4 December - I think the grounding is a part of the painting that I don't want to lose.

I've tried to keep weekends and evenings clear for family time but ill has stolen hours of productivity from me so I'm sneaking some time at home.

• I really need to find a less smelly way of working - mixed up a small batch of Paynes grey/ burnt umber and white to get a good neutral base without it being too cool, dark or warm.  I really like painting straight onto this on the gesso (its different on this than the rabbit skin glue) 
• I feel like I've been round in circles to find the things that work best for me. It's like I felt I had to test lots of linens and cottons before settling on canvas because it has the best tooth.
• In the same way, I've tried transparent gesso and now rabbit skin glue because I like the transparency and being able to see the texture of the canvas.
• I think this ground (low odour thinner and oil) brings back the colour I want to start with but gives me a good solid base too in the gesso.
• I really like using this ground - I like the way you can lift it with a rag and paint a sketch into it - it keeps the brush stokes and there are nice tones - 
• I've decided not to mask - the idea in my pre drawing- but to run with these sketch brush strokes and tones, and be really careful not to lose them as I build the painting.
• 1st plan is to mix a slightly darker shade to build the paint sketch (without losing what I have)

 

This is a second canvas and a masking taped test section to use to get my paint tones right  - I really want to only put down the colours I want to use - Will Ntiahmoah's work, workshop (and conversations ) and Lucian Freuds approach have solidified this for me - left to my own devices I think I'd still be working my colours out on the canvas but I need to put more prep time into them. 

Still messing with sewing hoops - I just really like the concept of them as a painting framework, I like the raw messiness of the fabric at the back and the 3d sculptural impact - that I could hang it or add to it/ sew into the fabric. 

• Really enjoyed doing a second pass on this - the colour was right on the test canvas but more blue grey on the painting but its working
• I really like the run textures and brush strokes you can get working with oil thinned this way. 
• Trying to keep my sketch and the marks that I like along the way by focusing on the shapes and tones.