Before I answer the question I would like to show our new readers my painting setup. You can click on the picture to see it larger. The overhead lighting is a simple fluorescent 4 bulb unit with day light bulbs you can purchase at any Home Depot or Lowes. They offer consistent light perfect for painting. All of the studio furniture is on wheels so I can accommodate any size piece. To see how the setup was arranged for me to work on a 6 foot by 8 foot painting in our previous studio CLICK HERE.
Today I’m beginning the enhancing process on one of our Limited Original Giclees. Isn’t that an oxymoron? How can a piece that is part of a Limited Edition be Original? Well, let me explain. Our Limited Originals are hand embellished with Alkyd Oil Paints. I’ve shown them above. Since I can’t do each one exactly alike every piece in the edition is different. This giclee of The Glory Never Fades is going to be a particularly good example of just how different. Our collector wants me to take out the stream and only have rocks, cactus, Wine Cups and Bluebonnets in the foreground.
When we receive the giclee from Miguel, our printer in Florida, I apply two thin coats of UV Varnish. This adds extra protection so the image won’t fade for 250 years. When those are totally dry I start glazing certain areas of the piece to make the color richer. Here I’m using a thin wash of Ultramarine Blue + Liquin to glaze the blue part of the sky. The area to the left of my brush has been glazed. Can you see the difference?
The Live Oak Trees closest to the viewer are repainted. I don’t do anything to the ones in the distance, they are cooler so they drop back. The added texture on the closer trees also makes them pop forward.
The side of the barn illuminated by the sun is repainted as well as the Live Oak to the left of the building. Warmer colors are used near the front edge of the barn and a few strokes of Ultramarine Blue + White are added at the back, behind the open doors. This follows a basic rule that helps to give the appearance of depth in a painting: Warm Colors Come Forward, Cool Colors Go Back. Next the rails of the fence are highlighted where the sun shines on them.
That’s all for today. You’ll see the BIG CHANGES in our next session! Hugs,
Mikki Senkarik 
March 27, 2015 at 3:16 PM |
Hi Mikki, thank you for all your fabulous posts – I’ve learned so much! I have a similar lighting set up in my studio, but am frustrated with how to photograph my paintings without glare from the overhead lights. How do you photograph your paintings without glare?
March 27, 2015 at 4:45 PM |
Hi Clarita,
Try tipping the top of your painting forward a little bit. This will keep the light from hitting it directly. Put your camera on a tripod and make sure it’s at the same angle as the painting, that way your image won’t be wider at the top or bottom. Hope this helps. Thanks for following my blog. Mikki
March 28, 2015 at 12:05 PM |
When you receive the giclee, is it mounted on backing surface, or is it necessary to mount it before you start working on it?
March 28, 2015 at 7:11 PM |
Hi Elinor,
The giclees are shipped to us rolled on unstretched canvas. I attach the unstretched canvas to 4-ply cardboard with large binder clips. If you will enlarge the first image on this blog you can see it clipped to the board. When the embellishing is finished and the paint is completely dry I simply roll the giclee back up and ship it to the collector! Hope this helps. Mikki
March 31, 2015 at 9:15 AM |
hi dear, i have a question , is n’t it glazing usually do when the entire painting is completely dry . if we want to do bit more changes in our painting , can we still add more color on top of the glazing ?