In class the demo copied my plein air painting and study. See how in part 2 (after a partial scrape-down) I used a western stream reference to add more flow to the water and change things. This unorganized and haphazard approach is what I end up doing for most paintings... even a quick draw! It is very rare that I follow the first plan or the photo exactly.
Note Part 1 of video is remastered (higher res filming) than Zoom allows, thus student questions can't be heard very well, you can watch Part 1 from the class recording for sound if you need to. Part 2 has full narration with my mic and is after class.
Part 3 is another redo and can be found as an attachment in the Download tab. Although this is not filmed I reworked this painting another few times (yes, it takes a while sometimes).
WHY REDO? You may be wondering... Why was I all over the place with this artwork? Was my sketch bad to start? Didn't I have a plan? Well, I did have a plan but I've found for my best work I have to go 'off script' and let myself wander artistcally to find what I need to say sometimes. You might have a different process. But remember not all art turns out, the important part is to have the courage to try to improve it.
GETTING BETTER: Try re-working a painting many times. You can scrape and repaint, you can re-paint on top, you can sketch and design to clarify intent. In the Learning Library you can find how to 'redo' a painting with glazes, over painting scumbling techniques and full over-painting. For students eager to get better, there is no purpose for yet another mediocre painting. Art growth will only happen when you are ruthless and objective with your artwork and destroy part (or all) in order to learn and improve. This is the final step to continue to get better after basic skills are learned. Try, even if you are unsure at first of how to redo things. Repainting and restating is an essential part of the art process.