I was attracted to the subject mostly because of the red and yellow high visibility dyes and paints used in the barrels and on the front end loader and also because of the viridian- tinted glass. I also like the jagged texture of the tires on the loader and thought it would be fun and challenging to try to suggest the tread.
Construction scenes are so colorful! Who doesn't look forward to getting stuck in road construction?
Construction scenes are so colorful! Who doesn't look forward to getting stuck in road construction?
Finished Painting:
I start with the largest shapes first. like the orange and white rectangles that make up the barrels The highlights are added later. Most subjects can be seen as an arrangement of simple shapes such as squares, circles, ellipses, cylinders, triangles. Learning to draw these shapes in perspective. Eg. The left edge of the scoop in the front end loader can be seen and interpreted as a simple receding triangle.
I continue to add smaller details like the lights in the van's headlights. Note that the front end loader and the right- most construction barrel appear to be hovering above the pavement as if somebody just switched off the gravity.
By adding shadows under the barrel and under the front end loader I solve the levitation issue. I bump up the light in the sky near the horizon to increase overall contrast. If your landscapes every seem too flat (if they lack contrast,) first look to lightening the sky near the horizon.
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| Roadwork 11x14 |
Here you can see several stages of the painting present in one image. I started with a contour line drawing on a light grey toned canvas. Using mostly flats I brushed in large washes in the road and sky. Using a limited palette I began mixing and painting in the local colors on the front end loader, trying to match the hue, value, and saturation of the subject's colors. (If needed see the color mixing tutorial for help with mixing.)
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I start with the largest shapes first. like the orange and white rectangles that make up the barrels The highlights are added later. Most subjects can be seen as an arrangement of simple shapes such as squares, circles, ellipses, cylinders, triangles. Learning to draw these shapes in perspective. Eg. The left edge of the scoop in the front end loader can be seen and interpreted as a simple receding triangle.
I continue to add smaller details like the lights in the van's headlights. Note that the front end loader and the right- most construction barrel appear to be hovering above the pavement as if somebody just switched off the gravity.
By adding shadows under the barrel and under the front end loader I solve the levitation issue. I bump up the light in the sky near the horizon to increase overall contrast. If your landscapes every seem too flat (if they lack contrast,) first look to lightening the sky near the horizon.
