Monthly Archives: November 2013

Did Rembrandt use reflectors for “Rembrandt light”?

Posted on November 23, 2013 by jaymacaz

Is anything known about how Rembrandt manipulated light in his studios? This intriguing drawing by Rembrandt (Ben. 1161, two reproductions included for contrast) is thought to show the studio in his home.  The Rembrandt Museum has reconstructed this scene,suggesting that … Continue reading →

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Rembrandt light for the artist’s studio: Spinning a tale

Posted on November 22, 2013 by jaymacaz

A second day of straight rain in Tucson, too grim for painting. I am procrastinating on getting some framing done (I hate framing), and always get obsessively interested in something when I am avoiding things! A story of sunlight for … Continue reading →

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Rembrandt light for the artist’s studio

Posted on November 20, 2013 by jaymacaz

Rembrandt light has long been invoked as the most beautiful light for faces, but it can be quite hard to achieve in the studio with natural light if you want a good match. Most artists I know who paint or … Continue reading →

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Warm light, cool shadows… mostly

Posted on November 16, 2013 by jaymacaz

I have been struggling with warm-cool relationships, particularly when I paint from photos. Working from life makes it much easier to see them, since the light is real and internally correct. In photos it is not, with white balance dependent … Continue reading →

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Yet more oil emulsion tests

Posted on November 10, 2013 by jaymacaz

I’ve done one methylcellulose underpainting so far and absolutely loved it. It’s like painting with pastels.  I decided to try a few other emulsions to compare. 1. Homemade casein binder combined with oil paint or pigment.  My first response is … Continue reading →

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More methylcellulose tests

Posted on November 7, 2013 by jaymacaz

The MC tests I did the other day used MC gel (step two in DB Clemons instructions)  added directly to oil paint. Under about 1:1, it doesn’t seem to emulsify well with the oil paint. At 1:1, I would think … Continue reading →

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Testing out tempera emulsions

Posted on November 2, 2013 by jaymacaz

I decided to catch up on some old business and test out info from D.B. Clemons and Tad Spurgeon about combining oil painting with tempera emulsions, the most common being casein, methylcellulose, and egg.  I didn’t try egg, but did … Continue reading →

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