If you have been following my “On the Easel” posts, you might have noticed that my painting approach changed ever so slightly.
Old approach: I would start by rapidly blocking in rough colors and shapes. I would then spend the rest of the painting refining the subject. Below are some examples of paintings using this approach:
https://drawpaintacademy.com/sunrise-bribie-island…
https://drawpaintacademy.com/tree-dappled-light/
The problem with this approach is that it’s easy to be reckless at the start of the painting. And if you mess up the start of a painting, you need to spend the rest of the painting trying to fix it.
New approach: I start rendering the subject from the first stroke and I use little solvent, if any. This is more of a classic alla prima approach. The brushwork is more direct and there’s less layering. Here’s an example:
https://drawpaintacademy.com/wellington-point-shim…
It’s still early days, but this approach feels much smoother. I’m more efficient with my strokes and the colors are sharper.
That’s not to say either approach is superior to the other. In fact, I still use the old approach from time to time, particularly for moody, ambient subjects.
This email is merely a reminder to not get caught up in your own ways. The way you have been doing things is not the only or likely best way.
Branch out from time to time. It won’t always work. But the downside is a failed painting or two; the upside is a potentially dramatic improvement in your process.
Happy painting!
Dan Scott
drawpaintacademy.com
PS. A few days ago, I sent you a reference photo to paint from. The idea is that readers can try and paint it and send me a photo of the outcome. Then in a month’s time I’ll check back to see how we all went. I finished my painting the other day (to be revealed). Here’s the reference photo again if you want to paint it yourself. It will be interesting seeing all the different interpretations of the same scene.