Creating texture in a painting

I painted this artwork as a gift for a nephew and niece-in-law for their wedding present. It was a fun one to work on. It is 101cm x 76cm.

I started by spreading a thin layer of moulding paste onto the canvas and then used the end of a paintbrush to mark the design to create texture and interest before the moulding paste dried. You can do this in sections so the paste stays moist. You can also use stamps and linocuts to create texture in this fashion.

Then using professional acrylic paints I painted the background colours, using the darker tones to start with and I mixed some colours with clear medium to make the paint more translucent where needed.

After that, I brought in the lighter colours, then highlights. It's important to check the tonal values (darks and lights) and I do this by taking a photo and converting it to black and white on the photos app. You need good contrast of tone and also colours for a painting to work well.

I used the @smartist app to pop the painting into different settings to see how it might look. This is always loads of fun.

My nephew and niece-in-law love it and I'm so glad Uplifted is in its new home.

Abstract in Development

This shows the progress of a recent abstract painting and how it developed along the way. When it was finally completed I named it "Alive". This painting is 1 metre square on a stretched canvas.

When I begin an abstract painting I may have a vague idea of what I would like to do. Then as the painting develops it often changes direction like this one did. Colour choices might also change and this can depend on what I feel the painting needs to lift it or add contrast and excitement.

I tend to choose bright colours rather than muted and I have pondered if that is a psychological need for zing in my life or just that I love bright contrasting colours? Food for thought!