Studying the study

Sometimes it's fun to look under the hood and see how something's put together, especially when trying something new. I began this painting with a slightly different approach to the underpainting; I also wanted to paint thinly and allow looser, wetter passages to survive through the final touches. Here's the tack I took:


I began with the simple sketch above, transferred it onto a 5 x 7 panel, and blocked in values with Burnt Sienna as you can see here (this is different from my usual approach of blocking in color). My intent was to create a warm, glowing base that would peek through at the finished work.


Once I had a simple value structure in play, I began laying in thin areas of hue to structure the composition further. Already having some ground was useful at this stage; otherwise the thin color areas would have shown the white gessoed surface rather than these richer, warmer values.

In short order I developed an underpainting with more heft thanks to the initial value underlayment. I could live with this! I tend to think of compositions in terms of value anyway, so this is a natural... Here's a better view of how the painting looked at this stage:

Next, I began defining a wider range of hues, having pre-mixed my colors so I wouldn't have to worry about mixing the fast-drying acrylic bit by bit. I loaded my palette and kept the spray bottle nearby and just worked from large areas to small.


Final adjustments, finished piece. The underpainting is still showing through in places, adding that warmth; I like the interplay of cool and warm hues and expressive shadows, capturing the feel of evening on the Plateau.

(As always, click to enlarge)

Batiquitos lagoon

The results of my half-day plein-air outing to Batiquos lagoon, near Carlsbad, CA.

I decided to use acrylics and make several quick studies (two smaller images) before tackling a finished painting (top)... I was able to work out the kinks in my rig (I retrofitted an old camera tripod and devised a clamping system for the panels/canvas) and get warmed up myself. Then, a race to sunset! (I lost the light on the larger piece about half-way through... but had blocked in enough that I could finish). And breaking down my rig, I noticed that the mosquitos had come out.

I'll have to return now that I've scoped out this location - lots of interesting vistas - and more mosquitos to feed.

Taking another tack

I decided to take another tack (sailing pun intended) on the seagull painting posted earlier. This time, I decided to use acrylic - the previously painted oil was done in one sitting, and I had a devil of a time with the underpainting coming up through subsequent strokes. This encouraged me to paint rather daintily and with too much precision (in my view) and the end result is rather stiff.

My goal this time through was to paint more broadly, with a more relaxed stroke (if you can actually paint "broadly" on a 5x7 panel!) and to let the underpainting peek through in areas. I was aiming for a bit more texture and snap than what I ended up with, but that's something for me to address as I get more comfortable with the medium... As it is, I'm happier with the brushwork. The quick dying time of the acrylic allowed me to paint freely and overpaint fully when warranted.

I ran across the website of a very fine plein-air painter by the name of Marcia Burtt, who has influence me toward a more saturated palette as well.

Our stay at the coast allowed me lots of kayak time, and I have a bundle of photos and ideas for some upcoming seaside images... stay tuned.