When planning a large painting, it is wise to map out color, form, and composition on a small scale first. Thumbnail drawings and color studies help an artist explore different images for the same visual problem quickly, and make executing the final piece much faster.
I have settled on the goal of painting a large diptych of two 30 x 34 inch canvases for the dining room, preferably to be completed by new years, when we will be hosting. The dining room up until this point has seen nothing on it’s walls and as a result echoes excessively. Time to finish the room and dampen the ringing with many things on the walls.
Pictured here is a serious of color studies for my planned paintings done in oil pastels on a small notebook, in order as drawn. I enjoy oil pastels for sketching because of how quick it is to lay down intense color, and how easily they blend together for a soft effect.
The third one (above) seems to be the favorite among those who have seen the sketches, but my mind is not yet made up. The drawings are not representational, however I do enjoy it when people tell me what they see in an abstract painting; like finding pictures in the clouds.
Feel free to leave a comment on your favorite, but hurry; I will be starting the paintings in a day or two.
There are other exciting things happening to the dining-room walls which I am excited to share with you next week in what will potentially be my last blog post of 2019.
I am very proud of myself for consistently posting every Monday all year, because it means that I have made and accomplished so many things!
