This a a ten-day burst of blogs! I am writing these posts to ‘flesh out’ my Instagram 10-day challenge. I have decided on a theme called: The Colour of Landscape
Day 6
There are so many ways to start a painting, but I find the most successful ways that work for me is to either use a tonal underpainting – usually Ochre and umber, or to use a colour beginning.
In The Black Pine, I have shown the ‘first pass’ which is a colour beginning. This enables me to use glazing and impasto, turbid areas and soft edges. By having a lurid colour beginning, some of these colours will sparkle through!
In the beginning I used acrylic as in the colour beginning below, but these days I often opt for oil glazes. A colour beginning will also sort out any ‘blank canvas paralysis you may experience!
The cooler colours often become dark areas and the warm light bright colours become infused with light.
I keep returning to colour beginnings for the ‘first pass’ and I think it is because I am challenged and the painting takes on a life of its own rather than being governed by the original photo or drawing. I really like using oils mixed with quite a lot of medium for my colour beginnings and then I am forced to ponder awhile – a day or so!
Both these paintings have been sold, but if look in my gallery to see what I am up to now.
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