Welcome to Part II in this series on "Painting a Landscape on Commission". Just as Part I was being published, I received a call from my client saying that the preliminary concept was accepted. It's a go to paint! It is gratifying when there's confirmation that you are on the right track.

Before I actually start painting, I need to do a couple of things to prepare...

Touchup & Spray
Now that I can forge ahead with painting, I want to make adjustments to the drawing then cleanup stray charcoal dust from the canvas surface. I take a moment to view the drawing in reverse through a mirror to catch any visual imbalances. This is most important when doing a symmetrical painting such as this. I then spray a couple light layers of fixative outdoors with the painting in an upright position.

To minimize lung inflammation, I leave the canvas outside for a time. Meanwhile, I look over my color reference board, reference photos/slides, and client's room pictures once again. The more familiar I can become with the subjects and colors, the more intuitive my painting sessions will be and lessens the reliance on references as the painting progresses.

I notice that the client's room colors are much cooler than are found in the natural landscape. The biggest challenge will be to create a natural-looking painting while incorporating these bright, jewel-like hues.

Let's paint...