Learn how to Decide the Proper Technique for Your Portray

Let’s cowl a difficult matter: figuring out the precise technique to your subsequent portray.

Your technique is the overall plan or method for a way you’ll find yourself with a portray that’s devoted to the topic and conveys your concepts. It broadly covers questions like… What medium will you employ? What brushes? What colours? What model? In what order will you paint the elements? What velocity will you paint? What number of classes will you want? What strategies will you employ? And so forth.

I by no means used to provide technique a lot thought. I’d rush right into a portray as quickly as inspiration struck. However too usually, this could result in a confused mess on the canvas.

The proper technique could make the portray course of a lot smoother and the possibility of success a lot better. It’s price some consideration!

This publish will cowl:

What’s the Finish Aim?

You need to first attempt to visualize the completed portray earlier than you decide up a brush. You want an finish objective in thoughts to provide you with an applicable technique for a way you’re going to get there. 

If you happen to can not visualize a completed portray, maybe that topic isn’t price portray!

You also needs to contemplate what you need your portray to say. That’s, what concepts in regards to the topic do you need to talk via your portray? Maybe there’s a facet of the topic that you simply need to actually push and exaggerate. Or maybe you need to convey the topic in a sure gentle or temper or model. Attempt to keep in mind your first impressions of the topic. These impressions are gold and normally include hints as to what you actually need to say in regards to the topic. I’ll offer you an instance utilizing my current portray, Perth, Cape Peron. Under is the reference photograph I painted from. Once I took this photograph, the wind was sturdy and crisp, and the daylight was blinding. The shadows additionally had extra of a blue tint than the photograph exhibits. These are concepts and experiences that I attempted to convey via my portray, and they’re what make the portray distinctive and private.

What’s the Best Technique to Get There?

After getting an finish objective in thoughts, it’s best to decide the simplest and most effective solution to get there. What’s the trail of least resistance? Take that path. You don’t get any awards for doing issues the laborious and inefficient approach. 

Listed here are just a few key areas to contemplate: 

• Medium: Every medium has professionals and cons, making them roughly appropriate for sure conditions. For instance, if a part of your finish objective is to have a portray with luscious shade and visual brushwork, then oil is your finest wager. Watercolors, acrylics, or gouache simply received’t get you there. Or say you need to convey the topic in a comfortable, ethereal gentle. Watercolors could be extra appropriate right here.
• Instruments: Will you employ brushes or palette knives, or each? Brushes are extra versatile however palette knives have their place, notably while you want daring strokes and a simple clear up. 
• Portray floor: If I plan on portray quick and free with palette knives, I’ll use a extra sturdy floor like gessoboard. For a extra delicate end, I’ll use canvas. 
• The order you paint the elements: Will you’re employed from again to entrance? Or from easy to intricate? Or will you merely work from one space to the subsequent? I wrote about this in additional element right here. 
• Methods: Some strategies are notably efficient for sure topics and conditions. For instance, scumbling paint with a palette knife is especially efficient for conveying snow on mountains. As is the damaged shade method for conveying leaves, grass, and water. Simply watch out to not get caught up utilizing the identical strategies time and again for a similar topics. Be versatile and open-minded in your utility of strategies. 

Have in mind, you don’t have to map out the whole portray course of earlier than you begin. A broad plan is all that’s crucial. In any case, it is going to seemingly change when you begin making your approach via the portray. Which brings me to the subsequent level…

Be Keen to Deviate From the Technique

“Everybody has a plan till they get punched within the mouth…” Mike Tyson

Once you devise a method to your subsequent portray, you’ll have restricted info to work with. You haven’t picked up a brush or made any exploratory strokes, or examined your concepts. It’s all only a plan.

As you make these first few strokes and begin working your approach via the portray, you would possibly understand that your technique isn’t slicing it. If that’s the case, be keen to pivot to discover a technique that works. 

In fact, there should be a cautious stability between giving a method a radical likelihood at success and figuring out when to pivot. That is by no means a straightforward resolution, irrespective of how superior you might be as an artist. 

I normally see a method via till it will get to the purpose that the portray will nearly definitely fail if I preserve going. At that time, I could as properly strive a unique method, as I’ve nothing to lose. I’ll additionally pivot if I see a greater or simpler solution to do issues. For instance, in my Magenta Flowers, Brisbane portray, my unique technique was to make use of solely brushes with damaged shade and multicolored strokes. However as soon as I began, it turned out that palette knives have been a simpler software for the job. So I pivoted and painted with palette knives for a lot of the portray. (You can see footage of this painting on Youtube.)

“One Dimension Matches All” Methods

Watch out of “one measurement suits all” methods and anybody selling them. Portray isn’t so easy. It’s dynamic and will change with the topic, artist, and numerous different variables. 

Method each portray with recent eyes and an open thoughts. This fashion, you may tailor an applicable technique primarily based on the topic and what you need to say about it. 

With that being mentioned, you’ll inevitably find yourself with some go-to methods that you simply’ll use extra usually than others. That is okay. Every time I’m uncertain what path to go in a portray, I default to a normal sketch, shade block-in, and refine technique. It’s secure, dependable, and versatile. It may not be the optimum technique for each topic, but it surely’s a great fallback if I’ve no different choices.

You Are the Greatest Particular person to Resolve on the Optimum Technique

Readers usually ship me reference photographs asking how I’d go about portray them and what technique I’d use. The issue is, any technique I provide you with is tailor-made to swimsuit me, how I paint, and my imaginative and prescient of the completed portray. It’s not suited to different artists. 

You are the most effective individual to provide you with the technique to your portray. You received’t at all times decide proper, particularly for those who’re beginning out in your portray journey, but it surely’s higher than letting another artist decide for you.

Sensible Instance

I’ll run via a sensible instance to exhibit what all this implies. Under is a reference photograph I plan on portray once I get an opportunity. 

First, I attempt to visualize the completed portray. I see drama and heat from the sundown. The jetty is darkish and complicated. The water and open sky is shimmering. The clouds are ominous. 

What do I need the portray to say?

I need to seize the distinctive character and nature of the jetty. I need to have the ability to have a look at the portray and acknowledge that that is the Kingfisher Bay jetty, not simply any jetty. I additionally need the jetty to look distinct, while additionally in concord with the encompassing panorama. The portray should look united as one. These sensible heat colours within the sky and shimmering off the water’s floor may also be a key characteristic.

What’s the simplest approach to do that? 

I feel a mixed method would work properly right here. For the lighter areas, I’d use impressionist strategies resembling damaged shade and multicolored strokes. I’d additionally compress the worth vary to simplify the portray. For the jetty, I’d be imprecise in my description, leaving issues ambiguous within the shadows. However I’d be correct with the important thing particulars and issues that characterize this jetty.

I’d begin by quickly portray the sky and sea, leaving the jetty till final. The sky and sea may very well be performed in a single session, and the jetty may very well be performed on a separate session if crucial. Ideally, although, I’d do all of it in a single session. 

I’d use medium to massive flat brushes for the sky and sea. I’d want just a few spherical brushes and maybe palette knives for the jetty. 

That ought to do it by way of technique. I’ll let you know the way the portray seems!

Wish to Be taught Extra?

You could be keen on my Portray Academy course. We now have rolled again the worth for the subsequent few days and added a heap of bonuses.

Thanks for Studying!

I admire you taking the time to learn this publish and I hope you discovered it useful. Be happy to share it with mates.

Completely satisfied portray!

Dan Scott

Draw Paint Academy