How To Solve Painting Problems

A preparation outline that can be adapted for your painting process.

A quick overview of how I like to prepare before any major painting. As you develop as an artist you will develop your own habits. Sometimes good and others not so much. We all need to revisit at our preparation over time as it can make a big difference in the end result.

Although this course is not about all the technical issues of painting I thought it would be useful to include a refresher on composition. It is an important topic. This video is adapted from my course Learn To Paint With Impact. If you have seen it or are familiar with the basics of composition you can of course skip this lecture.

An introduction to this important section. Masses and shapes make up every landscape painting. Learn to see these masses and you can paint almost any landscape with confidence in your own unique style.

Most good landscape paintings fall within four distinct values: lightest light, darkest dark and two mid values. There are also four distinct mass shapes in such a landscape. If you can identify these masses and values at the start it makes it easier for you to develop and refine the painting. Your painting will also have a convincing appearance. This video explains this idea further.

Paint for masses using acrylics in simple flat shapes. Keep four values distinct from each other. This will be the starting point for developing the basic landscape painting in oils.

In Part 1 we start to develop the mass shapes in oil paints. This video shows the sky and mountains. I am using smaller shapes, but still keeping them loose and suggestive rather than showing fine detail. A #6 bristle brush is a good size to use as it prevents me getting too fussy with the shapes. This is all about staying true to the idea of large shapes and distinct values.

In Part 2 we work in the darkest darks and foreground. I make the most of the value contrast between the dark treeline and the sunlit foreground. The color temperature between warm foreground and cooler darks ad interest and the illusion of depth to the painting. Most importantly shapes are still simple and strong.

In Part 3 I continue to develop the foreground. The edges, color temperature and textures are given attention. The essential value contrast between the trees and foreground is emphasised. See how four basic masses and values can produce a strong painting!

I conclude this demo with a few small changes to improve the composition. Then I look at the framed painting and give my views on whether the painting has worked out or not.

The rules of aerial perspective are explained. Also the difference between sunny days, overcast and how aerial perspective differs between land and sky.

Let's have a look at a practical example of assessing aerial perspective. See how to adjust color temperature and values to create convincing aerial perspective.

Part 2 of this demo on mixing color and adjusting value for convincing aerial perspective.

Paint the tree's character! Trees are an important part of most landscapes. Yet we tend to paint symbols of trees. This lesson seeks to solve this problem by getting us to see trees like artists.

How to see the character of a tree! Trees are important part of landscapes. Unfortunately we often paint symbols of trees without seeing the unique character of the tree. This lesson shows what we need to look for with examples of artists paintings.

The finishing touches to the tree demo followed by a critique of the framed painting.

The problem to solve: How to use photos in the studio without losing the energy and vitality of plein air painting? Often in the studio we can overwork a subject from photo references. This lesson gives you 10 steps to help avoid this common trap.

How to avoid flat and uninteresting painting surfaces? Use distinct brushstrokes and generous amounts of paint. This section is about getting texture and lively brushwork to enhance the painting surface. Painting in the impressionist tradition is not just about creating an illusion. It is also about using the paint to add texture and interest in its own right.

This is a fun demo to simply show you how brushwork can be used to put down distinct color notes. You will also see how a generous amount of paint can be used. Each brushstroke leave a distinct mark in hue and in texture. Try not to go over the mark a second time to avoid making a flat surface unless necessary to correct an error. Certain areas can be flatter such as shadows provided that that the sunlit portions are kept nice and thick with texture.

My method for painting figures in a landscape setting.

We look at the most effective approach to painting figures outdoors. What is necessary to get a recognisable figure without overworking the subject. How to see light and use shapes, color and values to achieve this goal.

Often a landscape will benefit with having distant figures, These figures add interest, life and help with the overall story. But there are a few common problems to look out for.

(demo coming soon)

Now I will show you how I paint basic distant figures in a landscape. I will pay close attention to the warnings and tips in the previous lecture to show you how to avoid making those mistakes.