Drawing in painting: The Iron Dragon and it's bones

Drawing in painting. When I talk about painting and drawing, the two things get all mixed up and they overlap. I believe this is because good painting skills start with good drawing skills. Drawing is the bones of painting. Where drawing is concerned, I believe that it's really the skill of learning how to see without letting preconceived ideas influence what is seen. Drawing is also about understanding how one perceives space and how 3D space can be translated into 2D space. 

Getting back to the subject of painting, when an artist begins a painting in oil, they choose a pigment with a fast drying time and they use a lot of turp or mineral spirits. They begin sketching with a brush and this beginning is loose and non-committal. The artist knows that the under painting will be covered up, but the direction, movement and feeling may remain. The second stage is about laying in flat color over the under painting. The third stage is about adjusting lights and darks, and it is about sharpening up the edges. After this, esthetic changes are made and details are added. Details are added only after the foundation is laid because "a room cannot be decorated unless the house is built and the walls are up." 

This is a suggested sequence in the life a painting. It is one that I follow over and over again. Other painters may take a different route, but I feel this way allows for a nice build-up of paint insuring a fat over lean layering which promises that over time the painting will be stable and the paint will not crack. 

The pictures below were quick snapshots that I took while I was painting an oil painting that I call Iron Dragon.

Stay tuned for more updates on all things having to do with art!!

All my best to you!

-Sarah