Painting Based on Photo
Bee and Wildflowers
30.5 by 30.5 cm
Oil paint on canvas
November 2020
Bee and Wildflowers is a painting meant to convey the beauty of small things in nature. It was my first time using oil paints, so I used a lot of experimentation in order to work with them properly. The cropped photo that inspired this piece was inspired by Stephen Dalton and the painting was inspired by Claude Monet's Water Lilies series, specifically Water Lilies-The Clouds.
Inspiration
Small Things, my photo that inspired Bee and Wildflowers, was inspired from Stephen Dalton's Carder Bumblebee. Dalton photographs animals, insects, and nature and is known for being the first to take clear pictures of creatures mid-flight. I liked how this picture focused on the bee and flowers and sort of blurred out the background, and it's the same concept I was going for with Small Things and Bee and Wildflowers.
Carder Bumblebee by Dalton
This is the section of Small Things I recreated as Bee and Wildflowers. I found that the cropped version had more physical similarities to Carder Bumblebee than the un-cropped version did, but the message remained the same. I liked the way this version of the photo focused on the bee and the flowers even better and how the background was blurred, amplifying the focus. This was the piece of Dalton's work I was trying to bring into my own.
Small Things (cropped)
My painting inspiration was Water Lilies - The Clouds by Monet. Monet's Water Lilies series is a series of about 250 oil paintings of water lilies. I attempted to bring an impressionistic look into my painting and I looked at Monet's brush techniques and color combinations to achieve that look. Monet's brush techniques are very unique to his work and I found them admirable and attempted to reflect them onto my painting.
Water Lilies - The Clouds by Monet
Planning
First I had to pick which part of the photo I wanted to recreate. I considered several different sections, which I drew out on the actual photo. I knew I wanted a bee in the painting, because that would match the theme best in my opinion. At first I wanted to do a close up of the leaf in the top right corner, but I didn't think it would look good in an impressionist style. I decided on the section with the bee on top because it had more color to it and I felt like I would be able to focus on the theme better. I also liked the focus on the flowers and the blurred background, which I could recreate using Monet techniques.
To start, I planned out the color combinations I would need for each part of the painting. I put color swatches in my sketchbook. I noted the different textures in the photo that I would have to show in the painting. I wrote out ways to draw the hairy part of the bee, and how to make the thin, tiny parts of the flower. These parts were too small to make with a paintbrush, so I listed objects I could use instead. I also listed how I wanted to incorporate Dalton's and Monet's techniques into my work. For Dalton, I wanted there to be a focus on the bee and the wings, because he is known for the stillness of the creatures he photographs. I also wanted the background of the painting to be very blurred and not as clear as the prominent objects. For Monet, I looked at brushstrokes and noted how he made a cloud like texture with his paint.
Sketchbook page 1
I practiced Monet brush techniques here. The "cloudy" texture was used for the background. The most difficult brushstroke for me was the soft lines, because it took a lot of control and focus, and it all had to be done in one quick movement. It was also hard for me to not completely blend the colors, because I usually went over them multiple times and they would all blend into one color. This often happened when I used the stipple technique. The stippling would be used to make the bee's hair, and the soft lines would mostly be used for the flowers.
Sketchbook page 2
Because oil paints were a medium I had never used before, I knew a lot of experimentation would come into play when making my painting. With my art, I tend to jump right in and see where it takes me. I prefer fixing mistakes when they happen, but I had a basic outline for what I wanted to do. First, I knew I needed to sketch the image I would paint onto the canvas. Then, I would do washes of color, and finally another layer of the final colors, which I would then blend. This is my basic process for any painting project.
Process/Experimentation
The first step was sketching the outline of the photo on the canvas. There wasn't a way for me to trace the image onto the canvas to get exact proportions, so I had to estimate. I was okay with this though, I've had a lot of practice with proportions and I didn't want it to look exactly like the photo. Obviously the outline turned out different from the photo but this wasn't a big deal to me.
Sketch on canvas
I tackled a small space first. Right away I noticed the difference between acrylic paints and oil paints. Oil paints are harder to spread, but they never dry, and I ended up making a mess of it all. I went over the paint a few times until I got a result I was kind of okay with, and then moved on to a new section. The good thing about oil paints is that because it never dries you can always go back and change things when needed.
