Like anything else
Mark,
I was told to go to this Forum and answer your question. Well, the wood on that barrel was painted with no extra thought than anything else in that painting. I don't believe in using "techniques" that work for different effects. What that does is create a painting full of formulas rather than observation. I paint what I see in front of me. And more specifically, I paint that light that I see and interpret it in as a simple way a possible. When I was painting that one, as I do on all my paintings, I squinted down and observed what the most obvious things that stood out on that barrel were. The light and shadow pattern and any values that peeped out strong enough for me see while I was squinting. I noticed that there were many vibrating cools and warms in the barrel and made sure to include that for a touch of realism. But everything is suggested and never defined.
How do you do that? Squint. That's the big tool I use. Don't think about wood. Don't think about faces. Don't think about trees. Just see shapes, values, edges, one against another, like a puzzle, and paint what you see, and not what you know or think you need to know.
|