Hello, friends!
I thought it would be fun to share some pictures of the start-to-finish of my painting, "Shirley Lane." Every artist works differently, and this is just a peek into how I paint with acrylics!
(Sidenote: These are not the most professional photos, as I would usually snap one quickly at the end of a session, but you can get a feel for the stages nonetheless.:)
After priming the canvas with gesso and a little color, I charcoal a really rough sketch to visualize placement of my subjects. I'd had this painting in mind for quite awhile, so I didn't take more than a minute with the charcoal here.:)
Working quickly, I get the canvas covered and lay in my background. I keep the undertones dark on the bottom half.
Now I block in my trees and path. At this point, things are pretty clearly set where they are going to be. This is an ugly stage!:)
I work on highlighting the trees on the left. It was important to focus the light and brightness at the top of the painting. My main subject and focal point will eventually be there, and I want the eye to naturally be drawn there.
I start refining the path...keeping cool, mossy shadows low, and warm, orange tones at the top. I wanted the woods on the left to feel darker, but cozy, not creepy.:) I also block in my foreground fence with rhododendron bushes around it.
I paint in the gate and fence line, and highlight the rhododendron bushes a bit.
Now for my two main subjects...a little girl with her dog. I want them to be at the edge of where the path begins to lighten.
I add a basket of flowers for the girl to carry, refine the flowers a bit on the right, and I'm finished painting.
I ship it out to the print shop for high-res scans, have those turned into fine art giclee prints/notecards, and they're ready for the shop!
