estellelaubscher

In Memoriam and Completing an Unfinished Painting

With Valentine’s Day around the corner, we are already in the second month of the New Year and Christmas and New Year is just a memory.

World Events

So much has already happened in the world. I would like to take a moment to share a thought and prayer for all those affected by the terrible earthquakes in Turkey and surrounding countries. Our hearts go out to them and hope that many will be saved.

Good Intentions

However, the year started off well with the intention to complete the video I planned for December (!) but life happened and I never got round to finishing the editing. I will endeavour to finish it this month.

Planning the various tutorials I envisaged also quickly got shelved for a little while since I was commissioned to finish an oil painting I started last year. We also said our sad farewells to a dear friend who passed away in January and I was asked to do his memorial portrait. After months of doing pastel and coloured pencil work as well as watercolours getting back to oil painting was really lovely.

Lynette’s photos

Last year I wanted to do a study of my friend’s little granddaughter, simply to hone my skills with oils. The photograph was taken by Lynette of her granddaughter Eva while they were taking a ferry to Mykonos in Greece but looked like it was taken in a studio!

She really has wonderful photography skills and takes beautiful photos of her travels and of the people in her life. I asked her permission to paint one of the photographs and she readily agreed so I started. However, I got distracted with pastel and coloured pencil work and it stood on the easel for many months. After completing the drawings I decided in January that the painting needs to be finished.

Lynette contacted me about something else and I video-called her and showed her the progress on the study. She immediately decided she wanted to purchase it with the result that I now had to complete it before she returned to Greece!

Loss and Tribute

In the meantime we lost Ian van Oordt who passed away in January. Ian was the author who had commissioned me six years ago to do a series of paintings for his book: The Battle for the Cape. He and his wife, Barbara, had become dear friends and the loss was keenly felt.

Then I got a call from Barbara to do his memorial portrait. There was a time constraint on the commission since she wanted it ready for the funeral. So I had to put Eva aside and do the painting of Ian.

Working on the painting

When I requested a photograph, Barbara said that I was perhaps one of the few who had any of him. I do have many since I had taken photos of him during the photo shoot of the characters I had needed for references for the paintings.

However I they were all very poor quality. I recalled that he had sent me a photo of himself with a friend to serve as the reference for one of the paintings I did for him. Ian had wanted himself standing next to an old cannon in military uniform, but as a younger man.

My thought was that, if he had been given the choice of how he was to be remembered, I was sure that it would’ve been one where he was in his prime.

It was an emotional roller-coaster doing the painting ranging from grief at the loss to remembering our conversations and the many times we got together to plan the paintings. I was pleased with the result and so was his wife and after I had it framed it was ready for presentation at the funeral.

Painting Eva

Then I got busy on the painting of Eva. What a joy to work on portraits! While you paint you get insights into the personality of the person: the way the head tilts, the way the eyes look at you, the curve of the mouth and even the attitude captured at that moment by the camera.

What I love most of all is re-creating the glow of the skin, the changing colours and finding those ‘hidden’ tones and values that may escape the casual viewer. All of these components come together to capture the spirit of the sitter and to give joy to the observer. Needless to say my friend was extremely happy with the result and cannot wait to show it to her daughter.

The Process

I cannot speak for other artists, but the process of the painting or drawing is what I love the most. The final product and the gratitude with which it is received is just the cherry on the cake for me.

Trying to mix and create new colours to get that special something in a painting is what I love. I will also stare at my reference photo or outdoor scene for hours to create the picture in my mind.

Even at night I’ll be thinking of which colours I could combine to get to that elusive one I battled with during the day.

I get lost in a painting and am most happy when I am doing little details or applying the finishing touches to give it that extra special dimension.

Taking a Break

During the weekend we went to visit family about two hours away in Saldanha. Nearing home we were getting closer to the mountain ranges and I was once more intensely aware of how beautiful our country is! I snapped some photos from the car window as we approached Stellenbosch. The camera cannot really show how majestic those mountains are but after coming into the Winelands from the West Coast it really takes your breath away!

