Wednesday, November 13, 2013

"Taxi" painting, Session 2



I had my second session of painting "Taxi" today. Dean suggested that I should first paint it all monochromatic so that I could focus on the development of the entire image without being distracted by color early on. I think it was very helpful, as I was able to concentrate on shapes and tones, and also make sure that the lines and perspective stayed intact.

Right now, I think it's looking a whole lot like a graphic novel (or an A-ha video!). :) Between the monochromatic tones, the perspective, and the sharp lines. It's certainly unlike anything I've ever painted before!

I'm still working on just covering the canvas. There are so many small components that are important, I want to make sure that I'm not covering any of it up by accident. I also find that my method of painting this image is different than most others. I'm really painting by concentrating on small and large blocks of color and tone, rather than looking at it as one large image. I've only ever done this method once before, on the Chinatown painting. It's a fascinating process to go through - I'm focusing on individual color blocks, but when I step back, and I can see how they all fit together and for a cohesive image. So cool.

I got almost all the canvas filled by the end of my session today. There are still a few small spots. Eventually, I'll need to soften many of the lines, as they are all so stark and hard. Once I soften it, it'll do away with the Graphic Novel look. :)

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