Trevi Fountain - Step 5

More first layers here. Notice how I'm just painting around the water flowing down the rocks and how the general shapes are adding form without really putting in the darks yet. I'm also starting to darken the background a bit to further establish the overall value range for the painting.

Trevi Fountain - Step 4

I've been a little bit behind lately, so I'm going to rapid-fire the rest of these steps just so I can get this wrapped up. Please let me know if you have any comments or would like more info on any of the steps.

I've started to add some shadows to the figure. Notice how he's starting to pop out from the background and look three-dimensional.

Trevi Fountain - Step 3

These first washes for the figures and fountain are all about establishing temperature. The shadows and water will be predominantly cool, so I want lots of warm reflected light instead of cool grays. That will help build an exciting contrast and will hopefully make the painting more visually interesting. Also, notice that there will be plenty of warm colors in the overall cool shadows and vice versa for balance and harmony. Do not be afraid to push your colors. Try to get away from the "Payne's Gray doldrums" that haunt most beginners' work.

At this point, I am defining the figure by surrounding the lightest areas with washes of Raw Sienna. This is merely the first layer of many that will eventually create a three-dimensional appearance, but you can begin to see the forms.

I decided to put in some of my darkest darks behind the fountain to establish my value range (this painting will run the full gamut, from white paper to almost black).

Trevi Fountain, Step 2

Ok, finally. Here's step two. Finally. (Sorry about the two month gap in steps - it's been a really busy summer!)

I've decided to establish the shadow area behind the two figures first. This initial wash is for the surfaces that are in shade but are receiving the most reflected light. I've chosen to use a loose, wet-into-wet blend of Ultramarine Blue, Alizarin Crimson, and Burnt Siena. Notice how I varied the color of the wash by adding more or less of the colors as I moved around. This sets the stage for a vibrant and interesting dark area.

I'll probably have to darken this area a bit later, but it's a good start. I'm excited about the composition at this point, and it looks like my placement and overall drawing are going to work. Hopefully. (You can't see this, but my fingers are crossed right now.)

Trevi Fountain Step 1 - the drawing

I decided to focus on an intimate, smaller section of the fountain for this piece instead of trying to capture the whole thing (maybe next time), so I picked the triton on the right side of Neptune.

The idea of the composition is to have the background in shadow so that the highest contrast (and focal point) will be on the man and horse. Then, the viewer's eye should travel with the water down over the rocks to the pool, then back up to the top again.

I use watercolor pencils to sketch out the composition because they mostly dissolve once I paint over them and the tiny marks that remain add little splashes of subtle color to the finished painting. One tip if you decide to use watercolor pencils as well: erasing them with clear water and a brush usually works better than using an eraser. You can see some areas where I've used water to blend some of the sketch lines and I've left the color.

I typically sketch all the shapes lightly first to get the placement right, then come back in with darker lines to refine the details. I don't include every detail at this point, just enough to know where the major shapes and white/light spots are.

Step-by-Step: Painting the Trevi Fountain

One of my favorite subjects from my travel to Italy was the plethora of incredible fountains that are found all over the country, especially around Rome. My past efforts to capture some of these have been alot of fun to paint and have been very well-received by my collectors. However, I haven't yet attempted to paint that most famous of fountains, the Trevi. Until now, that is.


One of my collector friends (you know who you are, Michael) has been hounding me to paint the Trevi for years now, but I've always been too busy with other series, commissions, etc. to attempt it. It's quite a challenging subject after all, mixing figurative elements and water, two of the most difficult subjects to paint.


Anyways, I'm throwing caution to the wind, and I'll be letting you watch as I tackle one of the most famous landmarks in all of Italy. I hope you enjoy it (and I sure hope it works out!)


Stay tuned...

Summer 2009 Schedule

Well, it looks like it's that time of year again. That time when people stop being jealous of our weather here in Arizona. When we're either in the air conditioning, the swimming pool, or covered with enough sun block to protect you on the actual surface of the sun. When the critters like scorpions and rattlesnakes come out and the snowbirds go home. And for some strange reason, there's not much happening with the art scene here this time of year. Hmmm.

That's why summer is the time for me to hit the road. No big Europe trips planned until at least next year, so my schedule looks about the same as it has the past couple years:


La Jolla Festival of the Arts
June 20 - 21
9 AM - 5 PM

Breckenridge Art Festival
July 24 - 26
10 AM - 6 PM

Park City Kimball Arts Festival
August 1 - 2
9 AM - 7 PM (6 PM Sunday)

Sausalito Art Festival
September 5 - 7
9 AM - 6 PM (5 PM Monday)


Hopefully, you can make it to one of these beautiful, high-caliber events to view my newest works. Please let me know if you need any further information as well.

And enjoy your beautiful summers, blah, blah, blah. You'll be shoveling snow again before you know it. :)