Another Good Beginning That Turned Into Multiple Stiff Paintings

Okay, this is a page torn from my sketchbook...literally.  I worked out a great value plan and composition...on paper.  But every time I tried to paint this sucker, it got stiff and stilted.  Maybe, I didn't stick to the plan???

Loosey Goosey Good

I have decided to post and ponder my process with everyone.  I think too often we want to only show our 'best', 'completed', 'finished' selves...and hey, who is EVER really there!!!?  So I am going to post my process and see if anyone out there can give me any help, feedback, etc.  Surely I have problems "such as are common to man".

So today I am looking at the sketches that I do to 'get to know' subjects before I attempt to paint them.  Man, I can do the loosest, "spirit of the subject" drawing when I am scrawling in my journal with my cheap Bic pen (love those cheap Bic pens!!), and then I try to retain that spirit when I paint...and it's "tighten up city" for me.  I love love love just staying in the "shape" realm...triangles, squares, rectangles...and I feel that all of that looseness really gets at the 'sense' of the thing.