|
This is Spitfire Pilot, one of my detailed pencil drawings, in progress.
When finished, this chap will be all of 12" tall, showing a full body view down to his flying boots in the grass. All
of my current drawings are done on 100 lb. Canson smooth bristol paper. I use four grades of drawing pencils to
achieve my effects: from darkest to lightest, they are: 2B, HB, H and 3H. I keep them finely sharpened,
and with a delicate hand I find that I no longer need a burnishing stump - the bristol paper takes the pencil that well.
I also use a kneaded eraser, which I shape to get the desired eraser effects.
Here's how I usually start a painting - a quick little
thumbnail or two or three. This one is done on sticky note paper. The small size keeps me from getting too fussy. This particular
composition is something I really want to do, but this sketch eventually evolved into Eagles of Thunder, which
shows a gaggle of four 4th Fighter Group kites airborne on their way to engage the wily hun. A ground shot does intrigue me,
though, and I hope to do one soon.
This is how One-Man Air Force was conceived.
I can tell I'm getting serious about a composition when I start writing notes all over my studies. The final outline
drawing has notes all over the place! What I'm doing with my notes is brainstorming and reminding myself of things to
look for as I develop the composition: aircraft details to remember, lighting notes, etc. Notice the similarity of this
layout to the one in the final painting . . . they're very similar. Note also how I've drawn lines to represent where the
airplanes came from just before they entered the picture plane (the painting's viewable elements). This aids in getting a
more realistic and believable layout. Look closely at some paintings, and if you imagine where the planes were moments before
the action depicted, you might discover that they collided 10 seconds before they entered your view!! It's work, but there
is simply no substitute for prior planning and thinking. By the time I actually get to the application of
paint to the canvas, I'm sort of relaxed because most of the work is already done. As I used to tell my primary flight students,
"A good approach usually results in a good landing". Same thing with the planning and then the execution of aviation art.
Here is the Descriptive Geometry plot for the P-51 view.
The resulting little drawing is an accurate 3-point
perspective view of the Mustang from the chosen distance and angles. The exact plot distance from the aircraft was chosen
after figuring out how much space the Mustang would take up in the final composition. The angles were chosen to show off the
left side of the kite and the pilot, plus enough of a high aspect to show the tops of the wings and tail. This drawing was
enlarged, and then the most time consuming process of the entire work (by far) started - filling in all the minute details
(see below).
Detail of the final outline of the cockpit and fuselage
areas of Gentile's Mustang. This was all done freehand using my training in drawing and perspective. While doing this, I was
looking at tons of reference material to get all the details right, such as the relative sizes of the pilot's head in the
cockpit, etc. Even this drawing wasn't done full size. It was only done big enough to comfortably add all the details. It
was then enlarged to fit the exact dimensions I had chosen the P-51 to be in the final painting. THAT enlargement was then
hand transferred to the painting surface using graphite transfer paper. Referring to my tonal studies as I painted, it was
then just a matter of "paint by number"!
One-Man Air Force mockup.
I used this to calculate sun direction for my individual tonal studies of each element in the painting, while at the same
time maintaining the continuity of one sun!
Here are the resulting tonal studies just tacked up
on the unfinished work for the photo. Notice the distant P-51 at upper left is complete. I treat these studies very seriously
and refer to them constantly while painting. As I'm applying the paint, these studies aid tremendously in laying out the five
tones of any object hit by sunlight, and they are: Highlight and Halftone (the warm side), and the Shadow Edge, Reflections,
and Cast Shadows (the cool side). Notice very detailed or complicated areas, such as the P-51's cockpit in this example, usually
requires extra attention, such as the enlarged cockpit tonal study at the bottom right. Look closely and you can see the ghostly
image of the FW-190 I'm about to start applying paint to at the upper right.
Close up of the fuselage in progress. At this stage,
I'm just about to add my warms near the fuselage spine. My initial effort, as you can see, was rather flat and dull.
That's the beauty of acrylics - you can immediately paint over your mistakes! After 'laying in' the colors where I want
them, I 'top it off' with carefully mixed glazes along the warms, which helps to make things look blended. You don't get the
beautiful blended look with acrylics like you get with oils, at first, but after glazing, your eye attenuates the colors into
the desired blended effect. Lots of fun!
