The Pastel Journal, February 2011 Sample - Artist's Network

Although they may not be the most thrilling part of the creativeprocess, thumbnails are vital, offering both a road map to betterpaintings and a pathway to greater creative freedom.BY MARLA BAGGETTAA THUMBNAIL IS THE THING THAT MOSTartists would like to just skip. When I startedplein air painting, I recall thinking to myself:“I’m a good painter; I don’t need to do a thumbnailsketch. I can just dive into the fi nish; noproblem.” But somewhere along the way, I begana conversion. I asked myself: If investing a bit oftime into this preparatory step will save me timeand frustration in the long run, why wouldn’tI do that? Today, I’m a true believer.Recently, I conducted a workshop and gaveinstructions for the class to spend half of theirpainting time on preparation, making a planor map in the form of a small value study and acolor study. They went kicking and screaminginto the exercise, but they wound up hooked.Some, in fact, were so enamored of the processthat they spent the fi nal day of the workshopdoing nothing but thumbnails.I’ve come to the conclusion that the use ofthumbnails makes my life easier; and I’m all for that.The alternative is flying by the seat of my pants andletting luck be an important element of my painting.Sure, I might sometimes get lucky—but notconsistently—and I want to be consistent.vertical or horizontal. Even if the line thumbnail isall you do, you’re at a better starting point than youwould be painting with no plan at all.Value Thumbnail: This study is especiallyimportant in determining whether your picturewill have the dynamics and mood youseek. Break down your composition into thethree to five largest shapes and assign values tothose shapes. Then study the arrangement, asking:Does it start to capture the quality of lightand the atmosphere? It’s amazing how much asmall value thumbnail will tell you. You shouldbe able to tell if you’re on the right track andwhether it’s worth moving forward.Color Thumbnail: Admittedly, taking thetime for this additional step isn’t something I doevery time I start a painting. Sometimes it’s funto work directly from the value study and inventthe color. There are times, however, when I feelslightly unsure of my direction and appreciatethe extra information a color study provides.Start the thumbnail by translating the valuesinto flat planes of color using a limited palette;don’t add another color if you can solve theproblem with one already in use. RememberOpposite page,clockwise fromtop left: Theline thumbnail,value thumbnail,color study andfinal painting,In Between (15x15)Three Study MethodsThese are the three thumbnailtechniques I use in combinationwith a viewfinder (see “Viewfinder: Your Study Partner” onpage 62) to lay the groundworkfor a finished painting:Line Thumbnail: This is aquick sketch of the major elementsof your subject using a blocked lineto keep the shapes simple. You cansketch out several different proportionalarrangements—square,Marla Baggetta (www.marlabaggettastudio.com) has been aprofessional artist for 25 years with a client list that includes WaltDisney and Houghton Mifflin. A signature member of the PastelSociety of America and the Pastel Society of Oregon, Baggetta’swork has been widely exhibited in galleries and juried showsand has appeared in art magazines and books, including PureColor: The Best of Pastel (North Light Books, 2006). She’s representedin Oregon by Riversea Gallery; in Southern Californiaby Galerie Gabrie; and in Chicago by KH Galleries. She teachesworkshops in a variety of locations, making her home in WestLinn, Ore., with her husband Mike Baggetta, also an artist.February 2011 • www.pasteljournal.com 61