Painting on canvas again

Every now and then I think to myself, "Oh, I haven't done a canvas painting in a while..."

I usually brush it off because the thought of investing so much time and effort into such a big project usually turns me off, but this year I really wanted to do another one.

Now that quarantine has hit, this was the perfect time to finally get around to it.

Here is the final version of my latest painting, "Sunset: A Painting in Quarantine". It was done over 7 sessions in 23 days (about 12.5 hours in total), with oil paint on canvas.

Here is the small reference picture they provide with the canvas:

This canvas is part of a set that my mum bought when I was still a child (see, I wasn't joking when I said I literally do one painting every few years). It's for beginners so it comes with the outlines already printed on. This has its pros and cons. For example, I don't have to sketch things so it makes it way easier, but on the other hand if I don't want the painting to look exactly like the image, it's harder to paint over the black lines.

(Click on the image to view these photos in a slideshow)

My first session: 4th April, about 1.5 hours.

I didn't like the pale, washed out sunny version of the reference picture, so I decided to make it during a sunset instead.

Second session: 5th April, about 2 hours.

Went over the sky a bit more because I realised some of the preprinted lines from the clouds and birds  could still be seen. Also started on the building, and I got really confused because I realised the image sort of cuts out on the right and on the bottom (it is like this on the reference image too, I think it's meant to be ~artistic~).




Third session: 7th April, about 1.5 - 2 hours.

I didn't like how the building was looking so I experimented with putting a brickwork onto it. After painting the bricks, I realised it was completely not to scale, but oh well, what's done is done. I also added the red and white shade thing.

This session ended up being a lesson in letting go of my perfectionism. Also, a lesson that it's really difficult to be a perfectionist when you literally do not have the proper skills to do something correctly.

Note: the inconsistency in colours is just because of lighting, I didn't go over the sky and change the colours after the second session. I think the first two sessions were taken at night under a light which is why the colours are really different to the other photos.

Fourth session: 11th April, about 1.5 - 2 hours.

I did the windows, the interior of the restaurant, and the ground. I also shaded a bit of the building and this was where my confidence started improving, it felt like it was starting to really come together quite well.

Fifth session: 13th April, about 1 hour.

I took Pam from the Office's advice on painting a shrub over anything you didn't like, so I added a shrub next to the wall. Also, I can't do people very well so I just painted silhouettes, but I liked how it was looking.

Sixth session: 25th April, about 2 hours.

I filled in the boats and the dock, and added shading to it. Now that the whole canvas has been painted, it was starting to look really good.

Seventh session: 26th April, about 2 hours.

I added the island and lighthouse, which I don't like the shape of but it had to be that shape because that was how the outline was (the outline honestly made it look more like the top of a mosque rather than a lighthouse).

I also added other finishing touches like the reflection in the windows, the other part of the dock and the boy fishing, the box in the boat, general shading all round, and my signature. I also painted over what was meant to be the anchor on the ground because I was feeling too lazy to paint the anchor.