STILL LIFE SETUP FOR COFFEE TIME PAINTING

First:  Pull out some things from your home; things that mean something to you; things that "go together" for a future painting.  Think about shapes, shapes, shapes (and value).


Second:  Set up some things and pull out some photos for additional elements = flowers or jugs or dishes.  Make some changes.

By sliding the coffee grinder over to the side of the table, it came up against the orange painted blocks of my library shelves.  So...making me rethink my idea of painting this in pale greens and hot pink = how about that orange in there to put next to the blues and tans?

Third:  Sketch a loose drawing with color - think about what color you are going to make the painting, overall.  At this point, the blues are too pretty and will be cobalt and I will paint the geraniums in the left side with more oranges than pinks and maybe bring that orange down and around the grinder and blue jar.  

So many changes as you go along and try to decide what's best.  I need something to bring the eye into the painting in the lower left, too - will pull some little thing out to put there later.

Magazine pieces cut out for the elements and colors.

This is a better drawing of the grinder, cup and jar.  I wasn't happy with the quirky way I'd put the grinder in there - it should be solid with lots of texture on the wood and the handle.

In the painting, there will be no blue scarf but I'll put in a pot of geraniums there instead - the leaves will pour down over and around the blue clock and the plate of apples (did you see the plate of apples?).  This is so much fun to just try things and play with elements and colors.  And cutting out magazine elements works - keep a book full of things and just pull out and use whatever works best with your initial setup :)

And this looks more like I want the painting to look (sketch done over in Caran d'Ache watersoluble crayons with water added and some watercolor if the color needed a bit more).

No silver coffee pot, no little white creamer.  Letting the green and pink fruit move the eye around a bit.


That little white jug may show up again in the lower left but mostly unpainted (?) maybe.

I loved the orange and messy look here in the sketch of the grinder and jar and cup - will definitely try to do this in the painting!


This is where your creativity and your energy flow through you and you cannot WAIT to get started...
BUT that is the time to go sit down a while before starting so you don't rush (this is me talking to myself because I am not patient and tend to rush, overpaint and lose some freshness).

So - orange, pink and pale green around the elements of flowers, fruit and coffee stuff.

Ok, here we go!

Going to start with the upper left geraniums and the cobalt blue clock.