As I prepare the panels with the plaster, I focus on what I want to paint. Sometimes I transfer an existing sketch with a careful pouncing with tissue paper and charcoal.
Or I can let an image evolve from ideas I keep especially for creating in fresco. One very enjoyable method is to use just water on my brush and draw with the wet line before I use any pigment. The pigments are so finely ground and they are simply saturated with distilled water so that the color glides along the surface. I have enjoyed working both ways, from light to dark and a very dramatic painting can be achieved by laying down black and working on top of that.The more I work in fresco, the more I fall in love with this medium. The more I paint, the more there is to discover.