Observation is one of the most challenging and important skills to master as an artist. If you are unable to clearly observe the subject and all its nuances, you won’t have much hope of painting it well.
Here are some tips to help you out:
- First look for big-picture themes and patterns. Then look for nuances and subtle relationships. A big-picture theme might be warm lights, cool shadows. A nuance might be interesting shadow patterns or subtle color changes.
- Nature is so complex that “rules” often fall short. They are helpful but they do not replace observation.
- Try to step back from your representational view of the world. Trees are not trees; they are an arrangement of colors, shapes, lines, and patterns.
- When you first glance at the subject, take a mental note of your first impressions. They will end up forming the foundation of your painting. Robert Henri has a great section on this in his book, The Art Spirit. Here’s an extract:
“To start with a deep impression, the best, the most interesting, the deepest you can have of the model; to preserve this vision throughout the work; to see nothing else; to admit of no digression from it; choosing only from the model the signs of it; will lead to an organic work.” The Art Spirit, Page 17
- You don’t need to have a brush in hand to improve. A simple walk through the local park can provide powerful insights and revelations about painting, if you observe closely.
- Visit the same spot at different times of the day and in different conditions. Observe the changes in color and light.
- Take time to be alone in nature. Listen to the birds. Watch the leaves flutter in the wind. Watch the subtle changes in color and light from minute to minute. Sometimes, you need to tone down the “noise” in order to clearly see nature’s subtleties.
- Paint on location. Photos are helpful, but they are no substitute for observing the subject in person.
Hope you find these helpful.
Happy painting!
Dan Scott
drawpaintacademy.com