Fantast c Forgeries Paint Like A Step-by-Step Course to Painting Van Gogh’s Classic Artworks Susan Lea and Joanne Shurvell Fantastic Forgeries 001-176.indd 1 12/10/16 8:48 am Fantastic Forgeries 001-176.indd 1 JJoobb:: 1111776622 TTiittllee:: FFaannttaassttiicc FFoorrggeerriieess 9977881166331100661144266722/10/16 4:13 pm (TEXT) JJZZHH PPaaggee:: 11 © 2017 by Quarto Publishing Group USA Inc. Published in conjunction with the Van Gogh Museum, Amsterdam First published in the United States of America in 2017 by Race Point Publishing, a member of Quarto Publishing Group USA Inc. 142 West 36th Street, 4th Floor New York, New York 10018 quartoknows.com All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form without written permission of the copyright owners. All images in this book have been reproduced with the knowledge and prior consent of the artists concerned, and no responsibility is accepted by producer, publisher, or printer for any infringement of copyright or otherwise, arising from the contents of this publication. Every effort has been made to ensure that credits accurately comply with information supplied. We apologize for any inaccuracies that may have occurred and will resolve inaccurate or missing information in a subsequent reprinting of the book. 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 ISBN 978-1-63106-146-2 Digital edition: 978-0-76035-4-858 Softcover edition: 978-1-63106-1-462 Library of Congress Cataloging-In-Publication Data Names: Shurvell, Joanne, author. | Lea, Susan, 1983- illustrator. Title: Fantastic forgeries : paint like Van Gogh : an easy introduction to painting classic artworks like the great master / Joanne Shurvell, Susan Lea, Van Gogh Museum, Amsterdam. Description: New York : Race Point Publishing, 2016. | Series: Fantastic forgeries Identifiers: LCCN 2016027391 | ISBN 9781631061462 (paperback) Subjects: LCSH: Painting--Technique. | Drawing--Technique. | Gogh, Vincent van, 1853-1890--Miscellanea. | BISAC: ART / Individual Artists / General. | ART / Techniques / Drawing. | ART / Techniques / Painting. Classification: LCC ND1473 .S52 2016 | DDC 750.28--dc23 LC record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2016027391 Editorial Director: Jeannine Dillon Managing Editor: Erin Canning Project Editor: Jason Chappell Creative Director: Merideth Harte Interior Design: Jon Chaiet Cover Design: Phil Buchanan Printed in China Fantastic Forgeries 001-176.indd 2 12/10/16 8:48 am Fantastic Forgeries 001-176.indd 2 (TEXT) JJoobb:: 1111776622 TTiittllee:: FFaannttaassttiicc FFoorrggeerriieess 9977881166331100661144266722/10/16 4:47 pm JJZZHH PPaaggee:: 22 Contents Materials. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .5. Preparing.Your.Canvas. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7. The.Painting.Process. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .11 Almond.Blossom. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12 Irises. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24 Wheatfield.with.Crows. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36 The.Garden.of.Saint.Paul’s.. Hospital.(“Leaf-Fall”). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 52 Sunflowers. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 72 Exterior.of.a.Restaurant.in.Asnières. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .98 The.Bedroom. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .118 Fishing.Boats.on.the.Beach.. at.Les.Saintes-Maries-de-la-Mer. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .140 Drawing.Templates. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 163. Acknowledgments. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 173. About.the.Artist. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 174. About.the.Author. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .175. About.the.Van.Gogh.Museum. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 176 Fantastic Forgeries 001-176.indd 3 12/10/16 8:48 am Fantastic Forgeries 001-176.indd 3 JJoobb:: 1111776622 TTiittllee:: FFaannttaassttiicc FFoorrggeerriieess 9977881166331100661144266722/10/16 4:15 pm (TEXT) JJZZHH PPaaggee:: 33 Self-Portrait with Grey Felt Hat, 1887, Van Gogh Museum, Amsterdam (Vincent Van Gogh Foundation). Fantastic Forgeries 001-176.indd 4 12/10/16 8:48 am Fantastic Forgeries 001-176.indd 4 JJoobb:: 1111776622 TTiittllee:: FFaannttaassttiicc FFoorrggeerriieess 9977881166331100661144166222/10/16 8:47 am (TEXT) JJZZHH PPaaggee:: 44 Materials Oils This book recommends a specific brand of oil paint: Finally, a secret benefit to Holbein paints—if you Holbein Duo Aqua oils. These paints have rich only use Holbein paints—is that they are easy to clean color and texture that other brands lack. They blend up with water. Other brands of paint require solvents to together well, creating vibrant new colors, rather clean off of surfaces and may permanently stain cloth- than making ugly colors that set your paintings up ing. Holbein wipes off surfaces with just soap and water for disaster. At the beginning of every painting, the and most colors of the paint wash out of clothing. list of materials indicates the Holbein Duo Aqua oil colors that you will need and has a small color swatch for easy reference. Professional artists find that Holbein is the best quality oil paint on the market and say that it is well worth the money. If you decide to use a different brand of oil