Painting Tips

Tips and paintings by Christopher Robinson

When I see a subject I want to paint, I like to relax. I close my eyes and take a few deep breaths. I listen to what my subject is saying, how they feel. If I am painting a landscape, I like to walk through it and get to see it very thoroughly. This way I have a wider range of choices in what I will include in my painting, and how the composition will be structured. In any preliminary scan for a painting I write down how bright it is and where the light is falling. Once you get a grasp for how a scene is lit you gain a great control over how to portray it. In properly perceiving the contrast of a picture you can ensure that you properly reproduce the scene. With slight adjustments in the lighting of your painting, you can give the piece an emotional connotation. This is the best type of art, as it is here that we find ourselves at the height of our artistic fervor.

It is for this reason that some of the most beautiful drawings are ‘blind contour’ paintings. These are done by having an extreme affinity for your subject. So great is your concentration and connection with the subject that your eyes never leave it. Though you are painting the canvas your eyes stay fixed on the subject. People need not worry so much about the final product, for the goal of art is this feeling of connection you gain with what you paint – not a clone of what your eyes see. Cameras can reproduce scenes with great detail, though with no inherent meaning. Art inherently gives even minor details great meaning through emotion. In the end, art conveys emotion, and when painting your focus should always be to paint with this in mind.

Never have a muddy palette or water – stay away from it! Take the time and effort in always cleaning brushes and palettes as well as changing water periodically. To make sure you maintain your imagination’s precision – keep your tools clean.

When you begin, make sure your palette is white. You can see the paint better when mixing colors on a white palette their true hue is visible. Mixing on a colored surface will lead to colors you didn’t expect.

Have a plan before you start. This could definitely start within your sketch, though you can sometimes just have a plan in your head. Having an idea about what you are going to do before you do will alleviate the nervousness young artists often experience. This will led to surer strokes and truer forms on the canvas.

If you feel that you are starting to overwork – STOP! If you are in a rut – STOP! Walk away. Come back later and finish. You will find that overworking a painting will ruin it. If you are bored or tired of what you are doing then you pay less attention to it. The key to a successful mastery of art lies in attention. Being willing to be patient with yourself and the art means you can take breaks as often as need be. Your art will be more fun for you, not to mention increasing your skill.

Sketch out your painting with a pencil – do not go into detail. Capture only the important lines and shapes.

If you get painter’s block, do things that relates to painting. Clean your brushes and study other artists for inspiration. Or maybe just go for a walk to think. When you return you will find yourself viewing your art differently.

When you start a painting, the first layer of your canvas should be comprised of all the shapes in your scene. Leave no white unless white is be left.

Remember- you build a painting up by steps. Don’t get discouraged if it doesn’t look like the final product right away.

Save the details for last, and be patient. You don’t want to spend a lot of time on the fine details of a tree and then

realize you want it two inches to the left.