Creative Process 2: Town Painting

Creative Process 2: Town Painting

STEP 1

-BASIC FORM-

My first step is to decide on a composition I'm happy with. After skimming through some books for inspiration I find something I like and use it as a rough template for what I want to achieve. Then I begin to sketch the environment using lines only, no detail just the basic shape geometry.

TIP: When using photo reference, aim to create something original and try not to copy exactly. Instead focus on the lighting and value information in the photo to guide your painting process.

STEP 2

-GREYSCALE-

Next I introduce grey tones to the line sketch to establish the light dynamics of the piece. I'm still not focused on detail at this point but I know I want an area of direct sunlight cast across the top of the hill.

STEP 3

-DEEPER TONE-

Now I start to paint over the lines - still in grey tones - this creates a more solid render and enables me to add deeper tones to shaded areas and focus more on the tonal values.

STEP 4

-COLOUR PASS 1-

Now to add colour. With my reference material handy I paint over with a basic wash, keeping in mind to preserve the colour values for objects close and objects further away.

STEP 5

-COLOUR PASS 2-

This is where I study my reference material more closely to get accurate shadows and paint in the details on the statue and houses.

STEP 6

-POLISH-

Now that I have everything rendered, I finish painting the sky, add some horses to give scale and refine the highlights. I'm not in a hurry at this point and tend to take the most amount of time on the finishing touches

Thank you for all the kind comments on my last post and I welcome any comments and questions.

To view my personal portfolio, visit:

http://www.smartcreativz.com/

Till next time...keep sketching:) Pat