Tip: Steps In the Painting Process

A documented process can go a long way toward helping ensure consistency and quality in the work we do. For instance, few would consider creating a new or unfamiliar food without consulting a recipe. Providing a fundamental set of steps to guide an artist provides similar results.

Although each artist develops his or her own preferences, the fundamentals are almost always the same. The following describes steps that can be used with most mediums.

1. Select a subject – This may be an obvious first step but it should not be performed too hastily. Although subjects can come from almost any source, the best subjects are those that inspire or motivate the artist. Spend some time picking a subject that you will not lose interest in before you have completed the painting process. It may help to try and write down what you are thinking if it is not clear what you hope to accomplish.
2. Determine the overall composition - Identify the focal point for the composition that best supports the subject and your reason for painting it. Pick the size, shapes, and proportions of your canvas. Then determine how the shapes will be arranged on the canvas to lead the viewer’s eyes into and through the painting (sometimes called “armature”). Finally, consider other compositional elements such as balance, rhythm, variation, and so forth. If the composition is simple you might be able to work it out in your head, if not you can do it on paper.

3. Under-paint the canvas (optional) – Under-painting changes the harsh white canvas to a background color that better supports the subject and composition. For many, under-painting frees them from feeling like they have to cover the canvas with paint. Most under-painting is done using warm earth colors (like burnt sienna). One school of thought is that you should under-paint with the complementary color of what will be the primary color of your subject.

4. Sketch the shapes – Sketch the basic shapes of your composition on the canvas using lines to represents the contours (at a minimum draw the important hard edges). Most of the time you should be able to put your ideas on canvas freehand using charcoal, pencil, or paint. When necessary, you can transcribe an image with great accuracy by using a grid or overhead projector. Because many paints are transparent, the sketch should be light (for example, use a thin wash and neutral colors when sketching with paint).
5. Complete a value study (optional) - Squint at your subject so you can better see the values in the shapes. Start with the darkest value and roughly paint the value onto the sketch. Do the same with the lightest value. Then identify at least three intermediate values and paint them in as well. Whether this step is performed separately or not, you must correctly capture the relative values in your painting.
6. Paint middle colors - Choose a set of basic pigments to use in your painting. Mix a middle value color for the darkest shape that matches the darkest value. Block-in the darkest shapes using that color. Then mix colors for the middle values and paint them. Save the lightest values for last. Each color you add must match the value that is underneath it.
7. Paint lighter and darker tones – Now lighten or darken each shape to give it form and add intermediate details. This step includes the softening and hardening of the edges between shapes and colors. This step is repeated until the desired level of detail is obtained.
8. Add final details – Add any final details including highlights as needed. Be careful not to add too many highlights as they will distract from the overall composition.

The examples belong to Connie Snipes who is an artist from Charlotte, North Carolina (www.conniesnipes.blogspot.com).