Work In Process plus a Handy Hint! - Final day 30 in Challenge

Work in process

6x8 oil on canvas

This series will allow me to work on different surfaces.

The first few will be on black gessoed panels.

I feel it important to use the gesso and not an

acrylic black paint. The reason?

It needs to be slightly porous to grab the oil paint

 and gesso is made to work that way.

A handy and easy to make guide for 

making a "same size guide" for helping to design

the composition. Frames from the Dollar Store 

with the paper taken out and glass left in.

I have several for each size of my canvases

this is a 5x7 but with the frame is exactly 6x8

The grid is divided by the usual rule of thirds.

with a marker.The circles are for 

possible focal areas.

Doing this really helps me design and 

find the focal area and also eye flow pattern.

I am holding it directly over the photo here. 

I can move the frame back and forth to find

a composition I like best or rest 

it right on

the photo like shown here.

 .

I try it in a vertical position and do the same thing.

Having the frame helps me see it clearly with 

its boundary.

Using it for a still life works the same way

Only better -because you can mark off the 

spacing of your object with a marker

Yes, you can buy a product already made

 but I enjoy having them

match the size of my canvas.