Chain link jewelry always seems so hard to paint. There are intricate details, yet you don’t want to paint every little thing. The most important way to start is to study the chain to see how it’s constructed. I sometimes take a picture and enlarge it on my phone to study it. It’s best not to paint from the photo, though. Things look a lot different in a photo than in real life. The colors are different, the light is different, and forms can look distorted. Next, I begin to draw! I always do my drawing on paper, not the canvas. It’s much easier. The paper is smoother and more erasable. I’ll transfer the drawing to my canvas later. It’s in the process of drawing that I really get to know my subjects.
Some of the links on the chain were made up of two interlocking oval rings. These were very tricky to draw. I measured as I went to make sure that all of the similar links were the same length. You don’t have to do everything by eye!
After the drawing was complete, and I transferred it to the canvas, I started the underpainting, above. For more on transferring, see Transferring the Drawing. I do the underpainting in 9 values of burnt sienna and lead white. I keep my edges sharp, so I don’t lose the drawing. I paint thinly, so it will dry quickly. I also use a fan brush to smooth out most brush strokes. I don’t want an unconsidered brushstroke interfering with subsequent layers. Occasionally, I’ll keep a brushstroke visible if I’m sure it will enhance the finished painting. Lastly, everything is painted in a much lighter value than it will be in the finished painting. The colors look more vibrant if the base isn’t too dark.
Above is the first layer of color. I’m not too worried about getting it all right at first. It takes many sessions of observing and painting to be able to see what’s going on and figure out the values, colors, and shapes. I find that no matter how careful I am about not losing the drawing, I always seem to, and every painting session is an opportunity to correct. You can see above that the shapes of some of the links are asymmetrical.
Above, I’ve refined some more. After each session, I find that I’m able to see and understand more. I could never do this kind of painting all at once. It needs time.
Above is how it stands now. I softened some edges and added highlights and shadows. I corrected and defined the complex curves of the links. I put more detail on the yellow crystals. I worked some more on the cast shadows and reflections onto the vase from the chain. I’d say that it’s almost finished!
Linda Mann Artist 