Painting, the process

Test painting for color, scale and general layout

Starting the final painting on the left. Test painting on the right for reference.

Final painting, in process

Final painting - complete!

Sunday, I finished this piece and I thought I would share some of the steps with you.

At the top is the test painting which is my trial run for the composition, the colors, the scale of the elements, etc. I probably spent a few hours on it. It has to have enough detail to feel like the real thing, but I have to keep moving because after all, it's a test.

As it turned out with this one, I was pretty happy with it overall. I did change up two of the plants growing out of the top of the frame because I thought they looked too heavy. And I changed the oval frame a bit to give it more interest.

The little color swatches that you see around it, help to make sure the color I have on the brush is exactly how I want it.

This one is ready to be shipped off to the annual AMOA-Arthouse 5×7 show. The opening is set for April 4, 2013 at The Jones Center in Austin, TX.