Lessons from a Self-Taught Artist

A newsletter compilation containing forty-five simple yet highly effectivelessons to inspire other self-taught artists.

Dan Scott

Copyright © 2019 Dan ScottAll rights reserved.

This ebook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This ebook may not be re-soldor given away to other people. If you would like to share this ebook with another person,please purchase an additional copy for each person you share it with. If you’re readingthis book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then you

should purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.

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Contents

Introduction

1. Five Golden Principles for Painting (My Mini Manifesto)

2. Harmony through Nature

3. Composition Is What Matters

4. Tips to Inspire, Motivate, or Get You to Take Action

5. Start Fast, Finish Slow

6. Brighter, Not Lighter . . .

7. The Best Materials Won’t Make You a Better Painter

8. How to Mix Green (or Any Other Color)

9. Using Photography to Improve Your Painting

10. The Problem with Color Recipes

11. The Three Myths of Color

12. Theory vs. Result

13. Should You Be Charting Your Colors?

14. The “Rules” of Composition

15. Stop Using So Much Detail

16. What You Can Learn from This Painting Critique

17. Why You Shouldn’t Always Try to Be Perfect

18. Tips for Learning about Composition

19. The Power of a Single Stroke

20. Don’t Fall in Love with Your Painting Too Early

21. What Kind of Master Painter Will You Be?

22. Small vs. Large Paintings

23. Guidelines for Watching Other Artists

24. Why the Obvious Solution Is Not Always the Right Solution

25. Short-Term vs. Long-Term Painting Wins

26. Simple Techniques for Better Landscape Paintings

27. Checklist for Deciding What to Paint

28. Unlocking Your “Flow State”

29. Common Things Shared by Master Landscape Painters

30. Don’t Forget Why You Started Painting

31. Good Habits and Bad Habits in Art

32. What Kind of Artist Do You Want to Be?

33. The Only Two Questions You Need to Know for Great Compositions

34. Sometimes It Gets Worse before It Gets Better

35. Creating Interest without Color

36. Make Mistakes Work for You (Rather than against You)

37. The Hardest Thing about Painting

38. Ten Landscape-Painting Quick Tips

39. Three Most Common Landscape-Painting Mistakes

40. Art “Rules” You Need to Be Careful With

41. Perspective Tips for Landscape Painting

42. The Number-One Thing Holding Artists Back

43. Play to Your Strengths

44. Questions about Art

45. Trust Yourself

Thanks for Reading!

Introduction

Welcome to Lessons from a Self-Taught Artist.

If you do not know me, I am the creator of Draw Paint Academy, which I started severalyears ago. One of the main features of the website is a newsletter that I send out to myloyal readers, documenting my experiences and developments as a self-taught artist.

This e-book is a compilation of forty-five of those newsletters. If you have been asubscriber for some time, then you may have already read some of these lessons. If youare new, then hopefully this e-book will provide you with a wealth of knowledge andinspiration.

I would also like to say that although I take great pride and passion in my work, I do notconsider myself to be a master artist. I am just a student of the arts, like you. I always willbe. But if you are on the same journey as me, then you might be able to benefit fromsome of the things I have learned.

The e-book is not set out in any particular order. It is just a compilation of forty-fiveisolated lessons that are designed to inspire, motivate, and teach you about the art ofpainting.

Of course, if you enjoy these lessons, then make sure you are a subscriber of Draw PaintAcademy, as there will be more to come.

Enjoy, and if you have any questions, feel free to contact me at dan@drawpaintacademy.com.

Dan ScottDraw Paint Academy

Five Golden Principles for Painting (My Mini Manifesto)

I don’t really follow many gimmicky tactics or “rules” in painting. But I do like to paintwith a set of overarching principles. This helps me stay consistent and on the same path.

These are my five golden principles for painting (or my mini manifesto).

1. Do Not Make Simple Matters Complex

Always take the fastest and easiest road to the destination. If you can paint a building orthe ocean with a single stroke of your brush, do that.

Do not make simple matters complex.

2. Paint for Yourself

Do not let the fickle opinions of others dictate how you paint. Paint how you want topaint, and let people make up their opinions afterward.

Do not try to please everyone. That is an impossible task.

3. If Something Adds No Value, Cut It Out or Simplify It

Do not add detail for the sake of adding detail. If something does not help youcommunicate what you want to say, cut it out or simplify it.

4. Try to Create a Beautiful Painting, Not Beautiful Parts

Always step back and view your painting as a whole. Do not try to make your paintingappear beautiful from up close.

5. Rules Can Be Broken, but Have a Reason for Doing So

Rules exist to help guide your decision-making in art. They do not exist to limit you inany way. Always feel free to break any of the art rules, but have a reason for doing so.

I suggest you take a moment to develop your own mini manifesto or feel free to use mine.This is especially important for those of you who are struggling with finding your ownstyle. Instead of trying to force a style, focus on painting within a set of principles. Thiswill keep you consistent enough for your style to develop over time.

Harmony through Nature

I just finished watching a demonstration by the great Richard Schmid about landscapepainting. One of the lessons learned from the demonstration is this:

There is harmony through nature. Everything is connected.

For example, when you are painting a landscape scene, the rocks, grass, soil, trees, light,etc. are all connected in some way. The soil is generally the same color. The grass growsfrom the same soil. There is a similar moss at the base of the trees. The trees might be thesame type. Everything in the scene is subject to the same type of light from the sun (at thetime you are painting the scene).

So what does this mean for your paintings?

Well, what Richard Schmid was getting at is that you do not need to try and artificiallycreate some kind of harmony in your painting. All you need to do is faithfully paint whatyou see. If you do this, then your painting will express the harmony that is already innature.

P.S.: For those interested, the demonstration I am referring to is Richard Schmid PaintsThe Landscape Part One. You can buy it from his website, but I believe it is on thepricey side.

Composition Is What Matters

When you paint, you will generally be painting from some kind of reference, whether thatbe life or a photo.

Most artists will do everything in their power to paint that reference accurately. But at theend of the day, how well you paint the reference does not matter. Your composition iswhat matters.

There will be times when something in your reference does not make sense, ismisleading, or just does not fit in with your composition. Don’t forget your artisticprivilege to simply ignore, add, or change what is in your reference in order to create amore interesting composition.

No one will care if you did not paint all the windows on that building or if you includedan extra branch on the tree. All they will care about is your overall composition.

Tips to Inspire, Motivate, or Get You to Take Action

I haven't been painting enough recently. Sometimes, life just gets in the way andprocrastination gets the upper hand. I’m sure you know the feeling.

Here are some of the things I do to break myself out of these painting ruts:

• Unwrap a new canvas and place it on my easel.

• Get the tubes of paint ready for my next painting and place them next to mypalette.

• Make sure my brushes are clean and ready to use.

• Place a pencil and sketchbook in a prominent spot (my desk, the kitchen, orcouch).

• Incorporate art time into my current routine. For example, I do ten minutes ofsketching before I go to the gym, or I dedicate time every morning beforebreakfast.

• Review reference photos to determine what I will paint next.

• Analyze the reference photo. This will often get my ideas and creativityflowing.

• Stain the canvas for my next painting.

• Do a quick sketch for my next painting.

• Visit a local art gallery for inspiration.

• Read an art instruction book.

• Take a break. Sometimes, I need to take a few steps back before I can moveforward again.

• Experiment with different mediums to keep things feeling fresh. This couldbe watercolors, acrylics, oils, water-mixable oils, pen and ink, charcoal, orgouache.

• Enter an art competition.

• Explore master artists online, both past and present.

Most of these things are designed to inspire, motivate, or get me to take action.

Action tends to inspire more action. I often find that the mere act of getting my paints andbrushes ready inspires me to stain the canvas, which inspires me to lay down the initialsketch, and so on.

Start Fast, Finish Slow

I am a firm believer that when you start a painting, you should aim to capture the generalessence of the scene as quickly as possible.

By doing this, you will instinctively aim to capture the first things that come to yourattention. These are usually the most important elements of your painting, but if youfocus too hard, you may not see them.

When you start a painting slow and steady, you will be much more calculated, but youwill struggle to paint in a free-flowing state, and you may overlook the big-pictureelements of your painting. There is a time to be slow and calculated, but that is rarely atthe start of your painting.

