Going BIG

I've somehow lost my previous post. Has that ever happened to you? I think I must have deleted it by accident. Ugh! I do apologize. (I kinda liked it too!)

At this point I will just move forward.....

In my last post I talked about painting studies before taking on a large canvas. I painted two 10x10 pieces in preparation for the two 40x40" paintings of New York. I was happy with the studies, the values and shapes were working for me. My large canvases had been delivered. It was time to paint big.

Rainy Day Crossing Study 10x10"

Rainy Day Crossing  40x40"

Available at Gallery Amsterdam, Carmel by the Sea, California

"Fresh Fruit Hot Food" Study  10x10"

 

"Fresh Fruit Hot Food" Oil on Linen 40x40"

Available at Gallery Amsterdam, Carmel by the Sea, California

Some key points to remember -----

Paint small studies, and pick the ones you like to go big.

Pre-mix your "mother" colors. You will need large piles of paint for this.

I find it difficult to hang on to the freshness of a small piece when I decide to paint it larger. This was a challenge and a big learning experience.

I did not grid these pieces, but I might give that a try the next time. I did mark the canvas into quarters so I guess that is sort of a grid, but I only marked it on the edge of the canvas. This is important to get the scale of the piece.

I wanted to use more paint. Sometimes I forget! Next time right? A good way to do this is to use your palette knife to get the paint on - then the brush.

You really need to put the big piece as far away as you can when you look at it. I had to take mine into the house to get far enough away. The studio is pretty small.

You have to LOVE your subject matter.

Know that you can paint over a mistake, so it's okay to take a risk. The more you allow yourself to try new things and make mistakes, the more you will realize that you CAN fix a mistake. So take the risk.

Allow the large piece to take on a life of it's own, and don't copy.

Stick with a very large brush! The bigger the better.

These paintings are getting easier, and I do enjoy them, so I will continue with this series. I'm hoping to get much looser with my next piece. (I think I was more successful with the first one with this.) I've already started a couple more studies that I am liking. Remember that studies are the way to go!

You can experiment and get the look you want. Paint from your best studies. 

Now go for it!