How do you paint a 16x20'; oil painting? Do you do a smaller, experimental reference version first?

Some painters make use of a ';shrinking'; or de-magnifying glass. It lets them see the whole painting in a smaller way. Such a lens is thicker at the edges and thinner in the center, similar to the eyeglass lenses nearsighted people require.





Looking at a painting in a mirror also helps reveal problems in composition or perspective. You can't do this too often, though, or the mirror image will begin to look just as familiar as the regular one, and defects won't show any longer.





If you are more comfortable with smaller images, draw or paint a study of your subject in the size you can handle, and then enlarge the main outlines on your 16 x 20 canvas using the squares method. You don't always have to rule complete squares, if you can accomplish the same thing with dots at the edges of your squares.





At the Rochester Memorial Art Gallery, I saw a small preliminary study for Wayne Thiebaud's ';River Pond';. I liked it even better than the finished version.





Here's a link to the painting. Drop down for a link to the study as well.


http://magart.rochester.edu/Obj731?sid=1鈥?/a>How do you paint a 16x20'; oil painting? Do you do a smaller, experimental reference version first?
Well, I am doing just that right now. I have my easel set up and a 16 x 20 inch canvas, and my paints all set out. This time I chose to do a boat scene from a photo I took, but sometimes I pick flowers and put them right in front of me. Either way, I almost never to a smaller version first. My reason for that is that I am far more spontaneous and do better the first and only time. When I do a second one, I know the way and get bored with it which is my own problem I know. Many famous artists do a smaller one first but you have to find what works for you, and for me it doesn't. The experimenting and the excitement of it all is what you hope to show through. I get an exhilarating rush that comes over me just before I start a painting as if this will be a masterpiece. ha I think about what I'm after but enjoy the happy accidents too. Go with the good flows. I map some of it out with a thinned out lighter oil color and hold my brush like a wand, while I stand back. After that I get closer, but I try to stay painting loose. Happy painting.





NoraHow do you paint a 16x20'; oil painting? Do you do a smaller, experimental reference version first?
you could. you could do a colored pencil version. or, you could also draw it on paper and then trace it on the canvas. actually, i never paint two of the same thing. fundamentally, i would make sure i had a good drawing.
You can draw straight onto the canvas if you know what you're doing, or yes, it can be a good idea to plan out a smaller, coloured version first so that you can work out the composition and colours etc. It will vary from artist to artist how they approach it.