Painting shapes, not objects and not getting lost in details was a huge step in my art journey. There are times when details are good. I sold this painting a few years ago because the customer loved all the details.
In this instance, I believe the details added to the painting instead of detracting.
However, in most cases a painting is better served just hinting at details and focusing on the big picture. Sometimes detail is just clutter.
Below is a painting of my granddaughter. The second one has an annoying tree outside the window that does not contribute to the subject which is the artist. I eliminated the tree and painted the cover I have over the easel to take away from the bright blue curtains. I cut the legs off the table since we don’t need to see all of it.
In the painting below I did not paint a lot of detail of the shrubbery behind the boy with the kite. The subject is about the boy on the beach and not the general scenery around. The boy and the reflection in the wet sand is the subject, and not the kite so I didn’t make the kite too vivid.
In the landscape below the foreground had a lot of plants but I just hinted at the greenery with nothing specific. Notice the trees do not have a lot of detail. The low level of water in the lake leaving a large sandbar was my focus.
A few things I have learned:
- I take a light color and sketch an outline of the composition. Having a plan is important.
- Eliminate everything that does not contribute the the subject.
- Paint shapes and not objects, especially plants. Brush strokes can hint at greenery without painting individual leaves.
- Use larger brushes so you are not able to make fussy details.
- Take artistic license. Leave things out or rearrange for a better composition.
- Paint quickly moving around the canvas keeping the whole painting in mind. This way you do not get bogged down in one area or loose sight of the intent of the art.
Areas that still need work:
- Laying down a brush stroke and leaving it. I tend to overwork.
- Art is not like painting a wall, art is made up of a lot of brush strokes that work together to “paint” a picture.
- Not stepping back to see the progress and make sure everything is going as planned.
- Using small brushes and possibly too much water.
- Not great at painting multiple colors say on a house since most objects are not one solid color with a lighter shade for sunlight. Snow is a great example of having many colors making the painting more interesting and beautiful.
There is always room for improvement. One artist that I follow that may interest you is Ian Roberts at https://www.ianroberts.com/ He has a book called “Mastering Composition”. I have learned a lot watching his videos on Youtube.