Brighter, Not Lighter . . .

A common problem I see in beginner painters is this confusion between light and brightcolors.

When you add white to a color, you make it lighter. But in doing so, the color also losessaturation (becomes less intense, vivid, or bright) and gets cooler in temperature.

When you want to draw attention to an area in your painting, sometimes it is far moreeffective to use brighter, richer, or more intense colors, rather than lighter and weakercolors.

Say, for example, you are trying to paint a vivid orange sunset. Your first intention maybe to grab some vivid cadmium orange and mix it with white to lighten it. But in doingso, you are actually weakening and cooling your orange.

Instead, you could limit the amount of white you add or use yellow to increase the valueof the color without making it weaker. You could also make the surrounding area muchcooler and weaker in comparison to the orange.

This is not to say you should avoid using white to lighten your colors. But you just needto be aware of what happens to your colors when you add white.

Sometimes, brighter, richer, or more intense is far more effective than lighter.

The Best Materials Won’t Make You a Better Painter

I read an interesting point in Richard Schmid’s book Alla Prima II, which said:

“If Michelangelo had possessed only a broom and a bucket of mud, he could still havepainted the Sistine Chapel ceiling, and it would have been just as much of amasterpiece!”

What Mr. Schmid is referring to with this statement is that all the state-of-the-artmaterials, exotic pigments, and paintbrushes handmade in Italy from rare bristles won’tmask any shortfalls or inability. They won’t make you a better painter if you don’t knowhow to use them.

If the old masters were alive today and in one of our art stores, they would probably thinkthey were in art heaven, with all the choices available.

At the end of the day, all the new art materials with the bells and whistles are just that—bells and whistles. Learn to use the basics well, and you can’t go wrong.

How to Mix Green (or Any Other Color)

I am currently down in Tasmania on the hunt for painting inspiration. One thing I noticedown here is the abundance of different greens.

Green is always a struggle to mix, especially for those just starting out. The green alwaysseems to turn out either far too green, appearing completely unnatural, or extremelymuddy and unsaturated.

Mixing green, whilst a pain, is no different from mixing any other color. Here are thethree steps for mixing any color:

Step 1: Observe and Identify

This is where most fail. They either overlook this step altogether or get misled by themany mind tricks that plague us when looking at colors.

Step 2: Determine the Characteristics

This is all about breaking down the color into the specific characteristics. What makesthat color that color? What value is it? What hue is it? What saturation is it?

Step 3: Mix It

In the previous steps, you worked out what you should be mixing. Now you need to justmix it. This is the easy part if you did the first two steps correctly. Color mixing is alesson on its own, but a general process is to start with a rough color, then match thevalue, then adjust the hue. Simple as that.

It is not as simple as just mixing any blue and yellow together and hoping the right greenwill show up. You need to consider:

• what type of green you want to mix (observe and identify);

• what the characteristics of the green are (determine the characteristics); and

• what colors you need—and mix your green based on your findings in theprevious steps (mix your color).

Tip: To mix a very dry green (the type of green you find a lot in Australian landscapes),you should try yellow ochre and raw umber.

Using Photography to Improve Your Painting

Since the invention of the first camera, many painters have struggled with the idea thatthis tool can easily capture what artists struggle so hard to paint.

With the click of a button, a camera can instantly capture all the colors, shapes, lines, andedges. As painters, we do not have it that easy.

Many painters were worried that the camera would make painting redundant. That is partof the reason why the Impressionists went out and tried to do something cameras couldnot—to capture the way we see the world. Whilst a camera may be very good atcapturing a scene, it cannot capture the way we see that scene and how it makes us feel.

I like to think of photography not as a threat to painting but as a great tool to complementus. Photography can do a number of things to help our painting:

• It allows us to take better reference photos.

• It allows us to learn more about some of the fundamental concepts of art,such as composition and design, without having to worry about the technicalprocesses involved with painting.

• Learning photography will help us learn to see as artists.

The Problem with Color Recipes

Color is a difficult concept to grasp. In an attempt to simplify color, many artists rely onpredetermined color recipes to assist their mixing (for example, a recipe for skin tone, theblue of the ocean, or the natural green of a tree).

But these recipes are not all that useful. They sound great on paper, but they do not helpall that much with making wise decisions about color.

This is because of two main reasons:

1. There are inconsistencies across different paints.

Ultramarine blue by Winsor & Newton may appear significantly different to theultramarine blue by Gamblin, for example. Different hues often have very differentmixing properties due to how they are made. There are sometimes even inconsistencieswithin the same brand and color of paint.

These inconsistencies work against any predetermined recipes. It is kind of like trying tofollow a cooking recipe without any standard units of measurement (maybe not thatextreme, but you get the point).

2. Nature is not so predictable that you are able to apply some predetermined color recipe and call it a day.

Nature is a complex arrangement of colors, shapes, and lines that cannot be simplifieddown to any kind of standard formula. The color of water and the sky is not always blue,trees are not always green, rocks are not always brown, and so on.

This is not to say color recipes are useless. They can be useful as a loose guide. Forexample, it is handy to know a standard recipe for mixing a nice turquoise for when youneed to paint translucent water in the ocean (cobalt blue, a touch of yellow, and lots oftitanium white will make a nice turquoise, for those interested). But you will almostalways need to make adjustments to that mixture.

A far more reliable way to mix color is to combine two things:

• observation—the ability to observe and recognize what a color is (this is farmore difficult than it sounds); and

• color manipulation—the ability to dance between all the hues, saturations,and values to arrive at the observed color.

If you can combine these two abilities, then you will able to use color far better than anyrecipe would allow.

The Three Myths of Color

I want to address a number of common color myths that seem to be floating around theart world.

Color Myth #1

That a color can be ugly, bland, or boring.

A color is just a color. How we perceive a color is entirely subjective.

You will often hear people referring to grays and browns as being “ugly” colors. We tendto associate these colors with less glamorous aspects of life.

But let me assure you that they are not ugly colors. They are just colors. How youperceive and interpret those colors is up to you.

Eugène Delacroix once said, “I can paint you the skin of Venus with mud, provided youlet me surround it as I will.”

If you look at many of the great paintings you are inspired by, you may notice that graysand browns are dominant colors. Without gray and brown, how could you show off yourvibrant reds, greens, yellows, and so on?

So there are no ugly colors, just colors of different saturations, values, and hues.

Now you may be wondering that if there are no ugly colors, there can also be no“beautiful” colors. And that is correct.

You may hear me say from time to time that a color is beautiful. But I am usuallyreferring to the way the color is used in the painting, rather than the color itself. A colorby itself has no meaning. It is what surrounds that color that gives it meaning.

If you deem certain colors as being ugly or beautiful, you are really placing a limit onwhich colors you are willing to use in your paintings. Why would you want to limityourself in any way?

So don’t think of a color by itself as being either ugly or beautiful. Instead, aim to makeyour colors appear beautiful as a whole in your painting, with each color playing animportant role in the overall harmony.

Color Myth #2

That you can apply predetermined color recipes or schemes to achieve color harmony inall your paintings.

Unfortunately, nature is not so predictable that you can apply some color scheme orrecipe and achieve great results every time in a painting.

I think of color more as a beautiful dance between all the different hues, tints, shades, andtones, rather than something that can be simplified into a standard formula.

Color is not simple, and it is not a perfect science in painting. But that is OK, and that ispart of the fun of painting.

Instead of searching for simple formulas or schemes to help you apply color, learn how tosee color and how to manipulate it. For example, say you want to mix a translucent blue-green color for a crashing wave in the surf. Instead of searching on Google for “how tomix turquoise” or “how to paint the color of water,” ask yourself these questions:

• What color tree does the color belong to (red, blue, yellow, orange, green, orpurple)?

• Is the color leaning toward another hue (is the blue of the water leaningtoward green or purple)?

• What is the value of the color (how light or dark is it)?

• What is the saturation of the color (how dull or vivid is it)?

If you can answer these questions, then you can mix the color! No source on the internetwill be able to tell you without seeing what you see first.

Color Myth #3

That some people have the “gift of color.”

The ability to see and use color is not some gift you are born with. It is not something thatyou either have or you don’t.

It may relieve you to know that color is something you can, in fact, learn and improve.But to do so, you need to think of color as a skill, rather than a character trait that youeither have or do not have.

