Scumbling

It has been a relaxing and busy Summer break since Christmas and I start work again on Monday. I have shared what little time I have had for painting between watercolour work and continuing to develop my oil of "The Couple" which has been going now for almost 1 year.

I have discovered 'scumbling' which has allowed me to produce subtle changes in colour that I have not been able to achieve in the past. It has allowed me match colours without having to premix on the palette, and so I have been able to take the time I need to develop the three dimensional sculpting I am searching for.

Scumbling has its disadvantages also: it makes a real mess of my brush! I still have lots to learn about scumbling and here are some of the technical characcteristics I have noted, and will have to learn to cope with. (1) When I wash the brush to change colours and then continue to use that brush to scumble, then I find that the moisture on the brush moves the earlier layers around too much - solution, use a dry brush always, or wait just a short while for the brush to dry. (2) If I correct something, for example by putting a light colour over a dark colour then I cannot immediately scumble over the top of the correction. If I do, then I find I will tend to remove the correction - solution, it takes several days, allowing the correction to at least partially dry, to build up a correction. (3) I have not yet tried to approach scumbling areas requiring fine detail, for example the eyebrows and around the eyes. I look forward to the challenge.