UPSIZE - choosing a larger canvas

 

Wildwing Reflection, 16x20

Recently I was challenged to paint a 16x20 painting --pretty large for me. Typically I choose 8x10 and 9x12 paintings, smaller in scale and easy to paint wet into wet. I painted this as an 8x10 and used that as a reference. One big change was to correct the water line --less curved more straight than I had painted in my study. These are my thoughts and lessons learned:

Painting large required more planning. I don't always draw and measure on my canvas--as I really love painting Alla Prima, quick and loose. For the 16x20 because of the large scale, I measured and planned. And I used a T-Square to keep my shorelines straight (I cannot paint a straight line).

I also had to map out my game plan as to how I would approach the painting (I like painting wet into wet). On Day 1, I used Trans Oxide Red with Gamsol to tone the canvas and once dried I used Trans Oxide red to put in the shoreline and trees, rubbing out the light areas of the trees. Design all set and done, next up paint!

The next day I pulled out my paint colors--I knew I would start near the top with the shoreline trees. I wanted to get the light and shadows in the trees. I mixed many greens. I also finished the middle, the orange "stuff" on the water. 

On Day 3 I wanted to add in the sky gradation as the wet paint touches the tree tops -- there is a whole push and pull of paint. I paid special attention to the shape of the trees/treeline against the sky. And I used a ton of paint on the sky. 

Day 4 I started on the tree reflections (vertical) and used lots of wet drippy green paints, very loose. I had planned and measured the lengths of these reflections.

Day 5 I started with the gradation of the water from dark (bottom) up to the tree reflections-- I used 8 blue gradations from cool and dark to warm and light. Eight! The merge of the reflections of trees against the water was delicate, again a push and pull. Once I had the water in, I put in the greenish water lilies in the bottom right. That corner needed something and these did exist in my reference pic. This was my longest day as this was the day I finished, the day I had to decide what to put in and leave out. There was more green "stuff" on the water but I didn't want the painting to get too confusing so I left those out.

Lessons learned when painting big:

• More PLANNING was required. I had to map out how I would approach the painting, especially since I wanted all edges to meet wet into wet.
• I tried to keep my colors wet (storing my green tree colors piles in a covered palette). 
• I used a separate palette for my sky and water gradation colors (yes I used two palettes). It was imperative to keep the sky colors clean and bright.
• I had to use a TSquare to keep my shorelines straight 
• My sky and water used a ton of paint, a huge worm of white paint and much Ultramarine Blue.
• Since I liked painting wet into wet I had to plan my approach as items that touched like sky and tree tops had to merge together to make sense. And I had to paint day after day after day to keep working on wet paint as I didn't want any section too dry.