I use up any left over paint on my palette to get some colour, shapes, marks etc down on pre-cut papers and have a variety of starts to choose from. I am finding that I like some of the shapes and pattern that are in the first layer(s) of paint but eventually most of it gets painted out. I am going to experiment putting more of these patterns and shapes in later as I'm painting, but I don't want to become constrained by them. I went back and looked at some of the work done during January and there were a few things I was neglecting to do and some things I should have been doing more of. Was finding the foregrounds were very 'white' (light!) - needed more paint, texture and neutrals, glazing would create more depth and richness in the paint layers and being bolder with my mark making. If you don't push the boundaries painting these I feel things will become 'safe' and 'boring' and moving on to larger more finished work will leave me wth a strong feeling of dissatisfaction.
So here is the start and where I am going to end this painting. The finish seems somewhat disjointed, - with the large dark shape on left and lighter area on right - but I am happy to be getting back into a more thoughtful and experimental mindset.
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| Start |
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| Thought it was done. Added some glazing and 'cleaned up' the neutral area on the right hand side and reintroduced line work and some coloured pencil |
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| Finish 10"X8 1/4" Acrylic mixed media on 140lb hotpress watercolour paper |
In the weeks ahead I will (or hope to!) be experimenting with neutral mixes and glazing and seeing where that takes me with my daily painting. Neutrals are so important and I really need to be more confident in mixing and using these. Enjoy your day wherever you are and whatever you are doing!