For some of you, this will be good news, as you will be able to go forward and improveyour understanding of color. However, those of you who believe you have the gift ofcolor may not like hearing all this, as it means you cannot just sit back and rely on yournatural gift, and you, too, must go out and improve your knowledge of color.

Learning color is the same as anything in art.

First, you need to understand the theory behind color. If you learn based on flawedtheories (and trust me, there are a lot of them floating around in the art world), then youare really crippling your painting skills. Learning color and painting should be a slow butsteady improvement based on proven fundamentals.

Second, you need to practice and make mistakes. Without mistakes, you will neverimprove.

Third, you need to analyze and learn from your mistakes. Mistakes are only good if youactually learn from them.

I can help along the way, but it is up to you to practice.

Theory vs. Result

It can be so easy in painting to get lost in a world of rules and theories. It could bedebating which colors are the best colors to have on your palette or learning about all therules you must follow in composition.

But at the end of the day, the only thing that matters is what ends up on your canvas.

Theories are great, but only if they help you produce better work. Don’t get so caught upin the theory that you forget the end result, which is to create a beautiful painting.

That means don’t worry if your painting breaks some of the composition rules. Don’tworry if your palette of colors cannot produce the widest range of colors possible, as longas you produce the painting you want. The rules and theories are just there to guide youtoward that result.

Sometimes, you need to break away from traditional theories and rules in order to createthe result you want.

Should You Be Charting Your Colors?

When you are learning about color and how to use it in painting, teachers may ask you tocreate charts for all your colors.

Color charts are basically a way of understanding the potential colors you are able to mix.There are many different variations of color charts, but the principle is the same: Youtake a color and mix it with other colors to see the potential combinations.

Richard Schmid is the first person who comes to mind when I think of color charts. Herecommends you create a chart for every color you use on your palette, demonstratinghow that color mixes with all other colors on your palette. These charts could take up totwo weeks to finish, if you are diligent.

So should you go out and start creating charts for all your colors? Well, if you haveunlimited time, sure. It may benefit you as an artist (I discuss why it only may benefit youlater in this e-book).

I think it is important that you understand why artists create color charts before you diveinto creating charts for all your colors.

The color charts show you the vast range of colors that you are, and are not, able to mixwith your chosen palette. If you complete the color charts (there are many variations ofcolor charts, so I am just speaking generally), then you will probably have many “aha”moments about the colors you were able to mix.

If you are not sure about where to start with color charts, I suggest you begin with asimple value scale, which helps you see and feel the different values we are able to use asartists. Then you can move on to simple color charts.

But color charts are only half the story. Color charts merely help you realize all thepossibilities out there; they do not help all that much in making decisions about whichcolors to use and how to use them.

I think of color like a chess match. The color charts will help you learn all the differentmoves you are able to make. But they will not teach you how to make those moves orwhich moves to make.

If you do not learn how to use color, then color charting may only confuse you, with thevast range of possible moves you have.

Many teachers either seem to get caught up in doing years of charting, without teachinghow to make color decisions, or on the other hand, they teach nothing but decision-making, and you never learn the true potential of your colors.

The “Rules” of Composition

Composition is arguably one of the most controversial areas in painting.

We think we know what a great composition is when we see one, but we don’t seem to beable to agree on what a great composition is. What looks stunning to me may appearbland to you.

We use sophisticated terms such as balance, unity, harmony, and movement to try andexplain composition, but we all have different interpretations of what these terms mean.

We see a great painting and say it is great because it follows the traditional principles ofcomposition, but then we say another painting is great because it challenges those sameprinciples.

So how should you deal with all this confusion surrounding composition?

I like to take a very flexible approach when thinking about composition.

I understand that the traditional principles of composition have developed over timebased on sound merits. There is a reason the principles exist.

But I also understand that if I were to try to strictly apply all the principles to everypainting as if they were rule-bound instructions, then I would be in a world of misery.

Here are my thoughts about composition:

Learn all the “rules” and principles of composition, but do not be bound by them.Consider them to be merely guidelines that you can ignore if you see fit.

Nothing in painting is so black and white that you must follow without a second thought.

Stop Using So Much Detail

I am a huge fan of simplification in painting. I think the decision to ignore or leave outdetail is much harder than just including every detail you see.

Simplification in painting works in two ways:

1. It can reduce the “noise” in your paintings.

2. It adds emphasis to the elements that are actually important.

One of the most common struggles of beginner painters is including too much detail andnot knowing how to actually incorporate simplification.

My suggestion for addressing this is to identify the few things that most interest youabout the subject you are painting. Be extremely specific. It could be the way the light isbouncing off the grass or an interesting shape arrangement. Usually, there will only beone to three things that really interest you about a subject.

Then just focus on painting those things. Try to simplify the rest.

If you cannot identify anything in particular that interests you about the subject, thenmaybe it is time to choose a different subject to paint.

What You Can Learn from This Painting Critique

A reader emailed me the other day to ask that I critique one of their paintings (somethingI do for premium members). Some of you may find the critique useful.

It was a beautiful sunset landscape painting with a lake and some trees in the middle.

It was painted fairly well; however, they had used warm saturated colors for the sunsetand saturated blues for the rest of the sky and shadows. So there was this very sharpcontrast in color temperature.

Now, this might make sense, as you have the warm light in the distance, then the coolerambient light of the blue sky. But when you use warm saturated colors and cool saturatedcolors, you do not make it clear which is the more powerful light source in the painting.

When something is unclear and ambiguous in a painting, it either creates interest for theviewer or creates confusion. Leaving something as important as the light sourceambiguous would probably cause more confusion than interest.

My suggestion was to make the warm light source (the sunset) the dominant one. To dothis, all they needed to do was restrict the blues slightly (make them grayer) so that thewarm colors could really pop. This way, it will be really clear to viewers that thedominant color temperature of the painting is based on the warm sunset.

The point of the story is that sometimes it is perfectly OK to place a slight dominance onan element in your painting to give your painting a clear theme, even if that meanspainting something slightly different to what you see in life.

Why You Shouldn’t Always Try to Be Perfect

When you are learning how to paint, you will probably be trying to paint everything withcomplete accuracy.

You will try to make every shape, line, edge, and color perfect, just as you see in life.

But what if I told you that you don’t need to? In fact, I strongly recommend against tryingto make everything perfect.

As an artist, you should think of yourself as a storyteller.

A great storyteller does not just recite the facts; they emphasize certain parts, leave otherparts out, and change some details here and there to suit the story.

A great artist does the same in painting. Instead of trying to copy what they see, they tella story about what they see and how it makes them feel. In that story, some parts mightbe left out, as they are not important, some parts might be emphasized, and some partsmight be muddied to create some kind of mood.

So it doesn’t matter if all your shapes, lines, edges, and colors are not perfect. Sometimes,you want them to be imperfect in order to tell your story. It is usually those littleimperfections that can really make your painting unique.

Tips for Learning about Composition

Composition is one of those tricky areas in art that is either taught like rule-boundinstructions that you must follow or, even worse, not taught at all.

I completely disagree with both of these approaches.

I believe composition is one of the most—if not the most—important areas in art. It isone of those things that makes a painting look stunning, even when you are not entirelysure why.

But nobody seems to be able to define what makes a great composition. What I mightthink is a stunning composition may seem bland and unappealing to you.

To add to the confusion, we tend to like when a great artist breaks a so-called rule ofcomposition, as if it were some intentional act of rebellion. But if you are a beginner, youwill be frowned upon and criticized for breaking these same rules.

So with so much confusion around the subject, how do you actually learn composition?

Well, I think it is best to take a very flexible approach to the theory and rules ofcomposition. The theory exists for a reason and has been developed over manygenerations of artists. The “good” theory generally has some kind of logical reasoning.The “bad” theory tends to phase out over time.

I suggest you learn all about the theory of composition and experiment with it in yourpaintings, but do not treat it like rule-bound instruction. If you do, then you are justlimiting your options and your potential as an artist.

The Power of a Single Stroke

One thing that fascinates me about some of the great Russian Impressionists is theirability to make so much happen with a single stroke of their brush.

Many artists try to fit in as many strokes as possible. But not the Russian Impressionists.They will take a large brush, load it up with numerous colors, and drag it boldly acrossthe canvas. The results are stunning.

