Art Pro Tips: Grid, Palette, and Color Theory Card

Quick Show of a Few Things I Do to Start Painting

In photoshop I set up the composition for the painting, I won’t show those images, I like them to remain a bit of a mystery. I make sure the ratio of image in photoshop is the same as the ratio of the canvas, in this case 48x64".

1. In Photoshop I set the grid dimensions at 4”, handy as it is equally divides 48x64. For smaller works an inch or two is good.

2. I mark the every 4” on the edges of the canvas with vine/willow charcoal. Then I use drafting tape (paper tape) and dark thread using the thread as the grid and tape at both ends to hold it in place.

3. Sketch in the composition with vine charcoal and I use a kneaded eraser to erase unnecessary marks. (BTW, the kneaded eraser also decently cleans up oil painted lines.)

4. Pull the tape and thread off, resulting in a clean composition on the canvas without the annoying charcoal grids as is tradition. Sometime those grid marks never disappear through the painting process, hence the handiness of thread grid. Huge.

5. When I pack artworks to ship I normally buy veneer paneling to protect the glass or canvas from being broken or poked. With the left over veneer paneling, I have them cut to a conveniently size to be used as a palette. For the cost of art store palette I can have 10 lightweight palettes, each one lasting months, and only costing a couple of bucks. Don’t forget to sandpaper the edges to you don’t get splinters.

6. Season the smooth side of the veneer paneling with artist’s grade oil. Safflower I use to paint with but it is too expensive to use for seasoning, rather I use Walnut Alkyd Medium or Linseed Oil.

7. Before I start painting I use my color theory to plot out the complementary tints for: the background and foreground; light and shadow, and atmosphere. The color card (shown) is a technical color guide for movement of color through the painting: it acts like a dramatic arc in writing. After I developed my color theory not only does each painting have a unique color schema, but it decreased my painting time from several months to just a few weeks. For me it works incredibly well.

I hope one or all these tips can be helpful and inspire you.

Cheers,

Michael