As the train pulls away from the station I take a second look at my model and darken or adjust key features. Then with my short stubby pencil I render the value with quick gesture/hash marks. Finally, as the car pulls into the station I write its name beside the sketch, switch back to my pen and start my next mini-portrait.

Gesture drawings for their own sake

Robert Kaupelis in his book Experimental Drawing says: “The general public often doesn't respond well to gesture drawings because they may have trouble "reading" them and, since they are done rapidly, they may feel that drawings which take hours longer have to be better.” My whole purpose while drawing in the Metro is not to “produce” a masterpiece. I am practicing. The inconvenience of drawing in a moving vehicle in a rather uncomfortable position invites me to zero in on the essentials, to observe intently and draw rapidly. It is one isolated but important facet of doing art. It is also a way of developing one’s unique way of drawing.



Other suggested tips

If you wish to try this exercise in a train, bus or subway car, here are some suggestions: Try to travel off peak hours so you can find a seat. During rush hour you may have to stand. If you do sit, passengers standing will block your view. I have also found it useful to lay my small sketch book over my back pack or jacket which rests on my knees. Somehow, this affords a comfortable drawing position. I also try to camouflage my sketch book with by my gloves, cap or hat. Sitting by a window seat is ideal. It is preferable to draw in the sketch book opened partially at 90 degrees in order to be discrete. Finally, avoid drawing in spiral books because they will attract attention to you.

Experimental Drawing

There are many “how to” books on drawing in book stores. Some are better than others. Once you have mastered the basics of drawing, I would suggest that you try some of the exercises suggested in a book such as Experimental Drawing by Robert Kaupelis. Here is an example: Make drawings from 20 five-second poses …Do another 20 drawings that are ten seconds in length …Gradually increase the time until you are producing one-, two-, and finally five-minute gestures. Kaupelis offers hundreds, maybe thousands of ideas!


A series of gesture drawings every day

Kaupelis says: “Gesture drawing is an absolute essential basic, and you should vow right now that you are going to produce some every day.” As long as I ride the subway or bus every day I practice this essential basic of drawing – regardless of what the result looks like. The process is what is important. Improvement comes in little bites over a long period.

"Verbum laudatur, si factum sequatur"

"Actions speak louder than words"

from Proverbs, Multilingual Anthology by Anthony D'Addese

Raynald Murphy sca