Beginning strokes
Over time, I got better with the paint. I began using the different techniques; the cloudy look for the background, the soft lines for the flowers, and the short dashes on the texture of the bee. I was going all over the place, I would move onto another section before I'd finished one, which is something I commonly do when making art. Usually it can be problematic but with oil paints it didn't have much of an effect because I could always tweak things if I needed.
Beginning washes
To make the smaller parts of the flower, I used a safety pin. I opened it, dipped it in paint and pressed it on the painting to make a thin line. I originally wanted to do this with a toothpick, but it was too thick, and then I tried a string, but the paint didn't show up clear enough on the canvas. |
Using safety pin to make lines
Reflection
Bee and Wildflower kept the theme of focusing on small things in nature. By focusing on the bee and flowers and blurring the background I was able to bring the spotlight on something seemingly insignificant and make it important in my art. Next time I would put more impressionism into the painting; I think I blended the colors more than Monet did and somewhat lost the inspiration. I'm not sure if you could categorize this painting as impressionistic. I was successful in relating it to Dalton's work, however, which surprised me because it was in a completely different medium. When you look at this painting the eyes are immediately drawn to the bee, because the bright yellows are unique to the color scheme. I also like how the wings turned out. I was unsure how I was going to approach them and I ended up doing a combination of blending colors and sharp, dark lines.
Critique
Similarities
- cloudy, blurry, impressionistic background - short, quick brushstrokes - soft lines - nature scene |
Differences
- Bee and Wildflower has a focus that is more clear, Water Lilies - The Clouds does not - Monet's work has more space and is focused on a bigger area, where mine is focused on a small area - My painting has a brighter color scheme, while Monet's work has more natural colors - Because of the color scheme difference, Monet's work has a more somber and realistic feel to it |
ACT Responses
1) Clearly explain and describe how you are able to identify the cause-effect relationships between your inspiration and its effect upon your artwork.
Because Monet and Dalton have a love for nature, I was able to connect it to my own love for nature and find other inspirations in their work I could become passionate about. These aspects were what I tried to show in my own work.
2) What is the overall approach the author has regarding the topic of your inspiration?
The authors I have looked at have a relatively unbiased but inspired perspective on Monet's work.
3) What kind of generalizations and conclusions have you discovered about people, ideas, cultures, etc. while you researched your inspiration?
I discovered that artists like Monet can keep their passion for art throughout their entire life and continue to want to create and express through their art.
4) What was the central idea or theme around your inspirational research?
I was looking for an artist that focused on nature and had a unique painting style. Impressionism is one that stuck out to me.
5) What kind of inferences (conclusions reached on the basis of evidence and reasoning) did you make while reading your research?
I can infer that Monet had a passion for art and nature that stayed with him throughout his lifetime. Considering the number of immense paintings of water lilies he did I can also conclude that he was a very patient and focused man.
Because Monet and Dalton have a love for nature, I was able to connect it to my own love for nature and find other inspirations in their work I could become passionate about. These aspects were what I tried to show in my own work.
2) What is the overall approach the author has regarding the topic of your inspiration?
The authors I have looked at have a relatively unbiased but inspired perspective on Monet's work.
3) What kind of generalizations and conclusions have you discovered about people, ideas, cultures, etc. while you researched your inspiration?
I discovered that artists like Monet can keep their passion for art throughout their entire life and continue to want to create and express through their art.
4) What was the central idea or theme around your inspirational research?
I was looking for an artist that focused on nature and had a unique painting style. Impressionism is one that stuck out to me.
5) What kind of inferences (conclusions reached on the basis of evidence and reasoning) did you make while reading your research?
I can infer that Monet had a passion for art and nature that stayed with him throughout his lifetime. Considering the number of immense paintings of water lilies he did I can also conclude that he was a very patient and focused man.
Bibliography
1) Monet, Claude. “Claude Monet. Water Lilies. 1914-26: MoMA.” The Museum of Modern Art, 2020, www.moma.org/collection/works/80220.
2) “History of the Water Lilies Cycle.” History of the Water Lilies Cycle | Musée De L'Orangerie, www.musee-orangerie.fr/en/article/history-water-lilies-cycle.
2) “History of the Water Lilies Cycle.” History of the Water Lilies Cycle | Musée De L'Orangerie, www.musee-orangerie.fr/en/article/history-water-lilies-cycle.