Alla Prima Still Life Stages
This was a 5 hour exploratory sketch from life in changing light conditions. I thought it might be helpful for you to look through. I wanted to see how much information I could capture within a single session. The lighting conditions were natural, southern light - so it went from cool blue to sunny to cool again over the course of the painting session.
The main thing I’d like to strongly impress upon you is although I am working more with value masses, there is NO replacement for good drawing, which starts with a pencil and line. I strongly suggest folks still developing their observational skills to work in line first. If I had to work linearly for years and years, trust me, it is an essential practice to good painting!
I have no issue with artists working en-masse when they are able to reasonably control the outcome. Until you are able to analyze and see how shapes inter-relate as linear design elements, working en-masse does not mean a good drawing foundation has been achieved.
Notice establishment of light & dark shape in main subject (skull)
Notice that my initial exploratory layer is thin/transparent, shapes are simple but somewhat specific.
Once the initial surface is addressed, I begin in more opaque paint working from background to subject (skull).
Now an opaque layer of paint covers the surface. Prints on the fabric have been ignored (think: disregarding locol color changes) in the interest of establishing a strong sense of light, dark, and form.
I begin adding the prints on top of the wet opaque paint, paying attention to their relative changing values on the fabric itself.
Notice that the subject (skull) has not changed.
The prints are in, and now I spend the remainder of my time (about 2 hrs) was spent painting the subject more specifically, addressing the edges, and fine-tuning values and colors to preference.
Notice my palette organization.
