Starting on the Canvas

Since these three paintings will hang side by side I want to establish a consistent horizon line. So I line them up on the floor and lay a couple of T-Squares across the canvases where it will be.

The horizon line is drawn with a soft leaded pencil. I also make an arrow indicating the top of each canvas. This way I will get them on the easel with the correct side up. I would hate to get the pieces all painted and THEN realize that one of them is upside down!

I’ll begin working on Myer’s Point. The Pelicans are drawn first, that way I can work the landscape around them in order to show the important features of the fishing spot. I use a thin oil wash of MUD (Ultramarine Blue + Alizarin Crimson) + a liberal amount of Liquin to sketch the main elements of the painting. To see any of these pictures larger just click on the image.

The diving Pelli is fun to draw. We’ve sat and watched Pelicans for hours, they have such wonderful personality. All that time spent studying them certainly comes in handy now.

The essential details of Myer’s Point are now blocked in using the same thin oil wash. I want to make certain I get the anatomy of the mangrove trees correct. This will make my job much easier when it’s time to paint them. Have a great day, hope you’ll come back tomorrow. Hugs, Mikki Senkarik

Website: www.senkarik.com