I think people are creatures of pattern and repetition. I don't know why but I usually paint the skies into my pieces first. It must have started before I worked on an easel and didn't want to smear the piece as I worked on it on a desk. And, so, that is how I do it. Period. Sky first. Always. But, not this time. I changed up the formula! See, in this case, I wasn't sure if the red sky I had originally planned was going to work with the extra foliage and mountains behind. So, I just left the sky blank until I'd done the rest of the piece. It felt weird! I kept looking up and thinking something wasn't right. But, when I completed the bottom of the piece, I realized that red, in fact, was not the right color and that the piece needed the New Mexico blue sky (the photo sort of dulls the actual color). So I added that in. And it worked! Yeah!
I always do my skies first too. But then working in liquid watercolor I pour or float them and it isn't until I know how they are going to turn out that I know what the colors are I am going to use on the subject.
ReplyDeleteI then do the foreground so no paint has to go right up next to the wet sky. We all have our routines and our reasons for them.