Starting with a Value Study

Many times I am too eager to begin painting and don't take the preliminary steps that might help me, but I felt it was necessary for this piece. As you can see below, the photograph I had to work from was of such poor quality that I wasn't sure I even had enough info to make a painting of the scene.

I really loved the woman sitting on the sidewalk with all of her creature comforts - umbrella to shade her from the sunset, a cold drink, cell phone in hand and a comfy chair. I wanted to make sure I gave it my best effort.

The source photo was over exposed.

To increase my understanding of what was happening with the values and shapes in this image, I made a black and white charcoal study first. This helped immensely; I was able to work out my drawing and values in this preliminary piece at the exact size I would be painting. I corrected and fixed things at this stage and was much more familiar with what I was painting by the time I picked up my brush.  You don't have to get every detail down or make a masterpiece. Get the shapes of dark, medium and light that tell the story so that YOU understand what's going on.

A charcoal study helped define shapes and values.

Here is the final painting which is available at Hampton House Gallery in Winston-Salem, NC.

The final work: Woman in Chair, 11" x 14", oil

This is a method I will continue to use for these studio pieces - it went so much smoother and required very little rework allowing me to keep a freshness I often lose by redoing.