Start to finish process
Oil on Canvas
Finished size: 36" x 48"
This is a photo taken by my friend Jessica Hemerly
while she was traveling through South Africa. I immediately loved the photo, and thought it would make a great subject for a painting, and Jess was kind enough to let me use it.
I start by cropping the reference photo to get a composition I like, to proper scale based on the size of the final piece. Then I print that version and use it as a visual reference to make my drawing. I'll print it in black & white to help me focus on the values (lights & darks).
The style of the drawing is a bit different than if the final piece would be just a drawing. The focus is on capturing the main areas of value change, as opposed to accurately shaded detail.
I usually make the drawing a bit larger, to make it easier. The format of the drawing is also to specific scale, based on the size of the final piece.
For instance, the finished canvas size
will be 36 x 48 (inches)
The photo reference was cropped to 6 x 8
The drawing is 12 x 16
The classical technique, which I learned in art school, is to size your drawing appropriately, and do a charcoal transfer, whereby you coat the back of your drawing with charcoal, place it on the blank canvas (drawing up) and re-draw it, so the lines are transferred to your canvas.
With the ease of technology now, getting an enlarged image printed right on the canvas is very simple, and not too expensive.
My drawing is inked onto a primed canvas, saving a LOT of time, ready to paint on.
I built the frame with pieces from the local art store, and mounted the canvas myself when I received it from the printer.
Building the frame and mounting the canvas yourself, combined with the cost of the digital print, just about balances out against the cost of paying for an expensive, pre-stretched canvas.
The time saved by getting your drawing printed instead of using the old school transfer method, or trying to draw right on the canvas, is invaluable.
The underpainting can be done in a number of ways. A traditional style is a Bunrt Sienna / Raw Umber tone.
I like to do my underpaintings in acrylic a lot of the time because it dries immediately and you're ready to start with the oils right away.
Use Matte Medium and water to thin the paint, to apply a semitransparent coat over the entire canvas.
No, I do not use San Pellegrino to mix my acrylics. That would be a waste. The bottles are handy to use in the studio for holding regular tap water.
The real purposed of the underpainting is to give you a deep, rich tone to build on. It works with the colors you apply on top of it, and can be exposed in some areas for warm, darker shadows.
Some painters will work out their values with a high degree of detail in the underpainting process. I've done this before, but it takes up a lot more time. The underpainting can be used to varying degrees, in different ways. Lately, I tend to apply my oils pretty thick, so not much of it shows through in the end. I just use it to give my painting a good, rich tone to build upon.
If I were doing a real rush job, on a contracted illustration, I'd probably make more use of the underpainting color, meaning that I'd have to apply less paint on top of it, and make the color work for me a lot more. In this particular piece, the only place it shows through is in the face, in a few small places.
It's hard to get a good photo in my studio, with the combination of the halogens and the camera flash. For instance, there's a lot of subtle color variation in the background that just doesn't show here, but you can see some of the piece starting to take shape.
A little glimpse of my workspace. This is where my old T-Shirts go. They make perfect rags. I was working on the head scarf this day (shown in the next image).
Again, the lighting here isn't the best, but you can see another step in the color process.
I'll probably go back and tweek the color in a few spots with glazes (thin coats of oils applied on top of exisiting colors for adjustment), but here is the finished painting.
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