Zooming In

Hi all, am back to painting again so thought i would share some issues that i am dealing with as i warm up. one issue or approach is the choice of  how much detail to put in a scene. i tend to reduce the detail and simplify the composition in order not to get caught up in lots of shape "bits". it is fine if they truly add to the story or background support but if they are simply information props then i filter them out. so i choose to zoom in on a strong center of interest and eliminate detail.

the two sketches from my sketchbook illustrate a zoom approach with each having a different center of interest: the lower image is the combination of two women sitting under the umbrellas; and the upper image is another woman  figure with a white hat showing through the shadows cast by other umbrellas. this way i am challenging myself to simplify both the detail and the brightness and attention at the center and not all over the painting as i tend to do at times.

i also have been painting with as smaller brush lately, a no. 10 Scepter II WN round backed up by a no. 16 round. i tend to paint quickly and sometimes impatiently so am trying to slow down a bit and not loose the looseness re: Charles Reid. i also am trying to put more accuracy in my pencil sketches as i do the same with the sketch technique as you can see in value/composition examples attached. including more people in my compositions as their shapes have always been a challenge.  have fun and keep painting. ron k