Even though I love most of the country, this is where my heart is. I am truly grateful for the endless beauty of nature around me.

Planning the month ahead

But now it is the time to get the video tutorials of the coloured pencil and pastel work edited and posted. I will be posting time-lapse videos of my process on YouTube; however the longer tutorials will be posted on Patreon as soon as I have enough to post over there.

I also have another pet portrait to do and am still undecided about the medium I want to do it in. Perhaps I’ll first do a study of him in pastels and then perhaps also in oils. I’ll see. In the meantime I hope you have a wonderful Valentine’s Day and get spoiled by your loved ones.

By estellelaubscher, 2 years9 February 2023 ago

Cats

A New Year

Happy New Year

New Year’s resolutions and my determination to learn new skills.

At the end of 2022 many New Year’s resolutions were planned and, as we know, many are not kept! This is not unusual – we fall into patterns throughout the year and as humans we struggle with change, especially the bigger ones.

However, when thinking about resolutions the changes we intend to make are usually lifestyle related, such as eating healthier, stopping smoking or any other addictions or even changes in relationships or friendships if they have become toxic. These changes can fundamentally change our lives for the better and we know it, but somehow we continue with our old patterns and suffer the consequences down the line.

When involved in art it is the same. We tend to want to draw more, sketch every day, and start that epic painting, learning to work with a new medium or just learning a new skill. This can be daunting and seem like an uphill struggle and gets pushed further and further into the future without much further thought. Until the day you want to pick it up again and find that the learning curve makes you wish you had started earlier.

Some artists are sufficiently contented to keep doing what they have been doing for a long time, especially if it is financially beneficial. However there are many who dabble (?) in more than one medium. William Kentridge, for example, does painting, sculpture, print and movies and is one of the foremost artists in this country.

Trying new mediums can only improve your skillset, allow you to see colour, light and value in a totally different way as well as help you to create better visual art.

A few years ago and after favouring oil painting for a long time, I decided that I was going to tackle a new skill every year. This ranged from pottery, sculpture to metalsmithing and stained glass work – and even needle felting and polymer clay work!

However I never thought to change the medium I was painting in until I was ill for a long time and could not stand in front of the easel. I had a set of cheap coloured pencils and some adult colouring books as well as a set of graphite and charcoal pencils that I had bought on a whim some years previously. Being bed-ridden but still eager to be creative, I gathered all these materials around me and started drawing.

I could always paint and put colour together and was quite good at it but when it came to drawing it was my weakness and I was frustrated. But I had all the time in the world at that time and decided to take a course in drawing. I was amazed to see my skills improve and couldn’t stop drawing.

However after practicing drawing for a while I would get bored, pull out my colouring book and colour in just to not have to think and just to relax. I was horrified at how terrible I was with a colouring book and how much I struggled with laying down the colours to be what I wanted them to be.

Granted, the coloured pencils were a cheap brand, but I thought one could do amazing things with any medium if you were good at it. I had to concede that I was rubbish at it but didn’t want to give up. So, having the time, I browsed for videos on how to properly colour in adult colouring books. And suddenly a whole new world of colour exploded into my life!

There were YouTubers (see: https://www.youtube.com/@ColorMyWorld , https://www.youtube.com/@KirstyPartridgeArt , https://www.youtube.com/@SarahRenaeClark ) who did amazing things with coloured pencils in their colouring books. However, I learned that the type of pencil you use and the type of paper you work on can make all the difference.

There were also links to artists who use coloured pencils professionally, and that is where my interest was piqued even more. Once I was better and able to shop, I tried to find the best, cheapest brand available to give this new medium a proper attempt. I also learned that the paper can matter and bought a few to try out.

a proper attempt. I also learned that the paper can matter and bought a few to try out.

