HOME | DD

Description
48” x 36” | acrylic on canvas brushwork only | private collection

© 2004-2009 David McCamant. All rights reserved. No usage is implied or granted.

OMG A DD!!!! Thank you so much kangel and Mollinda for your kind endorsement! Thank you all for your wonderful compliments fellow artists!

Most Gratefully, David

Allow me to answer a few of your questions regarding my process. Every painting begins with several thumbnail sketches to work out the general composition. I take the best one and make a larger drawing of about 8” or so then check the composition with the principals of Dynamic Symmetry.

I then look for photographic reference from my picture morgue for clouds and such. Then I shoot other required elements like rocks on glass if I need the reflection too. Then I take all these image elements into PhotoShop and create a final composite reference image mostly in black and white.

The next step is to make several pastel studies to decide on the color harmony. The process up to this point is very similar to how Maxfield Parrish developed his work. Once all this preparation is complete I execute the painting using traditional methods.

If it is painted in acrylics it requires many, many layers taking up to 5 times the effort than oil paint. This is why I’m now only painting with oils. The process is similar though; you start with blocking the entire image with the darks to midtones. I work from dark to light not necessarily from background to foreground. Once the thing is blocked, you are working with finishing areas or middle stuff. I generally add the lightest passages later in the process especially misty or haloing effects.

My palette consists of, Ultramarine Blue, Phthalo Blue, Cadmium Red Medium, Permanent Rose or Quinacridone Red, Hansa Yellow Medium or Windsor Yellow, Titanium White, and Ivory Black. For acrylics I use only water as a medium. For oils I use Neo Megilp by Gamblin. I do not use or recommend turpentine or mineral spirits for oil painting. If you learn to use a brush properly, you can just wipe your brush between colors with little to no contamination.

Once the painting is finished and dry, I always varnish them with appropriate varnish.

Description
48” x 36” | acrylic on canvas brushwork only | private collection

© 2004-2009 David McCamant. All rights reserved. No usage is implied or granted.

OMG A DD!!!! Thank you so much kangel and Mollinda for your kind endorsement! Thank you all for your wonderful compliments fellow artists!

Most Gratefully, David

Allow me to answer a few of your questions regarding my process. Every painting begins with several thumbnail sketches to work out the general composition. I take the best one and make a larger drawing of about 8” or so then check the composition with the principals of Dynamic Symmetry.

I then look for photographic reference from my picture morgue for clouds and such. Then I shoot other required elements like rocks on glass if I need the reflection too. Then I take all these image elements into PhotoShop and create a final composite reference image mostly in black and white.

The next step is to make several pastel studies to decide on the color harmony. The process up to this point is very similar to how Maxfield Parrish developed his work. Once all this preparation is complete I execute the painting using traditional methods.

If it is painted in acrylics it requires many, many layers taking up to 5 times the effort than oil paint. This is why I’m now only painting with oils. The process is similar though; you start with blocking the entire image with the darks to midtones. I work from dark to light not necessarily from background to foreground. Once the thing is blocked, you are working with finishing areas or middle stuff. I generally add the lightest passages later in the process especially misty or haloing effects.

My palette consists of, Ultramarine Blue, Phthalo Blue, Cadmium Red Medium, Permanent Rose or Quinacridone Red, Hansa Yellow Medium or Windsor Yellow, Titanium White, and Ivory Black. For acrylics I use only water as a medium. For oils I use Neo Megilp by Gamblin. I do not use or recommend turpentine or mineral spirits for oil painting. If you learn to use a brush properly, you can just wipe your brush between colors with little to no contamination.

Once the painting is finished and dry, I always varnish them with appropriate varnish.