I recently went to dollar tree to buy a variety of items to use for still life. This simple white coffee cup and tea spoon were obviously part of the mix. Even the white surface is a nice White Vinyl "Top Liner" whatever that is, but it's a nice, non-slip texture, and I can use it if I want a simple white area in a still life.
Painting this still life wasn't a smooth process. Maybe because I have been painting from reference images for the past week or so, so I am warming back up for painting from life. But I also used a viewfinder to isolate my composition. I find it is easier to see and identify value and color this way, but also feels like an extra step between looking and painting. It feels like looking, thinking, then painting. Not that thinking is bad, but it adds that extra bit of time between what my mind sees and then making the marks. It feels less of a natural reaction of seeing, and more of a copy down what I see exactly how I saw it, kind of action. Anyway... it was only the first time I used the viewfinder in still life. It was a big help in identifying my composition. I probably used it too much throughout the whole painting which is why I had some issues.
"Paint as you like and die happy." --Henry Miller
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