Do you ever feel overwhelmed when you start a painting? For today’s tip we will discuss how to make a painting less complex so you can be more successful.
When starting a painting, you have to get the drawing accurate, then mix the right color and value, then apply the right brushwork. It’s a lot. So why not just focus on a few principles instead? Some of the most famous painters did just that. (More on that later.)
It’s very hard to get every element right in a painting. So try to pick just one or two areas if you feel overwhelmed.
For example, you can make a monochrome painting that mostly focuses on drawing and values. Plenty of master painters make these types of paintings. It will help you learn drawing with paint without getting too bogged down in colors.
Once you get comfortable with that, then maybe try a painting with a limited palette. You’ll still have to mix colors, but you can focus more on values. The limited palette will keep you from trying to match every color in the rainbow.
Plenty of masters painted this way. Zorn often used a palette of just cad red, yellow ochre, and ivory black. That’s it. His colors probably weren’t fully accurate to those seen in life, but he mastered the values in his portraits.
Maybe you’re not big on drawing or photo realism. Then maybe color should be your focus. Don’t stress over mastering the drawing. Work on color schemes and tricks like optical mixing. Monet was a master of this. There are few crisp lines in his work. Often his goal was experimenting with color, not necessarily drawing.
This isn’t to say never work on drawing or banish all colors, especially if you want to improve. Just don’t overwhelm yourself.
Don’t try to master your symphony all in one take. Work on the various components and then work on blending them together.
What topics would you like to hear discussed here? I’d love to hear from you and help you on your painting journey.
Stop back tomorrow, and everyday, for more painting tips.
Cheers! —Bry