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.
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.
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Keith ThirgoodIs an artist working in the Canadian, post impressionist style. I paint en plein air when I can and in the studio the rest of the time. Archives
June 2019
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