Thank you for your report!
We have received your report and it is currently under investigation by a forum moderator.
The Forum
Welcome to the forum.
Here you can discuss all things art with like-minded artists, join regular painting challenges, ask questions, buy and sell art materials and much more.
Make sure you sign in or register to join the discussions.
Hang on Studio Wall
This is a Studio member-only feature!
Join our Studio membership and save your favourite Painters Online content, from gallery artwork to step-by-step guides, to your own online mood boards. Create your go-to place for inspiration and learning. Plus, members can also enjoy a range of exciting features including monthly art videos and a digital magazine library.
If you are already a Studio member, simply login to your account.
Not a Studio member? Why not try our free 30-day trial - no commitment, no credit card required
Showing page 1 of 2
- 1
- 2
Message
Posted
We have heard from time to time members remarking that a topic has already been discussed. Of
course it has but what happens if we avoid things like that. A new forum member finds we are helping someone find the value of a junk shop painting or art requiring
an electronic gadget . great wordy dicussions on some little known subjects. Nothing about the practical side and the new member just wants to know the colours he should buy or avoid before he starts in watercoloursbut before this he just says hello to see what the forum is about . He finds the subjects above mentioned and walks away with the wrong idea lt could be ideal if the newbie asks the question first so we can all give him or her good advice on colours and not that it has just been discussed at length a few weeks ago if he looks back. So lets have some threads about drawing , painting in the usual three mediums , and pastels , inks , encaustic Etc.Why are we shy about starting a thread , if its of little interest art wise then it sinks on the page so what ....it happens to all of us.
Does anyone have ideas to somehow give the kiss of life to this ever decreasing forum and bring it back to the exciting thing I first knew on joining a few years ago. It doesnt have to be much as every little helps...Discuss.......Syd
Posted
Talking to a lady in the pub the other evening ( whoooheee i got out of the house a crutch job but I did it ) Someone mentioned that I painted and I as usual came over all flustered....!!!!!!!!!
Anyhow she immediately latched onto me and told me that she had just started to paint. What I discovered after chatting for a while that she seems to know nothing at all about whats out there to paint and draw with. .
Though giving her top marks she is painting in oils haveing no tuition or real knowledge . She and a few friends meet monthly and just seem to dabble away. I did have a gentle cringe when she talked about copying a painting from a book.
But I am so full of admire but I don't want to interfere but is there anyway I could maybe help? Im just cross that I got rid of all the back copies of my art mags I m sure they would have appreciated them.
Ideas anyone.
Posted
People might be shy about starting a thread because they fear they might not get any replies, or the replies may be dismissive.
I agree that the newcomers who ask a question about the value of an old painting can be irritating, especially when they don't acknowledge the advice given by members. But there's no way round it, apart from not answering the question at all.
Posted
I've started a few threads (or joined in on others) and have always received quality advice, but I find that there is so much information out there already (google/youtube etc) that I'll generally try and find out as much as possible for myself first and as a result less threads are started on my part. I'll try and come here more often as I appreciate that there is a wealth of information.
Art is also very subjective and what one person finds acceptable, another may find totally disagreeable (for instance painting from photos and books). Most beginners books I've ever read involve "projects" where you work through the painting with the artist step by step and copy what they do. True, it is only one step up from painting-by-numbers, but it is a step forward and a ledge from which your own style can develop and should not be discouraged in the early stages - taking away the "stress" of what to paint means that you can concentrate on understanding the medium you are using. I'm doing a course now on pet portraits and we are activley encouraged to paint from photographs and woe betide anyone who deviates from the photo! The reason here is the subject is known so well by the owner that any deviation makes for an inaccurate representation.It's not for everyone, but horses for courses and that should be recognised and ideas on how to move away from copying photos should be given (like the article in LP this month).
I've also seen threads on here where people have asked for advice on WIP and one particular post recently told the painter that they should probably scrap the painting and start again as it was a hopeless mess (or words to that effect). The paining in question had it's flaws, but was certainly better than anything I would have produced and if it had of been mine, I would have probably been devastated after spending hours/days on it and would have quickly made a hasty retreat. A kind word and constructive comments can go a long way for a nervous beginner, but may be if people really don't like something or think it's truely horrendous then think before you post.
Sorry for the long post - I'm just posting from the perspective of the nervous beginner!
Many thanks for your advice so far
Mich x
Posted
Hi Sylvia, my photo post wasn't specifically aimed at you Sylvia - I've seen it arise on a few occassions from different people, but like you say it is a matter of personal preference. :)
Whenever I've been brave enough to post, I've always found people helpful and the information provided is very useful, my previous post was merely observations and a few thoughts.
Posted
You're always going to find questions that have been answered already because people can't be bothered to search through previous replies, or just can't find them. I don't find this a problem, really - it's probably quite a good thing; we could always dig up ancient replies in response, without making people feel silly for asking a question that was answered 5 years ago: after all, how are they to know?
I was a bit perturbed by the suggestion that one of us had told a tyro painter to, basically, give it up and start again, though! Not that I haven't often felt that this is what I ought to do (especially with one I'm working on now, which is giving me no end of gyp....): I must admit that I did feel one of Pat's commissions had gone to a place from which I really wouldn't have wanted to start, but I know he'll sort the problem out (even if I'm much less confident of success with my issue) - you get all sorts of advice here, most of it very good, but now and then if someone can't see a way through they might be somewhat inclined to assume there isn't any way at all. In such circumstances, I think I'd admit defeat and keep quiet.
