I work pretty steadily in a sketchbook. These aren't highly refined sketches, rather a notebook of ideas. Whether it is just part of my normal repertoire or a commission, the initial sketch is somewhere in one of my books. Here we see a photograph from my sketchbook of the initial "Fishing Buddies" idea. As this was a commission, I wanted to come to an agreement. A painting that is totally me, something I'd like to paint, and is something the collector's family can enjoy as a new addition to their family.
I then draw directly on an acrylic primed canvas.
As you can see, this gets quite messy. Smudging and erasing often.
Much to many people's surprise, I coat my drawing in a yellow acrylic. Basically it seals the drawing, but also adds a vibrance that does come through in the final painting via scratches and thinner patches of the oil paint.
From there I work the painting somewhat left to right to keep me from smudging as my hand and palm often hit and rest on the canvas.
Much of what happens doesn't show up on a computer image (or maybe even in person other than to the artist) but tweaking occurs all through the process.
Another peek behind the curtain, the painting in progress in my studio.
It's a lengthy process with very little way to speed it up. A mix of observation and then relaying that to the canvas.
As you can see in this image, sometimes I have a change of heart. The little lion artwork from the previous image that the collector's son had done seemed to pull away from the narrative. I found myself working around it and asked if there were any alternatives. He eagerly showed me other artworks and the fish became an absolutely necessity.
When the floor is added, the 3 dimensionality begins to "pop."
