Troll Process; First Moves

Somewhere in the caverns of my mind I realized that I could photo-journal this while I was making it. It turns out to be quite interesting to me. Far too often is a painting finished and one has to just remember how it got there. With this new "computer-magic", well, we can all go along for the ride.

If you've read the past posts (Have A Spare) you'll remember that this had to be redrawn. I was toying with the idea of drawing it a 3rd time, onto the 500 series Strathmore board. But I decided that I'd work on the Arches 300#. It has a way of absorbing the pigment that softens the blends, and can be atmospheric in a way.

With that behind us, OFF WE GO!

This first image is the drawing on board, and some reference material, i.e. the value study, the color study, and some photo reference. This way of making a picture isn't the fastest way, no doubt, but it does work out many kinks early on, and lets the picture develop to have a 2nd and 3rd read in it. I believe you can find this method in earlier Art History because people did spend a lot of time with paintings after they were finished, what with no babble-boxes and whizbangers to occupy our time. So, for this painting, which is an image that one might find inside a book, the method is quite appropriate. Remember when you were a child, and how you delved into each picture in a book, drinking in all the details.

Ah, the fist moves, possibly some of the most terrifying things ever. After making a lovely drawing, what do you do but slop paint all over it! This is where the color study comes in handy, it's like a road map, and helps take the edge off. You may notice, that at this stage I am blocking in the warms and cools of the painting. The blues get a little blown out in the photo, but all in all it is pretty balanced on the painting itself.

Working back to front, and big to small, and warm to cool. The basic tenets of watercolor painting. Here the background is brought to a semi-finished state. There is still some room to punch up the values later on when each section is spoken to. In the end this will allow a certain value harmony. I suppose if I'd achieved a certain level of mastery I could paint each part to its completion each step of the way, using the value study as my guide, but my dear reader, I have yet to be quite that confident. Maybe with time.

Today is another workday, look for a new post coming soon!

PS: there are a whopping 8 posts that chronicle the creation of this piece, to see the next moves check out Post #6: Troll, rolling along
to see the previous post about this image go to Post #4: Have a Spare