Raw Umber Bones

   When I start a painting I make a very rough sketch in raw umber (a dark brown) which is more like a map of lights and darks than any kind of pretty picture. Things will still be moved a bit here and there farther along in the painting. I learned this technique when I was in summer school at the Schuler School of Fine Arts in downtown Baltimore. Many other painters that I've met will go into an extreme detail in their underpaintings to make sure that everything is in the right place, but from my experience that's unnecessary and kills the spontaneity of the painting. Also, being a left-brained person I will get stuck in a 1 inch square of detail if left to my own devices so this approach helps me to paint really wide and look at the whole picture.

   When this is dry I will go back with a very limited palette and chunk in the lights and darks in color. That has to be my absolute favorite step because I don't have to be careful! I can just slather the paint on, it's pure bliss!!

Two cats in Oils