76 August-September 2019 / http://www.outdoorpainter.com
the elements
DEMONSTRATION:Boosting Color to Add Energy to a Dull Scene
Step 1
I almostalwaysstarta paintingwitha quick
thumbnailsketch.Thishelpsmethinkthroughthedesignandestablishtheparametersofthescene.
WhenI’mfacedwithanoverwhelmingamountofvisualinformationoutside,it’shelpfultoreducemy
subjecttoa bite-sizesketchthatI canuseasa guide.A thumbnailalso helps me to plan out the values.
OftenI domultiple sketches and choose the best design to paint.Step 3
Next,I placedthedarks.MostpaintingsI lovehavea
fullrangeofvalues—fromverydarktoverylight—
soI trytogetthedarksinearlytoestablishthatend
ofthevaluespectrum,andbecausetheylookbestin
thefinishedpaintingwhentheyaremoretranspar-
entandthinner,creatinga basefortheothervalues.
Thisispartofwhypaintingthin-to-thickisa good
habit,evenif youworkina mediumlikeacrylics,
wherehavingthepaint dry properly isn’t an issue
like it is with oils.
Step 2
Sincethedaywasmostlycloudyandgray,I thoughta warm,colorfulsurfacewouldbringlifetothe
scene.I chosea canvaspanelthatI’dpre-paintedwitha thinlayerofGoldenFluidAcrylics’quinacridone
gold.I thenpaintedinthedesignwithburntsiennaandcadmiumred.Unlessit’sa reallydetailedor
architecturallyimportantscene,I usuallypaintthedesigndirectly,bypassing a pencil sketch — this saves
time, and I know I can correct small things later if my design is imperfect.Step 4
ThenextthingI dois blockinthebasiccolorsandvalues,stayingfairlytruetowhatI actuallysee.I might
pushthoseelementsa littleatthispoint,butmainlyI’mjusttryingtogetthegistofthescenedown.
Whilecoveringmostofthecanvas,I allowsomeoftheunderpaintingtoshowthrough.Becauseof that,
the scene still carries a largely warm feeling, even though it’s a predominantly gray afternoon.View of the scene View of my acrylic plein air setup