Grisaille in Progress

Here is my progress for this week. This is very much still in the rough and beginning stages. I am getting the canvas covered and all the elements in place. I am just beginning to refine not only the shapes but the tone. There is not much detail at this point either and that is pretty much what it is supposed to be.
Once the grisaille is completed, which means the shapes, proportions and tone is working right, I will start in on the color. I am using this method of working mainly because this is what was being taught in my school. I might not always paint in this manner but for now, and for a time to come, I will.
I am also slowly but surely getting a routine going. I have a certain amount of hours I want to put in the studio a day. I also want to have a balanced healthy life which for me means getting enough sleep, eating well, exercise, meditation and play time. I have been keeping a time journal, much like keeping a food journal. I document what I do in roughly half hour increments. I am sure I don't have to tell anyone how easy it is for a huge chunk of time to disappear with little to show for it! Television and now, the internet, are huge time gobblers. I would have to add books in my case. I could spend all day curled up with a good book or a few new art magazines!
Today I took a much needed day off and tomorrow will be an errand and chore day. It will be good to be away from the painting for a couple of days and come back to it with a fresh eye. I also have another still life set up which is much more simple. I will start on that when I need a break from the one above.
Slow and steady progress, which reminds me about something I read in Malcolm Gladwell's Outliers known as the "10,000 hours rule". Gladwell claims that the key to success in any field is, to a large extent, a matter of practicing a specific task for a total of around 10,000 hours. Doing the math, and depending on the number of hours one puts in a week, that would mean it would take about 6-8 years to become a really accomplished painter. That is basically the number my teacher told me as well. Just for fun, since I am keeping a time journal anyway, I started a 10,000 hour countdown. The fun thing about that number is after the first hour you lose a digit. So, after the past couple of days, my count stands at 9,985 hours to go...
One last thing to mention, speaking of time sinks, Google has a new project called The Art Project. It is like Google Earth for art museums. It is a fun site so check it out, when you have a bit of time!
More progress to report next week!
-Renee