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| Many collectors have expressed interest in Jan's creative process, so this area will feature photos of the creation of a current painting from inception to completion. It will be updated periodically, so check back often! |
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| Paintings begin with research. I spend countless hours in the field sketching and photographing. I have been traveling to Africa for 14 years - going every year - even twice sometimes! While I'm there I'm observing, sketching and photographing. |
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| What I am doing now - in a effort to add "glow" to my paintings, I am experimenting with using a burnt sienna wash over the entire canvas as an underpainting. I then do a sketch to size on tracing paper which I attach at the top with "hinges" of tape. Here I am transferring the drawing to painting surface. |
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| I am not always masking off the main subject as much as I use to, but in this case I wanted to be sure to preserve the "glowing" underpainting so I painted over the lion with a masking fluid and covered larger areas inside with cellophane. |
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| I am now blocking in the green tree area behind the lion. I do this by splaying a big wide brush and "scrumbling" different colors of greens, allowing some of the sienna underpainting to show through. |
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| I like organic textures and strive to create them in work. Here I am using a crumpled piece of cellophane to create the "lumps and bumps" of the dirt area. |
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| The background is being loosely blocked in, again, allowing the burnt sienna to glow through. |
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| All the background is now mostly done. Work on the lion has begun, paying attention to subtle blues and purples in the shadows to create depth. |
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| A final touch of spattering some white paint on the dirt to create the allusion of bits of rocks and sand. I do this by dipping an old toothbrush into paint and then dragging my finger across the bristles. |
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