Having tidied up all up all of the outdoor sketches to my satisfaction... I decided to dive headlong into a large scale painting. I wanted a fall subject... and as I skipped through some older sketches, I came across a pair of 20x24 inch canvases that I had always thought would make larger painting subjects down the road.
The interesting discovery or "Idea" here however... was that I would try to incorporate the two into a single subject. This would mean adjusting and eliminating certain parts to make them work as a single composition. That was the challenge right from the onset of the project.Here are the two sketches in isolation... both attractive in their own right... but quite "myopic" in nature.
Start your engines!... Set up the acrylic toned (burnt sienna) 24x48 inch panel on the easel and commence searching out the final composition using willow charcoal. Changes can be made easily with a rag and allow a real freedom in the drawing process. When the final composition is arrived at... I simply "fix" it using a fixative or retouch varnish in aerosol form. It dries rapidly...and... Voila... you are ready to apply paint!
They say a picture is worth a thousand words... so I'll save a couple of thousand by posting four... in an attempt to [hopefully] relate the changes that occurred during the three painting sessions it took to complete the painting. I was in no hurry to finish... and stopped when I felt the need to just stare at the emerging parts and make decisions to guide the next session. It moved along very easily to its conclusion really.
The top image shows the "tweaking"...."pushing and pulling" of edges... the refining process after the bull work is completed. I think that this exercise and the final product validates my belief that outdoor painting vastly educates one and provides material to push forward in the quiet and comfort of one's studio to create exciting works on a grander scale. It does not diminish the smaller work in any way. They are two very different exercises.
I hope that you enjoyed the post!
Good painting to all!