An important lesson to learn from the Russians is that the more you learn, the moreefficient you should try to be with each stroke. One day you, too, might be able to createa beautiful illusion of activity with a single stroke of your brush.

These are some of the artists I am referring to:

• Peter Bezrukov

• Bato Dugarzhapov

• Slava Korolenkov

If you have some time, you should certainly investigate these artists.

There are many more great Russian artists I need to explore myself. There must besomething in the Russian water . . .

Don’t Fall in Love with Your Painting Too Early

I was watching a video by a fantastic landscape painter by the name of Scott Christensen,and he mentioned that you shouldn’t fall in love with any areas in your painting too earlyon (or something along those lines). If you do, then you become unwilling to changethose areas as your painting progresses.

This is a very interesting point and something that I think many beginner artists (and evenadvanced artists) could learn from.

We all know that feeling when we paint a certain area really well—like when you capturethe fleeting light of a sunset just right. That feeling is the reason why most of us continueto paint.

But if you become attached to an area in your painting early on, you may start to doeverything in your power to protect that area, to the detriment of the big picture. Youmay even start to build the rest of the painting around that area, rather than justcontinuing to paint your original vision.

The problem with this is that a single great part cannot make a great painting. You needall the individual parts of the painting to work together in harmony toward a united goal.

The point is, don’t ever be afraid to change an area in your painting if it is for the greatergood, even if that area is painted well.

What Kind of Master Painter Will You Be?

I think there are two types of master painters.

One has refined a particular style to near perfection after practicing a handful oftechniques and painting similar subjects time after time.

The other has developed a broad mastery of painting and is able to pick up a brush andpaint a variety of different subjects with high proficiency (like John Singer Sargent orJoaquín Sorolla).

Which kind of master painter would you prefer to be? Personally, I would rather be thelatter: the kind of master who can look at any subject and craft it into a beautiful andunique work of art.

If you feel the same way as me, then you need to make sure you are focusing on the corepillars of painting, such as color, value, brushwork, edges, technique, and composition,rather than on the subject itself.

For example, if you love painting the landscape (like me), then instead of focusing onhow to paint the trees, grass, or land, think about how the colors interact, how thecomposition is designed, and how you could use brushwork to strengthen your painting.

By doing this, you will build up a body of knowledge that can be broadly applied to allkinds of painting styles, subjects, and mediums.

Small vs. Large Paintings

I was looking over my paintings that I have done during the last few years, and I noticedan interesting point: More often than not, my larger paintings turned out to besignificantly better than my smaller paintings.

Part of this might be that I put more effort into the larger paintings. But I also think thatsmall paintings are just more difficult to an extent.

This seems to be opposite to the conventional thinking that a large painting takes moreeffort (which is true) and, therefore, must be more difficult to complete.

But with a small painting, there is only so much space to fit in all the detail. You oftenneed to use smaller brushes, which can make painting seem like a very tedious task. Yourstyle may also tighten up as a result.

With a large painting, you get much more room to work and a clearer perspective of yourstrokes on the canvas. You get a chance to use the full motion of your arm, everythingloosens up, and you can really feel the subject you are painting.

If you only ever paint on small canvases and you are not satisfied with the results, thentry painting on a larger scale from time to time. It may take more effort to complete, butthe end result may make it worth your time.

Guidelines for Watching Other Artists

There is a lot to learn from watching other artists paint.

Every artist is unique in the way they handle a brush, mix colors, and deal with problems.Art is fascinating in the sense that we all come up with different ways to render andinterpret the same subjects.

But you need to be careful when learning from the watch-me-paint method, as it may leadyou astray. Here are some guidelines that I recommend you follow when watching otherartists:

• Be aware that just because a great artist does something does not mean youshould also do it.

• Try to adopt the fundamental practices of great artists, not personalpreferences.

• Closely observe how they make decisions and handle mistakes. That is themost important part of painting.

• Do not worry that much about the supplies and materials they use. This islargely up to personal preference. Take note, but do not feel pressured tocopy their supplies and materials. This is why I am always hesitant to providestrict supply lists for anyone doing tutorials with me. I feel it can restrict yourchoices.

• Be aware that other artists make mistakes, no matter how great they are, andthey will not always admit it.

• Be aware that there will always be artists who are more skilled than you are.Do not feel intimidated by that. Learn to embrace those who have masteredsuch a difficult craft, and be inspired by it.

Also, make sure you learn the fundamentals of art for yourself. Otherwise, you are justlearning how other artists interpret and apply the fundamentals, rather than coming upwith your own methods.

This is one of the benefits of being a self-taught artist: You get a chance to apply much ofthe art theory in an unbiased way. Those who go to art schools are undoubtedlyinfluenced by the teachers’ beliefs and interpretations (which is not necessarily a badthing, but it is important to consider).

Why the Obvious Solution Is Not Always the Right Solution

I have been busy painting a new landscape, and I noticed that one of the mountains wasnot dark enough.

My first act was to paint over the top with a darker color. This was the most obvioussolution, but it was not the right solution in this case.

What I should have done was lighten the surrounding colors and leave the mountainsuntouched. The mountains would then appear darker by comparison.

You see, there are usually two ways to achieve something in painting. If you want tomake something lighter, you could add more white or yellow to it (the obvious choice),or you could make the surroundings darker.

If you want to make something appear more colorful, you could paint it with moresaturated colors or dull the surrounding colors.

If you want to draw attention toward something, you could render it with more detail, oryou could simplify the surroundings.

Most people only think about making changes to the subject itself and forget they canchange their surroundings.

Next time you encounter a problem in painting, think about the other way you could fixit, rather than the obvious solution. You might be surprised at how much easier it is to fixproblems when there are double the number of solutions in front of you.

Short-Term vs. Long-Term Painting Wins

At some point along your painting journey, you will come to a fork in the road.

One path is a shortcut filled with quick wins and fast improvements (on the surface).

You will learn gimmicky techniques that you can easily perform over and over again thatseem to make your paintings appear more realistic. You will learn color-mixing formulasthat allow you to somewhat reliably mix safe colors. You may even learn how to drawyour subject with complete accuracy through the use of tracing techniques.

The other path is long and torturous, with consistent growth along the way but anunknown outcome.

Instead of gimmicky techniques that are only useful in specific situations, you will learnhow to wield your brush like it is an extension of your arm.

Instead of learning easy color-mixing formulas, you will learn how to really push theboundaries of what is possible with color.

Instead of tracing your subject, you will slowly but surely develop a skill for drawingwhat you see.

Most people take the first path—the shortcut that promises fast results. Some do not evenrealize they are on this path but are expecting long-term growth.

Sure, your paintings may appear more realistic in the short term. But what happens next?Those quick wins dry up, and you are left in a gray area where no progress happens.

Have you already taken the shortcut? Don’t worry if you have. You can always turn backand take the other path.

Simple Techniques for Better Landscape Paintings

I have found there to be a number of simple techniques I use over and over again whentrying to capture the elusive beauty of the landscape.

These techniques are not the most common, but I have found them to be incrediblyuseful.

1. Run a clean palette knife over wet brushwork. This produces some very interestingtextures in the paint. I often use this if I need to roughly blend the transition between twoareas. For example, in one of my latest paintings, there was a transition from a rockysurface to a grassy surface. I ran my palette knife over the transition to break up thebrushwork and ease one area into the other.

2. Scrape away excess paint using a palette knife. This stops you from building up toomuch paint on the canvas and can also produce some very interesting textures. If you feellike your painting is too tight, then this is a surefire way to loosen things up.

3. Use the blunt side of the brush to draw details in the wet paint. This can be usefulfor painting in a few long strands of grass in the foreground or stray branches in a clusterof trees. I also sometimes use this technique to sign the painting.

4. Use your finger as a smudging tool to blend edges or soften textures (just makesure your finger is clean).

5. Use the long side of an old round brush to rub paint onto the canvas (I say “old”because this technique is not great for keeping the form of the brush). This produces asimilar effect to a flat or filbert brush, without requiring you to change the brush.

Note: Every type of brush can produce a huge range of markings, depending on how youuse it. A round brush can make the same markings as a filbert brush, and a filbert brushcan make the same markings as a flat brush, and so on. Once you become proficient withyour brush, you will find that you do not need to keep swapping brushes to paint differentareas. You can just change the way you use the brush in your hand.

