Since the weather has been quite nasty lately, I’ve been doing a lot of study sessions in the studio. Usually I focus on painting something within an hour to hone my ability to make quick decisions. But it’s also beneficial to do longer, more detailed studies without time constraints.
So what exactly happens during a gouache study session (and why?)
Value Study
I’ve grown to appreciate the addition of value studies and notan sketches before I paint. Whether it’s with pencil or ink, simplifying everything to black and white really helps to design my painting. I can ignore the complexity of color at this stage, and pour my efforts into making a pleasing composition. The values (how light or dark something is) are the skeleton of the design. Color is irrelevant at this early design stage. As long as I can create an interesting composition with black and white, I know the painting will work.
Color Concept Sketch
Color adds another layer of complexity to the design. So I like to do a small color concept study to work out what pigments I want to use and how to apply them to my design. Sometimes I need to do multiple versions before I settle on a good plan.
It’s important to remember these are small, loose concepts – sometimes they are very messy and even ugly. But they are necessary to work through ideas of color in my scene. I can honestly say that since I started doing these little color concept studies, my work experience of painting has improved.
Final Gouache Study
When I begin the final painting, I’m still critiquing my sketches. What can I change to improve the painting? What color mixes worked well (and what didn’t)? By now I’m ‘warmed up’ and have lots of ideas swimming in my mind about how to paint it better.
I usually like to try something new in every painting. Sometimes it’s a tiny thing like trying a new color. Or maybe it’s more intense like trying a whole new layering approach. This is the time to play, to experiment, but also put much more time into details and really pay attention to color placement.
After an hour or two, I’m pretty tired. The painting process requires hundreds if not thousands of micro decisions, and that can be taxing. So rather than belabor the process, I consider the process finished when I’ve learned something.
Sometimes the final study looks like “more than a study” to an outside viewer. People often see them and say it’s a full fledged “framable” painting. And sure, maybe it is. I sell some originals on my website, because I only have so much space on my shelves. And if it can live happily on someone’s wall, that is even better. But to me, the value is in the experience of painting it!
Great tips, Sarah, as always. Doing thumbnails is definitely beneficial. The joy of doing all this practice in a sketchbook is that it’s just practice with no pressure to do something worth framing. I enjoy looking back through my sketchbook and seeing my progress. If they are plein air studies then even better, as those bring back memories of the time and place.