Thank you for your report!
We have received your report and it is currently under investigation by a forum moderator.
What’s the best piece of advice regarding painting you’ve recieved ?
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
Message
Posted
Recently I was asked to be a judge in a contest that featured both amateur and professional artists, the striking difference in the works was obvious from a distance as I looked at the works and noticed most of the amateurs ( not all ) were far to wishy washy and tentative in their use of darks .
For me as a painter mainly in watercolour this is the biggest reason why a lot of watercolour paintings fall down flat as they look washed out and tonally incorrect, a terror of applying strong tonally correct colour is avoided just in case one goes to far and so instead they go to weak and ruin what could have been a very good painting .
I remember as a much younger man receiving the excellent advice to make it a habit to do thumbnail tonal drawings of the subject and to stick to the plan when painting , it’s the best advice I ever received and it’s the one piece of advice I tell students will improve their work ten fold , unfortunately a lot of people totally ignore this advice and seem totally baffled by what is a really simple concept and just carry on making the same mistake in every painting and wondering why there work always looks washed out and lacks punch
I find this the best advice I ever received , I ask fellow members for the best piece of advice regards painting they ever recieved
Posted
I don't generally paint in watercolour Dermot, as you probably know, so the wishy washy effect is not usually the problem. But learning about tones applies to every medium and is crucial to whether a painting is successful or not. Planning ahead is also important, whether you do it mentally or with a thumbnail. My approach to a painting is to identify the lights and darks and roughly get those down, stand back and proceed by working on the image as a whole, only putting detail in at the end. You can produce a successful painting with the most "unreal" colours if the tones are right and if everything balances - oh, not forgetting a good composition.
Posted
Perhaps because with watercolours you work from light to dark if they stop too soon it would naturally be lacking in darks.
I have been looking at atelier methods which seem to include first putting the darkest and the lightest values down, that would be fine in charcoal or oils but you aren't going to want to try that with watercolours.
I am having trouble thinking of the best advice but I think "work from the general towards the specific" is a pretty decent one. Getting distracted by details too early means the big shapes and composition can get neglected,
Edited
by Daveyboyz
Posted
I don't recall having being given any particular advise, help and guidance of course from tutor's, and I do love to read books from other artist's, to see their approach to painting.
One of the failings of many newcomers to painting, and Marjorie has touched on the subject also, is that they want to produce gallery ready artwork from the onset. You can't do that, you need to experiment initially and this can take years.
Just enjoy learning about colours and techniques, throw some paint around and stop trying to produce a masterpiece each time - because you probably won't. Drawing is an essential discipline and is overlooked by many as the 'boring bit' and not necessary - Ignore it at your peril!
Posted
I've not had much 'tutoring'...a two day course in the 1960's if memory serves. But I spend a fair amount of time looking at art on the net, a lot of good stuff there. One bit of advice that took root was from an artist making rather offbeat paintings in oils (I forget his name, but not his advice). His advice was draw, draw, and then draw some more.