from thoughts to things, continued

In my last post, I discussed recording an idea for a painting by sketching on paper, but you can also sketch directly onto the canvas, with either a pencil or a thin wash of color, or both. An acrylic wash is made by thinning acrylic paint with water to create a transparent layer of paint. I like to add a small amount of acrylic gel medium to my wash to make sure it adheres well to the canvas or paper. I usually use yellow ochre or burnt sienna for my wash, but the choice of color is really up to you.

(above) The preliminary sketch for Dance Of The Dragon was based on a dream I had many years ago. The first painting based on this sketch followed the sketch pretty closely. Recently, I decided to execute a second work based on that sketch.

Pencil sketch and yellow ochre wash directly on canvas for Dance Of The Dragon II

(above) This canvas was prepared with texture and multiple coats of gesso beforehand. I then used a pencil to sketch the composition directly on the canvas and then block it in with a yellow ochre wash. At this stage, it is easy to see if corrections need to be made in the preliminary composition. You can see where I corrected the arm of the figure directly over the pencil sketch.

DANCE OF THE DRAGON II, 36” x 36”, acrylic and gold leaf on gallery-wrapped canvas

(above) Dance Of The Dragon II, follows the basic idea of the original sketch , with a few revisions. It also incorporates gold-leaf and has a moodier feeling than the original painting did.

Dreams are a rich source of inspiration for artists. The dream that inspired the original version of this painting, also inspired a couple of my fellow-artists who then created their own paintings based on their interpretations of my dream!! Fellow artists are another great source of inspiration!

(Below) Close-up details of gold-leaf work.