you can learn painting
painting is fun!
- Learn painting with the basics of successful paintings.
- Oil, watercolor and acrylic all use the same basics to create beautiful paintings.
My painting adventure began with art in high school and in college when I minored in art. Actually I began to learn painting when my mother and I started going to hands-on classes.
My mother said, "If you teach yourself painting, it is like walking across the United States. If you learn painting with a good teacher, it is like flying across the United States."
Let me share what I have learned.....
you can learn painting
painting is fun!
- Learn painting with the basics of successful paintings.
- Oil, watercolor and acrylic all use the same basics to create beautiful paintings.
My painting adventure began with art in high school and in college when I minored in art.
Actually I began to learn painting when my mother and I started going to hands-on classes.
My mother said, "If you teach yourself painting, it is like walking across the United States. If you learn painting with a good teacher, it is like flying across the United States."
Let me share what I have learned.....
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what helped me learn painting?
paint regularly
If someone is learning to play the piano, they practice daily. Many professional artists paint every day.
Paint regularly, no matter whether you paint daily, weekly or monthly - paint regularly.
- When you paint on a regular basis, you put your artistic learning into overdrive!
share your paintings
Share with your family and art-oriented people.
Join a local art association. Paint with other artists. Go to classes. Go to art shows. Get feedback.
Sharing and seeing other artwork will encourage you and stimulate you with new ideas.
paint familiar things
The best place the start painting is to paint the things you see around you.
You do the best job of painting subjects you understand.
My parents had a wholesale tropical fish business with numerous outdoor fish ponds.
When we fed the fish, they would all swarm around the food. So "Koi Feeding" was a natural for me.
Paint what is familiar to you.get your idea
Ask yourself -
- Why do I want to paint?
- What is the purpose of the painting?
- What do I want to portray?
Your painting will go more smoothly when you get the idea firmly fixed in your mind.
drawing
When you start a new painting, you need to get your ideas down on paper.
- It is a good idea to do a thumbnail sketch of what you are going to paint.
It is not necessary to become proficient in drawing before you start painting. However, your drawing skills will improve the more you draw.
the basics of successful painting
Use the basics to create beautiful paintings.composition
Composition comes naturally to some people, but it can also be learned.
Learn how to make paintings that draw the viewer in.
focal point
What is the main subject of your painting?
The main subject will be the focal point of your painting.
values
One of my early painting lessons was to do a painting with only one color.
It taught me to use values, instead of color.
color is the icing on the cake
You are probably anxious to start with color.
Color is probably one of the reasons I'm an artist because I absolutely love color.
A basic understanding of the Color Wheel makes it fun and easy to use color.
what colors should you buy?
The paint colors on my palette (both watercolor and oil paints) are based on the color wheel.
mix paint colors
Values are the backbone of your paintings. But color is what makes a painting sing.
We don't have to buy all the beautiful colors from the paint store.
We can mix any color we want from a basic palette.
how do you select the colors for an individual painting?
Plan out your colors before you start painting.
Use a color scheme with a limited number of colors for harmonious paintings.
paint often to speed your learning
While you learn painting, you are going to want to do some of the how-to-paintings.
I snap pictures when I am doing a painting. I carefully document all the steps I do.
The why and how of each step is fully explained. Follow the steps to practice your painting basics.
- Use the methods with your own subjects to create your individual paintings.
most importantly - have fun learning to paint!
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