A couple of days ago I received a request for my biggest commission so far and my first 4-figure sum. This was not to be taken lightly and I need to build up to it. It's going to be big!

Here you can see that I have one background-prepped canvas on the easel and another two triple-primed on the floor. They might become pieces to sell but that's not their purpose just yet. The commission is going to be big, up to 7 feet long, and painting anything on this scale is going to need some new skills. Maybe s bigger studio too?

First off, the paint needs to stay mobile for longer and not dry out before I've had time to blend it. As paint dries it tends to seize up and stall as one tried to apply it across the canvas. Some magic retarder liquid will be in order.

Then we have the colours. What works on a small scale may not work the same way when going large. Experimentation and practice is needed. Yes, I get the irony - colour blind artist worrying about the colours!

Brushes! I'm definitely going to need a bigger brush! I guess I could go all Sean Scully and use s fence brush!

Finally, I need an idea! As usual, I have no idea what I'm going to do but for something this size I feel I should at least have some kind of plan. If for no other reason than I need to know what paints to have available.

The one thing I do know is that the commission will be an abstract piece which sounds easy but, as I've learned, there really is an art to it (pardon the pun!). The skill is in creating something that invokes a feeling or a mood and isn't just a mess! We shall see if I can pull this off. Stay tuned!

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