PAINTING IN A COFFEE SHOP by TOM BROWN

CLICK HERE for this auction. This is a 5x7 oil painting on heavyweight Bristol Card.

I get a kick out of painting people in coffee shops and similar places. But I’m always aware that people could move before I’m finished so I often organize my ideas with a quick pencil sketch first as I did here.

For this painting I used the small paint box you’ve seen in YouTube videos. It looks like a laptop so nobody paid attention to me as I painted because laptops were in use all around us. The woman in the background on the left side of this painting is an example.

I started by painting the main figure first (the guy reading), just in case he moved later. He didn’t, but I like to be safe. I followed that by painting the other people in the distance. Just as I finished the two guys on the right, they got up and left. The woman on the left never moved the whole time. And the guy reading was still reading when I finished my painting and left.

Once I had all the critical stuff nailed down I could take my time refining anything that needed it. I softened edges here and there, adjusted a few colors and I added just enough detail to carry the picture.

     Then I quietly closed my “laptop” and was on my way. This was great fun to paint. If you’ve never tried painting in a situation like this I encourage you to give it a try. It’s always an adventure and you never know what to expect. But when things go well there’s nothing like it. Give it a shot!

     If you’d like to know more about my approach to painting or about my equipment, you can CLICK HERE. My eBooks cover all that and lots more. You can even download digital plans for the paint box that l used when doing this painting.

Questions? Email me: 

tombrownstudio@cox.net