How to start a painting

March 23, 2015 - Steps for a landscape painting

This is one way that I start landscape paintings  on a canvas first toned with Indian Yellow.  I usually take black and white photos as I go to be sure the dark (notan) is strong.

 Steps for a studio painting that I did from a photograph taken several years ago.  The wisteria on this porch against the color of the house looked beautiful.  The house is on Washington Ave. in Fredericksburg, Va.  It will be part of my Fredericksburg Series.   This painting is an 11 x 14. 

 

Step 1 - loose drawing, simplify big shapes

 

This photo shows the color of the toned canvas using Indian yellow.  The photo above was photographed in black and white. 

 

 

 Black and white photo of Step 2

 

Step 2 -  used dark color blocks of big simplified areas

Step 3, added opaque paint and more detail. 


I like this method because it helps maintain the darks.  Notice how the darks show through in the final painting (11x14)

March 15, 2015 - Happy St. Patrick's Day


This show gave me some good ideas about blog writing.  Leslie Saeta interviewed Dreama Tolle Perry. 

Click here for radio show about 10 ways to write a better blog

Also, I need feedback, questions about topics that might interest you. Just write the questions in comments at the bottom of each post.   I was thinking about showing different ways to start a painting.    I start my own in different ways depending on the subject and how I want the painting to look in the end. 

This canvas  was toned with Indian yellow at the beginning, then I did my drawing with burnt sienna, both added to make the painting feel warm.

 

I used Rembrandt Transparent Red to tone the gessobord for this one because I want the geraniums to really sing.