Counter life 6
Posted: May 2, 2020 Filed under: Uncategorized 18 CommentsCasein is a really difficult paint to get used to. The pigment in it is so much more powerful than watercolour or gouache. For example, when I was trying to create a green by adding blue to yellow, I needed a much smaller dab of blue than I’m used to adding in watercolour. It also really works its way into my brushes (I don’t use expensive sables for this) so I find myself cleaning them more often and changing my painting water more frequently than with watercolour. And because of that staining power, there always seems to be a bit of paint residue in the brush that dirties up the next wash I am trying to mix. Those are the things I need to get used to with casein.
On the other hand, I love the bright colours that it produces. And I really enjoyed working with it both transparently (in the leaves) and opaquely (on the fruit). It does have a strange odour, a bit like wet newspaper, but that doesn’t bother me at all. I’ll definitely experiment with it again.
Shari Blaukopf's Sketchbook 
Love it – very bright & juicy.
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And the fruit was tasty too. Thanks Joan.
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Shari: you have a great style. This is a beautifully simple painting.
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many thanks Fred!
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I’m learning from your work. I don’t know anything about casein, so this is all new to me. Lovely work!
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I’m learning too Joan. That’s what I like the best about this lockdown period.
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Do you know CA artist Bill Hudson? He is a master of casein and watercolor, and he has an informative blog. I appreciate all of your posts. Thanks, Shari. Pat Spencer
Sent from my iPad
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HI Pat,
Thanks so much for introducing me to Bill Hudson. I will certainly look him up! i’m always interested in learning from other artists.
Shari
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Thank you for this wonderful series of your counter paintings, Shari. It’s fun to see the vignette changes over time but most interesting is the variety of materials you have used. The accompanying text is helpful too. Keep them coming!
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Thanks Nancy. I am enjoying the process of this series, and of sharing it too. Always great to hear from you.
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The colors are so vibrant. Don’t recall if you’ve already said but do these paints dry very quickly ? Do you have time to blend on the paper or do layer the color? Finally some warm weather today. Hope everyone is healthy
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HI Donna,
Casein does stay wet a little longer than gouache and you do have time to blend on paper if you work quickly. Yes, the weather is warming up and everyone is healthy here. Hope the same is true with you.
Shari
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Shari I am a dentist and we use ultrasonic cleaners in our practice. It cleans all debris from our tools very effectively. I am thinking it can be used to clean our brushes. There are cheaper ones designed for cleaning dentures for old patients. By the way thanks for your sharings, they inspire me a lot. Best wishes
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Ruhi, that is a great idea. I should ask my dentist friend if he has an old one! Thanks so much for writing!
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These colors are bright. What ground are you using? Watercolor paper? This is a really nice composition.
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This whole series is done in the same sketchbook. It’s a handmade book filled with Fabriano CP paper, gifted to me by a friend. It’s a very special book and more special now that I have created a whole series to fill it.
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Is it 140 or higher? I am asking cuz I am attempting to paint larger and use heavier paper. Not sure what I want. I recently painted on Fabriano 140 and it did warp. But 300 ssems so heavy.
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Nice painting, I really like the colour.
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