6. Leave colors partially unmixed to create a streaky effect with one stroke of yourbrush. This is perfect for creating the illusion of nature, without painting in all thetedious details.

7. Use the sharp tip of a palette knife to scrape very harsh lines in the wet paint. Thistechnique sometimes scrapes away all the paint, leaving the white canvas exposed. Theresult is a very scratchy and broken line, which I find to be useful for painting the dryAustralian landscape.

8. If you need a clean line of color, fill a plastic bag with paint and cut a small holeat one of the corners. You can then squeeze a clean line of paint onto the canvas. Butjust be aware that this line of paint will stand out, so make sure it is actually an importantfeature in your painting (for instance, don’t use this technique for a random strand ofgrass). I came across this technique from a great painter named Vladimir Volegov, whoused it to paint the reflection of a sailboat mast in the water.

9. Thick lights, weak shadows. I often like to use impasto (thick) texture for my lightsand weak, thin paint for my shadows. This helps reiterate the contrast between lights anddarks. It makes the lights appear full and intense, whilst the darks appear wispy andambiguous.

10. Paint within a compressed value range, and use hue and saturation to createvariance. This is extremely useful for simplifying the value structure whilstincorporating a sophisticated level of complexity.

11. When you are painting one area, think about whether you could use the colorsanywhere else in the painting. For example, if you are painting the blue of the sky,think about if you could use that blue for any shadows in the foreground. This creates anice harmony throughout the painting through the use of common colors.

12. Let your brush follow the flow and structure of the landscape. Most landscapescenes are not completely flat surfaces, so don’t paint them as if they are. Allow yourbrush to follow the landscape as it rises up and falls down. Try to follow the same paththat your eyes take. This will reinforce the flow and structure of the landscape.

Hopefully, these techniques will help you out in your next landscape painting.

Checklist for Deciding What to Paint

I find that a lot of my painting time is spent looking for my next subject, rather thanplacing brush to canvas. This may not be active work, but it is surely important, and Idon’t think it gets talked about enough.

Many paintings are doomed from the start. Sometimes, the subject is too bland.Sometimes, the composition appears awkward and uninviting. Sometimes, the subjectdoes not provide enough inspiration to the artist. Or sometimes, the subject just does notconvert well onto the canvas.

Whatever the case, you should put serious consideration into the subject selection andsave yourself the frustration of painting something that is doomed from the start. Here aresome questions to help you determine whether a subject is worth painting:

• Is there a “big why”—a single idea that makes you want to paint it?

• Is there a clear and identifiable color harmony?

• Does the subject have an interesting design? Think about the arrangement ofshapes, forms, lines, and colors.

• Is there anything you can do to improve on the subject?

• Are you capable of painting it?

• Do you have the supplies required to paint it?

• What problems will you encounter painting it?

• Does the subject provide you with opportunities to challenge yourself anddemonstrate your abilities?

• Does the subject inspire you?

• Can you see a finished painting at the end of it all? If so, do you like whatyou see?

Ask yourself these questions next time you are not sure whether a subject is worthpainting.

Note: These questions are not necessarily there to be answered but rather to make youquestion and explore the subject before you commit to something more.

Unlocking Your “Flow State”

Whenever I am painting, I seem to unconsciously transition between two different statesof mind.

In one state, I am calculated and focused. I mix my colors and make my strokes carefully.I rely on theory and process to make my decisions. For the purpose of this discussion, Iwill call this my “procedural state.”

In the other state, I enter a period of intense focus and paint almost entirely based oninstinct. I mix my colors and make my strokes fast, without a second thought. Anobserver may think I am in a rushed or hurried state, but it feels like anything but that. Infact, this state of mind feels like everything has slowed down and I have all the time inthe world to make decisions. I guess this is what is often referred to as the “flow state.”

Every decent painting I finish seems to be a balance between these two states. I’venoticed that if I ignore either my procedural or flow state completely throughout apainting, then the painting does not usually work out as planned.

For example, if I paint entirely in a procedural state and I ignore my flow state, then mypainting usually ends up being tight, refined, and creatively lacking. If, on the other hand,I try to paint entirely in a flow state, my painting usually ends up being sloppy andinaccurate.

As I get more experienced, I seem to be able to stay in a flow state for longer, withoutgetting reckless. I assume this is because my experience allows me to relax myprocedural mind and let instinct take over. This probably also explains why some of thegreat masters seem to paint almost entirely in a flow state.

The point of this discussion is that sometimes, it is perfectly fine to let your guard downand have your instinct take over (your flow state). That is when the real creativityhappens. But be careful that you do not verge into recklessness. You should always feelin control.

An interesting book on this matter that I have been reading is Thinking, Fast and Slow byDaniel Kahneman. The book has nothing to do with art directly, but I have found it usefulfor explaining the different ways we think and what seems to go on in the minds of thegreat artists.

Common Things Shared by Master Landscape Painters

1. They know what should be detailed and pronounced and what should be leftambiguous. They often have a key feature that they really try to draw attention to, andthey use the other areas to merely complement that feature.

2. They often use some kind of gradation in color, detail, texture, or some otherelement to create the illusion of atmospheric perspective. For example, the paintingmight go from blueish colors in the foreground to reddish colors in the background (likeif you were painting a distant sunset). Or from intricate detail in the foreground tosimplified detail in the background. Or from thick texture in the foreground to smoothtexture in the background. This variation helps reiterate the difference between theforeground and the background.

3. Visible brushwork is often used as a key feature. They left many of their strokesunmixed so that up close, their paintings appeared like a mess of broken color. But stepback, and it all comes together in beautiful harmony.

4. The paintings seem to follow many of the standard composition “rules” but breakmany others. This is why it is not wise to take a very strict and rigid approach tocomposition. Be aware of all the rules and tricks, but do not be bound by them.

5. They each seem to have their own unique style as a result of consistency throughtheir paintings. Some of the masters evolved over time as they explored different aspectsof art, but they still retained an element of consistency.

6. Many of them experimented with different mediums but focused on one. JohnSinger Sargent painted mostly delicate oil paintings but experimented with loosewatercolor paintings on the side. What I find interesting about the different mediums isthat they seem to complement each other in that they train different skills. For example,oils are great for building up form and texture, kind of like building a sculpture.Watercolors, on the other hand, train your ability to control something that is inherentlydifficult to control (water). So if you ever feel stagnant in your learning, try picking upanother medium as a side project. I personally will be dipping my toes into watercolors in2019. But oils will always be my preferred choice.

7. The colors in their paintings appear full and rich. This is probably due to twothings. First, they did not overuse white or black. Doing so tends to weaken a color.Second, they used the right colors in the right places (which is much harder than itsounds).

Don’t Forget Why You Started Painting

My partner gave me a valuable tip the other day.

She noticed that I was getting caught up in the day-to-day motions of creating tutorialsand products, selling paintings, writing, and so on. She also noticed I was losing touchwith why I started Draw Paint Academy in the first place.

I was so focused on creating content that I was forgetting to enjoy the process!

She suggested that I just work on some paintings without creating tutorials or trying tosell them. Just paint for the sake of painting.

She could not have been more right. This may not provide me with any new content, butit will ensure that I keep in touch with the reason why I started all this in the first place—because of my love for art.

The point is, make sure that you keep enjoying what you do and that you are not ledastray by competing interests. If you find yourself getting caught up in routines and theday-to-day hustle, maybe take a step back and try to remember why you started.

Good Habits and Bad Habits in Art

“We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, then, is not an act but a habit” (Will Durant,though this quote is often attributed directly to Aristotle).

Whilst I was painting the other day, I noticed a particular habit that I have developed:Every time I went to scuff up an area, I would follow this pattern of two long strokes andone short dab. It seems to have become my default response to whenever I encounter acertain situation in a painting.

This may seem harmless, but over the course of a whole painting, this kind of habit canbuild up some unnatural-looking brushwork.

Have you thought about the habits you have developed?

Some habits are great, like the following examples:

• practicing your drawing each day for ten minutes;

• cleaning your brushes thoroughly after each painting (something I need to domore of);

• having patience when mixing colors (and not relying on guesswork); or

• taking the time to think about what is actually going on in your painting.

