Sometimes I post a “work in progress” on my Instagram. It may look something like this:
As you can clearly see, the painting looks blotchy and uneven. The different shades are not blended together. But this only represents the beginning stages of a work. In fact, that is the result of the first thirty minutes of painting.
In the first thirty minutes I establish how the figure will be situated on the canvas, I outline the general shape of the figure and I start to color in areas of light and shade so as to show the topography of the flesh through contrasts between light and dark.
What is missing, and what will be filled in throughout the rest of the week, is the smoother blending in of the contrasts. People think that as you work on a painting you might be adding more detail. While that can sometimes happen, what I am striving to do the most is to subtract excessive detail. I start with exaggerated lines and contrasts. In reality, things are more subtle. Trying to more nearly mimic reality is striving for less detail.
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