Friday, June 10, 2016

Red Cloud

Last week I finished this large piece. It started with the picture on the bottom. I really liked this big, long cloud and how it moved from the left- to the right side in one go. Problem was the cloud had no point where it moved to. So I decided to flip the image and paint a sunset as the center of attention. Easier said than done...

Red Cloud, oils on panel, 85 x 150 cm
Red Cloud, oils on paper, 22 x 40 cm
 I figured I was going to run into some serious problems, so I decided to make an oil sketch on paper before starting to work on the real thing. Some of the issues I had to resolve:
- If I flipped the image, the sunset would light up the other side of the cloud, so I had to figure out how and where the light would fall.
- Had to paint a sunset that would fit in with the rest of the clouds and paint a matching reflection.
- Didn't like the diagonal line of the land wash in the picture, wanted something more interesting.
- Same for the ocean.

After painting the sketch I felt confident enough to begin the large painting. As you can see there are still quite a few differences between the sketch and the final piece. Which goes to show that you can't solve everything in a sketch. Still, I enjoy making them and they sure help in preparing for the final painting.






4 comments:

  1. I am embarking on a similar composition of a beach scene in Puerto Rico. Never considered changing the diagonal line but your comments cause me to pause a bit before proceeding. I will continue to read your blog as I love learning more about painting and have always been fascinated by the sky.

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    1. Good to hear my blog has been useful! If you have any questions, please mail me at info@janhendrikdolsma.nl.

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  2. Can your videos be played with Windows Media Player? I am interested in getting them but would like to know if I can use the player I already have.

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    1. The Windows Media player can play almost any video format. If you should run into problems you can always download the UMplayer: http://www.umplayer.com/download/

      Hope this helps!

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