One thing I know, if this is of any help to anyone - I've been really very ill since the start of the year; getting back to form now, but I think there comes a point at which you have to admit you're just not up to tackling painting problems, give it up as a bad job for a few weeks, and just take a rest. There is a snag with that, because I think one can lose skills if they're not exercised - but you'll get them back again; whereas flogging on with work when you're feeling terrible never pays off, I think ..... it certainly didn't for me, and I've just stopped until my chest infection is a miserable memory. Pushing yourself beyond your limits is a recipe for disappointment.
Posted
No - not never, not no-how (you'll remember Bootsie and Snudge - you're the right generation - and sadly, so am I......).
I don't think it's ever safe to paint with acrylic over oil, even if the oil has been dried for decades (to the extent, as Syd rightly says, it ever does). I've only done this once, when I had a (now very rare) painting board primed for oils: I just didn't notice at the time, and painted on it with acrylic - it just bubbled, and peeled away: a lost masterpiece!
As for oil over acrylic - this is generally said to be safe enough if you're working on a rigid panel; less so if working on flexible canvas, because the movement of the canvas in response to atmospheric conditions adds to the strain on the paint film caused by different rates of drying - which in itself depends on how thick the underlying area is. It's one of those jury-is-out questions, but if it helps I'll tell you what I do - I sketch out my preliminary work in oil with a turpsy mix of iron oxide paint, might be Burnt Sienna for instance, plus a small quantity of blue, cobalt or ultramarine, for any shadow areas. I leave that for a day - it's all it takes to dry out quite satisfactorily, and a bit of Burnt Sienna mixed in with your paint won't muck it up anyway to be quite honest, so I don't care if it's not 100% dry. I don't underpaint in acrylic, but I do work on an acrylic gesso board. And I fear that nothing would persuade me to paint a picture using water "soluble" oils - for all sorts of reasons, including pigment strength and paint quality, but also because they've not been around long enough for us to know how they'll behave in a few decades' time - they're miscible/mixable with water, rather than really soluble, which may, or may not, be a problem (I think I've covered myself there...).
Posted
I dont presume to know everything about art ,and leave it to others on here to answer,,,and when that person dose so ,so emthatically like he always dose...why should others.'
some one joins and asks do you know anything about a painting ,what is wrong with that ?I have looked for information on an artists and not found it ,yet some one may know the artists ...and the painting asked about could be interesting ,and an artist some one has read about ,an artist who used a certain style and was known by a member ,what paints were in his palette and so on
it could open a lot of interesting things ,,I would like a conversation about the painting process all through ,the oils you prefer.do you use an odour less thinners ,what size of palette you prefer a wood or plastic ,or clear perspex ,,do you buy large paper towels to clean you palette after use .,or do you use a thinner wet rag ,or maybe there is a hand cleaner that will do the job easier. .after you have finished you painting and you are unhappy with, it do you dry of the old paint of as much as possible ,,do you find a canvas is harder to clean than a wood board . if you have old oil paints do you soften them with a little turps to make them more pliable when using a palette knife ..if you are doing an oil with a palette knife do you allow drying time between passages of the painting .have you used an oil dryer in your oils .,, to be honest the subject matter on here on this form is of not much interest to me,,,and probably this is not .
some days I skip past the forum without a glance ,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,and I bet I am not on my own..... come on be honest
Edited
by alanowen
Posted
I agree with Alan, above, on more information on the actual painting process. Maybe people could use the WIP section to provide more of a tutorial style breakdown of what they did at each stage and why? It doesn't have to be overley comprehensive, but it might prompt questions from the beginners. I often admire paintings in the gallery which are way beyond my talent and wonder how the heck the artist has acheived the finished product.
As previously suggested, a pinned beginner's info section would be good or maybe an articles section if this is possible?
Maybe a suggested starting out kit for certain mediums and topics? For example; watercolour - landscape palette or acrylic - seascape palette, and in this provide info on the colours, good brands to start out with, type of brushes, paper/canvas etc and any homemade money saving tips. I'm gussing that a large portion of beginners (me included) go out and waste money on "starter sets" that are pretty useless.
Michelle
Posted
Michael
I don't necessary mean tips ,,but ones run through and approach to his paintings , I learn from listening and watching .not always from questioning ,which off course i always do. It is nice to lean over an artists shoulder and ask why did you do that,? tell me your opinion ,every one has a different approach and preparation of their canvas ,do you leave oils on your palette and how long between painting would they last if they were water thinable,,,do your water thinable oils act the same when knife painting as oils .
I used to do a little tutoring at an art class ,and did manage to increase my students, but other artists who painted for themselves and kept so much under their hat ,not to well .a magazine that has poor content looses readers ..so dose a forum. .... hows your uncle tom ?,what did you have for breakfast .I have commission (BS) Ive sold painting (next doors cat) ,,hee hee pull the other one .. there,s bells on ,Oh I saw your name on twitter, you never said you were the managing director to that works ,.I saw you with a sweeping brush in the hall.,,
Showing page 1 of 2
- 1
- 2