My peaches watercolor was pretty successful so I tried a similar composition in oils. It’s an 8″ x 10″ canvas panel with water miscible oils.

Since the goal was a quick study, I chose to reuse a panel which had previously been painted a solid, dark burnt umber. This turned out to be a mistake – starting with such a dark support made it really hard to establish the proper values and I found that the painting was too dark for much of the time.

The texture on the plate was more successful in the watercolor. When creating the oil sketch, I first painted a solid blue plate, with dark blue shadows and a gradient from dark into light. Then I painted the white areas around the blue spots.

The next time I try this plate, I will start with a neutral color gradient in grays from dark to light and then I will add the blue spots. I think this will be easier and will lead to a more natural looking texture with better light and shadow effects.

A final note is that I overdid the chiaroscuro effect on the peaches. For the next go around, I will use a neutral toned panel and try to go for less contrast.