Step by Step Articles

I find them interesting if they're well-written, and if the artist remembers that not everyone will understand what phrases like "darker paint" actually mean - which might encompass anything from "add a bit of black" to "add this extra colour to your previous mix" to "just a stronger tone of the tint you've already applied" (and even there, it might be necessary to explain, preferably early on, what you mean by "tint" and "tone").   I'd also suggest not making the task insuperably difficult for the student painter - it's difficult to get the balance right between too easy, and too hard: and now and then, an ambitious project is worth a go - but you don't want to be suggesting someone should paint a version of your detailed work "Interior of the Alhambra, with figures": that is likely to be a step too far, and to put students off (it'd put ME off, too....). I agree that YouTube is a good resource - though there's a fair amount of sheer rubbish on there too; the magazines are run by people who understand painting - they won't publish bad advice, or promote a painting method that imprisons students in its confines.   There are perhaps only so many ways of saying the same thing - so there's bound to be a bit of repetition in step-by-step articles.  But I've always found Alan's demos interesting, because of his quite unusual palette and the way he uses colour and brush-strokes: I'm not a student, other than in the sense that we all are, but I have gained from them - they've given me another perspective  on something I might have been used to doing in a rather dull and boring way - even down to the simple things, like discovering Terra Rosa, which I'd never used before (it can take over, mind!).   On detail - well, this is a perpetual question; some insist on it; some hate it; I much prefer to suggest it - perhaps in part because I've always been very short-sighted and can't see it in nature, so  have no desire to represent it in paint.  But certainly also because I remember being particularly revolted, 50 odd years ago, by a painting by Sir Edward Burne-Jones - sorry to his admirers.   Every damn' blade of grass, every delicate little flower, crammed his foreground, before you even got to the microscopic details of the costumes .... it put me right off attempting excessive detail, I still don't like Burne-Jones, and while I can admire the technical skill of a highly detailed painting, the thought always arises in my mind that "this isn't art; it's just the artist showing us how patient he is".  

Alan, you most certainly will and should continue with your articles. I always look forward to reading them and seeing your work. I like to see anyone’s progress and method  in a painting, and am impressed by your use of colours which I might not think of using in my skies etc, and which has lead me to try different combinations. I don’t think of them as a step by step instruction to follow, rather an ‘over your shoulder’ demo to see how it’s done, and that’s certainly been helpful to me, and I’m sure many others. You also have a knack of choosing a great vantage point, as in your Spanish series. Enough of this flattery! Please keep doing what you do so well. 👍🏻 Tessa

As a novice I find the step by step articles a great help. At present I’m using watercolours, but I read the step by steps for all other mediums as well.  Having never studied art these articles inform me of the fundamentals of how to build up a painting.  I’m just one of those people who like to read the instructions first before jumping in. 

After nearly twenty years of watercolour painting I still go back to the step-by-step books. Nice to see you 'read the instructions' Adrian this is where the gems of info are. Working from the paintings provided in the books are inspiring, but to get to the depth of colour and the colours within and when to pace them is the key to a good painting. I'm still looking, reading and learning :)