Caleb and Jessica’s First Dance Painting, Part 2
Check out the Wedding Sketches done live during Caleb and Jessica’s wedding and reception at the Sixpence in Whiteland, Indiana. You can see how Caleb and Jessica’s First Dance Painting was started in Part 1
So, let’s start where we left off last time. I was just getting ready to paint the man in the lower left holding a cell phone, recording the “First Dance”.
So, here he is recording the “first dance” and we get a painting within a painting.
Backdrop and Wedding Cake
Next, I paint the backdrop with the couple’s names lit up in neon. At the same time, I paint the wedding cake and bridal table.
I ended up reworking the table cloth and cake and may re-work them again. Still debating about that. I’ll wait and see how it looks when I have more of the painting blocked in.
I also added the hardware to the rafters and beams and started to paint around the windows. Greys are mixed using mostly the Ultramarine Blue and Cadmium Red Medium and Light. The combination of complementary colors yields lovely, ethereal grays that range from warm red-grays to cooler blue-greys. At this point, because of the red tinted panel, the greys look really blue but once the whole painting is blocked in, they will read more grey.
The windows behind the guests and bridesmaids, with some green foliage, are added, too.
There are more details in the drawing than I need or want in the final painting but it helps to give me the “bones” of the painting so I can carve out the scene with the paint and the palette knife aligned with the details. I don’t need to expressly paint the details. How the the thick paint is applied will suggest them.
Painting the Negative Space Around the Windows
I start with the walls around the windows which are a darker value than the glass and sky outside. Mixing a cool grey using Ultramarine Blue, Cadmium Red Medium and Light, and Titanium White, I begin to block in the walls. I adjusted the hues to a lighter value. While the walls are dark against the glass, I did not want them to be too heavy handed dark. Once I block in the areas, I can always readjust the values and hues again.
Painting the Rafters
Still using the Ultramarine Blue, Cadmium Red Medium and Light, and Titanium White mix, I continue on painting the rafters in the upper left. Now the painting is really starting to come together. Up to now, the pre-tinted red on the panel has dominated. In fact, I bet some of you were thinking, “This is terrible! What the heck is she thinking?” LOL.
I remember once painting a flowering red bud tree, on location near Owl Creek, at the edge of the road where cars passing by could see the painting. I was just finishing up and putting the final touches on the painting when a car stopped. The driver leaned out the window and said, “That looks pretty good. I drove by when you were starting and it looked like a big mess. You really pulled it together.” I got a good chuckle out of that. I guess making a painting is a bit like making sausage. You really don’t want to see the process! LOL.
Continuing with the Back Wall Behind the Bridesmaids and Guests
Adding a bit more warm reds and oranges to the grey, I block in the lower part of the rafters and back wall.
The Windows
The windows are one of the lightest, brightest parts of the painting with all that light pouring in. Using Titanium White and a touch of Cadmium Red Medium and Cadmium Red Light, I mix a bright, warm hue for the windows.
The Floor
I actually painted the floor once before. Except for the reflection of the bridesmaids, I didn’t like it. So, I scrapped it off and painted it again. This time I was happy with the results.
So, that’s it for now.
Next time I will finish up with the chandelier and the bride. While the bride is the star of the painting, the chandelier is the maid of honor(sorry groom, I am thinking in terms of the composition and sparkling eye candy). Everything up to now has been painted to support the “stars”. Once the chandelier and bride are done, I can step back and see if any others values or hues need to be adjusted.
This is where it gets really exciting to see the painting all come together. Be sure to tune in next time to see how it turns out. Will be so nice to finally have everything blocked in and the red tinted panel covered.
Thanks for following along!
Happy trails,
Charlene
P.S. If you would like a wedding painting for yourself or a loved one, please visit the Wedding Paintings page on my website.
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