There are two techniques I have never tried while painting before. They are using a grid to help with drawing, and painting a transparent under-coat. Well, that statement is not exactly true. I have under-painted many times while painting with watercolors. That technique in watercolor is called glazing.  I have never glazed or under-painted while oil painting. Typically, what I do is tint my canvas with ochre before starting an oil painting like the paintings below:

In oil painting, the technique of painting a transparent undercoat helps you to establish light and shadow areas.  It is also a background color to determine where to lay down the cool and warm areas of your painting. 

The other technique I haven't used before is gridding my canvas and image for easier drawing. I will be using this when I draw on my canvas from now on!!! I'm not sure if I'll use it for watercolor paintings since the surface of watercolor paper is very sensitive. 

Below is an example of a painting I am presently working on. The painting is of a picture I took while my husband and I were visiting Ireland. Gridding out the photo and canvas was  helpful in getting the landscape and cows placed and proportioned correctly on the canvas. 

Below is the finished painting from my on-line painting class:

I signed up for an online class mid-February. I really haven't painted much since my sister passed away a year and half ago. Plus, with this insane lockdown business everything has been cancelled. As an artist, having deadlines is helpful in staying motivated. One morning I woke up and realized just how much I missed painting. There were a couple of artists that I follow who also offer online classes. I went online and checked out their info, weighed out the pros and cons to each class and chose 'Once Upon a Time in Provence" instructed by Dreama.

Dreama paints in a very loose, colorful style. My painting style has always been quite  colorful, but because I was trained in a very oldy worldy, traditional way, I do not paint loosely at all - better than years past, but still too much in the lines. I am presently into my third week's lesson and have decided to blog about my process. If I write down what I am learning along the way it will be easier to change up, remember and apply these lessons to my own painting style. This process is not to paint like Dreama. It is for me a practice outside of my own box to stretch and develop my own style in a new direction. 

Below are the first three class paintings. I will talk about them more in a new post.