Hayride
 

I have finished this underpainting and am ready to proceed with color.

I have never painted a night sky and would like some direction. In a daylight scene the sky appears to get lighter as you rise from the horizon line. Is it the reverse at night? It seems that artificial light at the horizon line would make it so.

Nice subject matter. But this looks awfully dark for an underpainting...and the color may just make it darker. I'm curious to see how you finish this.

I know I am very heavy handed with the darker tones, although it is darker on this image than in reality. The photo was taken on a moonless night in the country.
What would you suggest to convey this night sky without getting too dark? Any help is appreciated.

Here is an underpainting I did of my BLACK dog. And this is as dark as I ever get in an underpainting. If you get too dark underneath the color layers on top don't show up. I honestly don't know how you should proceed from here.

I have the palette and the steps I took to do this underpainting posted elsewhere on this forum.

I have lightened the values in your underpainting (below). I have also "warmed it up" as I think that this would help eliminate a lot of "dead" tones you would probably get in your shadows with the application of the color layers.

Please note that even though it is night, there is still a light source from somewhere and you need to determine this. Where your light and shadows fall is verrrrry important.

Thank you Karin. Your manipulation of the picture is very close to how it actually looks. At this point should I lighten the backgrond before proceeding? It WAS lighter at the beginning, then I darkened it. I am new to this style of painting and any pointers are helpful.

Karin,

I forgot to add that I had printed a copy of your instructions and thought that I had followed them well. Perhaps I have made my piles of paint too dark to begin with.

If you were following my directions, I think that your piles of paint did indeed get a little too dark.

However, work with what you have and see how it turns out...you might like working dark and be successful at it. In any event, if this doesn't work out, you'll know next time to go lighter.

There are soooooo many ways to paint. There is no "one right way" to do anything.

Good luck!

Hayride -- Completed
 

Quite a while ago I posted the underpainting of this work. I see a bit of glare on my night sky (shot outdoors). 16 x 20 oil on linen.

close-up of the feller up front.