Work in progress II

A lot of different artists have little rituals on how to begin the painting process. Some artists begin with line and others with shape. I usually have an easier time figuring things out with a line drawing first.










Right after I am relatively happy with my line drawing, that's when my "little ritual" begins and I set up my "digital surface" for painting.

I duplicate the drawing layer I made earlier( duplicate shortcut: ctrl+j). One drawing layer is set to "overlay" with a burnt sienna tint, I make sure this layer is at the top. The second drawing layer is set to normal but I lower the opacity to about 30% to 40%. I keep this layer underneath the overlay layer.

After this process I go back to the background layer and give it a basic tone , so as not to start from a white canvas.

I make another layer and begin to block in the local color of the piece. Once I'm happy with the overall relationship of colors, I then add my basic shadows.

(example of layer organization)

I use this method because it's reminiscent of the initial steps I used to take when preparing a painting in oils. Working from a drawing, then transferring the drawing to the canvas and giving it a basic wash . :)

There are many challenges to this painting right now, I'm indifferent to the composition, and perhaps the answer lies in adding more contrast to emphasize lighting, or establishing a stronger perspective. I'll have to figure it out this out before I go any further.

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On Demand!

I've begun to record my process whenever possible on livestream.com !

Now mind you some of the sessions are short ( about a minute or so) and others can be very long (3 hours!)! It's all unedited , so expect slow brushstrokes, moments of pause, and maybe the occasional bathroom break!

My painting times are a bit sporadic but I hope to be able to make it easier for people to know when I will be painting live through twitter, facebook and this blog. So drop by and say hello, or check it out at your convenience!

Link: http://www.livestream.com/iconart



Many thanks Daniel C. For pushing me to do these sessions!



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