A successful painting is built on a strong foundation, this is why I constantly remind you not to let yourself off the hook. There is no point building weak areas into the painting that you will need to battle with later or that you will leave alone out of exasperation or intimidation.
This is not about fixing, it is focusing on putting your best foot forward first so that you don’t need to troubleshoot later. If you were not able to carry off what you were intending to do then evaluate whether it is too early to think about another solution, as you may have enough information now to find an alternative. If you don’t have enough information then keep moving forward other wise you end up fixing and this is your one way ticket to a hamster wheel because you are creating a feedback loop.
Your best foot forward
Have some of the original brushstroke in the final painting. This goal sets your mind with intention and will keep you focused on the decisions you make in the early stages of the painting. With a strong start you can have a strong conversation which will lead to a strong painting. So put down your first stroke with intention and evaluate the success of it as you would your final. Remember: 1 brushstroke is always better than 2
Always let your marks break over into each other in a way that still reveals the marks beneath it. By doing this you will naturally build a tapestry of marks which allows your viewer to interact with the painting and complexity develops naturally. You can always simplify an area later by flattening it out but you cannot suddenly bring in the subtle marks that the breaking over introduce
Keep your mixed paints on your palette in pools not smudges. This is particularly relevant in the beginning as you set up your colour statements because you want there to be enough substance to the pool of paint to be able to pick it up on your brush, not smush it into the bristles. Later as you are adding sophistication to your colours by mixing with a brush you will need to handle the brush well so that you don’t over mix but it won’t be as important to pool the new colour as you are probably only going to use it for one stroke or sentence. If you are not able to paint loosely or with the brushstroke that you intended, smashing paint into your bristles as opposed to having it sit on your bristles may be the problem and this is a side effect of smearing as you mix not pooling.
( I am still adding to this page so please pop back in. If you have an answer that is not here, feel free to sign up and ask me. Thank you, Leanne)