'One-Man Air Force' (detail)
Here's my final "mock up" for Black Knights at Nellis. I took a picture of a
desktop model to use for positioning and basic sizing relative to the planned 24 x 36 canvas. I used this basic layout
to determine that the preferred viewing distance from the canvas will be 45". The "preferred"
viewing distance is that one point from which all objects in the painting will appear in correct perspective. Using
this information, I will use Perspective Projection by Descriptive Geometry to plot a projection
of the T-38 as seen from the preferred distance. The aft end of the Talon's image will be just touching the "transparent"
picture plane (the canvas surface).
This is the perspective projection, by descriptive geometry, of the main T-38C with the viewer's
eye 42.6' aft of the exhaust nozzles, 11.5' left of centerline and 20.7' above the aircraft centerline. This plot
is essentially a frame which I will use to "build" the aircraft's visible surface, including all complex exterior shapes,
parabolas, etc. This "fleshing out" of the plot while referring to detailed reference pictures is the most labor-intensive part
of the entire production process for me.
I took the initial projection to the local copy center and enlarged the image to make it more
workable for the next step. I also lightened the image a bit so that most of the "clutter" dropped off and I was left
with very faint lines and "dots". Using the dots (plotted Descriptive Geometry points of interest) and faint lines,
I can now draw in the basic structure and panel lines as shown above "in progress". Notice the student and instructor's
helmets in place as circles. After the rest of the jet is outlined as above, I will then photocopy the image again
and then draw in all the markings and final details.
The basic structure is finished now. Next step is to run back to the copy center and
enlarge (and lighten somewhat to get rid of all the clutter) this view as much as possible so that I can reline all the
lines you see here plus add all the minute final details. Notice the stick inputs: right and back. Unlike most
airplanes, you do not use the rudder to correct for adverse yaw when turning this jet; you just bank and pull it around.
I've enhanced the pencil lines a bit in this handheld photo so you can see them better.
After filling in details on the main jet, I finished the outlines of the three smaller
aircraft in the painting (two F-15Es and another AT-38C). After choosing an appropriate background, the thing to do
now is a smaller scale (14.5" x 21.75") pencil study of the entire scene. While lacking much of the precise detail
resolution of the final work, the pencil study will be followed carefully while I am painting. This preliminary
study is basically a learning exercise in that I have to figure out, understand, cement in my brain and then apply the why
of how the lights, shadows and reflections are falling as they are - these define the shape of the jet. This is truly
where the real "art" is done. Once I am happy with the study, the actual painting can be tackled with a high degree
of confidence. With the studies, I always do the main aircraft first (the reverse of my painting procedure) so that
I may concentrate totally on getting it right. This is because everything else in the composition, in tone and saturation,
will "flow" from the values as seen on the main jet. Here is an in progress view of the main T-38.
Finished with the main jet. If you look very closely, you can see the faint outlines
of the distant mountain landscape, and the front of the other T-38 at the far left. Now on to the smaller aircraft,
then the background. Oops! As I was looking at this image I noticed my first mistake - the small "USAF" on
the right wing should have been in light gray (same as the national insignia on the top of the left wing). Ah,
I'm not too worried about it as this is the time for mistakes. The challenge is catching them!
The landscape is beginning to take shape. I'll add the desert color when
I'm finished with the scrub . . . for now, the white areas look like snow. Notice the blur effect due to the jet blast.
Details like this add motion to the composition.
Here the sky is complete on the 1/2-scale (12" x 18") study. I've started doing these
finished color models for several reasons. First, I find that I am much looser and apt to boldly experiment
with the smaller work, resulting in a better final result. Secondly, I approach the full sized work with much greater
confidence having "practiced", and finally, as a reward for all the efforts I put into the entire process, I have yet another
original painting to show long after the full sized piece is gone - for just a few days more effort.
This is also another opportunity to bring the work closer to the perfect image I have in my
head. To that end, I lowered the nose of the far T-38 - to avoid a possible collision a few seconds later with
the main jet!
Background's complete on the 1/2-scale oil study! Now I've got to dig out my reference
material and get to the smaller jets first, then the main jet.
