Category: Tips and Techniques

  When people are learning to draw, they get tired. We all do when concentrating hard on a task. Like building up your muscles in weight training, the ideal time to keep at it while learning is just a little bit longer than you feel like. With drawing class homework, I recommend using the clock and a timer. If you find that you can work comfortably for 15 minutes, then try setting the clock for 20 minutes for the next 2 days. Continue this on until you reach about 35 minutes. For intense concentration, this seems to be a good maximum to aim for. A 5 or 10 minute break is likely good if you want to go back to it again. Get up and stretch, get a glass of water, and continue on. It really is like exercising, even if the brain is not a muscle. You are learning  patience and perseverance  as your ability to concentrate grows, and that’s a good thing. 

As the latest “Toward Abstract” class draws to a close (final class today), I find myself pondering what encourages a painter to get inspired to paint. If you have been painting for awhile, sometimes a small or large change in approach does the trick. This course was full of ideas that might change how a painting is approached. Here is just a sampling. Texture was one suggestion. Collaging sand or other items onto a canvas makes the paint behave differently and can inspire a creative response. Changing the key you paint in was another. If you usually paint with lighter colours (high key), try planning a painting all in darker colours (low key). Playing with geometric shapes that are cut out can be fun when searching for a composition. The ability to physically move these around sparks new responses as the creative mode kicks in. Lots of creative work happened in this course, and I commend each student for their sense of adventure. It will be interesting today during our review to learn which of the many techniques that were presented the students found most helpful. New classes start tomorrow and Thursday. Happy painting all! 

Just posted a new video about taking care of your brushes. The tips given here can help your brushes to last for months longer. Check it out here: Cheryl O’s Free Art Videos – Brush Care. Square brushes are my personal favourite. I love the generous amount of paint that you can load onto them, and the variety of marks from wide to thin, depending if you use the full width or pull it along the chisel tip for a thinner line. There are lots of other shapes in brushes out there and I can’t tell you which will be your favourites. The marks that you want to make on paper may be different than the ones I want to make – so you will just need to explore and see which ones suit you the best. Whatever shape you choose, it is a good idea to try to pick up the largest brush you can work with while painting. Load it well with paint so that you can make an expressive line or shape with it and don’t spend all your energy reloading a niggly amount of paint on the tip of the brush. Happy painting! 

Here’s a simple tip that can greatly improve your art. When trying to assess a photo reference or your painting to see if the large shapes within the composition are pleasing, squint. If your eyes are only open a tiny slit, it will eliminate a lot of detail and allow you to see the main shapes. It is also an effective way to analyse the dark and light pathways of your image. Moving far away from the painting can have a similar effect, but squinting is very useful, and faster. Try it with the painting shown here – a detail from one of my oil paintings. Can you see how it makes it easier to identify light, medium and dark areas and how they relate to each other? 

With watercolour, it’s that mesmerizing flow of colour, that transparent glow. With acrylic, it’s the marvelous ability to quickly layer, and layer some more and build the excitement as each layer grows. With oils, it’s the sensual creaminess that makes blending and gradations shere delight. My favourite type of paint? Whatever is on my brush at the moment. 

It’s Friday, and I thought you might like a painting idea for the weekend. St. Patrick’s Day is Sunday, how about exploring the colour green? Which greens can you mix with the various yellows and blues that you have? With each mix, play with leaning it to the blue, and then leaning it to the yellow. If your green looks too garish, try putting some burnt sienna into it. Lastly, how about painting something green that is not usually that colour – just for fun. The more unusual the better! Happy painting – and  Happy St. Patrick’s Day too. 

Painting well is a combination of many skills. Understanding colours and how to mix them, learning to be expressive with line and shape, to mention just a few. As students learn about composition, I encourage them to identify the large shapes in their composition. Squinting at the photo reference and painting in progress helps because this eliminates a lot of detail allowing large shapes to be more discernable. When there is a variety in the size of the main shapes, there is more likely to be a pleasing composition. These shapes should fit together in interesting ways, and perhaps people who do puzzles have an advantage here. They might more easily grasp the idea of shapes fitting into each other to form an image. In any case, making a quick sketch of the main shapes in your painting before starting can help you catch any major compositional errors before starting. Is there variety – some large some smaller? Do they fit together with interesting lines and angles? 

What gets you going? It really doesn’t matter if I know – but it’s very important for you to know yourself this way. When it comes to painting, here are a few ways that help some artists to get going… 1. Have a place where you can leave the paint and painting out – even just a card table in a corner. You are much more likely to go and paint if it is easily accessible. 2. Think of your work as an exercise, rather than a masterpiece. Aiming at a learning experience takes a lot of the pressure off and makes it easier to start. And if it’s a masterpiece after all – that’s a nice bonus! 3. Be spontaneous. Grab the brush at a time of day you might not usually, and just get a little bit done. 4. Be a planner. If you respond to schedules well, then block off some time weekly for painting. And why not block off a couple in case something gets in the way of one of the planned painting times? 5. Take a class or find a painting buddy. Painting with others helps you keep that time commitment. 6. Enjoy the act of painting, and focus less on the end product. It’s fun to express yourself freely! It’s fun to try new things! 7. Get the support of your live-in critics. Sometimes your family needs to be informed that, even if it’s a hobby, this painting time is important to you! What things help you to pick up the brush? Let us know in the comments so we can use them too – thanks! 

Just 3 weeks from today, on March 20 Wednesday afternoon, a new Beginning Drawing for Adults class begins. No art experience is necessary. Absolute beginners are most welcome, as are those who may want to hone this important art skill. I also include some tips about creativity in this class, and it’s a great place for adults to give drawing a try in a fun and informative atmosphere. Register with the library. Here’s the link for all the information – scroll down when you get to this page… “Local Art Courses with Cheryl O“. 

It’s Friday – and maybe you will have some painting time this weekend? Here’s a fun experiment for you if you have acrylic paint. It’s an abstract experiment with multiple layers, planning to leave just some of each previous layer showing. Save the nicest parts each time. You could start with pouring watered down colour and letting it dry. Then use a palette knife to apply more colour. After that is dry, use a square brush with more than one colour on it to finish up. Think of it as an experiment in colour and texture. Perhaps you will discover an effect that you love and want to integrate into your next painting. Happy painting!