Custom Portraits Online by Miranda Aschenbrenner

June is going to be here before we know it so I’ve begun some serious work on this painting. It’s a 3×2′ oil on canvas commission of an African landscape. Don’t forget to check out the value study and the colour study.

I’m really pleased with the way the clouds are coming along. Working wet on wet has been a great way to get soft, wispy clouds. Next I will add more substance and volume to some of the clouds, but I have to wait until the paint dries. I will also lighten the center of the sun so that it appears brighter.

I absolutely love the yellow-orange-red colour scheme of this painting. I think it’s going to look awesome and can’t wait to see it hanging behind the bride and groom at the wedding reception!

Here is a small-scale colour study of my African sunset commission.

This is basically just a sketch in colour. The purpose of this kind of study is to work out the mixing of colours on a smaller scale before you start working on the actual painting. It’s kind of like a rehearsal before the concert.

Now I know what colours to use in the painting, how to mix them and how to blend them.

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In June, my friend Lorna is getting married. Her hubby-to-be is originally from South Africa, so they have decided that their wedding will have an African theme. As a part of this, she has commissioned me to do a large oil painting of an African sunset.

I’m really looking forward to this project. It will be big, bright, and colourful, and an interesting departure from my pencil drawings.

This is my value study for the painting; a monochromatic sketch that shows how light and dark each part of the painting will be. I will post updates of the painting here so that you can see it in progress. The next step is a colour study!