Outlining the sketch

I knew I wouldn't be able to spend the entire weekend at the school, and setting up and taking down the large scaffold would be too much of a bother. Instead, Luke (from Maintenance) was very helpful in setting up the small lift and showing me how to use it. (thanks Luke!) I'm very lucky to have this available to paint from.

Using the grid template over a panel, I began to transfer the outlines of the image to the wall. I will add a photo of the transparent grid taped to a panel to the photos section so you can get an understanding of what I mean. I will also add an image of the wall with some of the outlines painted in. I manipulated the image a bit in photoshop to make the lines stand out better in the photo. These outlines will be indispensable to me once I begin to paint, as they will help me keep true to the image in size, position and relationship to other elements.

I did not get as far as I had hoped this weekend, mostly for a happy reason. My father was able to visit us and spend some time reviewing my project. He is my greatest inspiration and my most important critic. I only wish I was half as good of an artist as he is. His name is Robert Gilbert and he has had a long career of fine art. Incredibly prolific and dedicated to his craft, Dad seemed to create beautiful art effortlessly.

Dad loves art and he taught me to love it as well. I'm so glad he was able to give me his thoughts on the wall. After studying my group of paintings, he confirmed my suspicions about the background by telling me that it didn't need to be as bright as it is. This has been something that has bothered me since finishing the group and I feel more confident about trying to correct it on the wall mural. Toning down the background will help create more depth and not be as overwhelming to the animals and other foreground objects.

Once I have the entire image transferred to the wall, I can start laying in the sky. This will set the tone for the painting and getting the correct value is critical. I have been doing some research into mural painting and discovered one of the best museum diorama background painters I've ever seen. James Perry Wilson, an architect turned painter created some of the most stunning images for the museum he worked for. The more I read about him, the more excited I am to try his technique for skies. To simplify his method, he basically divided his sky into 13 stripes of graduated values. After studying a test strip he did for one of his dioramas, I'm convinced this is the way to go.

This week I will make several test strips to choose the range of values and premix the sky color so it goes on clean and clear.