ADD COLOUR WITH BLEND MODES

One of the fastest ways to enhance colour and lighting is through the use of blend modes. I will almost always use a blend mode or two to properly finish a painting. I like to use blend modes for no-risk experimentation and strategic exaggeration. When I use a blend mode it’s for the purpose of exaggerating the light – the feeling, intensity and colour of light.

Enhance the composition

Here you can see my paint application when the layer is set to Normal; when the layer is set to Soft Light; and when the layer is set to Overlay. I will cycle through these blend modes first. But I will also indulge a few other options before deciding what to do. Lastly, I will use the Opacity slider to adjust how much of this effect is going to be present in my final painting. Using blend modes like an adjustment layer in Photoshop is a fun way to enhance a compositionally sound image. I would never try to play with adjustment layers or blend modes as a way to fix a painting that doesn’t work – but I definitely use blend modes to enhance an already functioning composition.