Author: emmapittson

I’m still here…

| emmapittson

I know, I know, it’s been a dog’s age since I last posted, and it’s high time I did!

One of the reasons why it’s been so long since I last posted anything is because, well… I haven’t actually produced any artwork for a long, long time. And the reason why my creative output dried up is because my work life (and mental health) took a massive beating over the last two years. I won’t bore you with the details, but let’s just say that the conflict of interest between my day job (animation) and my hobby (art) became unsustainable during these last few years of industry upheaval, and at the end of the day, bills had to be paid and sacrifices had to be made.

The one bright spot from my most recent contract is that the studio hosted free Life Drawing sessions for the employees, and I did my best to take advantage of it. They were mostly geared towards the Speed Demons amongst us (absolute masses of 30-second, one-minute, and 2-minute poses!) but if nothing else, they forced me to lay down the basic proportions faster and clearer. I can definitely see an improvement over time!

Happy Little Trees

| emmapittson
©2024, Emma Pittson, “Tall Trees”. Oil on canvas, 10″ x 8″ x 0.5″.

After a few anxious months, careening between optimism and despair, I am thrilled to announce that I have officially rejoined the ranks of the employed!! Maybe I should re-title this painting “Happy Little Trees” because that’s how grateful l am, especially when you consider the state of the animation/vfx industry as it stands currently.

I’m also happy to report that this painting came along rather easily compared to the previous painting of a wooded scene. In fact, it went so well, I just might be more inclined to paint even more of them!

Digital study

Quiet Time

| emmapittson
©2024, Emma Pittson, “Early Evening”. Oil on canvas, 8″ x 10″ x 0.5″.

Being furloughed, I have more “quiet time” than is strictly necessary, but at least it gives me a chance to get some painting done! On the easel this time, yet another dreamy landscape (and yes, it’s Lac des Sables up at Mont Tremblant National Park, again – I got a whole theme going, and am thinking of asking for contracts with the Laurentians Tourism bureau at this point). 😉

I started with a brilliant pink background because I thought that any pink showing through would look nice and fit the mood of the painting. Also, I just needed cheering up!

I was about 3/4 of the way through before I realized that the line of trees at the edge of the water could afford to be paled down in order to enhance the sense of space. I also felt that the general colour of the water needed some tweaking. After that, there was no more avoiding the ripples in the foreground – a favourite, as always (she said, gritting her teeth)!

The line of trees is too dark and it shortens the space. Still to do: the ripples!

It might interest you to know that there was an earlier version of this same painting, but I had started it with an orange background instead.

My husband liked the painting in its early stages so much that he convinced me to leave it as is. This rough, half-painted version now has a permanent home in his office!

So… do we like this version better? Is this how I should be painting ALL of my landscapes from this point onwards?

Third Time’s the Charm

| emmapittson
©2024, Emma Pittson, “Night Sky”. Oil on paper, 8″ x 10″.

Such a simple image: lots of blue, lots of black, and a tiny spattering of gold. This SHOULD have been one of my easiest paintings to paint, right?

WRONG. Maybe it was the tricky combination of Cobalt Blue, Ultramarine Blue, and Mars Black that added unexpected drying time to my treasured water-miscible oil paint… maybe it was the choice of substrate that guaranteed my frustration (canvas – too rough, even with a few extra coats of gesso; YUPO paper, so smooth that the paint lifted right off; and finally Canson Oil & Acrylic paper, too buckle-y)… but most likely, it was the fact that, as usual, I mixed and applied too little paint at a time, and that meant that I had to work and re-work certain areas over and over again. There needs to be a support group for cheapskate painters like myself (“Hi, my name is Emma, and I consistently mix too little paint and then I have the gall to wonder why my brush isn’t gliding smoothly across the surface, and the whole process takes much, MUCH longer than it should. Will I never learn??”).

Anyways, after all that heartache, I am pleased with the final result! I’ll have to make some repairs to the right side of the painting to make up for what the tape lifted off accidentally, but otherwise, this might be one of my favourites. I just never want to see it again! 😉

My own little “Salon des Refusés“! From left to right: acrylic on Canson paper, oil on canvas, acrylic on YUPO paper