Comments on: Precision: Step 1

By: Damon

Damon — Wed, 28 Nov 2007 21:19:35 +0000

Hi Thomas. I actually tend to vary my methods from subject to subject, depending on my resources and the demands of what I’m painting. This painting has been a little unusual in that I did the compositional designing right on the canvas, as opposed to making a drawing on paper first. I do like to make a sketch first and then transfer that sketch to the canvas, but as I said, my methods do vary.

Since the model for this subject is a friend who lives 14 hours away from me, I only had him around for a short time while I was trying to decide on the basic design for the painting. As a result, the composition itself was created with the model at hand, but the actual painting has had to be done from a variety of sources, including photos that I have altered on Photoshop to suit my needs.

Probably the wine and apple are the only things that I can paint from life on this one, and even then I’ll be changing the bottle’s labels and cork to suit my own needs. The buildings are based on drawings for an architect’s building proposal, and the rest of the background I’m just inventing. The Spanish tile design, for example, I created right on the canvas in charcoal without making any initial sketches. I pretty much knew what I wanted right from the beginning anyway, so to go to the trouble to design the tiles on paper first would have just taken extra time.

By: Thomas

Thomas — Tue, 27 Nov 2007 21:35:11 +0000

Do you use models or anything like that for the initial sketch? Thank you.

-Tom

By: Damon

Damon — Fri, 12 Oct 2007 17:46:09 +0000

Are you saying that if I enter my easel into the state fair I’ll be a shoe-in for the grand prize? Perfect! That way, I wouldn’t have to do any real work at all.

By: bryan

bryan — Tue, 02 Oct 2007 16:08:08 +0000

Yes, it’s all true. Even the part about the ribbon. Thanks, by the way. The only other way an Artist can get a ribbon is by gluing feathers and barbed wire to a utility cart, setting it on fire, and entering it in the state fair.

Looking forward to the development of your new painting. Looks promising as always, even if it does have to grow up on some sort of bamboo-catgut-adobe “easel”.

Bryan Larsen

P.S. I dictated this comment to my easel while it was treating me to a nice deep-tissue massage and soothing my nerves with a little harp music. I understand there is an upgrade which will also pour the perfect beer.