What’s your painting process?
1. Preparation:
First things first, let's set the stage. Find yourself a cosy spot with plenty of light. Prepare your canvas or chosen surface, giving it a solid foundation with which to paint. I chose pink as my underpainting colour, as the reference photo had a pinkish light that I wanted to peek through the other colours. I tend to paint on board, mostly, so I when I do I use clear or white gesso or acrylic paint in neutral tones.
Next, I gather my tools: paints, brushes, palette knife, palette, kitchen roll or old rags and low odour white spirit. I’m not ready to get started on mixing my colours!
2. Sketching/Underdrawing:
I lightly sketch out the main parts of my image in pencil or charcoal, focusing on shapes and composition. Paying attention to the big picture – proportions, perspective, and balance. If I’m painting a portrait, I’ll draw it out first then I’ll transfer the drawing using compressed charcoal on the reverse of the paper.
Here the background is so dark, I’ve used oil pastels and oil paint to block in the areas I’ll paint in this copy of a Milt Kobayashi painting.
3. Blocking In/Underpainting:
Time to lay down the groundwork. Blocking in the main shapes with colour, using broad strokes with wide brushes.
Basic colours are blocked in and no details are added at this stage.
4. Building Layers:
Layer by layer, the painting will come to life. Starting from the background, working my way to the foreground. Keeping an eye on the details, textures, and how colours blend and transition. I sometimes work wet on wet, if I’m on a roll, other times I let each layer dry before adding the next. There are no hard and fast rules on this, its just sometimes if you’re starting out, you’ll find it easier to work wet on dry.
Colours are blocked in and the colours are being ‘balanced’ to give depth and recede where necessary.
5. Refinement:
Then I’ll refine the rough edges and go round the painting sorting any “snagging” issues! Paying attention to the finer details, tweaking shapes, colours, and contrasts to create depth and dimension. It's all about adding that something extra, adding a bit of magic at the end!
My final painting of ‘Flo’ 4 x 6 inches
6. Evaluation:
Throughout the process of painting it’s essential to walk away for a short time. Take a toilet break, have a cuppa. When you return to the painting, whatever you were struggling with, should be easily resolved once you’re got fresh eyes on it. Trust your instinct, what you saw that first moment you returned, is what you should change. But remember if it’s a fundmental flaw in the drawing that may take a long time to rectify. And may well ruin the painting, then decide if it’s something you can live with.
7. Finishing Touches:
Almost there! Add those final flourishes – highlights, accents, anything to give your painting that extra wow factor. And don't forget to sign your masterpiece – it's your stamp of approval!
8. Drying and Varnishing:
Patience is key! Let your painting dry completely before even thinking about varnishing, especially if you're using oil paints. A protective varnish will not only preserve your work but also make those colours pop.
9. Cleanup:
Lastly I tidy up, cleaning my brushes thoroughly with odourless white spirit, then washing them with olive soap or washing up liquid in warm water. Pat dry and let them air dry. And don’t forget to clean the palette, scrape the paint off with a palette knife and wipe if off into a kitchen roll to throw away. Then clean the residue with white spirit.
Cleaning your brushes is essential if you don’t want to ruin them
