Evolution of a Painting

I thought it would be a good idea to show a bit of how I go about making a painting.  It's a bit of a rough explanation but gives a decent overview of the process.  

I paint what is important to me. I think this is some of the most important rule to follow for any artist and I know this advice has served me well.

Step 1:  "The Subject"
Any time you can work from life definitely do so.  There is information gained from first hand observation that you just don't get with a photo. Never copy a photo.  Years ago, I tried to do this and found it so stifling almost jumped off the roof.   Photos are fine to use but should be used as REMINDERS only!  I know I sound bossy but I am only trying to save you a trip to the roof.

*Now, photos are helpful reminders in other ways. Say your studio cat gets angry at you for whatever the latest stupid reason is and decides to drag your subject off and in the process has rearranged the drapery and you need to rebuild the set up as it was before Kitty came to play.  If you took a photo of your set up this is pretty useful (swearing under your breathe and threatening to toss the cat outside to be eaten by buzzards helps with this as well).

 Step 2: Draw! 
 After you settle on a subject the second part of the planning stage happens with a sketch. I CANNOT emphasize enough how important drawing is.  It is the back bone of all the mediums. Any time you can, hone your drawing skills. I have had students want to start right off with painting but it almost always ends in frustration and disaster.  It's easier to erase and restate lines and values on paper than it is to wipe out areas of paint. And of couse, there is no erasing with watercolor.
The study I did below evolved into a full drawing of the nest. (I added the metal ball later for a little variety in surfaces).  But you can see how a plan happens - the placement of objects, the areas of dark, the areas of light.  Squint as you go.  It eliminates distracting details like the individual sticks and folds and helps break the composition down to the simplest underlying elements. Now remember, by doing this, you will look like a pirate. And pirates are cool. Therefore, you will look cool. Don't say "argh". That is not cool.

Nest Waiting in Winter Light   charcoal & graphite  12 x 15

Step 3: Mask and Layer

When you are satisfied with the layout of your subject you can transfer it to the painting surface with a light drawing. Watercolor paper doesn't like erasing as it breaks down the surface of the paper and can affect the behavior of the paint.  Some painters avoid erasing altogether by drawing out the painting at full size then tracing their drawing onto the paper.  

I wanted the eggs to be white initially and the lightest area with the most contrast so I masked them and the white feather out with masking fluid. 

I prefer to develop the whole painting at once to keep a watch on how the colors and shadow shapes relate to one another as a whole.  I took a lot of care with the drawing of the nest but I am not getting into detail yet.  I put down my first wash as a way of planning out masses of folds and the angle of the nest to describe the forms.

Step 4: More Layers and Punch the Darks

The layers continued for the background and the folds. My colors are very limited for this. I am using only raw umber, ultramarine blue, burnt sienna, yellow ochre and a bit of paynes gray.  Paynes gray seems very popular for artists who use a more earthy palette but I find it can deaden your colors.  I keep it to the background mix to push that area back.  In this stage I take off the masking fluid and decide I don't like the eggs whiteness with the drape's whiteness.  Too blah.  So I put the first layer of a mix of cobalt and ultramarine blue on the eggs, wait for it to dry completely then, using a soft sable brush, layered a combo of raw umber, burnt sienna and ultramarine blue for the shadow.

Note: I know I said you can't erase watercolor but in some cases you can. But only under the right circumstances.  I decided to add the third egg by "lifting" the dark area of the shadow in the nest.  I took a synthetic brush and scrubbed plain water on the area I wanted to new egg to be. Then immediately blot with a paper towel. This is done best with paint that is pretty fresh and hasn't had too much time to soak into the paper.  This works best with sedimentary colors - earth colors lift pretty easily so I had that going for me.  You can get close to the original white of the paper by doing this.  Just don't wait too long to do it or that pigment will not come out and you are doomed.

Step 5: Fine Tuning:

I decided to switch out the ball for a reddish leaf to add a bit of extra color.  I also added a broken wash of burnt sienna to the background to echo the color of the nest and table.  I set the painting down for the next day to give it a final look.  Looking is super important in the making of a painting.  I sit for what seems like hours just staring at a painting and thinking up my next move.  If someone walked by I am pretty sure they would think I was dead in my chair.  A good way to see a painting with "fresh" eyes is to keep a mirror in your studio and look at your painting backwards.  It's amazing what a simple switch like that will do for seeing corrections.  Another method that I use is to set the painting up facing the studio door and leave it for the night  so the next morning it's the first thing I see when I open the door.

Anyway, I added more sticks behind the front fold to define that edge and changed the lengths and widths of the sticks coming out of the nest so it didn't look so much like a tarantula crawling across the drape. I also softened the edges of the feather with a synthetic brush.

Now, it's on it's way to the Annual Historic Springs Art Show in Chester Springs, PA.  If you are in the area please check out the show Historic Yellow Springs .