Oil & Acrylic Paintings

Painting is by far my favorite way of artistic expression, however sometimes the spacial constraint of having children doesn't allow me to set up and have a dedicated painter's workspace for very long... but when I do get the chance to spend some good quality time with a painting I thoroughly enjoy it.

about my technique:

No matter if I'm painting with acrylics or oils, I like to start by completely covering my canvas in a medium to slightly-dark grey. This helps to reduce those little white flecks of canvas that like to appear, especially if you are painting thin.

Same with all other mediums, I generally start with a few thumbnail sketches, and I might even go so far as to work out my basic color scheme in Photoshop. During these phases I determine light sources, and at least have a rough idea of where I want everything to go. Then I'll take a grey colored pencil, slightly off from the shade I primed it with, and I'll lightly sketch in my subject matter.

With all of my "technique" sections, please don't assume that I'm saying that my way is the only right way to do it. That is absolutely not the case. Every artist has their own niche they discover works best for them.

When I start putting in my base colors of my subjects, I tend to start in the middle of my gradation range. This way, with each pass over my painting, I can take the shadows slightly darker, and the highlights slightly brighter. I like doing it this way, and after each phase, I step back and decide if I need to take it a step further, or if it is okay where it is at. This technique can be applied to any painting, no matter the subject.