Graham's Chocolates and Ice Cream

Graham's Chocolates and Ice Cream is candy to the eyes, mouth watering to the taste buds, and a joyful gathering place for souls. I chose to en plein air paint this historic, charming business in downtown Geneva, Illinois as part of a "Paint the Town" series. I spent mornings on the west side of 3rd street and afternoons on the east side to capture the brightly sunlit side with lovely shadows. My process begins with a careful surveying of the landscape to choose the best angle to feature. Then taking a few reference photos, making a quick value/composition sketch then blocking in the major shapes with a warm value wash on my panel. Mixing puddles of color on my palette helps to speed up the painting process. With the quickly changing light this is step is helpful. My painting process consists of layering thin dark to thick light values/colors. The lighter paint applied with thicker juicy brush strokes and palette knife touches. Lastly just a few details to finish it off back in my studio.