This painting was the very definition of a study. I had a vague idea, and while I was going through the painting, I treated it like a practice or a way to work out elements/colors/techniques for a larger, more thought through painting. Studies are a great way to paint. There's no pressure to make something amazing. Just approach it as a practice, and let "mistakes" just happen without caring about them.
Now, a couple of things about this painting that I would absolutely do differently were I to take it to a larger canvas. First, I think I'd like to play with the colors in the sky. I really like the idea of getting a hint of pink in there, aside from the pink of the underpainting. I'd also like to play with the colors in the shadows of the clouds. Get some dark purple bits in there, some blue, maybe some yellow or pink. Just liven it up a bit.
Finally, I really don't like how the river appears to be coming out of the sky. I could have put more attention into that bit. Pulled the distant trees across that line to separate it from the clouds, bulge out the shoreline on the right to bend the river a little more, or just change the shape/positioning of the whole river in the first place. In fact, if you check out my blog post on how to do color tests, you'll see another version of this little painting where I did just that!
Ready to get started on your own autumn leaves? Check out the materials list and video below. Amazon links are affiliate links. That means that if you make a purchase, I might earn a small commission at no extra cost to you. This helps me continue to bring you free painting videos! Yay!
Materials list
Fredrix canvas sheet (cut and glued to a foamboard)
Fuzzbert #8 filbert (or any old, small, puffy brush)
Colors
Comments