A match made in H... Hydrocryl! With Donna Woodhouse

This is the beginning of a painting I recently exhibited, titled ‘The wedding’.

My process begins by covering the canvas in dots of acrylic paint. For this painting I chose a complementary palette of orange and blue. I used a paint scraper to push the paint around until I was happy with the coverage and the look. I then sprayed the canvas with alcohol and blotted it with paper towel. I love the textured effect that it leaves. I then left it to dry and started to look at the shapes the paint had formed. I quickly delineated the figures I could see in white paint with an angle brush.

This is halfway through the process, the point when I consolidate the palette. I look for compositional values and see if they are working. Shape line and colour are important to me in how they deliver a story. I still trust the shapes the first layer of paint has given me and try and enhance them looking at value and tone.

At the end I am still looking at how the shapes work with each other and if there is any tweaking needed with composition or value. I leave the painting to settle for a day or two before I believe it is finished. Finally, I add my signature and a coat of gloss varnish. This painting was painted with a mixture of Hydrocryl and other paints.

Thanks for sharing Donna!

You can check out more @donnawoodhouseart