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| Snow Patterns 9x12" Oil on Linen Available $725 |
Selecting a
photograph as a reference tool for a painting can make or break a painting.
Consider these ideas –
• Look
for what excites you - but do not choose a photograph without using your
artistic experience.
• There
should be a foreground, middle ground and a background.
• What
is your CONCEPT? MOOD?
• Look
for large value SHAPES that can be easily constructed into a simple statement.
But you must know that photographs will LIE!
• The darks will be
darker.
• The lights will be
washed out to white.
• The scale or
proportions will be distorted.
• Color will not be
natural.
• Nature will repeat
shapes and create lines that lead you out of the painting.
• Photos lack the
human poetic story telling aspect.
Hints to Keep in Mind -
• Remember the goal
is DO NOT COPY the scene.
• Create a strong
DESIGN.
• Squint and compare
everything, but don’t rely on the photograph and use your memory and be
creative.
• Eliminate detail!
• Link shapes
together to create a musical flow – interesting patterns of dark and light.
• Loose edges by
bringing values close together to combine smaller shapes into larger shapes.
• Push values
lighter or darker to strengthen your design.
• Use the process of
ELIMINATION – when in doubt, leave it out.
The “Creative” Process
•
Create designed
shapes using a pictorial language to substitute the objects in landscapes. Bushes,
trees, mountains, etc. will be represented into new shapes that easily identify
the real objects but their lines will be melodic and graceful as well as their
shapes being interesting.
•
Experienced artists are not concerned about
making things look real, but are more interested in making things look
beautiful.
•
Think in the abstract. An abstract shape will not
be equal to another shape in any way. Your shapes should have melodic lines,
make this a priority!
•
Group the details together and round them up in
mass value plans.
• If a scene is particularly
complex, don’t even begin until you have a plan about how to simplify.
• Squint and
Simplify – and Compare Everything!
• Values are
relative, use them to create contrast.
• Choose what will
be the star player – make everything else subordinate no matter how compelling
it is.
