Learning To Paint is a Wonderful Journey

"Great art is precisely that which never was, nor will be taught,
it is preeminently and finally the expression of the spirits of great men."
John Ruskin - English writer, art critic and social reformer (1819 - 1900)

The study of painting is learning to see the world about you - the form of things, lights and darks, and color - in an effort to express your feelings on canvas. Many artists offer teaching instruction to introduce the beginning artist to various approaches to painting and to teach the more experienced artist new ways of observing and experimenting. With practice and experience the best personal approach can be developed for the individual painter.

The composition of the painting, the arrangement of the elements, is established in the initial drawing or sketch. Composition follows certain fundamental rules. These are guidelines which have to do with the relationship of the forms to each other and having a good understanding of these rules is necessary to produce an overall view which is pleasing and which expresses the original idea for the painting. The initial sketch should indicate light and dark tones to show the source and quality of light and the shapes of the shadow areas.

When composing the picture, the artist establishes proper perspective. To have a sense of distance and form on a flat surface, it is necessary to have a basic knowledge of perspective - an understanding of how receding lines converge at a vanishing point. Learn how to check your sketch so be sure the lines in every part of your painting go in the right directions. No matter how skillfully you apply the paint, to have a successful painting, the general direction of the lines has to be correct at the start. Many books are available for simple, basic perspective instruction, along with free online instruction.

To further develop the painting, it is necessary to have a good understanding of the color wheel and color theory basics to express the relationship of the elements and the mood of a painting. There are many good articles for color theory on the internet. click here.

For a wide variety of art instruction articles and demonstrations click here
and here .

Links to tips for painting individual elements and details in a painting
are shown on my site Brushes and Palettes .

My favorite hobby is painting. There is always more to learn as one studies and observes.
Article by aLundy Brushes and Palettes.com.