Previously, I wrote about ways I develop first drafts of paintings, then transfer elements I like from the first draft and create a better second draft painting.
This time, I want to show how I correct the first draft without making a new painting.
The oil painting above shows a whitetail buck drinking at a creek not far from my home. The area is hilly from mineral deposits made during our last ice age. I painted it as I saw it during several evenings on location, then added the deer when I was in my studio. I liked the painting, but several elements cried out for change.
The first change was the large hill on the left. Second was the land formation on the right that runs along the creek. Third was the time of day, which changed the painting’s color and value schemes and its mood.
The painting above is from my early fantasy works. The first illustration shows a blue hawk flying against a sky that’s depicted as an upside-down American flag—a symbol of distress. The second illustration shows major changes I made years later when I developed the cover art for one of my major fantasy books. Here we have a castle in the clouds and my main character riding bareback on the hawk.
I’ve shown the above painting at my blog before. The first illustration shows a pheasant catching the attention of a black bear. It’s a nice painting, a bit roomy, but it doesn’t say much more than that, which is why I cropped the painting and added elements to punch it up.
The final painting above shows a doe and her fawn. I painted the first draft in a vignette style, then went back later and added more color and value while removing the vignette.
In my opinion, the second drafts punched up the paintings every time. Punching up my paintings adds drama to them, which makes them more interesting to look at. The same idea holds true for rewriting the first drafts of my books.
That’s all for now. Peace and love.
Steve, 4/27/2023
This post “Painting and Fixing the First Draft, Part 2” copyright © 2023 Steven Leo Campbell at stevecampbellcreations.com – All rights reserved.
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