It wasn’t long before I was hooked. The very first portrait I did was of my son, and, though it wasn’t very good I was very proud of what I did. I showed it to a friend and she was impressed and asked me to do some portraits of her cats. I asked her if she would mind if I did them in coloured pencils and she agreed. So I got my first commission and decided to take it to the next level. (see https://estellelaubscherart.com/testimonials )

I invested in a high end set of coloured pencils, better paper and a good sharpener and eraser. I enjoyed the process so much that I couldn’t wait to do the next commission. In the meantime I had to practice but didn’t want to ‘use up’ my precious coloured pencils.

About two years prior I had bought a few pastel pencils always with the intention of seeing how they work. I’m a sucker for art materials and usually stow something I bought away until the whim to try it grabs me. That was when I hauled them out. I watched some pastel pencil artists’ videos, decided to give it a try and, boy! was I hooked?!!

I also purchased a set of soft pastels and proceeded to do portraits of my dogs (living and deceased), photo’s off Pixabay as well as some family members.

That was also about the time I decided to try and make videos of my process and jumped into the world of YouTube! I still am pretty bad at it, but it has given me a platform to show others what I do and how I do it. Perhaps in time I’ll get better at it J https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCsUgjX4rhvMAhWE7B436z6g

2022 also gave me the courage to start this website. I know it’s in its infancy, but with time it will get better. I have also jumped into the professional Facebook pages with my other page: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100082178881467

In the meantime I’m learning a lot – from my own daily drawing as well as from those I follow on YouTube and Facebook. I am busy with preparations for tutorials of how I do what I do, in pastel, coloured pencil and in oils.

In the meantime, I hope that all your New Year’s resolutions will be fulfilled, that all your expectations and dreams will come true and that, as artists, you will strive to draw a little every day.

Estelle

By estellelaubscher, 2 years14 January 2023 ago

Dogs

What’s on my easel?

Hi there!

Reviewing the year

With the end of the year fast approaching I realised that it had been fairly quiet for me having only had a few commissions. This hasn’t bothered me in any way since I have used this time to practice as much as possible with different art mediums. I went back to oils, tried watercolours and enjoyed pastels and coloured pencils. I also made my first YouTube videos and launched my website! So all in all, a quite busy year with all these projects on the go simultaneously.

I love doing realistic work and enjoy the visual satisfaction of making a flat drawing come to life on canvass or paper. It is therefore a recent evolution in my art career where I have developed a preference for coloured pencils and pastels.

Although the wet mediums such as oils and watercolours are also satisfying to do and perhaps more sought after by collectors, it seems that more and more artists are tending towards the dry mediums. This may be for the same reasons that I have – the results are more immediate and less messy. I can also take my materials anywhere, set up in no time and don’t have to worry about fumes, spillage or waiting for a piece to dry before handling. I can also apply the kind of detail I love doing and let the subject come to life!

With this in mind, I’d like to share what I’m currently busy with and the techniques I use in order to obtain certain results.

How do I do it?

I am naturally gifted but not academically trained in art and have a tendency to paint or draw what I see. This may be a good or a bad thing, but it does take me a little longer than most artists to get to my final creation.

Additionally, I have the ability to see ‘hidden’ colours – the tones and values that may be ‘invisible’ to the casual onlooker. This makes it difficult for me to teach others since my process is so complicated that it makes it almost impossible to demonstrate. I would, for instance, know that the basic colour that everyone else would see is, say, orange. However, there are small nuances in the orange that may be pink, or violet, or even scarlet and various shades of yellow. I cannot explain to someone how to ‘see’ these colours unless they have that ability. However, even with this in mind, I will have some videos on my Patreon site in the future showing what I do and how to train your eye to see those ‘invisible’ colours.

So what’s on my easel?

Well, I’m currently busy with a study of a friend’s little Dachshund called Bobby.

He is one of a family of seven rescue doggies owned by friends of ours. Bobby is really sweet and even though he is one of the smallest in the pack, he seems to think he’s their leader. What is really entertaining is when the larger dogs are playing roughly and he cannot participate, he would start barking and run to the front of the house. This would entice all of them to head to the gate. That is when he would stop and turn around leaving the others to carry on to the fence!

