This is about my oil painting “Immersive”. Originally it was titled “Hunter 190” while working on it.
What I like to do when starting a painting is take the original image and crop it to a composition I like in Photoshop then use some filter on it to simplify all the shapes.
I don’t copy directly from Photoshop, I use it to understand how a machine will simplify so that I have some ideas of other ways I can simplify. Not coping but ideation. Normally with these simplified images I get more expressive ideas on how to progress through the painting. Ideas on how to make it more impactful. How to paint less and say more.
I love that the figure is pushed all the way over to the left and the right is nothing but blank space.
Can I make the image about nothing but the top left portion?!?
This is difficult to do! The focal point of the painting will make up only a small percentage of the whole canvas. I’ll have to keep that area with the highest contrast, the most saturated colors, the sharper edges and the most detail. I want to use all that I know about the elements of painting to make the top left the focus and the rest of the image simple.
I want the viewers eye to be drawn directly to that area and the rest be scaffolding the props up that part of the painting.
The 3 level image is the best example of this happening. All of the body and legs are in shadow, one color almost. Pushed back. Not important. I need to do a lot less here but make it look resolved enough so it doesn’t look unfinished.
This is the idea the next steps are all about the painting process.
Nov 21 & 23 2025: Drawing it out
For some reason I got it into my head that I needed a super detailed drawing at the beginning.
I did one session with no tools to try and get the drawing as close as possible. Then for the next session I used a Photoshop overlay to fix any lines that were off.
I took my time with the first layer and I’ve super happy that the drawing was very close. You can see the difference in this image. The light lines was my original drawing the darker lines were the fixes.
I think painters really over look drawing. The want to get right to painting. Then after years their drawing really suffers. I like to draw out all of my paintings first to keep my drawing skills up to date.
I don’t normally worry too much about getting the drawing exact but I always feel this pride when I can get something drawn as exactly as I see it. There is a lot of skill in drawing well and I think everyone responds well to a great drawing.
But the drawing will be obliterated by the paint. It’s important to not be too precious with my work. I know it’s drawing well. I know I did it. I don’t have to show it off all the time.
Regardless of how good the drawing was though I still have to get it correct again with a brush. Drawing always, in graphite and paint.
Nov 25: Beginning the Painting Process
I made the background gray with a bit of warmth.
I went for lighter values through the painting but I also want most of the body to fade into the background bringing more attention to the top left of the figure where the light is shining on their arms and head.
Before finishing the session I reduced almost all edges to soft or lost.
This layer of paint will be mostly dry by tomorrow and then I can really begin to understand where to take my values.
I love starting this way. Where the first session of the painting is a fuzzy idea of a painting. Its this blob of unresolved color and mass that has all the makings of what the painting will be but without all the commitment. You can either stop the painting now or continue on without much work already put into it. Or make huge changes because at this point I know if it’s going to work or not.
Nov 26: Finishing the Painting
Making the value at the top left of the background darker and increasing the contrast between the background and the arm is essential for putting the focus in that area.
I also felt this need to let go and try to express the form with as little brush work as possible and to keep that brush work expressive.
I’m imagining a dust storm. Atmosphere between the viewer and the bottom half of the figure. Obscured and unimportant the legs fade away.
It feels really good working this way and it’s sending this painting down a path of success.
Dec 4: Time Away & New Eyes
We went on vacation to Mexico.
After more than a week away from this painting I look upon it with fresh eyes. I don’t feel it needs more detail in the bottom half. Only a few touches in the top left. The hands, the spear and a bit of softening of edges on the glutes and below.
Now it’s done.
Honestly I’m really happy with the idea of this painting. I think I accomplished what I set out to do but I”m very unhappy with how I painted the hands. They are so small! Each one about half the size of my finger nail. I could have simplified them more I think, but I was hanging onto the detail too much.
Like all paintings, some good some bad but always super fun and a learning process.
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