I often find that after working on a particularly difficult painting, like the one just completed, I want to start something entirely different. So instead of painting a background in bright reds, oranges, and yellow, I began this new canvas with a background of pale blue-gray. While the paint was still wet, I drew white lines in free-form shapes across the canvas.
After the paint dried, I turned the canvas (so that all sides will be covered), drew lines with white and black, and again brushed the whole thing with the blue-gray:
When this background dries, I'll be ready to start the actual painting.