painting technique

To create a work, Scott chooses a subject which strikes him in a personal way.  The subject is not always a particular place or person, but rather the focus is a concept, vision or feeling which he is compelled to express.  With an idea in mind, he starts preliminary designs using either live models, photography or both.  In addition to sketching, preliminary work may also be developed with the use of his computer.  Scott says,"I find the computer is a wonderful tool to save time in developing a general roadmap for my work.  With it I can experiment quickly with aspects such as composition, lighting, and mood."  Live models or photos of subjects and places are a must for refrence, otherwise the work will not cross the threshold of being honest and believable. 

When the preliminary concepts are finalized, the painting surface is prepared.  A smooth quarter inch pressed board is cut to the desired size.  It is then gessoed and sanded up to six times to prepare it for the painting surface.  This "gesso" is a base painted on the board to create a white barrier for the oil paint to adhere to and to protect the painting from unwanted acids and substances in the board which could cause damage to the image.  A line drawing is then sketched on the board, to give an accurate layout, of the subject to be painted.  Next a monochromatic mix of oils is painted to develop the major areas of light and dark.  This quick brushwork is called the underpainting and serves as the base layer in which all other paint is layered over.  Typically he begins working the major focal points of the painting such as the face and eyes in a figure, then, as the painting progresses, he continually works back and forth between the figure and background until it is completed.