For many years, I have had difficulty making paintings look the way I see them in my head. I couldn’t get the detail that I was accustomed to with a drawing, and I couldn’t get the colors right. It was very frustrating.  Then, way back in 2009, I took a six-week course in a technique called French Wash.  It was absolutely illuminating.  

French Wash is just a fancy way to say thin layers of paint.  The paint is so thin that it’s a bit transparent. So, in the end, a French Wash oil painting really looks like a watercolor.  Pretty nifty!

This painting was my first assignment.  The first class was mostly talking about the process and since it’s school, we were given homework.  During the week, we were to create a drawing using a drawing technique called stippling.  Basically, using a boatload of dots to create the drawing.  When I went to class the next Sunday, drawing in hand, I was getting some odd looks from the other students.  Finally, one of them spoke up.

“Hey, you’re a real artist!  What are you doing here?”

“Learning a new technique.  How about you?”

They smiled and we all got on with our pieces.

I have since adapted the lessons learned to suit my style, but that was my beginning.  I enjoy painting now using the French Wash technique.