Then you need to figure out what drew you to it in the first place. Was it the subject, the setting, the colors, or a combination of all three? Does it have nice shadows (darks) and lights at the center of interest? Do you want to paint the whole scene or zero in on just the portion that interests you the most? Will you have to move or delete some of it's parts or can you just paint what you see? ("Even in front of nature one must compose," said Edgar Degas). Does the composition circulate your eyes throughout the painting and back to the center of interest? Is the picture divided from back to front, light to dark, cool to warm and grayed to intense?
Once you have viewed the scene from different angles and have decided on the best one, don't begin to paint until you have resolved the composition in your sketch pad. Don't try to build a good painting without having a set of plans.
Happy painting.
Ah, great review and your painting ispires me to paint... now for the time required.
ReplyDeleteWonderful pieces in the Richeson small works show!
ReplyDeleteLove your latest pieces on facebook!
ReplyDeleteVery interesting blog. A lot of blogs I see these days don't really provide anything that attract others, but I'm most definitely interested in this one. Just thought that I would post and let you know.
ReplyDelete