STEP 1

The first stage is to paint a mid-tone.  With the No. 12 brush cover the entire board or paper with a mixture of burnt umber, burnt sienna and white; aim for a warm milk chocolate colour. The colour and tone to aim for is similar to the shed. It doesn’t have to be painted perfectly – vary the direction of the brushstrokes and the mixture, and apply it briskly. This looseness will show through at the end as texture.
 

STEP 2

I considered where the composition would be placed and with the No. 2 Round hog and a light tone mix of paint I drew the general shape of the urn, placing it right of centre and higher up to allow enough space for the hand fork and glove. I checked that the ellipse and the right side of the urn looked acceptable – the left side was hidden with the plant so I didn’t have to worry too much about that side – then very loosely suggested where the other items of the composition would sit. There was no detailed drawing.
 

STEP 3

1 The third stage is to create the form of the objects with a dark and a light mixture; we already have the mid-tone mixture on the paper. This is where what I saw as the finished painting began to be created.  I wanted light to catch the front right of the urn and create lots of shadow effects behind, with the garden fork just visible in the shadows.

2 Keep looking at the image (the mood) in your mind and paint the objects that the viewer will recognise for what they are by their general shape and not because they are an exact static copy of the photograph – a photograph that they will never see. Your painting will then begin to take on a part of you.  

3 With the No. 8 filbert I began to paint the light side of the urn, shaping it and seeing it come forward as a light tone against the background.

4 I then painted the deep shadow behind the urn on the left. I added ultramarine into this mixture, which was painted over the left side of the urn and in towards the rim of the little pot, and I also shaped the very bottom of the urn. I now had light on one side of the urn, dark on the other and a mid-tone in the middle.  

5 The ellipse was painted, light on the left side and the shadow shape on the right. Shadow was painted under the lip and small touches of light tone were added to shape the lip further. The rim was now seen as light against the dark ellipse and slightly dark against the light part of the ellipse.

6 Slightly darker tone was painted on the background to the lower right of the urn, bringing the urn out further and shaping the paving that the urn was standing on. I did not intend to paint all of the rings that were on the urn. I was after an effect of light, creating form and using the brush to suggest shape and texture.

7 I am always mesmerised when the painting begins to appear on the flat piece of paper; when the shapes, depth and mood slowly emerge. I can spend time looking at the paper and enjoying the experience just as much as when the painting is nearing completion.

STEP 4

1 The fourth stage is developing the small pot, glove and hand fork. Deep shadow tones were painted, leaving the rim of the pot showing. The pot was painted light on the right-hand side against the deep shadow then lost itself in the shadows on the left. A little bit of shadow was painted under the rim.

2 Looking at the hand fork, it had a cranked handle and there was a metal ferrule at the end of the handle. The tines were broad and had highlights on the tips. I tried to paint it in a simple manner and used the No. 8 filbert to shape and draw the object.

3 I shaped the wooden handle with light and dark mixtures and suggested that there was something different (the ferrule) on the end. A brushstroke was painted downwards to suggest the cranked part of the fork then the wide tines were suggested. You may notice that the tones of the fork against the paving slabs are different to those in the photo.

4 The glove was a hard, leathery type and although there were actual colour variations I was more interested in trying to shape it. I looked to see how many fingers could easily be made out and the size and shape of them. I painted the shape of the thumb against the small pot and the sleeve of the glove light against the dark urn.

5 I applied daubs of paint to suggest the irregular form of this object and I added small touches of shadow tone under the glove and fork to fix them to the paving slab. The bright tips of the tines were painted against the glove.
 

STEP 5

1 I then painted the garden fork, the foliage and the wooden cladding. The fork was just suggested so that it remained in the shadows. This helped to create depth rather than accentuate it and thus bring it forward.

2 Quite a bit of the garden fork and the left-hand side of the urn was to be hidden with the foliage of the plant. This was painted with the No. 8 hog using quick, varied strokes of a mid-tone mixture, gradually adding lighter touches near the front. I was thinking again of the back of the plant, the left-hand side in shadow and lighter touches to come forward. The rim was also highlighted.

3 Small touches of paint were added to suggest the edges of the wooden cladding. These edges were
not painted too precisely or ruler straight and now the irregular underpainting appeared as texture
of the wood.

4 A few quick dabs of dark paint on the concrete slabs in front of the pot and the painting was finished.