Any skill you want to master takes practice.
Talent is a bonus, but for the majority of us paint flingers, practice is a must.
Sure, occasionally you’ll read about a gifted artist who just picked up a brush and began creating masterpieces.
However, that’s probably not you, and it’s definitely not me.
Learn To Observe
Grab a piece of paper and a brush, crayon or pencil. Draw something from memory. A tree, an animal, a bridge or any other object will do. Draw it with a fair amount of detail. Now, find a photograph and see how well your drawing from memory is compared to the actual object.
The idea here is that most of us have a pre-conceived notion of what something looks like. If you’re naturally the observant type, your drawing may be spot-on. However, if your drawing is somewhat lacking, you need to practice the art of observation. You’re not necessarily going to paint from memory, but the ability to observe will make your paintings much more believable.
In fact, you should build up a collection of reference materials. This collection is called a morgue and is a prized possession of every artist. Whether you clip pictures out of magazines and other print sources, snap photos of your own, or build a file of images culled from the internet, a morgue is a great source of inspiration that can make a rainy afternoon spent in your studio a delightful exercise in painting.
However, let’s get back to observation. When you stop to admire a sunset or stoop to smell a flower, take a critical look at it. What colors would you use on your palette to paint it? How do the shadows fall and what colors are they? Don’t look at a green tree as just a glob of greenery, but observe its underlying structure. Notice how the mass of leaves is not just one heap, but the makeup is actually a grouping of smaller masses that form the shape of the tree based on the skeletal structure. An oak certainly has a different appearance than a poplar or a weeping willow. Spend time sketching or painting everyday objects so you have a good understanding of their makeup.
Start With The Basics
The reason novice painters are encouraged to paint simple still lifes or basic landscapes is that there’s a lot to learn about getting the paint on the canvas. The simpler the composition, the more the student can focus on other aspects such as color blending and manipulating the brush.
One popular lesson is painting a convincing apple or an egg. Now, most students will paint one object and then move on to another. That’s fine, but if you really want to get the most from this exercise, create a series of the same object. Paint it over and over in different lighting conditions, at different angles and with different techniques. Sure, it can get a little boring, but a music student doesn’t just play a piece once. He or she practices it repeatedly until it’s perfect. Then, the student may continue to play that piece for the rest of his or her life.
You don’t even need to make full-blown paintings. Divide a sheet of paper into equal squares. Draw a simple composition of your chosen object in each one and paint them all. Some pieces may be good while others may be awful. However, by the end of the exercise, you’ll have a much clearer vision of how that object should look, and you’ll probably see a definite improvement from your first attempt to the last rendition.
If you’ve been diligent, not only will the rendition of your subject improve, but you’ll probably see improvement in other techniques. Feel free to use different techniques for various incarnations of your practice subject. If you’re using acrylics or oils, use alla prima, glazing and knife painting techniques to create your practice pieces. A watercolorist can use drybrush, wet-in-wet or incorporate other techniques. This practice session can be very useful for a number of things beside observation.
You’ve all heard the tired saw, ‘How do you get to Carnegie Hall? Practice!’ Well, it’s as true for an artist as it is for a musician. So, as you work on your painting and take classes, follow instructions online or on video, add some practice time for developing your observational skills and apply it to your drawing and painting. You may be bored now, but you’ll be a better artist because of it.
