This current stage is my favorite part of painting. To be specific, this early stage in color is the most exciting. There's structure from the planned steps (tedious work is done), but tons of potential (excitement of the unknown). That's probably a reflection of my personality. I like to plan, but I like flexibility and creativity within certain boundaries. Steps needed to get to this point:
- Idea : What am I going to paint?
- Image : Who/what/where am I going to paint from?
- Materials : What will I use to paint? Paper? Canvas? Paint medium?
- Prepare Surface : Several coats of gesso (white paint)
- Composition : How will this be laid out? How will I crop the image?
- Drawing : Careful attention to detail
- Outline : Painting over the drawing
This step: COLOR!
The paintings were outlined one by one up on my painting easel, but now I need to paint them all together to have consistent colors throughout since they are all part of one building. The scale of the paintings is a little more clear having them side by side by other objects. This order is how they will be laid out on the office wall. I'm starting with my darkest color first.
*A side-note to painters: Please, please never use black if you want any life in your shadows. These two dark colors are made of: 3 dark blues (ultramarine, phthalo, cerulean), 1 red (cadmium red light), 1 yellow (cadmium yellow).
My painting professor's voice is echoing in my ear as I paint.
- Use more paint!
- Use a bigger brush!
- Warmer! (I tend to paint with cool colors so things look dead)
These steps needed to paint are really the steps needed to plan any activity.
- [Idea] : What am I going to do?
- [Image] : Who/ what/ where?
- [Materials] : What things are needed for this?
- [Prepare Surface] : What do I need to do ahead of time?
- [Composition] : Cropping; start/end time, budget
- [Drawing] : The tedious but necessary details
- [Outline] : Start activity
The step I'm on now: follow-through. The party. Party of one, in this case. As an introvert, I enjoy parties of one. Now that the paintings are set up and ready with my palette ready to go, I'm looking forward to many solo painting parties this week.
A cup of herbal tea in one hand and a paintbrush in the other...and I wonder why people call me grandma.