Other habits are not so great, like these:

• making weak and timid strokes, rather than committing to your strokes;

• relying on guesswork, rather than proper decision-making;

• procrastinating on your next painting;

• failing to clean up properly;

• going straight for the titanium white every time you need a highlight;

• relying on blacks and browns for shadows;

• waiting for the “perfect subject” to paint; or

• working too fast or too slow.

Next time you are painting, have a think about the habits you have developed—the kindof things you do over and over again without a second thought.

Then consider whether they are good habits that need to be encouraged or bad habits thatneed to be dealt with. This is important because whilst excellence may be built on goodhabits, mediocrity is certainly built on bad habits.

You might want to take it a step further and actively think about which good habits youcan start today. It is not only about avoiding bad habits but also developing more andmore good habits over time. This is the reason why some artists become masters aftermany years and some artists stay amateurs.

What Kind of Artist Do You Want to Be?

Early in your painting journey, you need to decide what kind of artist you want to be: theartist’s artist or the critic’s artist.

The artist’s artist lives to impress and inspire other artists.

They do not care for the opinions of self-appointed critics and gallery owners.

They do not care about art trends or society’s fickle definition of what is “good” art.

They do try to master the craft and develop a reputation for being a great artist.

They can be met with remarkable success or with poverty, depending on how good theyget and society’s thoughts at the time.

The critic’s artist, however, lives to impress critics.

They are great at “playing the game” of the art world.

They know what sells, what people like, and how to play into that.

They can tell captivating stories around their work.

They can find commercial success, regardless of skill.

If you want a demonstration of these two kinds of artists, take a look at John Russell andSidney Nolan. They are both prominent Australian artists who took starkly differentpaths.

John Russell was an artist’s artist, and Sidney Nolan was a critic’s artist (in my opinion).Russell practiced amongst many great artists like Claude Monet and Vincent van Gogh.He always sought to push the boundaries of what is possible with paint and brush. Whenit came to his art, he did not appear to have much regard for the opinions of critics.

Sidney Nolan, on the other hand, was great at “playing the game” of the art world. Heknew how to sell a story, build a reputation with important critics, and hold popularexhibitions. But he was not that involved with other artists.

So what kind of artist do you want to be?

I personally think you should aim to be an artist’s artist. It is a more fulfilling route, ifyou ask me, with the upside of commercial success if you do well. And you canobviously be a little bit in between. I just like to use the extremes to demonstrate the twodifferent routes.

But there is a third option: You paint for yourself and only yourself.

The Only Two Questions You Need to Know for Great Compositions

You will hear all kinds of complex terms, “rules,” and theories used to explaincomposition in painting—things like:

• Focal point

• Rule of thirds

• Golden mean

• Horizon line

• Leading lines

• Harmony

• Rhythm

• Movement

• Balance

But really, there are only two questions that are important for creating greatcompositions:

1. What do you want to say?

2. How are you going to say it?

That is it. None of the other stuff matters all that much.

Let’s dive into those questions a bit deeper . . .

What do you want to say? In other words, if your painting could speak, what would itsay? If you don’t know, then you are working blind.

Also, this does not need to be some deep and philosophical statement about life. It couldbe as simple as “These flowers are pretty.”

But it is important that you know what you want to say—a “big idea” you want tocommunicate.

How are you going to say it? Or how are you going to arrange all the elements in yourpainting to work in harmony and communicate what you want to say?

Think of all your individual strokes of color, shapes, lines, and textures as individualsoldiers in your army. A single soldier has little influence alone. So does an army ofsoldiers working toward different goals. But an army working toward a united goal isextremely powerful.

So when you are composing your next painting, have a think about these two questions.Try not to get caught up with all the other rules and concepts. They merely exist to helpus explain the complex happenings in a painting.

Sometimes It Gets Worse before It Gets Better

I was working on a small seascape painting the other day, and it was all going great—until it wasn’t . . .

I went from supreme confidence and virtuoso brushwork to pure frustration anduncertainty. It is in these moments that I need to hold back the urge to throw the paintingin the bin.

I decided to take a break and see if I could save it the following morning.

When I picked my brush back up, the painting did not look nearly as bad as Iremembered, and I could see how to easily get it back on track.

All I needed was that break from the painting.

This seems to be a common occurrence. Rarely do I get through a whole painting withoutan “Oops, I stuffed it” moment and an urge to toss the painting. But more often than not,it seems to work out (unless I do actually toss the painting).

I guess the moral of this story is not to get frustrated when something goes wrong in apainting. These negative feelings tend to get exaggerated in the moment. Take a stepback, take a deep breath, and maybe even have a break.

I find that when I am in “the zone,” I feel great when the going is great, but it doesn’ttake much for it to take a turn for the worse.

Just make sure you don’t act on these feelings and toss out the painting.

So many times have I thought a painting looked horrible, only to come back to it andthink, “Oh, it’s not actually that bad.” In fact, many of my favorite paintings were justmoments away from being tossed.

Remember, we are all our worst critics, especially in the heat of the moment.

Creating Interest without Color

Color is the reason many of us are painting in the first place. But sometimes, you cannotrely on color to create your masterpiece.

Here are some different ways you can create interest in your painting other than usingcolor:

• Use impasto paint for your key features, contrasting against relatively smoothpaint used for other areas.

• Create a sharp value contrast. For example, if you are painting a generallydark scene, then use small bursts of light to command attention (and viceversa).

• Rely more on intricate detail and drawing.

• Focus on capturing the overall atmosphere and drama of the scene. WilliamTurner comes to mind here.

• Create distinct foreground, middle-ground, and background areas to create astrong sense of depth.

• Take advantage of the tiny marks left by your brush. This is particularlyuseful for painting texture for leaves, grass, ground, etc.

• Use energetic and playful brushwork.

• Use a palette knife to create bold strokes that contrast against brushwork.

• Create a broken color effect. You could do this by dragging paint looselyover a wet surface using a palette knife or large brush. Or you could paintwith small dabs until an area is filled with broken color. Claude Monet didthis in many of his paintings.

• Rely on shape and line to create an interesting design. Edgar Degas’s paintingL’Absinthe comes to mind here.

• Use a clever arrangement of edges (soft, hard, and lost).

• Use lines and shapes to direct people through your painting to key areas.

These are just some of the ways you could create interest without relying on color. I amsure there are many others—you just need to be creative.

Make Mistakes Work for You (Rather than against You)

We all hate making mistakes, but they will happen in every painting. It doesn’t matterhow skilled you are. There will always be a color you get slightly wrong, an edge youmess up, or something that just looks wrong or out of place.

But there is a way of painting so that your mistakes work for you, rather than againstyou. Let me explain . . .

Say you are painting a dramatic sunset. Your big idea is to capture the warmth andvibrancy of the sun.

A mistake that would work for you would be making your colors too light, warm, andsaturated. This mistake would work in favor of your big idea. The warm and intensecolors may not be accurate, but at least they will be in the right direction.

A mistake that would work against you would be making your colors too dark, cool, anddull. This would work against your big idea (it would be difficult to paint a vivid sunsetwith cool, dull colors).

Here are some more examples of painting so that your mistakes work for you:

• If you are painting a landscape with a strong sense of depth, it would bebetter to push the sense of depth, rather than make everything seem compactand close (make those mountains in the distance seem farther away, ratherthan closer).

• If you are painting a dry Australian landscape, it would be better to err on theside of warm colors, rather than cool colors.

• If you are painting a dramatic, stormy seascape, it would be better to paintlooser, rather than tighter.

• If you are painting an elegant female portrait, it would be better to makeeverything a touch longer and more elegant, rather than shorter and morecompact.

The point is, make sure you are always working toward your idea. If done well, yourmistakes may not even look like mistakes but rather like purposeful exaggerations ofyour idea.

The Hardest Thing about Painting

The hardest thing about painting, in my opinion, is getting all the parts to work together.

You see, it’s easy to get just one thing to look great and realistic by spending hours oreven days matching every color and detail.

The hard part is getting that one thing to fit in with everything else in the painting. Youcould paint the best and most detailed rocks or trees, but it doesn’t matter if they don’t fitwith the surrounding sky and ground.

As part of this, you always need to be willing to change things that you are already happywith but that don’t actually fit in with the rest of your painting. For example, in one of myrecent landscape paintings, I painted in the distant mountains great; they were realistic,and the colors were on point. But they didn’t fit!

