Monday 17 April 2017

Spot the Mistake

More work with my value plans. Still trying to get the idea that I need the plan... any plan and then I have to fit the subject within the lights and darks of the plan... tricky!!

So as I do tend to paint in the seasons I was trying yet another daffodil composition and was becoming somewhat disgruntled with what seemed to a be a boring lacklustre painting!!

Here it is

All a bit smooth and uninteresting partly I think because I am so wrapped up in placing my darks and keeping my lights!!

Anyway, I talked to  Bev Wells whose support and input in this journey has been invaluable and we agreed the composition was a bit tedious but I also felt I was becoming a little restricted by staying within the plan and as Bev pointed out the painting is the same... I need to use all the tricks up my sleeve, the only thing I am doing any different is having some idea as to where I might place the lights and darks beforehand.

So, my colour choices, my brushstrokes, paint techniques all stay the same and I need not be restricted  just because I have some plan to start with and I think the penny dropped again.... lots of penny's need to drop I think before I get the whole thing but I am determined to get to the point where I can incorporate this planning into my natural way of painting.

So I set to again over the weekend and added a few more touches which I do feel have transformed the piece but again having spoken to Bev there are things I could have done to improve it.... I wonder if any of you can come up with some compositional ideas? I have decided not to alter this one as I don't think it would be that easy and while I am not usually precious about paintings and certainly agree with the premise that we should take our paintings to the final point even if we ruin rather than leave not quite finished, I really quite like this one as it is. One day I may look at it and if I ever get to do a workshop with Bev I will take it and maybe work on it with her... let me know what you think