Skipping the sketch phase felt wrong, but my last 3 pieces got way more reactions

I always did a full rough draft in Photoshop before painting, but a friend in Denver told me to just block in colors directly and see what happens. It took about 4 tries before I stopped fighting the messy shapes, yet the final pieces feel looser and people in the forum comments keep asking about my brush settings. Has anyone else found that ditching the ol' outline step makes your finished work stand out more, or does it just create chaos for you?

2 comments

2 Comments

paule5317d ago

Read an interview with a painter from Portland who swore by the same thing, said her sketch was just a crutch after a while. She compared it to learning to drive a stick shift, once you get the feel you stop thinking about the gears. Took me a few tries too but it's like the painting finally breathes on its own...

ellis.robert17d ago

Hold on, stick shift is a clutch and gear work, not a crutch, but I get your point.