Canvas Acquired

On the easel.

Backside, showing the support bars.

Specs.

I went with a deep canvas, the wood bars are 2 1/4 inches thick, so it will be stronger than a normal canvas. And surprisingly it isn't very heavy, about ten pounds.

Sketchboard.

I wrapped a piece of plywood in drawing paper, so I can work out sketches without getting the canvas messy.

Lighting Sketches

 There are a few options for lighting, it just depends on the mood you want.

1. Bright afternoon light- strong colors, few shadows, harsh whites
2. Early evening light- sun hasn't set, shadows are longer, colors are more subdued, and warmer. Most dramatic lighting. I think this is the time of day in "Abundant Spring".
3. Stormy-Darker, bolder colors, some areas lit and some in cloud shadow. Not my favorite option, just because it's a dark, ominous mood and tricky to get right, but it is out there.

And I can change things as the painting progresses, but it would be best to have a clear idea to start with. The main reason "cheesy" paintings look that way is the lack of a defined light source. The sun could be anywhere, or different parts of the picture have mismatched light sources, I don't want to make that mistake.

First sketch in oils, really bright afternoon-type light, but it shows where things might generally be.

Closer view, darkened a little.