About the Painting Process
Over the years, my way of working has changed as I experiment with different materials and techniques. My current approach to painting is a mixture of what I learned in college, other artists' approaches, information I have gained through reading, and what I have found to be practical for my present goals. As my goals change, likely my painting process will also.
I begin by selecting a scene that I want to paint, either from life or from one of my own photographs which I have taken of something I want to paint. The scene I select has to have a good composition and be interesting in other aspects as well. Perhaps I just like the feel of the scene or it has an interesting story associated with it. If the scene is from a photograph, I usually draw it out in detail and transfer it to the painting surface. This familiarizes me with what I'll be painting and gives me an opportunity to make corrections before I even touch my paint. Although the preliminary drawing can seem very tedious and time consuming, I have found that it saves lots of time and frustration. If I am painting from life, I sketch the scene first on drawing paper and then with a thinned earth tone I sketch the scene on my paining surface. Around this point I make sure to take a photograph for future reference. Then I begin by paint in the darkest areas, some mid tones, large areas and parts of the background leaving the details for last.
I begin by selecting a scene that I want to paint, either from life or from one of my own photographs which I have taken of something I want to paint. The scene I select has to have a good composition and be interesting in other aspects as well. Perhaps I just like the feel of the scene or it has an interesting story associated with it. If the scene is from a photograph, I usually draw it out in detail and transfer it to the painting surface. This familiarizes me with what I'll be painting and gives me an opportunity to make corrections before I even touch my paint. Although the preliminary drawing can seem very tedious and time consuming, I have found that it saves lots of time and frustration. If I am painting from life, I sketch the scene first on drawing paper and then with a thinned earth tone I sketch the scene on my paining surface. Around this point I make sure to take a photograph for future reference. Then I begin by paint in the darkest areas, some mid tones, large areas and parts of the background leaving the details for last.