The saga continues...

I did a painting for the IF title, "Diary." Sadly, that painting ended up in the trash. In that version I tried to use flat acrylic colors underneath the oils, but the colors all competed with one another. Then I started contemplating the underpainting more...and I came to the realization that I really like my burnt umber underpaintings (even the acrylic ones) more. I always enjoy seeing the stage where the light is planned out and tone is stated in one color. I continued reading and looking for online references and ran across the schoolism website (as recommended by Steve).

One of the current teachers, on that site (Thomas Fluharty) is running a class about oils, so I looked into it further. I watched a quick video segment in which he suggested the importance of the underpainting. I continued thinking. What is it that I like so much about the underpainting and why am I still struggling color? Well, I think I found the answer. I destroyed and currently destroy my underpainting my working too opaquely. On top of that, I'm going to way too much detail too fast. I'm overdoing it.

I think I'm still stuck in the "I better get this paint down as fast as possible before it dries" mode of acrylic painting.

I'm going to do this screenshot from one of my favorite Pixar movies while trying my hardest to preserve the underpainting while glazing in color layers. The goal is to still see these values and to trust the underpainting.

I've also decided to give up creating anything original myself until September 1st. I'm going to steal and copy paintings I like while focusing entirely on oil technique. Hopefully at the end, I'll have a method to apply to my children's art that will allow for more creative freedom...instead of frustration.