Use of Color, Saturation & Value to Create Movement in Art. Degas' Paintings

I have said it is important to use the elements of art to create movement through a painting. French artist, Edgar Degas was a master of composition and would move the viewers’ eyes through his paintings. Degas used a number of techniques, i.e. intensity (saturation), value (gray scale), direction to create movement. In Degas’ above painting, Three Dancers in Yellow Skirts (1891), Degas used the same saturation of colors to create movement. Saturation (intensity) of a color is the purity of a color. Degas repeated the intensity of the muted red tops. The artist also repeated the muted blue green design on the dresses. The dancers’ skirts are also similar in value; in particular the skirts of the last two dancers connect with identical values. Degas also used diagonal direction of values to move the eyes, i.e. dancers’ skirts & tops.

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Modeling the Figure in Art with Light and Shadow, My Painting, Dancer

This is an early painting on watercolor paper, Dancer. I wanted to emphasize the strength of the dancer; I did this with modeling of strong light and form shadow. The light is from above the dancer. You can also see the mid tone and form shadow. The background is blurred but I have created depth with the cast shadow. The artist, Velazquez, used this background technique in a number of his paintings, i.e. The Infante Don Carlos.

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Click on title of this post to buy images of my paintings on items, i.e. fine art prints, greeting cards, posters, shirts and mugs. Customize style, color, border and more. Final prices are shown after you customize products and select the quantity of the product in my store and other stores. Did you know that my items are in the public setting? If you are on another Zazzle site, i.e. Zazzle.ca, you can buy my items. You will not be eligible for sales on Zazzle.com. If you received this post via email (feedburner), you may need to copy and paste this URL into your browser, http://www.zazzle.com/arlenebabadartist* .

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Buy my original paintings. Paintings on canvas mounted on wood stretcher bars are $60 (20.4 by 25.5 cm, 8 by 10 inches). Shipping is free within Canada and the U.S. There is no sales tax. http://arlene-babad.fineartamerica.com. (Save money; buy direct from the artist. No need to register or log in to site. Send me an email.)

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Shared Contour Lines in Art, My Drawing of Lovers

In honour of Valentine’s Day, I thought I would discuss my above sketch, Lovers and the shared contour lines. The lines aren’t as delicate as drawn as I needed to make them more visible with Photoshop for a computer image. The contour line of the back of the male’s head and neck is shared with the right side of the head and face of the female. This shared line adds intimacy to the two portraits. Matisse used this technique in many of his drawings.

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Click on title of this post to buy images of my paintings on items, i.e. fine art prints, greeting cards, posters, shirts and mugs. Customize style, color, border and more. Final prices are shown after you customize products and select the quantity of the product in my store and other stores. Did you know that my items are in the public setting? If you are on another Zazzle site, i.e. Zazzle.ca, you can buy my items. You will not be eligible for sales on Zazzle.com. If you received this post via email (feedburner), you may need to copy and paste this URL into your browser, http://www.zazzle.com/arlenebabadartist* .

You can receive updates of my posts by email or by subscription. Subscribe in the right upper widgets. Forward this article to interested friends and family. Also join my Facebook Fan Page; click on the Fan Page widget to your right. Follow me on Twitter. http://artbyarlene.blogspot.com

Buy my original paintings. Paintings on canvas mounted on wood stretcher bars are $60 (20.4 by 25.5 cm, 8 by 10 inches). Shipping is free within Canada and the U.S. There is no sales tax. http://arlene-babad.fineartamerica.com. (Save money; buy direct from the artist. No need to register or log in to site. Send me an email.)

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Sealing Watercolor Paper for Heavy Body Acrylic Paints

My above painting, Crashing Waves by Lighthouse, Ribadeo was painted on sealed watercolor paper. While I paint on canvas, I also use sealed watercolor paper and other supports. By sealing paper I can use my acrylic paints and mediums as I would oil paints. I can paint straight from the tube, wet into wet and glaze layers of paint. I have been asked how I seal watercolor paper. I prefer smooth paper to cold press or rough paper as I like to create my own textures. I tape the paper to a board with masking tape. This will leave a ½ inch white border on my completed painting. I then lay matte medium over the paper. This medium strengthens the paper and acts as a fixative. Once dry, I next lay a clear gloss medium over the support. This makes the paper non absorbent and allows me to use my acrylic paints as I would oil paints. I like to glaze either a muted warm or cool imprimatura over this dry layer. Once my completed painting is dry, I varnish it.

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Click on title of this post to buy images of my paintings on items, i.e. fine art prints, greeting cards, posters, shirts and mugs. Customize style, color, border and more. Final prices are shown after you customize products and select the quantity of the product in my store and other stores. Did you know that my items are in the public setting? If you are on another Zazzle site, i.e. Zazzle.ca, you can buy my items. You will not be eligible for sales on Zazzle.com. If you received this post via email (feedburner), you may need to copy and paste this URL into your browser, http://www.zazzle.com/arlenebabadartist* .

You can receive updates of my posts by email or by subscription. Subscribe in the right upper widgets. Forward this article to interested friends and family. Also join my Facebook Fan Page; click on the Fan Page widget to your right. Follow me on Twitter. http://artbyarlene.blogspot.com

Buy my original paintings. Paintings on canvas mounted on wood stretcher bars are $60 (20.4 by 25.5 cm, 8 by 10 inches). Shipping is free within Canada and the U.S. There is no sales tax. http://arlene-babad.fineartamerica.com. (Save money; buy direct from the artist. No need to register or log in to site. Send me an email.)

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