(The photo taken by Gloria Jean is painted
showing the progress she uses,
painting directly onto the canvas.

I display my digital photographs onto the computer screen with paintshop pro 7 and paint directly onto the canvas, drawing with my brush. My easel is next to the computer screen.

I begin by drawing with the brush using several colors. I am not too overly concerned with exact accuracy, I just want to get the basic structure layed down. Corrections will be made as the painting progresses.

A. The basic rock structure takes form.
B. Water begins to flow down the rocks.
C. Added colors: Hookers green, Prussian Blue, Cadmium Yellow medium. (The specific colors are not as important as how they are combined.)
D. Each rock is focused on for a few details. The computer allows for zooming in on a specific detail.Contrast is important and I use black to separate the rocks, blending it in with the surrounding colors.
E. At this point I end the painting session and clean up the area to take a break. I will let the painting dry for three days and come back to it with a fresh pallet.

The painting actually looks better on the screen than in person, so I plan to liven up the colors on the canvas to match the colors I see on the computer screen. I use a 3.2 megapixel digital camera which allows for zooming in on a picture without loosing detail. A docking bay plugged into the wall recharges the batteries and connects the camera to my computer to up load the pictures. Batteries run down quickly. Always get a camera with rechargable batteries and a docking bay. You can take the docking bay with you on a trip and plug it in to any outlet for recharging. It does not have to be connected to your computer except to upload the pictures.

Gloria Jean, Studio B