24
Take focus
You need to focus on understanding
the main idea: the big shapes, overall
composition, colour, perspective and
light, depending on what you see as
important in your chosen scene. Set a
timer for five minutes, turn to your
scene and observe. Five minutes will
feel like an eternity. Here is how to use
that time:
Squint your eyes and take note of
the lightest lights and darkest darks.
Look for the largest overall shapes.
Decide how you will frame your
composition.
Look for the longest lines of your
composition and even trace them with
your finger to memorise them.
What are the predominant colours?
Is there a contrast in light and dark
or warm and cool?
Is there atmospheric perspective?
When your observation time is over,
set your timer for 20 minutes, face away
from your scene and begin to paint.
When the 20 minutes are up, put down
your brushes and set your timer again.
Give yourself at least three minutes, if
not five, and turn to your scene to
observe. This time look for the smaller
shapes inside the bigger shapes.
What did you not remember when
you went to your easel to paint?
Take some comparative
measurements with your hands or with
a brush if needed.
Take note of the lights, darks and
the middle tones.
Don’t try to remember everything, just
big shapes and relationships, the main
idea or whatever sticks in your mind.
There is no right way to do this and no
right thing to remember. Then turn back
to your easel and set your timer for
another 20 minutes. Go back to your
painting and refine the shapes, painting
in light and dark shapes and any other
overall compositional elements you
artistApril 2016 http://www.painters-online.co.uk
STAGE TWO
Here is my painting after the first 20 minutes. I have roughly blocked in the darker large
shapes and begun to put in the lights of the ground. I had yet to decide and commit to the
shapes of the background and made a mental note to observe those next
STAGE THREE
I put in the brightest light to compare the
tones and began to see the overall shapes in
my painting
STAGE FOUR
I filled in the shape of the sky, to give the full idea of the overall big
shapes, tonal structure and composition
STAGE FIVE
I added more detail and firmed up overall shapes