When I took the photo of him he had done just that and had hopped onto the chair, well satisfied with himself. It was as if he knew I was aware of his game and it made me feel like he was smiling smugly. This attitude was a fitting display of his self-imposed rank and an iconic representation of his personality.

I also thought that the striking colours against his dark fur with the dash of blue of his owner’s t-shirt would make a lovely study. Also, the silky material of the chair and the rough texture of the towel would be a lovely challenge.

Preparing the drawing

I transfer the photograph to my IPad and do some editing in a program called Procreate before I begin. I crop the photo to where the composition is pleasing and add or remove anything that would improve it. However when I’m only doing a study I generally don’t make too many adjustments or additions.

I then use a projector to save time to transfer the photo onto the paper. I have a very old one that was gifted to me by my son’s friend and it has been very useful. It does not allow a lot of detail but gives me a general layout that I can use.

I use Clairefontein Pastelmat paper for my drawings. This is a very forgiving medium to work on when using coloured pencils or pastels. I tape it to a board, set it up in front of the projector and trace the photo roughly in pencil. I use a putty eraser to remove any dark pencil lines and will usually end up with the ‘ghost’ of the tracing on the paper.

Keeping organised

I have a small desk easel that I have modified to hold the board and tape glassine to the board so that my hand does not touch the drawing. Glassine is a transparent, smooth paper that prevents damage to the pigment from the oils on my hands.

I also keep a sheet of rough-textured paper and a folded paper towel under the easel to either clean off the tips of the pencils or the blender, or to sharpen a blunted point. Sharpening the core of the pencil on the paper helps to extend the life of the pencil.

I pick out the main colours in the reference photo from my range of coloured pencils comprising of Caran d’Ache Luminance, Derwent Lightfast and Polychromos. I arrange them in colour combinations in trays on my desk. This keeps me organised while working and makes it easier for me to see which colours I would need.

Starting the drawing

Every artist has a different way of starting a drawing. Some start at the top and others fill colour all over the drawing. I start with laying down the lightest shades of colour that I see, add the tonal values and highlights and deepen the shadows. While doing this I start adding the details and endeavour to create a three dimensional feeling to the drawing. I will also, at this point try and play with the light and shadow to enhance the subject and perhaps deviate from the reference photo. I may also take some artistic licence when deciding what remains in the final piece and what may be added.

Blending Coloured Pencils

Coloured pencil blenders come in many forms. The correct use of blenders can also make or break a drawing. There are also many opinions about which ones are the best and which ones work on what type of paper. Some artists prefer to blend with the coloured pencils and sometimes I do that as well, however I have learnt the value of a good blender.

When I first started, I worked on watercolour paper and found the Caran d’Ache blender perfect. It made the drawing process so much easier and the blending effortless. However, I wanted to do more layers and found that Pastelmat paper had a far better texture for layering many colours over each other.

However, the rough texture of the Pastelmat paper required far more layers before any blending can be done. So after doing some research on what other artists do, I found an artist called Lisa from Lachri Fine Art (https://www.youtube.com/user/Lachri/videos ). She showed how to use odourless mineral spirits (OMS) for the first few layers of blending while retaining the tooth of the paper. I followed her advice and now mostly use it to blend those initial layers. I can then effortlessly add more layers than what I was able to on the watercolour paper.

All subsequent layers will have to be blended with either the coloured pencils or with a colourless blender. Even with many layers the tooth of the paper is still too rough to use the Caran d’Ache blender.

So I tried various other blenders. I would have loved to be able to obtain the Brush & Pencil’s powdered blender, but since it is not currently available in South Africa, I resorted to trying those that I could buy locally. That was when I discovered that the Derwent blender (not the burnisher) and found that it worked exceptionally well on Pastelmat. I learnt that the trick was to use it very lightly in the middle layers since it would become ‘powdery’ and move the colours effortlessly over each other. This allowed one to keep layering over the blended areas. I finish by using the Caran d’Ache blender for the final blending which provides a smooth finish to the overall project and now I won’t do it any other way.

