Painting together session - thumbnail sketches

Our recent Assembly Rooms ‘painting together’ session on 13th June focused on the use of thumbnail sketches as a preparation for an artwork, particularly where the final work is to be created using expensive materials.

A postcard-sized sketch (or smaller) in pencil or pen can be used both to establish a satisfactory composition, and to create tonal contrasts to add interest and to highlight the chosen focal point of the image. When working from a photo, basic editing tools can be used to view the image in black and white, emphasising the light and dark areas.

Paintings in the session ranged from imagined landscapes to flowers and still life, as well as recreating photographs.