Stop Guessing. Do a Color Study.

Step inside the studio for an oil painting color study, the process I use to map out a portrait before I touch the real canvas. A color study isn't a warm-up. It's where I turn technical problems into decisions I've already made, what I call learning the choreography of the image. We go past the reference photo itself and talk through how to define the choreography needed so that the final painting gets composed with intention instead of copied line for line. If you want to move past reproducing a photo and start building paintings with a clear creative map, this walkthrough shows exactly how I do it. Timestamps 0:00 Introduction & Studio Welcome 0:22 The Painting Phase: Defining the "Hero" 1:35 Why Do Color Studies? Mapping the "Landmines" 2:42 Inspiration & Interpretations (Richter, Kahlo, Celmins) 3:26 Learning the "Choreography" of Painting 4:55 The Story Behind the "3X" Tag 6:21 Technical Breakdown: Mapping the Scarf & Composition 7:08 The Palette Choice: Warm vs. Cool 9:28 Hindsight: Lessons Learned for the Final Painting 11:03 Visual Guidance: Composing for the Viewer’s Eye Stay in touch Website: https://www.cherishrichardson.com INSTAGRAM:   / cherishrichardsonart   TIKTOK:   / cherishrichardson.art   Substack: https://substack.com/@cherishrichards... Join me on Patreon:   / cherishrichardson