Just starting on a new collection of animal paintings, above are the first few brush strokes of a cow composition. I usually start paintings in this way, blue paint and trying to keep the lines economical but expressive.
Sometimes I feel these simple lines have a certain quality that one cannot help but lose in more complicated or 'finished' images. The lack of information in a simple study leaves space for the viewer to read into the image and explore their own interpretation.
Some years ago I did several figure studies using this technique, the blue lines forming the finished picture and here are a few examples:
The challenge and fun of this type of painting is to describe the subject and ideally convey some emotion in just a few lines. Using paint in this way, there is little to no room for mistakes so you have to be bold and decisive with each stroke.
Some work out better than others! but as each study is relatively quick to do there's no harm in discarding a failed attempt or two! :-)
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