Wednesday, December 23, 2009 12:34 PM

Vintage '67
 30 x 24 - Oil on Linen Mounted to Panel
2007

I have been asked many times if I would show a painting demonstration on my website.
I suppose the time must be right, so here it is.

Step one- The Drawing - Charcoal 18 x 12

 

Days before I even start this charcoal sketch, I have an idea in my mind of what I'm after. The decanter was probably the catalyst for this painting idea.

Working from life, I start on a piece of neutral toned paper focusing on the center of interest, the figure.

I have already set up the scene in my studio and know the basic composition, so my main goal here is to capture the essential values and anatomy of the figure.

I enjoy working with this particular model. I have many more paintings planned of her, so check back often.

 

Step Two- The Color Study - Oil 10 x 8

 

I start on a 10 x 8 linen panel that I toned green and had kicking around the studio.

This stage is pretty simple and fun--I don't care about the detail at all. What I am after here is to see the fundamental values and colors of the painting. It helps me to see what works and what doesn't. I managed to sell this study almost immediately upon its completion to a collector who just happened to stop by the studio for a visit.

 

Step Three- The Painting - Initial Charcoal Sketch

 

I'm using a warm toned piece of linen I prepared days earlier and allowed to dry. The tone is a brushed on mixture of Transparent Oxide Red thinned with OMS and a small amount of Gamblin Galkyd.

I start drawing with vine charcoal and work from my original sketch placing all of the elements according to my basic desired composition. I have enjoyed working on this warm toned color lately. I am really able to make it work to warm up the transparent shadows.

 

Step Four- The Painting - Beginning Stages

 
I start immediately with paint after finishing the charcoal sketch. I want to get the most important parts in first, so using a direct method of painting, I go right into the figure and the surrounding background. From this point I simply work my way out from the center of interest. I will return to areas that need a little tweaking when I can compare them to other areas that are now complete.

The next day I begin to focus on another very important part of the painting, the decanter. I suppose it is the main focal point. I designed the painting to move your eye between three points of interest: decanter, head and hand with glass.

I want to see what some of the darks are going to do compared to the highlights of the skin, so I go into some of the deep rich burgundy color of the drapery.

I keep with some large brushes and keep these areas transparent and dark. Working the decanter is very difficult and at the end of the day I am exhausted yet very satisfied with the progress I've made.

 

 

The especially thick highlights are still very wet the next day when I start again, so I am very careful not to disturb them. OK I did accidentally drag a brush over one and had to repair it, Murphy's Law I suppose.

This day I move over to the third in my triad of focal points, the hand and empty glass. I rework thin paint over the areas I have painted previously so that I can work back into them with a wet in wet technique.

Then I go back into the background and have some fun with the blossoms after working with the difficult areas around the figure. So far so good, I am very happy with the painting.

 

Step Five- The Painting - Finishing Stages

 
Each day that I work on the painting, depending on the area, different reference is necessary; either live sessions with the model or working from photographs that I have taken. Upon returning to a portion that I've already painted, I will first oil out any sunken-in areas with a small amount of my medium. I am then able to glaze, scumble and soften any edges as necessary until I'm satisfied with the finished product.

It's pretty much down hill from here. I just keep working into the areas until they all have paint on them. After the direct painting is done, a day or two later, I do a little glazing and scumbling in the flesh. I also do some minor temperature changes in the background and rework a few edges, trying to look at it with a fresh eye to make sure all of the ellipses are correct.

All of the brushes I used on this painting were Filbert-shaped Royal Langnickel badger hair brushes. I used no hog bristle. You can actually lay down a lot of paint with these brushes, but they don't have the wearability that a hog bristle has and I can go through several in a painting.

 

 

 

The Final Piece...signed and ready for its frame

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Wednesday, December 23, 2009 12:34 PM