paints, simply try your best to match the color swatch next to each Holbein Duo Aqua color at the begin- ning of each painting. Keep in mind that other brands will not be as bright or as vibrant as Holbein. Also remember that if you have matched the color swatches with other brands, the resulting colors may vary and you could end up with dramatically different results than when Holbein paints are mixed. This may make it difficult to accurately match the forgery instructions. { 5 } Fantastic Forgeries 001-176.indd 5 27/10/16 9:48 am Fantastic Forgeries 001-176.indd 5 JJoobb:: 1111776622 TTiittllee:: FFaannttaassttiicc FFoorrggeerriieess 9977881166331100661144166222/10/16 8:47 am (TEXT) JJZZHH PPaaggee:: 55 12 × 16-inch Brushes (30 × 40 cm) Canvas Each project will require some or all of these brushes: Van Gogh painted his masterpieces on burlap that he Round brush nos. 1 and 2: Round brushes are useful stretched onto canvas. All of his canvases have odd di- for washes, filling space with color, and creating lines. mensions, probably because he just stretched the bur- Round brush no. 1 is smaller than round brush no. 2 lap over whatever wood was easily available. To make and so can be used in smaller spaces. it relatively simple to successfully forge your own Van Gogh, these painting have been slightly modified to Detail round brush no. 1: Detail round brushes are fit on a standard 12 × 16-inch (30 × 40 cm) canvas. useful for the tight spaces that require fine lines and The recommended canvas is Fredericks Pro Series 12 detail work. This is the smallest brush required for oz Cotton Dixie. You will find all of the templates for these forgeries. these images beginning on page 162. You will need to Flat brush nos. 1, 2, and 4: Flat brushes allow you increase them by 180 percent in order to trace them, to quickly fill space with color and can be used for or you can copy directly. bold, sweeping strokes. These brushes leave a distinct Easel texture. You can use the edge of the bristles to create fine lines. Round brush no. 1 is the smallest, followed While you do not need an easel, it will make painting by 2, with no. 4 being the thickest. Flat brush no. 4 a much more enjoyable experience. Using an easel is best for the backgrounds and large areas because it allows you to stand up straight. With an easel you can covers a large space in fewer strokes. also step away from the canvas and look at it from different perspectives. Palette The palette is useful because it gives you a place to keep your paints nice and organized. It also provides a clean space to mix colors. You can buy a fancy palette from an art supply store or use something more basic, like a paper plate. The mixing of colors is important in creating an accurate forgery, so don’t try to go without a palette! { 6 } Fantastic Forgeries 001-176.indd 6 12/10/16 8:48 am Fantastic Forgeries 001-176.indd 6 JJoobb:: 1111776622 TTiittllee:: FFaannttaassttiicc FFoorrggeerriieess 9977881166331100661144266722/10/16 9:49 am (TEXT) JJZZHH PPaaggee:: 66 Preparing Your Canvas Before you begin painting your fantastic forgery, Priming Your Canvas there are a few introductory steps to make the process Van Gogh painted on stretched burlap, so in order smoother. First, you need to prime the canvas so that for your forgery to achieve the same look, you have to a burlap color, similar to the burlap Van Gogh painted prime the white canvas. Use Raw Sienna acrylic paint on, shows through any unpainted spots. Then, you (we suggest using Holbein Heavy Body Artist Acrylic) need to draw a grid so that it is easier to accurately for this because it dries faster, allowing you to start match Van Gogh’s proportions. Finally, you need to painting sooner. Use a palette knife to quickly spread draw a sketch of the painting over the grid so that the paint around the canvas, and then go over the you know where to paint certain components. This paint with a damp sponge or paper towel to further helps make painting your masterpiece much easier. { 7 } Fantastic Forgeries 001-176.indd 7 12/10/16 8:48 am Fantastic Forgeries 001-176.indd 7 JJoobb:: 1111776622 TTiittllee:: FFaannttaassttiicc FFoorrggeerriieess 9977881166331100661144166222/10/16 8:47 am (TEXT) JJZZHH PPaaggee:: 77 spread the paint. This ensures a thin, even layer of the canvas. A T-square is preferable because when you paint across the entire canvas. Don’t forget to cover line up the plastic “T” with the side of the canvas, it the sides of the canvas; there’s nothing like finishing ensures that you will get a perfectly straight line at the your masterpiece and realizing that the sides reveal correct angle. that it’s a forgery because they are blindingly white. Start by going across the canvas horizontally, making a mark every 2 inches (5 cm). Flip your Gridding Out Your Canvas T-square or ruler so that it is vertical and repeat the Gridding out your canvas helps you keep the propor- process of making a mark every 2 inches (5 cm). If tions of Van Gogh’s paintings in your forgeries. Use you are using a T-square, simply draw straight across a pencil and a T-square or a ruler when gridding out the canvas to create a straight line. If you are using { 8 } Fantastic Forgeries 001-176.indd 8 12/10/16 8:48 am Fantastic Forgeries 001-176.indd 8 JJoobb:: 1111776622 TTiittllee:: FFaannttaassttiicc FFoorrggeerriieess 9977881166331100661144166222/10/16 8:47 am (TEXT) JJZZHH PPaaggee:: 88