What is the direction of light in an artwork? Do you pay attention to it when you are drawing and painting? What are shadows in a drawing or painting? Do you know how they relate to the source of light? These are simple things, but pretending they do not exist or forgetting about them makes your drawing and painting flat and unconvincing.
Direction of light
For me personally, light must come from the left or from the left and from behind. That is when values and shadows in my paintings work well, and I intentionally and sometimes subconsciously would choose only such views and subjects. Why? When you know where the shadow falls and how to create it, you can use memory and imagination for that. If you struggle with shadows, most likely they are not cast from the correct side.
Creating art from photo
If you are creating your drawings or paintings from photos, you should know that there is no clear source of light or it comes from the right side very frequently. The direction of light can be also hard to detect on a photo. If your brain does not feel the same way about the source of light as it is on the photo, you will be struggling with every shadow and every detail you include in your composition.
Adjust the subject, not your perception
Generally, light and shadow is an important feature of any drawing and painting. Experienced artists use it automatically and they create set-ups or paint views where the light direction matches their visual perception. If you are just starting out, pay attention to the point where light comes from, its source. Outdoors, it is often the sunlight, but we do not normally paint the sun, we just indicate this area with color.
Sketch and quick watercolor for shadow testing
I usually create a rough drawing to use as a reference.
Watercolor and sketch are the easiest ways to test your perception of light and its representation in an artwork. It is much faster than doing the same in pastel, acrylic or oil, especially if you are a beginner and you have to learn everything: composition, values, contrast, perspective and color mixing, as well as brush stroke. Adding visible areas of different values helps. Most people, who draw and paint frequently, assume it an organically critical and absolutely necessary aspect of painting.
Spring walks in the village, is a large painting, 24 x 18 in or 61 x 46 cm, and so was its sketch, the other is Spring barn, also 24 x 18 in or 61 x 46 cm
Black ink pen for sketching out your subject.
Spring colors, cheerful and lovely, yet simple
In order to check your values, you can turn paing image into black and white.
All of these paintings make use of perspective: linear and atmospheric. Therefore, direction of light becomes very important.
Art instruction and art classes will definitely help because the painting subject is everything or almost everything. Why it is so difficult to choose what to paint? That sometimes takes, hours, days and weeks, even months. I know how some potential artists would procrastinate for long time just because they cannot stop at a particular painting subject, make a decision and start painting. Choosing your painting subject is crucial to get started at all. I am saying: use whatever you have around and take the first photo which makes sense.
Suitable features
When we go through images or sort our memory and imagination, we find the potential painting subject too difficult, too complex or too simple. There is nothing to paint. Nice colors, but bad view, no foreground or no background, boring or too detailed. These and similar thoughts might rush through your head. One of the worst ways to help you choosing what to draw or paint today is just to check out what others do or have done today.
Scrolling through online images
Scrolling through online or your own images can consume one completely. There goes your day and there go the best hours for painting. Internet images will suck you in; you will end up watching lots of YouTube videos which you neither wanted to watch, nor needed. You will look at endless Google images. That is a big distraction which we call inspiration. I will just get some inspiration on this painting subject, you say and nothing gets done.
Just do it
Whether that is a photo or real item, just get started. Just do it: the first line, the first brush stroke. Who cares? You can change colors. You can add or remove the background. You can disregard details or add them to your pleasing. Anything which is related to your computer or phone is here to distract you. Therefore, the only way to paint is to start painting.
Discipline
No wonder we wake up 4 hours later and we have not done one single line of a sketch, drawing or underpainting. I sometimes think people are way better off going to a class because that will remove all troubles. There will be a prepared image, subject or concept and you just go with it. That image will suit your intentions well.
If class is not an option
Assuming, you are alone and you do not have intention attending classes at the moment. Get a picture, good, perfect or not that great: it does not really matter. The only thing that matters is to get started. Once we are over the starting point, we will keep working. Just take the pencil or pen and start drawing. Take the brush and start brushing. The first step is what matters. After that point you will be fine because the inner “you” will not allow taking a break until you are done.
For inspiration, see the progress of recent barn and spring watercolor
Barns and buildings: great painting subject
We start with sketch, then do very light line drawing, apply first washes, add more or less color, define more and that’s pretty much it. Total time: about 5 hours. I did not like how the first version looked pale (not in photo, but in reality) the next morning, so i added stronger background and more layers to buildings and front.
That’s how it looks, watercolor on Saunders-Waterford paper, 22 x 16 inches, or 56 x 41 cm.
Creating art is a way of finding out if one is able to make creativity, drawing, sketching and painting part of their life and self-care. I recently received many positive comments about my art classes. Parents admitted that the art instruction which is available in our region (Ontario, Durham region) does not actually include learning how to draw or paint. They told that most art classes were rather craft classes which use glue, markers, inks, papers, mixed media and similar. There is a need for projects which involve real drawing, sketching and painting. I am adding to this creative freedom when we make our own choices.
