Caleb and Jessica’s First Dance Painting, Part 1
Caleb and Jessica got married September 18, 2021 at the Sixpence in Whitestown, Indiana. I did three hours of live sketching during the wedding and reception and collected all the visual information I needed to create an oil painting of their “First Dance”.
Delays
I’ll confess, I am a little behind on this painting. I had to take a week off to install a radio wire e-fence on my 5.5 acres to contain my foxhound who began digging under my regular fence. No sooner would I plug a hole than he would dig a new one. Foxhounds are bred to run for miles and miles and miles with horses and this guy would be gone anywhere from 15 hours to three days. Sometimes he would come home on his own and sometimes I would get a call from someone. Last time, I picked him up more than eleven miles away! Poor guy is an 18th century dog living in the wrong century.
Immediate Action Was Required!
Even so, it took me a week to read the 26 page instruction book, cover to cover, learn how to twist 36′ of wire, thread wire through tubing, clear multiflora roses off of 2300′ of fence line, lay and splice the wire, and test it out with the transmitter. Only to find I didn’t have a closed circuit loop. Grrrr…back to the drawing board.
Trial and Error
I won’t go into all the machinations, but it took another two weeks to solve the issues, test the system, attach to the existing fence, set the flags, and train my dog. So far, keeping my fingers crossed, my foxhound is contained on the property except for our daily hike in the forest when he is wearing a different e-collar so I can beep him back to me.
If anyone needs help with a radio wire e-fence, give me a call!
October Open House
In the meantime, I also had the October Open House to get ready for which included ripping out some shelves in the gallery, stacking and cleaning a huge pile of tapestries, mowing and weed whipping, prepping some refreshments, decorating, and setting up my display tent with artwork. Not to mention varnishing and framing new paintings.
Whew! Glad to be back to the wedding painting!
Planning the composition is key to the very foundation and ultimate success of the painting. There are so many fabulous options and directions to go, that narrowing it down can be tough! So, I stewed over the various options until I realized I kept coming back to one.
The color scheme of the painting is another top consideration. A palette using blues and oranges and all the mixed grays would be perfect for this painting.
I finalized the composition that includes the couple, the cake, backdrop, bridesmaids and guests, and the venue with the fabulous chandelier.
Adobe Photoshop
I used Adobe Photoshop to layer about 40 different photos. Rearranging key elements and increasing and decreasing the sizes and, ultimately, rejecting and hiding many layers of elements that didn’t work as well as others. I spent several days on the composition to get it just right.
This is the first printed version of the final composition. On the computer screen, which is backlit, it looked great. But, when printed, it is a tad too dark for certain elements. In particular, the ceiling and rafters are too dark in the upper left.
So, I drastically lightened it in Photoshop and re-printed it. Both versions help me remember key elements and the value relationships I want to capture in the painting. You can see that the name on the backdrop is too light in this lightened version. Obviously, these collages of the composition are just “sketches” with lots of decisions still to be made. But they give me a good jumping off point.
The live sketches from the wedding and reception are also very helpful as reference material for the final painting.
Drawing on the Panel
Once I settled on the composition, it was transferred to the pre-tinted panel, carefully drawing it all out. After the composition was drawn on the panel, I spent more time refining and tweaking it before I started painting. Easier to build a house on a solid foundation than to try and go back and redo the foundation after the house is built.
Painting the Groom
So, now I am ready to start the painting. Using palette knives to keep the painting loose and chunky and vibrant while still capturing lots of details, I start by applying the black hues and values. The groom’s tuxedo is the most prominent black value — actually, a dark blue — so I start there. Using a mix of Ultramarine Blue and Cadmium Red Medium, I mix a deep black for his suit. For the lighter areas, I add a touch of white to the predominantly blue mixture.
Bridesmaids’ Table
Then I move to the bridesmaids’ table. Their gowns are a rust orange that perfectly conveys the autumn wedding theme. Again, I start with the darkest values. Mixing a black using more of the Cadmium Red Medium than the Ultramarine Blue, I paint in the darkest hues. Orange hues are mixed with Cadmium Red Light and Medium with a touch of Ultramarine Blue.
Seems to work best on the wedding paintings to paint a section at a time. So, next, I carve out the bridesmaids and other guests. Mixing a rusty orange using Cadmium Red Light and Medium, Cadmium Yellow Light, Magenta Red and a bit of Ultramarine Blue, I paint the bridesmaids dresses. For the tabletop, glassware, and other décor I use combos of Titanium White and yellow, red, and violet.
Well, that’s it for now.
Thank you so much for following along! Please leave any comments or questions on this blog post. I love to hear from you!
If you make it out to Brown County during this gorgeous fall, please stop by for a visit to the gallery. Just give a me call on the studio/gallery line(sorry, poor cell service out here), 812-988-4497, or shoot me an email, Char@CharleneMarsh.com, and let me know when you are coming.
Thanks!
Charlene
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