Here is a painting, an oil study I did. I took photos of the work in different stages so you can see how the painting process works. I know that when I was an art student, forget that, even still to this day, I always wonder what the different stages of creating a painting looked like. When I go to the Met, and wander through the galleries I always look for clues to show me how the painting was painted. What stages of the painting process were used.
One of the biggest mistakes I see aspiring painters make is thinking that you just draw it and then try to carefully fill it in. Almost in the way you would if you were coloring in a coloring book picture. That’s not the way I paint or teach. Each layer, each stage, is a “refining” layer. Correcting, adding to, changing, what came before and what is already down on the canvas.
Take a look.
The blocking in stage. Details may be indicated but they are not fixed. I’m not married to keeping everything where it is on the canvas. After the “drawing” stage, which is better termed the placing stage, my mind is on the larger forms. The blocking in.
The next stage takes what’s already down. Looks at it with a critical eye, and starts making refinements. The street gets a little more defined in shape and color. The stores next to the Starbucks (which I assume you can tell is the building at the corner) get more defined. The pedestrian traffic sign also gets added.
More refinements. Some more details. As this was meant to be a sketch, I wasn’t concerned with getting much degree of finish to the paint. Getting every detail wasn’t my intention. Just enough to convey the visual impression I was after.
The area around the Starbucks on the corner became the true focal area. The traffic light had more details added to it as well as the interesting cast shadows of the buildings behind the row of shops.
The finished piece before I signed it. Some more trees were sketched in around the focal area. The wording of other stores, a little accent here, a small highlight there.
If you are interested you can check out my online art school to learn oil painting from me.