Wednesday, January 5, 2011

"Cherries"

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"Cherries"
5 x 7 in
Oil on Canvas Panel
Hi everyone Happy New Years!  I wanted to say thank you to everyone for making last year so great.  With all your help I was able to achieve so much as far as winning the daily painters competition and so much more.  Thank you for making my year a great one!  I wish all of you a great new year and can't wait for what this year holds for all of us. 
This painting is my first one back from the holidays, it feels so good getting back to it.  Cherries have so much character with their stems and also their colors that are deep within the skin.  I'm really interested to explore more of these guys as far as composition and color harmony.  
I started with a dry brush approach using no mediums and just a bit of raw umber on the brush.  After the drawing was completed I moved onto the background using cerulean blue, titanium white, and naples yellow.
Then I started with first cherry stating the middle darker values using ivory black, and cad. red light.  Then I paint the darkest darks by applying ivory black, and also reinstated the lighter middle values using cad. red light.  
Then I added the lighter values or highlights by using titanium white, and cerulean blue.  I repeated the process with the other cherries and using the same palette.  
I do the same process with the fourth cherry, starting rather thin and building up to the textures and look I want with the painting.
I added the middle and darker values by going a bit thicker with the paints to give it some opaqueness.  
I then added the highlights which also means adding textures which will give the look i'm going for.  
I repeated the same process with the grape to the right.  I also started the wooden base by using ivory black, burnt umber, and cad. orange.
Then I added the lighter values of the base by using titanium white, naples yellow, cerulean blue.  This was a fun painting to do for coming back from the holidays, I've been really busy trying to get back to the swing of things.  I really don't like having so much time off painting, it makes me feel so out of it.  I'm excited to get the other started and get back to the swing of things.  Thanks for stopping by and viewing.  









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