Part 6: Pay Attention to Details During Painting

The picture above is an actual print done by my mother. This piece was taken from an oil painting she had done. You can actually see the canvas marks when you look closely at it. Look closely at this piece. The name of the painting is “Seaside Greeter”. It was one of her last works she did before her passing. There are some things a new artist can learn from studying another artist's work.  By studying this painting you can learn a great deal about contrast and lighting. You can begin to understand colors and shading. You should also get a sense of how to balance out a painting.

The first thing I want you to notice is the subject. The point is that is the first thing you notice. You know what she was painting. All the other things take a back seat to the blue herring. Although you notice the sand and the waves, this is not what is important.  ou can see the ocean behind the bird.  et it is not impressive enough to distract from the subject. The sea shells on the beach do not compete at all with the subject. The only thing you see is the blue herring. Why? Because this is what the artist wants you to focus on. This is what the artist was entranced with when she painted this picture. She was fascinated with the proud stance these birds sometimes have. She loved the subtle natural shading of their feathers. She also loved the way the eyes seemed to  have a blank stare and still had a look of intelligence to them.

This painting was done in stages. The background of the ocean and sky was put in first. There was a great deal of color and blending that went on to get the right affect of the clouds and the water. More paint was added to the bottom of the canvas in other shades and hues. The paint was blended into the front of the picture to bring in the sand and beach. After the background had dried, the artist started painting the bird.

Being able to judge perspective and set a reference point is important for size composition. You have to look at what you are painting to understand where it should go in the picture. If you do not choose the size and placement carefully, it can cause a low quality painting. By paying close attention to detail you can create a masterpiece like the one above.

Some things to notice about this piece.
1) The horizon is blended perfectly and yet there is a definite distinction between the sky and the water.
2) The light source is directly above. Nothing is in shadow.
3) The artist was still careful to keep with the reality of the scene by making sure the waves reflected the color of the sky.
4) Not many things in nature are without a flaw. The artist was able to paint what she saw with the broken sea shells and ruffled feathers. This makes the piece even more realistic.
5) Using different brush techniques, she was able to capture the essence of the sand at the bird's feet.  his did not take as long as some thought. When you know what a brush can do, you can make it perform.

I hope looking at this piece can teach you some basics in oil painting.

Enjoy Painting Your Subject

There is one thing any artist must do when first learning to paint on canvas. This is to choose subjects which interest him. In other words when you are painting something you do not like, it will show.

The quality of the painting will not be as good as the others you have done. You will not pay as close attention to the details because you will want to hurry through and get it done. This will result in a poor quality painting.

Compare the two pieces of art work. My mother did them both. She loved the blue herring and hated owls. Can you tell? Anyone who is familiar with her work can take one look at this piece and know she did not enjoy doing it. There is more detail paid to the leaves than the baby owl.

When you like what you are painting, you will do very well. Stick with what you like to paint and leave everything else to the other artists. Do not compromise your quality for any reason.

Compare this piece to the owl. Now compare it to the first blue herring. The artist was able to capture the essence of the bird in this painting. She focused completely on the bird with no attention to the background at all. With subtle shading added to the background color, which is barely noticeable, she was able to show the light source coming from the left. By focusing on the bird, the viewer can sense a feeling of tiredness. To be honest, this bird is much older than the one in the first picture. The artist was able to capture this feeling. Yet there is still something proud in the way the bird is holding himself. One other note of interest. By putting the bird on a section of fencing, it gave the painting some level of grounding. There does not have to be a lot of detail in the background in order for the painting to be noticed.

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