8/17/2004: Landscape's almost finished. Now all I have to do is a little tweaking
to those clouds and it's on to the aircraft.
8/26/04. Good progress on the main jet. Once I had the complicated exhaust
nozzles done, I could relax a little. Only "hard" part left is the cockpit area. Should be finished by tomorrow,
I hope.
8/26/04. Working on the spine area. This curved area shows all five of the tones
of color (Highlight, Halftone, Shadow Edge, Body Shadow and Cast Shadow), and keeping the subtlety of these
tones as the spine receded from the viewer was loads of fun (wink).
'Black Knights at Nellis' (detail)
This is the perspective projection plot by descriptive geometry of the main AT-38C for High-Angle
Gun Shot to Separation. The size of the jet in the final oil painting vis-a-vis the size of the canvas (24" x 34"),
combined with the preferred viewer's distance from the painting, determines the proper plot
distance from the jet, resulting in the perspective view seen here. As usual, the subtle curves and many details
of the jet will be carefully added to this "framework" while looking at numerous pictures.
Close up of the final outline drawing of the main jet. The student and instructor have
their heads locked on the bandit.
Working on the rear fuselage. I had some very accurate drawings of a T-38A to use for
my Descriptive Geometry plot, but the final result is, as you can see, a T-38C (new exhaust nozzles and intake inlets, mainly).
How did I do it? Eyeball Engineering!
Tail's complete. Now on to the very complicated mid-fuselage area . . . but first - hmm,
what's on TV?
The mid-fuselage and right wing are done, now on to the home stretch - the forward fuselage.
When doing each section, especially the complicated fuselage area, I always paint the darkest thing first, such as a cast
shadow. That gives me a set "darkest value" to judge all other tones by. The careful artist will note that the
darkest values get lighter even over short distances. For example, when mixing paint for the mid-fuselage cast shadows,
I was careful to make them a little lighter in value than the strong shadow cast by the aft edge of the rudder.
"Mission from Debden" underway . . .
This is me . . . in progress! Keith Ferris
points the way for yours truly during his color class at the 1999 American Society of Aviation Artists' Forum in Macon, Georgia.
There were about 15 of us in this, Keith's first-ever group class. I had always admired Keith's approach to color, wherein
he paints a canvas the way nature paints everything we see. Isaac Newton first discovered that nature's light (sunlight, which
appears "white" to us) is actually composed of every color of the spectrum. This is a function of the physical properties
of light, which I'm not going to pretend to understand, but it is possible to explain the effect as it relates to the artist.
You've seen the colors in a rainbow before - this is possible because the rainbow acts as a prism, refracting the
usually hidden to the naked eye colors which combine to make up "sunlight" into visible "colors of light". The rainbow's now-visible
color spectrum reveals the real "color wheel" or "palette" of nature: red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo, and violet.
All of these colors are contained within sunlight at all times - the prism didn't "create" the colors.
To duplicate
these natural "grays", or the natural complete balance of colors of nature's light in our artwork, it is imperative that every
color mixture applied to our canvases include some combination of all of the spectum's primary colors (red, yellow and blue).
The main difference between nature's paint (sunlight) and our paint (pigment) is that when the spectrum colors are combined
in equal amounts, nature's 'paint' appears as white sunlight (additive synthesis). However, when we combine all our pigmented
spectrum colors, we are blocking (subtracting) all reflected light, so we get "black" (subtractive synthesis). Therefore,
all 'blacks' used in our paintings can and should be made with red-yellow-blue only.
Since a real "green" leaf is
being "painted" with all of the colors of the spectrum (white light of the sun) at all times, it follows that the artist should
duplicate this by always including a bit of the rest of the spectrum in every pigmented color mixture - this is done be adding
a bit of the green's complement (red). This works for any and all colors we can mix, and it's the best way we have of splashing
every color of the natural light spectrum over everything in our painting, just the way nature does it. This insures a more
natural look and harmony, unobtainable any other way with our "paint". My knowledge curve went straight up during this gathering,
and the critiques I solicited, plus the friendships and contacts I made there will serve me a lifetime.
I took my second Ferris class at the August 2002 ASAA Forum. The learning never
stops! (Jon Frank)
View
Shopping Cart / Checkout
|
