So far, so good…

I’m working on a difficult still life at the moment. Difficult in that it requires several sessions before completion. Under painting is generally painted with very little medium and much thinners, such as white spirits. These layers dry quickly allowing the painter to continue painting without the usual long wait of the final layers. I have also decided to include a lot of detail in the subject items. At the same time I’m making a video of the process for a future post on the subject.

The most disconcerting part of this type of painting method (paint, allow dry, paint again) is that some of the colours dry to a very matt finish. When you return to the painting the deep rich shadows are much lighter in colour and not at all like the painting you left after the previous session. If this happens you can apply a thin layer of ‘Liquin’ to the dull patches before you apply fresh paint. Be careful if the under layer is not completely dry as the ‘Liquin’ can soften or even mix with the under layer. Don’t use a thinner, such as white spirits, or this will worsen this effect.

Hopefully I will have this painting finished in a few days and I’ll post the movie.