Replacing device with brush and pencil
I have noticed the dramatically decreasing attention span and lack of focus due to the overuse of devices in the recent years. The inability to prioritize important things in our life is one more issue because there is too much of everything happening at once. While some people, who have no art creation experience, would assume that art entertainment events with cocktails and food are art classes, I am very sure they are not since such events don’t teach anybody anything. There are also misleading art instruction models. Most of them are designed to please the participants and to make them believe that they are gaining a lot.
Ready product versus process
Most people are interested only in the final products, and they have no interest or patience to learn about the process of getting to this final product. Indeed, we are seeing this frequently. Many venues offer art classes which are half-done product. They supply with paper or canvas with drawing on it, so that the student has to only apply paint on certain spots Most events are a few hours a single night or one day only because everybody is in a rush. Is it possible to master everything within such a small time frame? No, it isn’t. Brushing techniques alone take time to practice, not to mention that colors, values and composition matter. We always observe certain aspects of painting and we must be aware what these aspects are.
Meaningful art instruction
If we want to make art instruction meaningful again and if we want people to really fall in love with creativity and hand-made art, we have to go the long and more difficult way. We have to allow teens and adults, who want to learn, doing so. Having the final product or masterwork done in just a few hours is an illusion. Nevertheless, there are lots of people who believe in that. Final product or masterwork cannot be the only goal. What matters in this case is the journey, the multiple techniques and approaches, the enjoyable path to self-discovery, satisfaction and feeling of fulfillment. The key is understanding the main drawing and painting principles.
Progress of my recent project
The recent project was painting a simple barn while using expressive watercolor washes. Students learned how to blend red and green colors. For that, we require wet-in-wet approach since that eliminates muddy color. We used simple perspective drawing of buildings and fence.
A few layers are already applied, I start with abstract watercolor washes and define them as I go.
I keep adding layers and I have also worked more on fence posts.
The old country barn painting is almost done, just problems with picture-taking.
Mutual experience
I also wanted to make an art class which is hard to learn online: just because the content of this class rests on the presence and the interaction between me, group and everybody as an individual. Perspective is such subject for which understanding the principles is of extreme importance, or there is no perspective. While my photos were not perfect, the painting is correct.
The finished painting, Old country barn, 24 x 20 in or 61 x 51 cm watercolor painting on Saunders-Waterford cotton paper
Reason to be satisfied
Therefore, I am proud that my drawing, sketching and painting classes provide teens and adults with a meaningful art instruction. I make sure that students have tools to enjoy a creative freedom, and they are able to draw, sketch and paint anything they want and the way they would like to. I believe that is different and that works in favor of any student.
Art instruction can be found in abundance everywhere: there are numerous online classes, numerous websites that will give an idea of creating art and also countless real life events. 100% of students who attend my art classes have been watching YouTube art instruction videos, demos and suggestions. One would think they have learned a lot. In fact, it isn’t the case.
What is the gain?
Most people after spending a lot of time with online art instruction videos haven’t learned anything. That sounds strange, but it is a fact. Most people who have been watching YouTube tutorials and demos do not know how to use the brush with acrylic, how to blend paint and how to mix the correct color they want. Most people who were learning drawing and watercolor painting using online video tutorials are afraid of water; they do not know how to apply watercolor paint, how much water to use, how to time the painting process and how to avoid muddy colors. Most people, who were learning how to draw online, cannot draw anything on their own or using real set-up compositions. They can only trace a photo or use an outline printout for their drawing.
Reasons and causes
Why would that be? Why haven’t they become skilled after spending numerous hours at the screen? The main reason might be the one-sidedness. If one has a lot of artistic experience and knowledge of painting techniques and understanding of paint properties, they will benefit from such online art instruction videos. These, who have zero experience, most likely will not. I believe these art instruction videos are good for inspiration and issue solving. If you do not have experience, you will rather get confused and disappointed.
Two-way communication
In real and live class, I can see how somebody understood the demo or painting tip. You’d be surprised seeing what levels of moisture are applied when I am saying: make your paper wet. That ranges from flooded paper with puddles of water to slightly seeing shine on it. Graded wash is understood in very different ways: from thick layer of paint to no paint at all. Not to mention a wet paint application on wet paper and a dry paint application on wet or dry paper.
Timing
Timing is a very important part of painting with either watercolor, or acrylic. By not observing timing and making good use of it, the potential artist will definitely get frustrated. There are things which are easy to do when the timing is right and impossible to do at all if the timing is wrong.
On your own and on one side of screen
When you are sitting on one side of screen, nobody can check or see how exactly you are applying advice or tip. In a live class, I can see right away whether the paint is too wet, too dry, if there is too little of it or way too much of it. I can see right away who understood the technique and who is struggling with it. I am able to notice the weaknesses and the strengths right away, as well, and do that for each particular student.
Brushing techniques
Brushing techniques are probably the most important part of acrylic painting. Most people have absolutely no idea about these techniques. It is understood that it does not matter how you put the acrylic paint on canvas. Well, that makes the painting experience either pleasant or results in frustration when one cannot achieve what they want to.
