Learn to Paint

 

Learn to Paint

There are a number of books available at arts and craft stores that can give you tips on technique, tools, materials, etc.

The best thing is probably to find a picture or photo you like and try to copy it. This is a standard way to start. As long as you make it clear that what you have produced is a copy, and give credit to the producer of the original, it is not unethical. If you visit art museums, you will sometimes see students copying pictures.

If you are afraid of making mistakes, you might choose to start by working in oil- or acrylic-based paints, because most of them are opaque, so if you make a mistake, you can simply correct it by painting over it. If the layers of paint begin to pile up, the technical term is “impasto.” Throw that in, and everyone will assume you did it deliberately.

Remember in painting that it is hard to work with more than one color at a time in a given area of your painting. You need to wait as each color dries, otherwise, they mix and may produce unintended results. Oil paints dry more slowly than acrylic, but are said to be more vibrant. Water colors dry very quickly, but since for the most part they are transparent, overpainting your errors can produce less-than-satisfactory results.

Your first efforts are likely not to satisfy you any more than the first letters you wrote in primary school are satisfying to you today. Once you have started, you will find:

• painting is slower than most people think. Even with water colors, a really good painting takes a while to produce.
• books can be a good place to start, but sometimes having some other painter to talk to about your work can be very useful. Many local recreation departments have painting sessions where local amateur artists come to paint. Think about joining one of them.
• Painting is not necessarily a cheap hobby. Good brushes, high-quality paints, and canvases can be expensive. But you can start cheap by buying only the things you need, not just the things you want.
• Painting is messy. Be prepared. Never paint in your good clothes. Keep your painting equipment separated from things that you don’t want messed up.
• Once you have gotten into it, you will quickly learn whether it is something that you really like and want to continue, or not. It is not a hobby for everyone. You are already a writer and musician. So don’t be surprised that this form of art does not appeal to you once you get in it.

I don’t believe in natural talent. Drawing and painting are skills that can be learned, just like learning to play an instrument.

No one picks up a clarinet or a violin for the very first time expects to play a concerta. You learn to hold the instrument. You learn to make the first squeaky noises. You learn to play the open notes. Slowly you learn scales and build your skillset. A professional musician has spent tens of thousands of hours perfecting his or her craft. Is he talented? I think it’s more accurate to call him motivated. Dedicated. Single-minded.

The same principle applies to painting. First you have to learn to see; to be able to judge light and shadow. Form, size, proportion, angles. Seeing and replicating these things on your paper or canvas requires practice just like playing the right notes requires practice.

Believing that you have to have immense natural talent in order to begin painting is a fallacy that will only keep you from trying.

The best way to learn to paint is to paint. Do it as often as you can.

The next step is the tricky one. I believe the best artists are critical of their own work. They are always striving to improve. The difficulty lies in being honest with yourself and critical enough of your work to drive improvement without being so harsh that you lose motivation. Perhaps there lies the true talent - finding a way to strive to improve while maintaining motivation - a sort of

happy dissatisfaction.

As I‘m close to finishing a painting I ask myself these questions:

Is it good? (The answer is usually no).

Is it good enough? (I’m not sure.)

Is it good enough for now? (If I answer yes, then I know it’s time to put down my brushes. Painting isn’t just about learning your materials and techniques and putting paint on the canvas, but also about careful editing, knowing what to leave out and when to stop.)

“If you have a voice in your head that whispers you can not paint, by all means paint and prove it wrong!” -Vincent Van Gogh

I always had this belief you can really learn anything if you break it down. My purpose is to unravel patterns in anything I wanted to learn, not just arts but even dating, attracting women, getting jobs, attracting clients, writing books and of course….arts…painting .

I have the patience to break things down and then build it right back up in a way that is so basic for someone to learn and apply. I find great pleasure and satisfaction in doing so.

Everything has a form (shape) and so, you first grow in confidence to draw anything you see by observing the form and drawing them in different angles…

When you grow in confidence doing just that then move to the next level, where on shaping the form with more understanding about lighting, shadows and tones…

Next you learn to paint with grey scale and take all you learnt to put it togeher. Forget colours for now. Focus on greyscale and get used to understanding about tones, shadows, highlights, light source etc..

This is very important because you understand the basics of what makes the colours, how the object is affected by the environment it’s in, and how everything has it’s own texture and how to do that with what you see but also….you FEEL it.

If you skip this part and others you will find yourself guessing how to paint later on. You will waste time, it be very frustrating and you’re just guessing. You’re work will not have structure that is pleasant to the eye.

Do some reading on this as it will help.

Now because I can put these together and use my imagination and references, photos, and things I see in world and put the form together///

Here’s the form…

Here’s now adding details to shape the form with understanding of lighting…and I began already adding the colours too…

I also like to understand what I draw and paint. I like history of an object and study it as well. I paint with a story to it. Makes it interesting..

As you can see, being able to draw form can help to draw anything and yes, I love details even if it’s squibbly lines..

I work my way for each part of the illustration, building it up and ensuring the form is fluid, detailed and yet not so detailed. I more concerned about the story my work conveys…

It is the basics that will get you to wherever level you want but you want to pace yourself. To not learn everything but focus first on one process and get good at it, be patient and then move to the other process.

You don’t go off painting but focus on learning about form first. It will make it easier for you in the future…

You see me using the same process over and over again. It’s not some secret. It’s understanding the basic fundamentals and when you do, you can create your own stories or go out and painting whatever you want…

I personally like to tell a story and create my own sketches and paintings..

Again, the sketching of shapes (form) with some details..

Then I work to build it up…

I like my art to be raw, rough, like a sketchy illustrations but I always start with form to get things down fast…

And I like whatever I do to convey a story…

In time you will find a style you like and make it your own and I love this kind of style I do. It’s raw, not too detailed and fine, but it captures you with a story.