[Kimberly Dow]

Jimmie-

I do not know how many artists here sketch on their canvas first, but I almost always do unless it is from life. I have a suggestion for when your at home, not the class. Take a canvas (or cheaper canvas pad) and do one of your pencil drawings on it - just no details - make it a cartoon. (some of the old masters made first sketches on canvas and called them cartoons) Then - color it in like a coloring book with the paint. This is practice time that you can use to learn how each brush moves and lays down paint. This may not be how some of the teachers here would suggest learning color, but in thinking back it is pretty much how I learned. If you are using a photograph then do that - then when you feel you have gotten the color fairly well - have the model back to check for edge softness and color accuracy.

Your going to do fine Jimmie - it won't take you long at all.