Using watercolor paint
Most people do not know how wet or how dry watercolor paint should be, and I have seen how some would try applying it without any water at all. Sounds crazy? Yes, it is weird because we call it watercolor because it is used with water. Pigment in watercolor paint is activated using water, otherwise it won’t work. Without doing this properly, there is no watercolor painting, but we create a streaky smear.
Quality of art supplies
There is a principle which is always true when it comes to art supplies: the better quality art supplies are, the easier it is to apply them; and vice versa: the worse quality art supplies are, the more skills one will need to use them properly and to achieve good results.
How to or how not to
While many art instruction demos and videos are called “How to paint ….” they should be called, in fact, “How I paint ….” because there are lots of ways to interpret one and the same subject and one and the same theme. Many of demos also instead of “How to paint …” fall in the category “How not to paint …”. That’s just how wrong the demo or art instruction advice can be. With the widespread accessibility of internet and opportunity to share and post anything, we cannot be always sure if the advice we are given is correct or if it will ever work for us in particular. We have to approach everything selectively. That refers not only to art instruction, but also to any advice for any situation in life.
Teaching without skills? That happens
We have seen by now how art instruction is given by people who do not have the slightest teaching or art experience, as well. Art instruction has become an area where everybody is an expert. Would anybody teach and give music lessons? Piano or guitar lessons, for instance? No, they would not. Would anybody without any knowledge and skill teach foreign language, math or chemistry? No, they would not because that means misleading the student and pretending that one has what they do not. When it comes to drawing and painting, it is assumed that having no experience is not an issue. Just teach it and everything will be fine. Isn’t that a bit absurd?
Learn faster
I would say if you want to see fast results and create decent and interesting art, you definitely have to start with real and live art instruction. Let the art instructor see how and what you are doing because that is the only way to find out why some things do not work and what you should be doing to make this experience rewarding and uplifting. Realistically, the things one needs to learn are the main principles of drawing and painting, not the style and techniques of artist X, Y or Z.
Finding out what you can do
Once you have learned the basics and have established the foundation, you will be able to create anything, draw and paint anything in your personal style and develop a personal approach to any subject. That won’t limit you to being able to only paint one particular scene and subject. It will feel like: I can draw and paint any scene, any still life and floral composition. I can draw and paint anything. That’s why starting with techniques, values, color theory and composition is important. Practically, that means finding out what your brush, paint and pencil can do once you know how to use them.
Painting which we created during recent art class
From simple to complex
Therefore, I would suggest, we start with basics and go from simple subjects to very complex ones. Along with becoming skilled in art, drawing and painting are the absolutely best things to devote our free time and leisure hours to. This means also exploring ourselves, becoming smarter, better with decision-making and invisibly growing new brain cells, as well, extending the lifetime of the existing brain cells. That means a better memory and an improved cognitive function.
Christmas mood must be intentionally created. Original art has a special attraction, energy and flare to it, therefore, it really helps. I don’t think there can be too much art on any walls. I have usually some 200 works of art on display in my studio gallery, and it does not feel overwhelming or crowded. I rotate my art depending on demand and season. It feels very appropriate to have snow scenes and winter villages on display when Christmas is around the corner, and it is very obvious that spring flowers blossom around the gallery in spring.
Fantastic small bird paintings
I have a special love to small birds. I preferred them to any other creatures already as a kid. I assume that one should only paint what they know. I watch these birds during any season, and I have hundreds of sketches which I can turn into artworks later. I painted this particular painting “Robins, winter” last year. I painted 6 bird paintings. As it frequently happens, I felt I wanted to improve the color balance. So, I added a few more layers of paint to this painting. I believe it became better and birds are more bird-like, as well. The entire scene is lovely and welcoming and speaks for itself – it works very well for Christmas mood.
Robins, winter, 16 x 20 in (41 cm x 51 cm) acrylic painting on canvas, sold
Festive gift painting workshop
I invite everybody to participate in a festive workshop at the beginning of December to try out how nice of an adventure it is to create something heart-warming and cheerful. We can choose the image, and some people usually prefer winter scenes, some illustration or wall decoration type of art, as well as some might go for birds. We also paint poinsettias almost every winter. I must admit, that is a subject which always works well on canvas and paper and looks great.
Create the mood, create the gift
The best way to get into Christmas mood is to create art that suits the season. Let us celebrate in style with original art this year! Please let me know if you like “Robins, winter” painting and whether you’d love me to ship it to you!
Art prints and other artistic products are available from Fine Art America., just click on image.
My favorite from all products with this particular painting is the spiral notebook. It looks unbelievably good! Mugs also look impressive, so do actually lots of my art products and art prints.
Here is how you get to purchase many fantastic prints and similar artsy things at very attractive prices: Art collections by Inese Poga
Celebrate in style and have a wonderful Christmas mood!
