In the Works #1

Alrighty, this will be the first work-in-progress post on this blog, hopefully followed by many more. 

When it comes to painting and drawing, I used to spend a few hours on compositional sketches and setting up, but I felt that due to the planning, the compositions seemed less designed and more forced. I'm not by any means dismissing the importance of composition, but just trying to break free from something that affected my personal work.

I've begun to limit myself to quick 10 second gesture drawings on scrap paper and then painting directly onto the board in a thin oil wash, wiping out highlights, and applying transparent darks over the midtones to build layers and form. 

Here are a couple snapshots of an hour long block in phase.