ART OF GEORGE WILLIAM VAN HUMBECK

Usually I begin with a toned ground using burnt sienna but since the background was so dark I decided to block in the background with a mixture of ultramarine blue and burnt umber over the toning first.  This made the toning and blocking in of the rest of the painting easier.  First blocking in of the pumpkins was done with cadmium vermilion, phthalo blue, and flesh tint.  Subsequent layers were painted with cadmium orange, cadmium yellow pale, cadmium vermilion, titanium white, and phthalo blue.  For the pink dress titanium white, quinacridone magenta, Alizarin crimson golden, phthalo blue, and cadmium yellow pale was used.  It is a long list in order to create the warm and cool variations.

 

As for the skin tones, the simple mixing of colours to create the desired end results will never be as effective as the layering of colours.  Layering creates a luminous effect of mixing light instead of mixing paint.  George Seurat taught us that with his optic fascination with coloured dots. Finally, slight shifts in the values and colours were accomplished with glazing and scumbling.

 

Why is it that artists rarely find themselves painting seasonal subjects in the right season?