“Winter Fog” 8×8 oil on canvas

After finishing my series of color studies, there were a few piles of interesting greys on my palette. I can’t let those go to waste! It was a perfect opportunity to do a foggy day painting, so I selected a photo that I took a few months ago in my neighborhood for a subject.

It was also a way to test out a worksheet I made inspired by the books, online lessons, and blog posts I’ve been devouring. It’s basically a framework for planning out a painting so I don’t forget an important step. One day I’m sure this will be more intuitive, but for now I need a reminder to consider these elements carefully because they help me feel happier during the painting process.

A three-value thumbnail along with black and white and color printouts of my reference photo

Testing out my color mixes with a generalized color map

A monochromatic underpainting in ultramarine blue on a piece of Fredrix acrylic primed canvas