A  smaller initial painting sketch I created helped me see what I wanted for this piece. This first “draft” was on an 11×14″ canvas board. I painted it while in my class and the instructor was very encouraging. She was worried I had done such a nice job that starting over on a larger canvas would be a little disappointing.

After I worried about starting over for several days, I finally rushed in and made an underpainting just so I could say the final piece was started. As you can see below, the underpainting can really freak you out if you don’t keep reminding yourself that the finished painting won’t resemble it in the least.

I worked on my “Wave” for a couple of days before I could face the terror of confronting this painting again. I wish I had taken a progress photo, but try to imagine it looked pretty close to the smaller sketch I painted when I brought it to class for our Progress Critique the following week. Since the painting looked very close to what she had seen the week before, my instructor was pleased. I then worked most of the class on refining it.

Not having a true reference photo to work from was very intimidating. I have no idea what it would look like if someone was trying to save someone from the depths of the sea. With a lot of positive input and encouragement, I felt pretty optimistic that I could finish both the “Wave” and this “Hands” piece by the next week when everyone would be bringing both their paintings for a final class critique and grading.

This is what I left class with:

With a hectic week, I only got one hour more in before handing it in for display at the student show. This is what I finished with: