Sketch over toned panel. I'm working from a photo displayed on a computer monitor and a 9x12 sketch I painted earlier. In the sketch there's a close in foreground cliff with trees in the lower right corner, but I liked this view better with the big buttress of rock leading into the picture. The shot is looking west down a tributary creek that leads into the Colorado River taken from one of the points on the West Rim Drive. It's around midday with little in the way of direct shadows to define the forms. I'm hoping the cloud shadows will do this for me. Anyway, a challenging subject.
Blocking in the darks and starting the cliffs. Trying to get the values about right knowing I'll probably go back to lighten them up later. In general, the foreground stuff is thin with little or no white, middle and background shapes have some.
Canyon is now fully blocked in with undertones or colors that will remain unchanged. I left the sky for last, not sure why but it's become a habit for me. I'll lighten up the values in the distance and work in the foreground details until it's done. Leave what works, remove or change the rest.
Taking the Long View 36x36 oil on panel
4 comments:
Nice demo, Bill! I'm curious to know what colors are on your palette.
Thanks, Michael. I typically use titanium white, cad yellow light, cad red light, alizarin crimson, ultramarine blue and cerulean blue on my palette. Sometimes indian yellow and cobalt blue for a bit more variety, but any more than that and I get confused! Basically yellow, red, blue.
A great post with clear insight into your working methods and palette. Thank you for that and another lovely image.
Yeah, I don't usually talk too much about how things happen, but I like how this one turned out and thought I'd share it. And thanks for your comments. Been painting lately?
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