Sneak Peak into my process: How I build early layers

I love watching your videos! so inspiring after finishing FYJ taster course :) .. I have a question.. do you stick your paper onto solid wood to sand etc? if so what kind of wood and how thick is it? I tried working on MDF which had layers of gesso.. I loved it so much.. was heavy though! thank you...

I signed up for this course but haven’t really attended because of medical issues! But I really love your work. I’m looking for my lane. I started with paint pouring but not loving it. It’s really generous of you to offer this course.

QUESTION - Louise I love, love, love your art and what an awesome teacher you are. Wondering what you are painting on in this video. Are you using canvas or wood boards for these or is it pape glued down to somethingr? Love your videos and loved your free course this week. Thank you so much!

What a joy watching you create. Thank you so much for sharing your knowledge on creating abstract art.❤

Just awesome and valuable tools

so sorry we can not hear it all the time, you must be away from the mike and what you are doing is so interesting i hope we can see it again

we can not hear you, your mike is muted

Love these! Enjoyed watching the building of layers and then taking away. What type of sandpaper did you use? 😊

"When the student is ready, the teacher will appear." Wow. I'm so happy a friend turned me on to the Art Juice podcast a couple months ago, and now I've found you here...and can't wait for the Find Your Joy taster week! (She says, feeling kinda giddy!)

This is so exciting! I just had an Ah Ha moment. Just the effectiveness of simple bold marks!! Thank you Louise!

Learning a lot, Louise. Thank you☀ Which sander and sandpaper type do you use please? Thank you🌈

Thanks very much for this extremely useful insight. I've been painting for several years in abstraction and learned more from this video than anyone who has ever taught me a thing or two. Wow....just love ya!

This video is fantastically helpful to a fairly new painter. Thank you so much!

I enjoyed that very much.

Thank you so much! Fascinating to see how these layers go on and build to create an interesting base. So inspirational!

Thank you so much for your generous sharing, I so appreciate it and am enjoying watching your processes!

Thank you so much for sharing your talents - a lot to process and learn here ♥️ love how you teach us not to judge the layering

So interesting to see how you work. For those who say that you're just making a mess, or whatever words they use to criticise you, just ignore them. Everyone has different tastes in art. They probably like photo-realistic drawings of their pets...which is absolutely fine...for them. I can see clearly that you have a process, and you bring your experience and flair to work on that process. I wouldn't have made some of the decisions you did (on the paintings in the video), but isn't that what makes us all individual? And further along, I could see why you made those particular choices. I'm drawn to your process/style because I admire your boldness and your willingness to experiment. To me your finished pieces are alive and often dancing. No artist who ever lived produced work liked by EVERYONE. Isn't that the point? :)

Wonderful!

You have got the gift for art and I dont think people can learn this. And some of the frustration today is people think they can be actors painters writers and yes they can. But I ultimately think it is a gift that some people have and some dont. And its not good to force it. Yes its good to nurture and develop the gift. What im saying is too many people just think they can be artists or actors or dancers. There is nothing worse than watching a lot of these artists on utube that have great technique but just dont have that extra something. So I really enjoy watching your eye for art.

Invaluable advice, thank you so much for your generosity. You've made my practice the richer for it. Set yourself up for surprises, don't try and 'make beautiful'.. 🙏🏼

Hi Louise
How do you know where to sand, do you pick spots because you know what's under there or do you just sand all over?

Thanks Louise for the generous free guide and the great video. Enjoyed watching you develop the layers...particularly liked the yellow one. I have a quick question....you mention about having to carefully seal in oil pastel. Funnily enough I've been experimenting with different finishes lately as I use oil pastel lines in my work. I've tried fixative, then an isolation coat and finally an acrylic based varnish as my best option out of my trials but it still seems possible to scratch the oil pastel. Will this harden over time do you think or how do you finish work that has oil pastel in or do you have a video that covers this at all ? Thanks again 🙂

Love your process. I find it really hard to do. Lol

Loved this video. Thank you.

This is my most recent favorite video from you, Louise! Lots of grist for the mill. [Am ploughing through a bout of Covid so am not painting or articulating well here, but still trying to keep connected to the Tribe et al.]

Love your work. Curious about what substrate you used?

Came here to say you made me laugh out loud with your 'Well that is ghastly. Wonderful!' and see I've been pipped to the post! So inspiring, Louise :D I'm off to make something ghastly now, to shake off all the carefulness and have a blast. Thank you SO much!!!

What do you seal the oil pastels with? I love doing abstracts in acrylics, and have been wanting to add oil pastels. Thanks for sharing your work and process.

Your video really helped to demystify the underpinning concept that has stifled any movement. Now I know what I will do with a canvas I started years ago.

Great video, always need a refresher & a bit more sinks in each time. Enjoying the series, looking forward to seeing where it goes. thanks Louise!

I did your FYJ taster last year but never stop learning from you. Fantastic! Can I ask what and where you get the boards you are using please?

Just what I needed today. I have a previously used piece of stay-wet palette paper that I want to use to start a new painting but I was thinking that I didn't have anywhere to go with it. Oil pastels, stencils, and maybe some collage on top! Yay!

I like your Free style process mixing different kinds of marking - its like walking into the wilderness and finding all the interesting surprizes 😄🪲🦎💚

Hi Louise. I had a problem with the volume of your video. The music is too loud. However, when the volume is turned down, l cannot hear your voice. Had to be constantly fiddling with the volume. I did enjoy your layering.

I'm interested in doing abstract, partly because I want to get out of my comfort zone and partly because it intrigues me. However, I do struggle as I come from a landscape/streetscape, what I'd like to know is does abstract have to have a focal point? Cheers from Tasmania!

Fabulous insight into your process, thank you so much Louise! This helps me make sense of layering and gives me a starting point. I have tried before but always feel I need to be intentional and strategic about where I place things. Thank you for reminding me to just play first!😊😊👏👏👏👏

Thanks so much for this! I appreciate you and what you share with us. I learned a lot from watching this one. Would love to see the finished paintings.

Do you ever clean your brushes?

This was great fun and helpful to watch. Love this stage.

This helped so much! I always thought the beginning layers had to have some importance or meaning, but no! they are just to build an underlayment of decoration that may or may not be revealed at a later stage. Very freeing! Thank you.

This was very enjoyable, Louise. I am always grateful to see and learn the processes of artists whose work I admire. Thank you!

Thanks, Louise. Another helpful hands--on video. -A fellow Art Triber.

One of your best videos yet, in my opinion of course! I learned so much about layering and using a trowel! Exciting!

Fabulous demo Louise. I love your brave spontaneity Thanks for sharing xx

Are you drying layers in between ?

Really great you sharing so much if your process building layers. I want yo bole that free for longer! Thank you Louise!

Fantastic. So inspiring again. Thanks heaps, Louise

Great video of your process - thank you. At what point do you start thinking about composition? Or do you?