I started this painting about 5 days ago and as always, it never goes in the direction I intended it to go. Sure, their's a tree, and a road, and a sunrise, but it doesn't look at all like the photo. I know some artists will purposely increase the intensity and exaggerate color in a painting as well as contrast values. I am trying to pay closer attention to values and all that, but today I just got out the palette knife and took my chances on slapping down heavy color on the road, and not accurate color. It is a ballpark color, and still looks ok...not fake hopefully.
I am and continue to try to pay attention to what i've learned on lowering chrome, values, etc. I just didn't know where to start on the road. I thought of putting down layers and glazes, but it looks overwhelming. Sometimes, depending on the subject, you have to be very bold and just slap down that color fast and hope that was the right way to do it. Other times, it's the opposite. I used paper towel here and there to wipe out areas of the road for lights. I guess every artist does it differently and whatever "happens" on a canvas, you just have to go with it and work with it. The underpainting is always very loose and very rough tonal values,etc. So, like today, couldn't I just consider it as "another"underpainting layer? Isn't it better to be "loose"and not fiddle? When it's dry, I can always go over it again. I think this applies to certain subjects like the ROAD. But wouldn't of course to things requiring more accuracy from the start....a tree, a man made object like a house, an apple,etc. I was a little crude today, but hoping this layer can be "utilized"as a benefit to a subsequent layer over it.