Getting a glow on

Getting there…”Attitude”–oil on canvas, 16″ x 20″

I am so pleased with how this painting is coming along. I wanted a warm glow of course, but I never know ahead of time if that’s something I’m actually going to achieve. For anyone interested in technique, I increasingly favor starting with a midtone (that light orange) and then adding darks and finally highlighting with white, either transparent or solid depending on the surface being depicted. So that usually comes to three or four layers, although if it’s a horse with a really dark colored coat it could end up being more. I use this method whether it’s watercolor or oil, although this painting happens to be oil. “Lifting” color to obtain highlights works well on the Aquabord™ surface for watercolors and can be done as the final step. As for now, if I can keep up this pace, I might even meet my goal of taking this one to my next show. Onward!