Keeping it sharp

When doing a lot of detail it is important to keep your pencils sharp. There are many types of sharpeners and some do a better job than others. I have tried a few but eventually found that the very affordable Mont Marte sharpener works well in between major sharpening. I keep it in a re-purposed cream cheese tub into which the shavings go. While I’m busy with a pencil that has enough core showing but the tip is blunt, I would sharpen it on the side on a piece of rough paper to save the core. However, before I start work for the day I usually sharpen all the blunt pencils with the crank handle sharpener. I bought this one at a local store and it has served me well, is easy to clean and I keep it sharp by sharpening graphite pencils with it every now and then.

So, there you now have my process for how I work with coloured pencil. Check out my YouTube channel https://www.youtube.com/@estellelaubscherarts4853 for some of the pastel work I did. Even though this was done in pastels, it still shows my process of working with colour. You can also follow me on Facebook to see the latest photos of what I’m busy with over there.

My Supplier

Living in South Africa has it downside to ordering art products online and ordering from companies abroad can be prohibitively expensive. However, we do have a wonderful company here that goes through all the trouble of providing some of the top-of-the-range art products for us. The company is called Art Savings Club and we can order online from them locally. They have provided excellent service so far and can only compliment them on their fast delivery service and huge product range.

Studio assistant

As usual, my trusty studio assistant, Nicci, is at her post. She would be either under my desk at my feet, behind my chair or on her blanket. While she is patient while I’m working, when it comes to 4pm she starts getting restless. She would sit and stare at me until I take notice of her and this is her way of telling me it’s time to turn off the computer and play or go for a walk.

I hope you enjoyed this chat, so, until next time:

Bye!

Links:

Derwent Blender: https://www.amazon.com/Derwent-Blender-Burnisher-Supplies-2301774/dp/B001283FMO

Caran d’Ache: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Caran-dAche-902-302-Full-Blender/dp/B006FXBPQO

Mont Marte sharpener: https://www.artshedonline.com.au/mont-marte-artists-sharpener-set-zinc-alloy-2pce/

Pastelmat: https://www.amazon.com/s?k=pastelmat&crid=3GZXW1P2GR9NB&sprefix=pastelma%2Caps%2C297&ref=nb_sb_noss_2

ArtSavingsClub: https://artsavingsclub.co.za/

By estellelaubscher, 2 years26 December 2022 ago

The Artist

An introduction to me and my journey with art and learning new artistic skills

*View over Somerset West to False Bay with Strand and Gordon’s Bay in the distance*

Here in the beautiful Somerset West about 58 km (36 miles) from the lovely mother city Cape Town there is more than enough inspiration for an artist. Surrounded by the magnificent Hottentot Holland Mountain range the village of Somerset West lies in a valley (commonly known as the Basin) which slopes down to False Bay. You can find the quaint little villages of Strand and Gordon’s Bay on the shores of the bay. There you have a 360 degree view of the mountains as well as the sea. On a clear day you can see Table Mountain in the distance!

This is where I raised my children and, after a few years of living in Cape Town, decided to settle here once again. Although we are close to the city and connected by the N2 highway, everything we need is here and cannot ask for more. We have a lovely mall with a movie theatre, small shopping centers and fabulous restaurants There is also a local playhouse theatre, as well as many small businesses and specialty stores. There are also galleries and thrift shops and beautiful parks to walk in. Part of the mountain range has the Helderberg Nature Reserve with a darling little restaurant and museum. Then there is also the Crystal Pools hiking trail.

We also have the benefit of being surrounded by the famous Cape Wine farms where one can experience not only wine tasting but also fabulous restaurants as well as hosted craft markets. Besides that we also boast a small zoo called ‘Monkey Town’ where one can experience not only monkeys, but also chimpanzees and various other primates. There is also a restaurant, children’s play and Water Park as well as a snake park.

Around every corner is something to do or experience and even after living here for nine years I still haven’t been to or seen everything. What I love about living here is that it offers a more relaxed way of living yet having the conveniences of what a city can offer.

