I’ve always done small paintings, both outside and inside and then rework the compositions in the studio to come up with a variety of possibilities.  We had a similar exercise in art school where we picked a subject or story line then using outdoor sketches, drawings and photographs come up with 10 different thumbnail compositions. 
After deciding on one, I complete three different color studies to come up with different color schemes.  The next step is a detailed charcoal value drawing and then the final painting.  This process helps me to see studio painting as a process with a purpose behind each step.   It also develops discipline in planning, forces the meto think more about composition rather than what is presented in a photograph or plein air sketch, and it helps me to think outside the box with color.

I’ve always done small paintings, both outside and inside and then rework the compositions in the studio to come up with a variety of possibilities.  We had a similar exercise in art school where we picked a subject or story line then using outdoor sketches, drawings and photographs come up with 10 different thumbnail compositions. 
After deciding on one, I complete three different color studies to come up with different color schemes.  The next step Continue Reading