Step-By-Step. Coincidental IV. Shades of Blue.

My series Coincidental emerged after my annual trip to The Medieval Fest in Turku, Finland. Some years ago I was sitting in a summer cafe at the river Aura bank. I was sitting with my Capuccino watching the other side of the river and people sitting in a summer cafe. People seamed to be fully into short Finnish summer enjoyment. I picked a figure of a lady sitting along comletely self content in her bright red clothes. I purposely put her in the middle with almost empty forground and cut figures in the background. This made on my opinion the composition more coinsidental as it is the idea of the series. I used mainly shades of blue and indigo for all cool shades of the painting. It gave me an idea to call the painting "Shades Of Blue" that also corresponds with the absent expression of the lady in red.

I used the paper Saunders Waterford, 425 g rough by St.Cuthberts Mill (UK), paints Daniel Smith - my signature palette and my signature brushes Roubloff.... Enjoy!

K. Sterkhov. Coincidental IV. Shades Of Blue. 54x59 cm

Step 1. After applying masking fluid at the high lights I am wetting the sheet from both sides and painting mid tones on wet. Then I am letting it dry and removing the masking.

Step 2. I am choosing a focal point in my painting and starting defining details in full strength of color and tone.

Step 3. I am moving from a focal point to a side working continously without gaps. If my eye goes from the main figure to the far left corner I am going with my defining brush the same way.

Step 4. I am coming back to the main figure.

Step 5. I am strengthen the tone of the foreground.

Step 6. I am defining some constractional details and assessories.