Golden Creek 5x7
Hello and welcome to Tonalist painting with M Francis McCarthy.
Today's painting is 'Golden Creek' 5x7.
Our video features the progression of this painting from its early underpainting stages on up through the final finishing brushwork. Also featured is my usual rambling narration, so please check it out.
Today I like to talk about doing studies as preparation for larger paintings. I didn't start doing studies in earnest until 2011 or so. I got the idea from a painter whose work I was looking at on YouTube or some other site who was a portrait painter. What he would do prior to starting his larger paintings was compose very small color studies of his models. His study was bereft of any detail and served mostly to indicate values and color for the painting that he was to complete.
I thought this was an interesting idea and so I purchased some smaller size wood panels and did a few studies for some of the scenes that I was getting ready to paint back then. It's most likely because I started learning how to paint by teaching myself using small canvases that I really took to doing small studies.
It wasn't long after the first few that I did that I decided to make it a regular part of my working method. After doing this for a while, I discovered several cool things about doing studies:
These are some of the advantages to producing studies. Since integrating this into my working practice back in 2011 I have painted hundreds of 5x5 and 5x7 studies, many of which I turned into larger paintings and quite a few that I did not.
However, I do see some significant downsides to studies and they are:
This may be the only two disadvantages but they are significant and it is irksome when I have to deal with this part of creating studies. All in all, you can see the advantages far outweigh the disadvantages and I'm always looking for ways to utilize this part of my process to create better paintings.
M Francis McCarthy
Landscapepainter.co.nz
A bit about 'Golden Creek' 5x7; I'm happy with this painting. It might be a little big for a creek but it's definitely too small to be a river so I guess creek is appropriate.
I used a reference photo that I took recently on vacation to help me create this painting and it probably won't be the last time you see this particular creek featured in paintings of mine.
To see more of my work, visit my site here
 |
| 'Golden Creek' by M Francis McCarthy, 5x7 Oil Painting on Wood Panel |
Today's painting is 'Golden Creek' 5x7.
Our video features the progression of this painting from its early underpainting stages on up through the final finishing brushwork. Also featured is my usual rambling narration, so please check it out.
Today I like to talk about doing studies as preparation for larger paintings. I didn't start doing studies in earnest until 2011 or so. I got the idea from a painter whose work I was looking at on YouTube or some other site who was a portrait painter. What he would do prior to starting his larger paintings was compose very small color studies of his models. His study was bereft of any detail and served mostly to indicate values and color for the painting that he was to complete.
I thought this was an interesting idea and so I purchased some smaller size wood panels and did a few studies for some of the scenes that I was getting ready to paint back then. It's most likely because I started learning how to paint by teaching myself using small canvases that I really took to doing small studies.
It wasn't long after the first few that I did that I decided to make it a regular part of my working method. After doing this for a while, I discovered several cool things about doing studies:
- Because they are small they are painted quickly.
- Because they are small I can sell them reasonably to tourists and collectors on a limited budget.
- They give me a roadmap for the way I will be approaching the scene that I am planning on painting at a larger size.
- They allow me to see if a scene will work well as a painting.
- They are nice-looking and have an almost jewel-like quality.
These are some of the advantages to producing studies. Since integrating this into my working practice back in 2011 I have painted hundreds of 5x5 and 5x7 studies, many of which I turned into larger paintings and quite a few that I did not.
However, I do see some significant downsides to studies and they are:
- Some people get a bit carried away with comparing the studies to the larger paintings. This can be frustrating because it is a bit like comparing tangerines to oranges.
- Some things that function well at the small size do not translate to a larger size, although this is something I'm becoming more proficient at spotting.
This may be the only two disadvantages but they are significant and it is irksome when I have to deal with this part of creating studies. All in all, you can see the advantages far outweigh the disadvantages and I'm always looking for ways to utilize this part of my process to create better paintings.
M Francis McCarthy
Landscapepainter.co.nz
A bit about 'Golden Creek' 5x7; I'm happy with this painting. It might be a little big for a creek but it's definitely too small to be a river so I guess creek is appropriate.
I used a reference photo that I took recently on vacation to help me create this painting and it probably won't be the last time you see this particular creek featured in paintings of mine.
To see more of my work, visit my site here
 |
| 'Golden Creek' by M Francis McCarthy (Detail) |
 |
| 'Golden Creek' by M Francis McCarthy (Detail 2) |