I’m moving away from to much outside influence and closer to my true inner voice. The artist that I want to be. No apologies, this is me.
Drawing: Take the time that it needs. Focus on each brush stroke to improve control, drawing, shape design and speed. Speed is all about efficiency not how fast I move. Figures are the best for challenging my drawing skills. Simple shapes are enough to describe most objects. Challenge myself by doing the initial drawing with a brush.
Perspective: Keep practicing linear and atmospheric perspective. Vanishing points for objects and interior space. How multiple objects in a landscape recede. How object further away get lighter and more blue, except for white. Push the atmospheric perspective.
Value > Color: Identify the major value and color separations at the beginning of the painting. In most cases the painting can be broken down into just a few major values and colors. Value first, hue and saturation second. High contrast and high saturation near focal point. Test all the major color mixtures and when you’re unsure. Try to make the sky glow.
Form: Continue to think of each object as existing in space. Make it feel like it takes up space. Back lighting and front lighting will flatten forms. Overcast lighting will need value harmonies to create form. Oblique lighting shows form best with light and shadow.
Shape Design: Practice and begin to understand what shapes are pleasing and why. Simplify complex shapes always. Squint all the time. Increase the angles of the shapes for a more dynamic look. Study Ai and other artists for shape design.
Composition: Simple subjects for now. Rule of thirds. Edges. Value. Color. All emphasizing the focal point. Use the direction of the brush strokes to emphasize the focal point as well. Learn from other masters of composition. Andrew Wyeth in particular.
Brushwork: Practice describing as much as possible with only one stroke. Improve my ability to soften an edge with a brush. Try to be more expressive with a brushwork. Look at Quang Ho. Expressive brushwork is often executed carefully, not fast. Instead of getting smaller brushes for smaller shapes use surrounding shapes to cut into others. After getting really good at control then I can be expressive.
Other: Stand up at least every 30 minutes.
Drawing: How important is drawing accuracy? The more I paint like this the less important I think it is. At least in the idea of perfect accuracy. I know that the most important, for me, is the message. I don’t need perfect draftsmanship to accomplish that.
Perspective: Not much perspective in this painting to speak about.
Value > Color: Value is king. I could have chosen any colors as long as the value was correct.
Form: I’m beginning to turn the form with different value levels of broken color rather than trying to soften edges.
Shape Design: All about shape design and brushwork for this painting. I studied what was generated closely.
Composition: Central composition. Calm, rigid, just like a queens should be.
Brushwork: All about brushwork in this painting. I moved further away from caring about getting my painting to look like the generated reference. I translated what I saw and made my own painting.
Keep doing
Stop doing