In isolation, the mountains were fine, but they didn’t mesh with the more Impressioniststyle that I had already painted everything else in. So I made the decision to undo the“good” work I had done by breaking up edges and scuffing up the brushwork—a fewsteps back, but for the greater good.

The lesson to be learned here is not to fall in love with certain parts of your paintingbefore it is finished. I learned this from a great landscape painter named ScottChristensen.

If you are not prepared to change things you are already happy with, then you might endup with lots of great parts but not a great painting.

Ten Landscape-Painting Quick Tips

Here are ten of my favorite landscape-painting quick tips:

1. Paint unusual and awkward landscape compositions from time to time. Break therules. Mix things up. This will help you break out of any ruts you fall into over time.

2. When you are out and about, always be asking yourself, “How would I paintthat?” This habit will develop your painting mindset without your even picking up abrush. Think about how you would approach the composition, what colors you woulduse, and any issues you might encounter.

3. Look to the masters for inspiration. Many artists have done some pretty amazingthings in landscape painting. See what you can adopt from them to fast-track your ownlearning. Also, try to avoid the “I could never do that” mindset.

4. Think about big-picture and small-picture relationships. For example, a big-picturerelationship might be the overall relationship between warm and cool colors. A small-picture relationship might be the relationship between the colors of a rock or tree.

5. Try to avoid idealized views of subjects—for example, thinking a tree is alwaysgreen, or the sky is always blue, or a rock is always brown. These are just preconceivedideas about subjects. They are handy, but they should not replace observation.

6. Paint relationships, not absolutes—that is, how warm, cool, dark, light, dull,saturated, red, or blue something is compared to the rest of the painting.

7. Invest in some decent brushes. It makes a difference. I recommend Rosemary & Coif they are within your budget.

8. Inspiration and beauty are all around us; you just need to open your eyes! Someof my favorite master paintings are based on “bland” subjects, painted with inspiredcolors and technique.

9. Don’t forget about the dull, stormy, and moody landscapes. They are perfect forgetting a feel for your grays and learning how to paint atmosphere and mood.

10. Stop trying to capture the absolute intensity and brilliance of light itself. It isimpossible with just paint. The best we can do is to capture the illusion of light bypainting the relationship between the light and the surrounding colors. How light, warm,or intense is the light compared to the surroundings? Since we cannot match the sameintensity and brilliance of light itself, we usually need to make the surrounding colorsduller, darker, or cooler by comparison.

Three Most Common Landscape-Painting Mistakes

In this email, I want to take you through three of the most common mistakes I see in themany landscape paintings from students.

Here they are:

1. Subject Selection and Analysis

This seems to be where most mistakes are made—before a brush even hits the canvas.

You should feel like you really want to paint the subject. The subject itself doesn’t needto be that interesting, but it does need to have something that makes you want to actuallypaint it, like the way the light is bouncing off it, the interesting shadows, the beautifularrangement of colors, or the combination of hard, soft, and lost edges.

But it doesn’t stop there. Once you have a subject you want to paint, you then need topaint that subject in a way that does the subject justice.

For example, if you want to capture the grand blue mountains in the distance of yourlandscape, then don’t make them tiny, insignificant specs in your painting. Zoom in onthe mountains and give them the attention they deserve.

If you are painting an old barn in the middle of a field, then don’t place the barn at theedge of your painting (assuming the barn is the focus of the painting). Make it moreprominent and use the other areas in the painting to draw attention toward it.

This is where knowledge of composition comes in handy. This knowledge will help youknow when to crop, zoom in, zoom out, change the frame, or change the vantage point.

Key takeaway: Have a reason to paint a subject and build the composition around thatreason.

2. “Muddy” Colors

When I write muddy colors, I do not just mean the browns and grays you find on yourpalette after you have been mixing for a while. I am more referring to colors that are usedinappropriately in your painting.

This could be any color. A vibrant red will look “muddy” and out of place in a dullinterior scene under a cool blue light.

Remember, certain colors simply cannot exist under certain conditions.

I think the problem is that many people go into a painting with a predetermined colorscheme, without even considering the light that is illuminating the subject. If you want topaint with accurate colors, then you need to look at the light. Otherwise, you are paintingblind.

An exercise you should consider doing if you are struggling with muddy colors is to paintthe same subject under different conditions. Claude Monet did this on many occasionswith water lilies, haystacks, and the Rouen Cathedral.

Key takeaway: Instead of relying on guesswork or predetermined color schemes, look tothe light to help you make informed color decisions.

3. Overuse of White and Black

White and black are powerful colors. They represent our lightest light and our darkestdark. They also allow us to easily lighten, darken, or lower the saturation of a color.

But with great power comes great responsibility . . .

No color can mess up your painting faster than white or black. Too much white maycause your painting to look chalky, weak, and plastic. Too much black may cause yourpainting to look muddy and drab.

Yet white and black seem to be the first colors many beginners grab whenever they needa highlight or shadow. This is probably because those are the easiest choices, but thatdoesn’t make them the right choices. As I mentioned in the point above, try to makeinformed decisions about the colors you use. Don’t just default to using white or black forcertain situations.

If you need to lighten a color, think about whether you could use yellow instead of white.Yellow will retain some of the saturation in the color (just be aware that the hue will alsochange).

If you need a highlight, think about whether you could use a light yellow, light orange, orlight blue instead of pure titanium white. You will find that most of the time, puretitanium white is overkill and is only needed for the brightest of highlights.

If you need to darken a color, think about whether you could use raw umber, blue, green,or even red.

If you need a dark shadow, think about whether you could use a color other than pureblack.

I personally do not even use black from a tube on my palette. Not that there’s anythingwrong with black from a tube, but I prefer to mix my own “natural” black using rawumber plus ultramarine blue. I feel this gives me more control over the black in mypaintings. If you find yourself overusing black from a tube, then consider departing fromit for a few paintings and mixing your own.

Key takeaway: White and black are powerful colors, but be very careful with how youuse them.

Are you guilty of any of these mistakes? No worries if you are. They can be easy to fix,as long as you are aware you are making them.

Art “Rules” You Need to Be Careful With

There are several “rules” you will hear in art. Some artists will say you must follow theserules at all costs, and others will say you must break the rules in order to be different.

I take a more balanced approach. I think the rules exist for a reason, but they are fine tobreak—provided you have a good reason to do so.

Here are some of the “rules” you need to be careful with:

1. You need a focal point.

When I started painting, I thought that a focal point was absolutely necessary. I wouldpick a focal point and build everything around it.

But sometimes, it just does not make sense to have a really dominant focal point. Maybeyou are painting a vast landscape and you want the painting as a whole to be in focus. Inthat case, it might be more effective to position small points of interest around thepainting, rather than have one dominant focal point. That is what many of theImpressionists did.

2. The rule of thirds.

The rule of thirds involves placing a three-by-three grid over your subject and using thegrid to help compose the painting. The intersections are considered to be aestheticallypleasing areas.

Here are some common uses of the rule of thirds:

• Positioning your focal point at one of the intersections.

• Positioning your horizon line on one of the horizontal grid lines.

• Positioning a strong vertical object like a tree on one of the vertical grid lines.

This is a safe rule to follow in terms of composition, but do not be bound by it! There aremany great paintings that have a horizon line at the top of the painting or a focal pointdirectly in the center.

3. Cool colors always recede, and warm colors always advance.

This one is just not correct. Sometimes, cool colors recede, and sometimes, warm colorsadvance. But it can also go the other way.

Just look out at a sunset in the distance. You will see the colors get warmer as theyrecede.

4. Warm light, cool shadows (and vice versa).

This is another safe rule to follow, but there are always exceptions. The rule suggests thatwarm light will produce relatively cool shadows (and vice versa).

For example, if you are painting under the warm light of a sunset, then the rule suggeststhat the shadows will be relatively cool. If you are painting under a cool internal light,then the shadows will be relatively warm.

The problem with blindly following this rule is that it does not take into account thingslike reflected light or other anomalies. That is why you should always rely on observationto confirm your ideas about a subject.

5. You should never use black.

Even though I do not use black on my palette, I am not of the opinion that you shouldnever use it. I just prefer to mix my own black using ultramarine blue and raw umber (ora similar combination).

