I started painting with oils recently. Now I am not ready to call myself an artist but this morning I completed my 7th oil painting. I am busy with a few others as well. Yes I am painting a lot, nothing that would lead you to want me to teach you how to paint, probably nothing you would want to buy, but a friend liked one painting so much, he is going to hang it in his house. Here are ten things that painting has tought me.
Lonely Roads
1. Your canvas is more important than the type of paint you use. You may pay more for real canvas, but you will use less paint than on board and get better results. Preparation can make the difference, using the right materials for the job will always make it easier.
2. A lot can be done with a few strokes of the brush. This morning I painted a scene with four colours, black, white, cerulean and burnt umber. The painting was complete in less than an hour. The road leads into the distance. Facts are that if I added more colour to this painting it could improve it, it would certainly change it, but would it have the same impact? Sometimes less is more.
3. Starting the job is more difficult that actually doing it. Doubts about ability creep in the first time you pick up a brush. I am 45 before the 10th of January I had never had any artistic revelations or even experience. I picked up a brush, dipped it in paint and started. The painting formed itself. Seriously I feel like that dude from heroes, I take the brush and the pictures appear. Sometimes you need to just plunge in blindly, the results may not be planned, but they are none the less awesome most of the time.
4. The goal may not be what you had in mind. While you are painting the image may demand a change, A mountain may become a tree instead, a forest may be darker than anticipated, the artwork may be upside down. All of these things happened to me. The end result however is good in each case. Be flexible, adapt to the changing circumstances and life will lead you to your own result.
5. Remember it’s not a photo, it’s a representation. A photo is realistic, art can be, but it has no need to be. Realism may be your goal, but impressions may be your future. Don’t see your work as a failure because you had a different goal in mind. Maybe this result is actually more what you needed anyway.
6. Never say, I can’t do that. I painted a portrait it sucked, I overpainted it with a landscape. I could say, I can’t paint people or I could do another. I started a nude, It looks great already and it’s nowhere near finished. The first one was a failure, the second one is better. I still have to suss the hands and feet though. Sometimes it’s best to challenge yourself, You may just exceed your own expectations.
7. Priming the board is important. I bought some masonite because the fact is for less than the price of one canvas I could have 8. I primed the boards with one coat of Polvin. As it dried I started a painting and immediately realised that a second coat of primer would make a difference. Preparation is key, In most endeavours lack of preparation can be disastrous.
8. You must wait for the paint to set before putting on the next layer. I started a painting and added a next layer before the previous one had set. The paint colours ran into one another. If this is not what you want to happen it will delay completion. Patience is a virtue. Sometimes you need to wait for something to happen. If you are like me the lesson is, make sure you have another canvas.
9. The colours will run into each other and make the painting more interesting. Sometimes the colours will do something exciting. They will mix and make your forest floor look great. Unintended results can be an improvement. Don’t be frightened of experimenting.
10. Relaxation is important. Take time out and do something different. Focusing on anything unrelated to work give you mind time to regenerate.
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