Preparation and underpaintings

By Donatas

Today I will try to show and explain some steps and methods of how I'm working from start to finish.
 Despite fact that viewer sees only finished artwork, there is much more preparational work under it. Without those preparations viewer probably would see a painting which isn't so good and without such a rich colors as painting with many preparational steps.
Previously all my works had three steps:
1. Thumbnails sketch.
    Thumbnail sketch is very small, very quick and loose drawing. We just draw idea for ourselves, a quick composition using pencils, markers and so on. The point is that if idea and composition looks strong in small format then it will look good in final painting or drawing.
Few tips:
Never spend more than 5minutes on one thumbnail.
Use only one value. For shadows. Leave non shadow areas white.
Draw at least ten thumbnails before final sketch and make sure that you are satisfied with composition.
2. Final sketch.
   When I'm drawing final sketch I'm trying to redraw a composition I've made in thumbnail, but this time with all details correct and nice. The better the drawing the better the painting.
3. Final painting.

Nowadays I'm making few more preparation steps, but they are significant. Two underpaintings were added to my approach. Umber underlayer and dead underlayer.
Umber underlayer is painted on the final sketch. The main reason of this underlayer is to establish main contrast of the painting. I'm using "burnt amber" paints and dilute it with turpentine. Use this method as if you were using watercolor.
Few different brushes always besides me, also two or three of them is dry, just for blend wet paints.


After everything dries, I will start to paint dead underlayer. Don't know why it is called like that, maybe it just looks dead without colors.
First impresion that to paint this layer needs only black and white paints is wrong. To paint it I'm using these colors: Mars black, burnt umber, Prussian blue, yellow ochre, madder lake red and tittanium white.
This layer should be same tonality as previous layer. Very important to mention is that lightest areas shoud be painted with thick paints and shadows should be very transperent. Keep in mind that dead underlayer must be with correct details and look as possible close to final painting exept that it is without colors.

After few days or even few weeks, then dead underlayer will be completely dried, I'm taking my colors and starting to paint final layer! but about this process I will write next time. :)

Final painting