Saturday, September 18, 2010

Underpaintings

View to Skaha Lake
12 x 12
oil on wrapped canvas
SOLD
I've been doing an enormous amount of reading various artists' blogs and have picked up so many tips and ideas and sometimes wish I could go back and find out where some of these came from. I should really document as I go. This painting above was from a photo taken during a plein air outing and the method I used was to do a fairly detailed underpainting in one hue that being iron oxide. I found this helped me get a better range of values and an idea of whether the design was going to work. It also helped to cover all the white right away as I hate those little specks showing through. Then it was just pure fun adding in the colors!

Monday, September 13, 2010

Between Races

Ladner Marina Pochade
8 x 10
oil on canvas board
This little piece was a plein air painted a few blocks from my home on the coast.  A few buildings were taken out as with landscape pieces I find that I have problems with design if I don't change things around a little.  And although I was trying to be on the realistic side regarding hue I'm now thinking I should have used my artistic license and changed the color scheme.  I'm loving how much I'm learning by getting outside to paint.  In the meantime I've now finished my last big event - riding my bicycle from Vancouver to Whistler and have also found out that I've sold some more paintings so now I'm going to have to put the bike away and get back to some serious painting!