Why Doesn't My Painting Work?

We hear this question from our students, fellow artists and each other all the time. Since we've been teaching, and during our own growth as painters, we've found that the answer to this fits into one or more of five general reasons.

1. The composition is weak.
2. The values are incorrect.
3. The colours don't work.
4. The shapes are not right.
   
5. The proportions are off.
   
6. Objects are not positioned appropriately.

Each of these are a topic into themselves, and I will tackle each of these in the future. However, at the root of all of these is a common thread. They all stem from a failure to observe correctly.

Whether you're working from nature, a still life or from a photograph, you need to observe carefully. Good observation requires time and contemplation. Many artists arrive at a location, take a quick look, set up their easels and begin to dive into their painting.

Walk around your subject, or if a photo, use cropping "ells" to explore different crops. Get to know your subject. Figure out what draws you to it. Look at the colours in isolation. Determine how the scene is constructed. Make sketches.

Once you know what you're painting, observation doesn't stop. For every 30 seconds you spend applying paint to your surface, spend 60 to 90 seconds observing your subject.

Next time I'll deal with composition.