11.18.2014

Process Is Important!

by Lisa Larrabee



This picture shows a piece at the very early stages of my painting process with only one layer of color overall.  It was blocked in very easily for one important reason, I spent more time in the process stage.  
Process is important!  

After the photo-shoot, I began manipulating my images digitally in Photoshop (top left and the enlargement on the right).  This gave me a rough sense of the feel and the composition that I wanted, but it was very cluttered and disconnected.  

I drew a simplified contour drawing to scale.  I took a picture of my drawing and printed several thumbnail sized images to work on.  Using charcoal and a chalk pencil, I was able to group shapes and create a more interesting composition.

Again, I printed my drawing.  This time, I worked 8.5" x 11" to create a more nuanced value study based off of the thumbnails.

I printed my drawing one final time.  Using soft pastel I created a color study that took color information from the Photoshop study, but followed the simplified shapes and values of the charcoal study.

One last thing before painting.  I printed small images that serve as artistic inspiration for this piece.  They are masterful paintings that make me want to become a better artist (top left to right: Jeremy Mann, Michael Dudash, Odilon Redon).

Blocking in the first layer of color flowed easily because I already had a clear image of what I intended.  The next step is work over the entire painting while trying to capture some of the brushwork and color from my inspiration pieces.  It is going to be fun!

~ Lisa

Final Painting
Harmony
Oil on Panel
18" x 24"
artist Lisa Larrabee