Beg 2 Full Color Oil Painting Beginning With Tonal Arrangement

I did have the advantage of using a photograph to paint this but I wanted to show that you CAN paint a painting in one sitting, about two hours. But only if you have all the details figured out before you begin. I tried to do this with the same parameters I give you, put my brush where my mouth is so to speak. I really enjoyed painting this in the class on the last day. I used only three colors of paint and white. I find that limiting my pallet to be an easier way to get the colors you choose to look like they belong together. Hope it helps to understand the process a little better.

I used a china marker to quickly sketch the overall pattern of darks and lights

Put a bit of dark/neutral paint in one corner – some thinner in the other corner.

Mix the values you need in between.

For tonal arrangement – cover the entire canvas. You want to really scrub this in and don’t get too dark.

Rub out the very light areas with thinner and cloth and make a few marks with the vine charcoal or thinned paint to match your sketch.

Again with the pallet, some paint in one corner, thinner in the other. Use different brushes to paint your grisaille.

Paint the darkest areas first.

Refer to the pattern in your sketch.

Add midtones.

Add more midtones, light tones.

I changed my mind in the middle – decided to add back in the red can behind the glass. The grisaille is so much easier to fix. Imagining trying to fix this once paint is on the canvas!

The finished painting. It isn’t the greatest but it’s really good practice to do this. You cannot use skills you don’t have but must simply rely on what you know. You cannot paint something twice, there isn’t time. You don’t have time to think and you can only fly!!! I really enjoyed interpreting the glass bottle and also painting with the class.