This is the third installment on making the painting titled "Burgundy and Blue."
In the previous two BobBlasts you saw how I begin and approach a painting:
*First, writing my goals for this piece
*Sketching and planning the composition with the large shapes
*Toning the canvas with orange gesso
*Finally, starting with a loose, wet color of gold on the canvas
Now, this is the moment I've been waiting for - building up layers of paint, using less water for each layer, along with more pigmented color. For me, this is the time I look forward to... free-falling in a sea of imagination and running amok
with paint!
I usually don't expect the painting to be finished quickly. For me this is the joy of painting - and staying focused on my goals and the painting title.With this next step, I will build the contrast -
the darks, the lights and the strong shadows.
I start to work on the checkerboard pattern with a flat brush. I tend to not make this a mechanical drawing of proper squares. I like painting with whimsical brush strokes of color, all the while keeping in mind my light source
(the window) and shadow areas.
I may veer off from my initial color combination, but will get back to it later and pull the painting together. Remember not to finish one area before moving on to another area... meaning paint all over the canvas concurrently. I call this
grubling about with color! For me this becomes the soul of painting, fueled by the fire in the belly.
Welcome to BobLand!
