Welcome back!
Thank you again for your support thus far, I can't truly say how much it means to me.
Back to Marc!
The first step was research the artist and style. *CHECK*
On to step two. To really get into the mind of an artist it is common to do what are called "Master Studies." Before this, I had heard the words but never knew the meaning. So when my husband, Ben, said to me "You should start with a master study. Maybe a small section one at first, then a full scale." I about fell out of my chair.
Let's boil this down:
Master study: (there's no direct definition so this is what I have from what I researched) To study the work of an artist by mimicking and duplicating their piece. More than copying, this is to learn their strokes, color theories, stylization, and composition.
Small section: (maybe you're smarter than me and picked this bit up BUT... here we go another "definition") To do a master study of only a segment of a piece rather than biting off more than you can chew--How do we eat an elephant? one bite at a time.
Full scale: (this is a good one I kinda got already... let's do this, one more definition) To do a master study of an ENTIRE piece of art using the same materials, if at all possible.
Now that we have that out of the way... Let's talk art!
1. Small Section Master Study: Tiger (1912)
The first thing I did was took a small section of Tiger and used multi media paper and acrylic paint to replicate it. This didn't take me long and I didn't do a preliminary sketch, I was just so enthusiastic I jumped right into it! Which, *ahem* is one way of doing it.
My takeaways:
- Patience is key. It is important to do an outline of what you want to accomplish before diving in, and then allow the colors to build and blossom on their own without force.
- With Marc's style I should apply a base layer of bright colors first, get a pattern down, understand the shapes, then go back and really work them into the beauties they can become.
- I do not like painting on Multi Media Paper.
- Marc definitely mixed purple using red and blue (I assumed but I wasn't certain) ... This may seem silly, if you know anything about art. For me, though, it was quite the discovery because I have every color of the rainbow at my disposal (and then some) I don't need to *mix* anything, I have purple right next to my blue! BUT to really replicate the value of the purple Marc uses, it MUST be red-blue mix.
- I CAN DO THIS. -- maybe the best take away of this first little test was that I CAN not only replicate different styles, but I can do a great job of it. In this moment I have the pride of a baby taking their first step!
2. Practice with Pandas
As you know this is a learning process. I am picking up my project as I go along. I think the day I did Tiger I was so excited I just wanted to do more so I did my first application of Marc's style to pandas. This isn't a mistake, because it was a lesson, but I suspect that my future Master Studies and Panda Application will be executed with more planning. So the minute I got done with Tiger I whipped out my sketch pad and drafted the first concept art, followed immediately by my first painted sketch on multi media paper.
My idea for the concept was to find some reference photos of pandas playing. In Marc's work animals are behaving in their natural way, and one of the most lovable things about pandas is their playfulness. I sketched out a rough concept of two pandas playing, then used bamboo to break up the background which I would later apply colors and shadow to to mimic that of Tiger. In the painting I wanted a purple panda, so I filled in the background with the primary colors and made purple the focus of this work.
My Takeaways:
- I love the idea of bamboo as a part of the art, but I am not sure I want it to be the ONLY distinguishable background feature.
- Maybe purple ISN'T the color I want the panda to be... keeping an open mind.
- In my painting the shapes aren't shapes... they're arbitrary blocks of color with odd shadowing... This is not the work of Marc. While it does have similarities, it definitely doesn't embrace his style.
- Man this is fun, I can't wait to do more ... I should plan my next master study.
And so I did...
3. Full Master Study: Two Cats-Blue and Yellow (1912)
I chose to do my full master study on Two Cats for a few reasons. First, I have cats and like cats, so it would fit nicely in my home. Second, I love the swirls and really wanted to find a way to mimic them in Panda 1. Third, I love his use of color and blending, shadowing, and shading. I especially love that the background has more to it than just shapes, the shapes have meaning, at least to me.
I dove right in by sketching the outline of this painting on a piece of 11x14 canvas board. *note I am certain Franz Marc did not do this painting on canvas board with acrylic paint, but that is how I am choosing to replicate it since there are several other oil artists on my list and I want variety!* Once I had the outline sketched I decided the best approach, having learned from my previous two paintings, would be to fill it in with a base level of color. Basic non-blended color filled the entire space. I spent several days focusing on the varying shapes of Two Cats and tried to be patient with my shading and details. Finally I did touch ups and had a finished product, of which I am quite proud.
Two Cats, Blue and yellow-Franz Marc 1912
Two Cats, Blue and Yellow-AW 2017
My takeaways:
- Sometimes being patient can be fun, the results are better when you take your time to develop the colors.
- Blue and yellow are significant to Marc, so they are significant to me. My pandas should be blue and yellow.
- Marc uses structures in several of his paintings, I should consider that.
- Not only is mixing purple the best approach, but (because I was lazy and didn't want to pour new paint) mixing green and orange created the vibrancy and gradient I wanted much more elegantly than when I was using them directly from the tube.
- All shapes matter. Shapes have meaning, This is not just random. The ball is a toy. There's a third cat hiding under a deck of some kind (even though it is called two cats, silly Franz.) The yellow cat is obviously drinking water from a stream. The round shapes at the bottom may be rocks of some sort. There are shells and leaves, and the beautiful green shape at the top (maybe my favorite element of the piece) is the sun peeking from behind a forest--because of the shadowing I imagine it is the light source. The forest and mountains are also present. The building... Well I am not sure what the building is, it could be any number of buildings, but I think it represents that the cats are domesticated to some degree, they're not wild like some of the paintings without buildings might suggest.
- A master study, especially my first, will never be as good as the original and that is okay. It is about the process and lessons not about perfection. Also, as my good pal Teddy Roosevelt said "Comparison is the thief of joy"
- This project brings me so much joy and fulfillment. I am forever grateful for it.
- Overthinking is a thing, the less I do it, the happier I am.
If you have made it this far, thank you again. I hope you garnered something from my experience. If you are interested in trying a master study of your own you definitely should! I plan to do this with every style I approach. If you want even more photos and updates as I am completing this process, please feel free to visit my page on facebook and my instagram. I am only posting blogs weekly, but I have been posting my progress as I go on my social media.
Thank you for your support and encouragement.
Go out and try something new!
xoxo,
Manda
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