Good Karma and Good Health

       Hello my friends.  I have to tell you I feel better now than I have in years. The Insulin really made all the difference in the world on how I feel, and the timing couldn't be better because I have several commissions to get out. FINALLY, my oil painting hand is coming back, but I have to admit I had gotten a little rusty from the almost 3 years that I painted digitally.  So, I am making really good progress on the oil painting I am doing of Suzi now. I also have a steampunk painting to do as well as a really good horror piece to do of "Reapers" set in the old west. And the clients are as "bigtime" as it gets.  This has been one awesome week. I will give you the details when the publications come out.
     I also finished the interview for the Halloween Issue of a Main Stream publication that I will also release the information once it is out. This is what the publisher said about it in a press release
"the interview with Nick Rose in the October issue of MSM is friggin awesome!"  


        I've got to tell you, that made this fellow feel pretty good, especially considering the hell my body went through for the last 3 months.  I also talk about things I haven't talked about before, including where my catch phrase "May the Darkness Comfort You"  comes from. The more of these interviews I do, the better I get at it. One of them is up for and award. The one about the abuse I was put through as a child.
      I am giving thanks everyday to the powers that be for each day that is given to me and for feeling good again, well at least good enough to work in the studio. It's been a while since I have installed carpet, but I still dream that I am doing it.  Madison tells me that my arms and legs are moving when I sleep, like I am working.  Would someone please tell me how to exorcise this out of me!  When I dream about installing carpet, I also dream about my EX step father, and I wake up madder than heck. It takes me a hour or two to get that crap and him out of my mind when I have those dreams.
      Ok, enough of that, let's talk art. First let me promote the new print "The Dark Lord" It is 11" x 14" on very high quality paper, numbered and signed to only 250.

     You can go here and order one for only 10$. Please remember this money pays for the cameras needed to be able to instruct the art students want to learn. Also 1$ from every print goes to the "Shriners Burn Hospital for Children" Please go here to order.


      Last week we left off talking about values, and there is where I would like to start this week. Oh by the way, look for the Blog on Monday evenings now.  Sunday is to nice of a work day for painting, so I am moving the blogging to Mondays from now on.
      Let's go back to the value scale again for a moment.

    If you will notice that on the scale the numbers go from 0 to 10,  what you need to learn to do is only use the values 2 through 8 in most of your paintings.  You only use 10 when your doing the gleam in someones eye, or the highlight from a bead of sweat. An you only use 0 in the finest of detail on the main figure. If you can learn to only use 2-8 your paintings will pop and have more life. It might take you a couple of paintings to get the hang of it, but I promise, once you get it, you will get it.
   Think about it, if you use 10 to lighten the color, it starts to wash it out.  So what you want to do is mix a mixture of white mix with a small amount of orange.  If you have it right, it will be about the color of orange sherbet. Just a touch lighter to value 8.  By using this mixture, you will be able to create your values better, and it will also make your skin tones look more alive. In next weeks Blog, I am going to teach you how the masters mix flesh tones and how to use them. This is where a video camera would come in handy, so please buy a print or 2 so we can get one.
     On your dark color, value 8, do not use black unless you are doing a black and white study. Other than that, mix your own. I normally mix mine with Payne's gray and Burnt Umber.  At times depending on the painting, I may add other colors to it. For instance, if I am painting something cold, I will either add sap green or a nice blue to it.  But anyways, after you mix it, take 3/4 of it and set it away on the pallet. Then you want the make the 3/4 match value 8 on the scale. In most of cases, you just need add a touch of orange to bring it down to value 8.  Do not use the sherbet mix,  just the orange.  This is where in comes in handy to have clove oil, and add some to your value 8. Dark colors dry much quicker on your pallet, and if know your going to be using that color for more than 2 or 3 days, use the clove oil. I would be almost impossible to remix the color and get it exactly the same as it was.
Da Vinci's students to Riley who taught it to Howard Pyle. I keep stressing this to you, because I want you to be proud. This is history being handed down to you, and I am pretty sure, you can only learn this from a handful of artist.
     Ok my friends, I have much work to do this week and I will be sharing it with you in the next blog.  Now that I am feeling much better, I can say that with confidence. Much love my friends and "May the Darkness Comfort You"