A Fall Project
Fall is here. For the first time in a long time, I was looking forward to really enjoying fall. A fall I’ve looked forward to for many years. A fall without back to school.
I thought I’d share the process of a fall painting I created last year. Thankfully, I documented each step of the process to share. I must be honest– not every project follows this strict order. My process doesn’t always include sketching. I do keep an idea book, but it mostly consists of bullet points with ideas. I use social media to see what other artists are creating and finding inspiration for the project’s I’d like to complete.
These are a few images that I was inspired by to create this painting. The arched wooden door photos came from Magnolia in Waco, TX (a place of never-ending inspiration). I also loved this acorn watercolor by @pinstchaa on Instagram. The last image is made from paper by artist Kate Kato, @kasasagi.design on Instagram.
Below, Photo #1: My first sketch was on a lined piece of paper in a notebook. If you look closely, you can see the writing showing through on the other side. I added this sketch to notes I was taking in class at the time. You just never know when inspiration is going to strike. At this stage, the idea was just a loose sketch. You can see how the design gets refined after the next stages go by.
Below, Photo #2: I also created a more finalized sketch on my IPad using an app called Procreate. I use this program to do a lot of my quick sketching and planning out. With this way of sketching, I was able to have a more “finalized” version with color.
Below, Photo #3: My next step was to move the sketch onto my canvas. You can see the pencil sketch here. I always work on the background first so I can paint on top of my base layer.
Here I have a finished painting. You can see that I added more detail into the background. One of my favorite lessons from art class was painting knot holes, my teacher loved to paint them and showed me how to master the perfect one. I include them into a painting whenever possible.
The painting always changes from the sketch depending on how the project goes. From the first sketch, objects are sometimes left out or added. You might notice the feather that is included in the painting. I found this in my yard during a summer golf cart ride. It is rare for me to paint from life, but I wanted to find a way to incorporate that memory into this painting. The actual feather is now placed on my mantle next to the painting.
The wreath includes plenty of fall staples including a pumpkin, bittersweet, blue berries, wheat, eucalyptus, and oak leaves and acorns (for Oakland, of course). A seed pod I liked from a Hobby Lobby floral arrangement is even included. A grouping of many different inspirations.
When we were working on my studio, I wanted to have a mantle to decorate for the seasons and style my artwork. I was lucky enough to have a custom mantel made for the space. Until now, I never had the time to dedicate to making it special, or at least the way I really wanted to use it. I decided to gather up the proper supplies and get started. I was able to combine my fall oil painting with a watercolor pumpkin I created several years ago. It is always fun to see past projects come together for a final result. You can see some views of my newly styled fall mantle with this painting. This painting has come full circle. It is now varnished, framed, and a part of my new space. A long way from the inspiration pictures I noticed this time last year. Happy Fall!
