Ponte San Agostin - stage 1

This is the tonal underpainting for a painting that will be the subject of a step-by-step demonstration article for Artists & Illustrators magazine called "Combine Shapes Lose Edges". This is where I put into practice those mantras from earlier in the year "Lose Edges! Join Shapes!" and "It's The Painting Not The Place". I have chosen a location in Venice and am working from a photograph when I was there a few years ago. I am going to keep the tempting detail down to a minimum and instead develop it into larger shapes which should give it a stronger design but will nevertheless have the atmosphere of a Venetian night through the colour and lighting.
This first stage was "drawn" up with a small bristle brush using a mix of Burnt Sienna and Winsor Violet thinned with Liquin in the morning and then in the afternoon when it was largely dry I put in the tonal underpainting mainly with a rag and an old Flat brush using the same paint mix.
16" x 12" oil on linen.