I've started a new grape composition and decided to post the progress as I go. The background is done with the negative painting which I love for the grape leaves. I'm working with an asymmetrical layout which I also like to use. It creates a nice contrast between the painted areas, and the mostly un-painted areas.
Just some faint glazes of color above to give a backdrop for the various elements I wanted to include in this.
Here I've added in several layers and started to define my leaves, added first washes on the bottle and some background colors for the wine press. I'm working to use the leaves as a visual guide to draw your eye around the composition in this piece.
More values in the leaves, starting to define the bottle and adding texture to the press. I want to keep an eye on the comparative values and hues around the composition so I tend to jump around as I'm painting.
,Adding in my base grape colors, which if you looked at an earlier grape composition, may change to a entirely different color by the end. More texture in the wood and darker values defining the leaves.
Made a big jump here lol, got into painting and forgot I was going to take pictures. 😂 I Added more leaves and darker areas between them to start to define additional leaves and vines. I'm slowly curling the leaves around the bottle and press to draw your eye along that path. I also went back and added more hue to the press and wheel. Not totally decided on the overall color of the wood, torn between the cooler colors I used in the pencil drawing and the warmer tones I've started here.m I also defined some of the veins in the individual leaves. Oh yea, more fun with the cork and bottle. 😁 I want to make sure I pick up reflections of the press and metal on the bottle.