Black is a powerful color, and many artists swear by it. In fact, when John Sargent wasout painting with Claude Monet, he questioned where Monet’s black paint was, and hewas confused as to how Monet could paint without it.

So if you want to use black, feel free to use it. Just be careful, as it can be difficult tomanage in painting.

6. You must paint under a really strong light.

When I was setting up my studio, I thought I needed as much light as possible. But thereis such a thing as having too much light.

If you paint under a very strong light in your studio, then you may end upovercompensating by using darker colors in your painting. When you take the paintingout of your studio into a more balanced light, your painting may appear surprisingly dark.Painting under too much light may also give problems with glare.

Instead of trying to get as much light as possible into your studio, just get enough light.

7. You must paint from dark to light.

Many artists say you must start a painting with your darkest darks, then work your wayup to the lights. I do this from time to time, but it is not the only way I go about apainting. Sometimes, I start with my midtones, then work into the darks, then into thelights. Sometimes, I even start with my lights and work my way into the darks andmidtones from there.

You should not limit yourself to a fixed process. Instead, you should pick the process thatsuits the subject you are painting.

Perspective Tips for Landscape Painting

I recently placed what I thought would be the finishing touches on a large-scale landscapepainting. The problem was, something just did not seem right. It all technically lookedfine, but there was something I couldn’t put my finger on that was leaving medissatisfied. I’m sure you have had that same feeling before.

After letting the painting sit dormant on my easel for a day or two, I narrowed in on theproblem. The light parts of the distant mountains were just a touch lighter than myforeground. This may seem like a minor issue, but it completely threw the sense ofperspective in the painting. It made the mountains appear much closer than they neededto be. A few strokes of a slightly darker color over the mountains, and that dissatisfiedfeeling was gone.

In light of this, here are some tips for getting the perspective right (or close enough) inyour landscape paintings:

• As things recede into the distance, they tend to take on the appearance of thesurrounding atmosphere. So if you are painting under the clear blue sky, thenthings should get lighter and closer to blue as they recede into the distance. Ifyou are painting under the warm light of a sunset, then things should getwarmer as they recede. If you are painting on an overcast day, things shouldget duller.

• Capturing perspective in landscape painting is all about contrast between theforeground, middle-ground, and background. It could be a contrast inanything: color, value, texture, detail, saturation, shape, etc. For example, Imight contrast a warm and textured foreground against a cool and smoothbackground. Or a detailed and saturated foreground against a dull and simplebackground.

• Don’t get too caught up in the detail with your background areas, likepainting every bit of snow on a distant mountain or every single shadow on adistant cloud. Use larger brushes if you find yourself tunnel-visioning thesmaller details.

• If atmospheric perspective is a key feature of your painting (like a vastlandscape with grand mountains), then feel free to use your artistic license toreally push the depth. Make those mountains really blue, wispy, and distant,and make the foreground harsh and rough. Painting is not just about capturingexactly what you see. Sometimes, it makes sense to exaggerate certainelements to really get your idea across.

• If you are struggling with linear perspective, then spend a bit of timedrawing. It will help you learn all the tedious aspects of perspective withouthaving to worry about the other elements like brushwork and color.

• Be careful with your edges. Think about it logically: If something is in the fardistance, the edges probably won’t appear crisp and defined. But the edges inthe foreground probably will. Nothing can mess up a sense of perspective

more than inappropriately hard edges in the distance or soft and blurry edgesin the foreground.

The Number-One Thing Holding Artists Back

The term “natural talent” gets thrown around a lot in art. Generally, it seems to be used asan excuse not to take up painting.

The problem is that we never get to see behind the scenes of the great master painters.We only see the finished product.

We don’t get to see any of these factors:

• The mistakes they made

• The failed paintings

• The frustrations they experienced

• The lack of sales

• The financial hardship

We only get to see the end result—these beautiful paintings that we aspire to create.

But if you knew what went on behind the scenes to create those paintings, you wouldunderstand that this so-called “natural talent” is hardly the reason for success.

Michelangelo is quoted as once saying, “If people knew how hard I worked to get mymastery, it wouldn’t seem so wonderful at all.”

Master painter Richard Schmid states in his book Alla Prima II that, in relation to theconcept of natural talent, you should just assume you have it, then not worry about itanymore.

Painting is hard, I assure you, but everyone is capable of learning it (with some guidance,of course).

Play to Your Strengths

I have always felt we are all born with certain natural strengths and weaknesses.

Some of us are big-picture thinkers, and some are great with the smaller details.

Some are creative, and some are procedural and structured.

Some thrive in extroverted environments, and others work better alone in their studios.

I have also found that someone’s strength in one area tends to be a weakness in anotherarea.

For example, a big-picture thinker (like me) often struggles with the smaller details of aproject (also like me). This is perhaps why I did not enjoy my time in accounting. I didwell, but it always felt like I was swimming against the current.

What does this all mean for us artists?

Well, first it suggests that we all thrive under different learning environments that play toour strengths. This might explain why some students do poorly at school but excel after(and vice versa for others).

Second, it suggests we might have natural tendencies that favor certain aspects of art. Forexample, a big-picture thinker might be great at coming up with new and uniqueconcepts, whereas a detail-oriented person might be great at realism and fine rendering.

I suggest you take a moment to think about what your natural strengths and weaknessesare. Then consider whether you are actually playing to your strengths. Otherwise, youmay end up like I was in accounting: working in an environment and industry that workspainfully against your natural tendencies.

Questions about Art

I put together a list of questions about art that I have found useful for both analyzing artand creating my own.

Here they are:

• Where is the focal point?

• Are there any secondary focal points or small points of interest designed tohold your attention?

• What are the dominant colors?

• What are the secondary colors?

• What are the major shapes?

• Are there any implied lines?

• Are there any leading lines?

• How does it make you feel?

• What is the rhythm of the artwork?

• What is the strongest form of contrast in the artwork (for example, greenagainst red, thick against thin, organic against geometric, lines againstshapes, or dark against light).

• Where are your eyes drawn toward?

• Is there any visible brushwork?

• Is there any directional brushwork (think: Vincent van Gogh).

• What is the big idea?

• What is the artist trying to say through the artwork?

• Is there a strong notan design?

• What is the dominant value range?

• Are there any light, dark, or colorful accents?

• What leads you into the artwork?

• What is the gesture of the artwork, or in other words, if you could indicate thegesture of the artwork with a single line, what would it look like?

• Have any areas been simplified in terms of detail?

• Is there a sense of depth and atmosphere (atmospheric perspective)?

• What techniques were used?

• What materials were used?

• Are the scale and linear perspective accurate?

• Is the texture thick (impasto) or thin?

• Is the artwork loose and relaxed or tight and refined?

• Is there any broken color (think: Claude Monet)?

• What colors were used on the artist’s palette?

• What is the style (Impressionism, realism, etc.)?

• Was the artist inspired by anything?

• Did the artist create any preliminary sketches or studies?

• Who and where is the subject?

• Did the artist use the subject in other artworks?

Feel free to print this out and use it next time you want to go deeper on a painting or ifyou want to critique one of your own paintings.

Trust Yourself

As a painter, you’ll find that everyone will have an opinion about what you do.

Some will praise you, some will say nothing, some will question your decisions, andsome will downright hate what you do.

This presents a key challenge to artists. If you listen to the opinions of others, you will beswayed this way or that, trying to please everyone. But the problem is, other people donot know what you have planned.

They do not have your vision or your ideas. They do not know if you are about to addsome all-important details and highlights or fix part of the composition. People base theiropinions on what is in front of them and what they know.

If you listen to the opinions of others, you will end up veering away from your ownvision. And if you ever want to create something truly unique and masterful, this is notthe way to go.

Instead, you need to trust in your own vision and your ability to bring it to life. Have theresilience to stay on your own path, rather than being swayed by other people.

Of course, I am not saying to ignore what everyone has to say. Just tone it down, like youwould an unimportant detail in your painting. Acknowledge the opinions, but do not bedriven by them.

Thanks for Reading!

Thank you for taking the time to read this e-book. I hope you are inspired, feel motivated,and have learned something new about our wonderful craft. But don’t stop here! Keeplearning and pushing yourself.

I welcome any comments or feedback you have at dan@drawpaintacademy.com.

Until next time,

Your friend and fellow artist,

Dan ScottDraw Paint Academy