Start with a strong all-over background colour of Phthalo Blue mixed with a touch of Phthalo Green to create a vibrant summer feel to the entire painting.
Start with a strong all-over background colour of Phthalo Blue mixed with a touch of Phthalo Green to create a vibrant summer feel to the entire painting.
You can first start by doing a light cobalt blue wash over the canvas. In this instance I haven’t used the wash. Secondly start by constructing a grid which will help you accurately draw the landscape scene.
STEP ONE
I sketched a simple drawing to identify the main shapes.
A drawing is made directly on the canvas with a mix of Permanent Mauve and Zinc White, thinned down with fast drying Underpainting Medium.
Prepare the surface i.e. stretch the paper. With 185gsm paper I generously spray each side with water, allowing time for it to absorb and for the paper to buckle.
The first thing I do when confronted with a white canvas is give it several coats of coloured gesso. In this case, because I had already determined the mood and setting,
I roughly painted my canvas by using up remaining paints from a previous painting in earthy tones. I rubbed out some areas and added more paint into sections and left any marks that will represent the dry earth and twigs etc.
After transferring my sketch of Sandy onto the canvas, I began blocking in the background. As the background will be shrouded in mist, I wasn’t concerned about putting in any great detail.
I started with a rough sketch of the composition. My initial sketch is usually quite rough, but expressive. I use it to work out the lines of action and flow of the eye.
I usually enlarge my original drawing on my photocopier to the correct size, ready to be transferred onto the 78 x 54 cm stretched piece of 300gsm Arches watercolour paper.