"Apricots & Vase"

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"Apricots & Vase"

8 x 10 in

Oil on Canvas Panel

I wanted to continue using apricots in another painting since I think they are fun with their body shapes.  I decided to include a vase which was challenging to paint, to paint a glossy surface is fun and challenging as stated before.  What I liked about including the vase is the reflections it shows, it kind of shows you a background and tells more of a story.  It was neat incorporating this vase into the painting and hope to do more of these in the future.

I started with the usual dry brush approach for the drawing stage using minimal raw umber on the brush and no mediums.  After the drawing was complete I started stating the apricots all at once, I started with their general colors and also turning the form.  At this stage I'm not really interested in adding details just the generalization of colors and how light wraps around the form.  I also like to keep the paints fairly thin at this stage, remember putting a lot of paint in the beginning can make your colors look muddy when applying layers in the finishing stage.

After the big form modeling stage is done I start stating the darker values and its specific forms, the big form modeling stage to me is the most important stage to get right.  That stage sets the ground work for the details or smaller forms to work right later on, its easy to rush to the details in the beginning since thats what catches are eyes for the most part.  If you take your time and really understand the overall concept of form and values then details become much easier in the later stage.  After my darks are completed I then add the lighter values and its specific forms.  

I know I'm not done with the apricots but I've taken them to a stage where I'm comfortable to leave it for a while, I then start with the vase.  I use a thin application to cover the general values, when thats completed I start to add all the key notes in the vase.  I'm building up to my values with the vase I don't want to add an extreme value just yet, I like to make sure the surrounding tones are working right before giving it the finishing touches.

After the middle and darker values are working then I add the highlights and take the vase to a close finish.  Then I add the background to soften the edges of the apricots and vase, remember don't forget about your edges they are so important to the painting.  When adding the background I push the edges of the vase to lose some sections, its fun playing around with them and seeing how far you can push the edges.

When the edges are completed I move onto the wooden base, first I just concentrate on the general colors making sure the form is turning with the lights.  Then I start on the dark values and its specific forms.

Then I finish the base by adding the lighter values and its specific forms.  Then I went back to the apricots and finished them, it was difficult to finish them before stating the base since the surrounding values effect the values of the apricots.  I usually don't like doing this my approach is to finish each section as I go, but I guess sometimes its alright to get other areas finished and come back to it later.  I really like the finish look of this painting, as stated before the vase was a challenge and different than what I'm used to.  Its good to get out of your comfort zone and try new things at times, thanks for stopping by and hope you enjoyed.