The obligatory apple

 

My First Apple (4x4")

 

There's a rule somewhere that every artist has to paint apples. I suspect Carol Marine had something to do with that, because she makes them look really, really good :P

Seriously though, everyone paints apples. They're great for practice because they're very forgiving - they're all sorts of shapes and all sorts of colors. Green, orange, red, even purple is ok! They can be shiny or dull. Spotted or clean. Smooth or rough. I think I benefited from that as I was painting this one.

I paint alla prima - wet-on-wet. That means it's done quickly (well, relatively. This one took about 3 hours!), but it also means that painting the highlights is a nerve-wracking experience. You only get one shot at putting a dollop of paint on top of wet paint. It better be the right color and the right shape! I got a bit lucky with this one.