There are 4 things that will make your art exceptional, and their importance is in this order:
Drawing
Values
Edges
Color
DRAWING
Nothing destroys a painting more than poor drawing skills. Everyone wants to get to the color and details first . . . that's the fun part . . . but all the beautiful color and fabulous details won't rescue a drawing that is out of proportion or incorrect. Please . . . get the drawing basics first.
-- Andy Goldsworthy
"Value does the work and color gets all the glory."
VALUE
It's not the color but the values that hold a painting together. Before beginning a painting, squint at your subject and look for the darks and look for the lights. Look for a simple interesting dark pattern. Squinting eliminates the middle grays and helps you to see the two extremes, darks and lights.
Begin your painting by drawing those dark shapes, connected into an interesting and balanced pattern.
Paint or color them in dark to establish your "road map" . . . now the hardest part is done. This dark pattern of shapes will hold the painting together and guide you through the painting process. Match the values as you paint . . . any color will do.
Begin your painting by drawing those dark shapes, connected into an interesting and balanced pattern.
Paint or color them in dark to establish your "road map" . . . now the hardest part is done. This dark pattern of shapes will hold the painting together and guide you through the painting process. Match the values as you paint . . . any color will do.
-- Richard McKinley
" . . . edges aren't boundaries but places where paint, surging across the surface, changes color."
EDGES
There are sharp edges, and there are soft edges. Use both in your painting to create a flow and an eye path as the viewer looks at your art.
Sharpe edges are created when there is contrast (in color and value.) Soft edges are created when colors and values next to each other are similar; soft edge can also be made by blending with brush or finger.
Too many "softs" can be boring and lack a focal area; too many "sharps" can make objects look "cut-out-and-pasted-on." Using a balance of both provides resting points for your eyes.
The sharpest edges stand out and emphasize things and therefore should be near your center of interest. Softer edges should be nearer the perimeter of your painting.
A combination of both soft and sharp edges creates visual interest as one flows into the other. A head, for example should have sharp edges where there is a contrast of light against a dark background or vice versa. Blending some edges of the hair gives it a special softness as it disappears into the background. The same is true for most organic things — leaves, flowers, fur etc. Make the edges interesting in your painting.
Sharpe edges are created when there is contrast (in color and value.) Soft edges are created when colors and values next to each other are similar; soft edge can also be made by blending with brush or finger.
Too many "softs" can be boring and lack a focal area; too many "sharps" can make objects look "cut-out-and-pasted-on." Using a balance of both provides resting points for your eyes.
The sharpest edges stand out and emphasize things and therefore should be near your center of interest. Softer edges should be nearer the perimeter of your painting.
A combination of both soft and sharp edges creates visual interest as one flows into the other. A head, for example should have sharp edges where there is a contrast of light against a dark background or vice versa. Blending some edges of the hair gives it a special softness as it disappears into the background. The same is true for most organic things — leaves, flowers, fur etc. Make the edges interesting in your painting.
-- Peter Schjelahl
"I applied streak and blobs of colour onto the canvas with a palette knife and I made them sing with all the intensity I could."
-- Wassily Kandinsky
COLOR
Finally we get to color. It does "get all the glory," and although it is the most fun, it is the least important of the 4 essential ingredients to a good painting. So get the drawing, values and edges correct first and then concentrate on color. Learn your color wheel, how to mix colors, color families, warm and cool colors — how to make them and how they affect our painting and our mood. . . . and last . . . but certainly not least . . . have fun!!
"I applied streak and blobs of colour onto the canvas with a palette knife and I made them sing with all the intensity I could."
-- Wassily Kandinsky
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