When I create a robot painting, I never know how it will turn out when I begin. I do not even have a design or even a robot in mind as I start. Look to the right to see photos taken every 15-30 minutes of a recent painting. The description below is annotated with the frame number and what I was thinking at that time…
(1) My paintings typically begin with the random application of paint. I am just making shapes and mixing colors. (2) I paint until the canvas is covered. (3) Once it is covered I start looking for shapes and highlighting them. Then I step back and search for a robot in the chaos of my strokes. (4) I think I see a seated robot king on the canvas, so I quickly sketch one in red paint. (5) But the red looked horrible and the robot was too small, so I cover the root in white paint and start over. (6) Now I see him even better. But only the front hand and the face. So I sketch out some fingers and add some shades. I also see him as a larger seated robot and plot it our with more subtle paint colors. (7) Yes, this sketch looks good and I like where it is going so I outline his body in black paint. I imagine him is seated on a large soft couch. (8) Then I add some detail including an upright finger and imagine what he would be saying. “No, No, No, No, No.” comes to mind. I am thinking that he is waving his finger at something. (9) Then it occurs to me that he is not seated on a couch, he is a king, so it is probably a big throne. I fill out a throne in black. I also emphasize the “No’s” in red. (10) The colors were not working for me so made the throne more subtle and made the green background light blue. You will notice that at this point, nothing remains of the original green background. (11) I step back and look at the painting and realize that the hand with one finger looks off, so I change it to have all fingers up in the “Halt” position. I also refine the details and repaint the background color a second time. (12) Stepping back one final time, I realize that the “No, No, No, No.” motif worked with a waiving finger but not an open palm, so I get rid of all the ”No’s” but one. Then I refine the details a bit more and soften the shading.
I feel that at this point it is finished. A Close up of the final painting can be seen below. It is called “No-Bot” and is painted with acrylic on a 12″x9″ stretched canvas.
Pindar
