I am working on some paper clay pieces of birds that I love. A flicker and an American Robin. The Flicker is a illusive bird that usually stays pretty hidden, while the Robin is just the opposite. I often work on two similar projects at a time...sometimes three. I can bounce back and forth between them while one is drying. And it helps me stay focused on the project at hand.
American Robin, paper clay on panel, detail from 6x8
When it is time to paint them, I begin by painting the "star of the show"...and then paint anything else that should be a particular color. Like the leaves, fruit, branches, etc. Usually, that leaves me with just the background to paint. And that can be a problem.
The obvious choice in somewhat realistic scenes like these is sky blue.
Acrylic paints are perfect for this because they dry quickly and can be layered.
This blue sky looks too solid to me, and does nothing for the robin, who is kind of plain himself.
But the robin felt too plain. So after sleeping on it, I repainted the background yellow, like the sky in the early morning. And I think it looked a lot better because it made the robin and the berries stand out more.
Sometimes I will repaint the background several times trying to find the right color. And then I layer colors over each other to make it less solid. I still may add some more color to this. In my studio, nothing is ever finished until it's sold.