It is here where I started to pay more attention to doing what I love. Art. I have more time now to dedicate a larger portion of my day on my art and also to experiment and perfect mediums other than the oil paints I have been used to.

Many years ago I was retrenched from my job and in finding a way to make extra money I started painting again. I also thought that it was a good idea to learn a new skill every year. So I tried everything: sculpting, pottery, stained glass work and silversmithing. I arrived at a fair level of skill in all these modalities, but I still loved painting more. Reaching out to a small gallery in the tiny village of Philadelphia, I frequently submitted paintings for them to sell.

That was when I was commissioned by an author who bought one of my paintings and asked me to do a series of period paintings for a book he was writing. Anyone interested in the history of Cape Town can check out the book here: https://ianknightzulugallery.com/products/the-battle-for-the-cape-1778-1806-by-ian-van-oordt.

In the end I submitted around 22 paintings and drawings, however due to the size of some of the paintings, the commission stretched over 5 years. It was towards the end of the commission that I became ill and was bed-ridden for a few weeks.

Now you can’t paint in bed, but you can draw. And this is what I did. I collected all my drawing equipment and decided that, since my drawing skills weren’t as good as they should be, I should start practicing and followed a course in drawing. This led me to trying charcoal and graphite, and, even though I had drawn in these mediums before, found that I was improving by leaps and bounds. Then I discovered other mediums I had never thought I’d be interested in.

It happened when I was bored one day, didn’t feel like drawing but needed to keep my hands busy. I pulled out a colouring book I had bought some years ago. I still had some old coloured pencils and started colouring in. However, I wasn’t satisfied with what I was doing and decided to browse the Internet for inspiration. I learned that many artists were actually using coloured pencils to create beautiful paintings. I was amazed to find that it was just another way to use pigment and I had never considered that. I had always thought that a painting worth doing was done in oils. So I tried my hand at using coloured pencils in another way. However, once I was well enough to sit in front of the easel again, I had another two small paintings to complete the commission and didn’t get to the coloured pencils again for a while.

It was around that time that we sold our house and moved. It was an exciting move since we were going to have more space and my studio would be bigger. After everything was done, I got down to practicing with the coloured pencils again. It excited me that I could use my improved drawing skills as well as the colour I loved using to create unique portraits of my pets and family.

Not long after that I was asked to do a commission for a family of cats and was given the choice of medium to do them in. That was when I decided to do them in coloured pencils and I absolutely loved doing it. But it was also about this time that I discovered the joy of working with pastels and pastel pencils. I jumped on the chance to do one of the portraits of the cats in pastels and the owner loved it so much she bought it as well!

Then… of course, I had to try my hand at yet another medium – watercolours! Oh dear, the bane of my life, having tried it before and failing miserably, I decided I was going to practice until I mastered it. And so I did – I practiced and practiced, making more mistakes than progress, but eventually I found my style and settled on it. Now I love doing watercolours as well, but still need a lot of practice before I will attempt anything commercial.

So it was about this time that I decided to build up my portfolio of drawings and paintings. It is my passion to sit at my easel and I can do it all day without a break if I don’t have chores or other things to attend to. My only regret is that I did not start doing this sooner in life. Yes, I have been painting and drawing all my life, but never with the zeal and passion I have for it now in my later years. And yes, one is never too old to start something new, but with the amount of things I still want and need to do I sometimes feel there isn’t enough time in the day to do it.

Meanwhile, I also have my constant studio companion, Nicci. She is a cross-breed with some border collie in her; loves to lie under my desk at my feet and the two of us take our walks in the neighbourhood or the wonderful Radloff Dog Park just around the corner.

I love dogs and have always had one or two and most of them have featured either in paintings or drawings, and my previous little pooch, Snippy, has been the inspiration for trying pastels for the first time.

So there you have it – my late-in-life journey to reinventing myself as an artist

By estellelaubscher, 2 years27 November 2022 ago

Oil Painting

February Catch-Up