A PAINTING CHECKLIST
I had heavily textured this little painting before starting. While it was outside drying, it got caught in a rain shower and left little raindrop indents in the texture. I ran with this and thought it was quite appropriate for the subject. The painting didn’t work until I added the foreground figure with the umbrella. You’ll spot a little rain drop mark just to the right of the umbrella.
A Painting Checklist (A Blog by Mike Barr)
“In the hustle and bustle of the painting process we can forget things we have learned, unless of course it is a part of our very being and then we are likely to follow our painterly instincts.
Developing these instincts takes a bit of time and a number of failures. Concentrating on following written instruction while trying to paint can ruin the creative flow. A bit like trying to find the right colour from a colour chart then trying to replicate it, will disturb any momentum, particularly in mediums like watercolour.
In the end, any checklist we come up with needs to become part of our mindset, without having to tick-off all the different aspects of our work on a to-do list. It’s about being so immersed in our art that we become attuned to the necessities. It’s a work of time.
A checklist, physical or mental will be different for all of us. What is vitally important to one artist may not be so for another. So how about something that is a little different.
Faced with something we would like to paint, let’s ask some questions of ourselves. This means we are not following things by rote, but we are thinking about the possibilities available that will make our work a bit special.
1. Whatever the subject matter is, can it be cropped. Sometimes a part of what we see is more dramatic and interesting than the whole – look out for this. I often spot it after the painting is done!
2. Is there something not quite right about the scene – some awkward object that spoils everything? Don’t feel committed to leave it in, whatever it is dispense with it – take charge of the painting!
3. How can you make this subject more interesting than a photo – think about exaggerating certain aspects and diminishing the effect of others – make a focal point that may not be there in real life – it might just be a splash of colour
4. If it’s a landscape, think about creating the feeling of distance – this alone will set up the whole painting.
5. Be open to the possibilities of change, even when you are well into the painting.
6. Be ready to stop the painting before you initially intended to. Last minute fiddling can end a good painting – we all know it!”
Happy painting!
Mike Barr