SKATEKEY Painting stages
Every painting has a process, a combination of things which happen in sequence. I have a natural tendency to stop, allow the paint to dry & consider what I will do next. After 20 years of painting it occurred to me that I could photograph the work at these stopping points as a way to present process to students almost an animation of the painting progress & to demonstrate my thought process as the painting progressed. To that end, here are a few stages recorded for the painting titled “Skatekey” a 12” x 16” watercolor on Arches HP paper using Winsor Newton watercolors.
Page 1 of 8
SKATEKEY Painting stages Layout drawing first stage
“Skatekey”layout drawing in 2H graphite with a 6mm mechanical pencil. Working from a gridded photograph, careful placement of object outlines & graph paper grid establish accuracy quickly and demonstrate object scale in contrast to negative space. Near front edge items added to present optical illusion effect of overlap & establish the absence of foreshortening – distance to viewer.
Page 2 of 8
SKATEKEY Painting stages First color wash
Faint washes of color establish shadow areas and touches of red & yellow are made in their appropriate locations. These same colors are dropped into the shadow washes to enliven them & provide color consistency according to the Impressionists dictum “every color everywhere�. The first slight resemblance to bleached animal bones still life projects is noted in this stage in the absence of local color.
Page 3 of 8
SKATEKEY Painting stages second color addition
Local color and correct value range is applied including rust texture elements in the folding (church key) bottle opener. White highlights are carefully avoided to reserve the whites. Carefully leaving the “best� until last, the central marbles are left as untouched white orbs.
Page 4 of 8
SKATEKEY Painting stages Third color stage
blue grid lines are applied with an adjustable nib ruling pen. Allowances & variations are made where the grid lines pass through shadow. Main color elements of the bottle opener are added, light accent color touches are added to the acute focus, high interest marbles. Shadow darks of the marble balanced on the bottle opener are laid in. Blue grid pencil guide lines erased.
Page 5 of 8
SKATEKEY Painting stages Fourth color stage
shadows completed, lens effects of marbles casting highlights among the shadows are completed shadow color touches are added and blue grid areas dampened & removed as observed. color diversity details added to skatekey & bottle opener
Page 6 of 8
SKATEKEY Painting stages Fifth painting stage
marble colors carefully laid in preserving luminosity & highlights. Color compliments & details applied to the 5 focal point marbles Toothpick color & shadow aspects are finally included. Shadow value accents added to balance object darks.
Page 7 of 8
SKATEKEY Painting stages Final painting stage
Tone & value additions to the gridded paper. Final dampening & lifting of blue lines last color additions to shadow areas. Last darkening wash added to darkest shadow areas. Color points added to enrich most darks. Final edge lifting to soften & blend. Signature block added to “finish� the drawing.
Page 8 of 8