Sunday, 7 July 2019

How to get started with a painting

 I seldom start a painting in the same way each time. I  have no recipe or formula. What I sometimes do,  is use up paint left over on my palette to start a new painting at the end of a day.  This painting can often turn out to be amazing,  because all you want to do is use up the paint quickly to clean the palette, so you are in a very spontaneous and loose frame of mind.

This is one way to start a painting.

 If I have an idea of what I want to paint, I use my references to block it in.    If I dont have something specific in mind I will simply take one colour of my choice and coat the canvas with a colour mixed down with genuine turpentine or medium (which could consist of alkyd and/or one third linseed oil and two thirds genuine turpentine. This leaves the canvas open to any idea I may have and does away with the stark white canvas.

Yesterday, I had finished a session of painting on my large commission,  and had a substantial amount of paint left on my palette.  I had planned to paint a series of small seascape impressions, so I laid my canvasses out.  I then took my references and did some underpaintings with the left over paint from my day's painting. I had fun, drawing out some of them in ultramarine blue or burnt sienna, (for this you can use any colour of your choice.) Others I blocked in with large brush strokes.

This is the perfect time for experimentation because you have nothing specific tying you down.

I leave these overnight or even for a day or two, so the underpainting is completely dry before I carry on. Each process of painting should be fun, spontaneous and joyful and this process makes for a really good start.


 "Spontaneous Seascape"
     
"Spontaneity is being present in the present moment" 
Wei Wu Wei

No comments:

Post a Comment