A while ago I read Stephen King’s book, On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft. It’s an enjoyable read about what it takes to become a great writer from the master of horror fiction.
Of course, it’s aimed at writers, but the words run true for painters or artists of any medium.
There was a particular section on describing the subject that I think you’ll find helpful. King writes:
“For me, good description usually consists of a few well-chosen details that will stand for everything else.
In most cases, these details will be the first ones to come to mind. Certainly, they will do for a start.
If you decide later on that you’d like to change, add or delete, you can do so. But I think you will find that in most cases, your first visualized details will be the truest and best.”
The same goes for painting. Say you are painting a vast landscape with mountains, trees, a grassy foreground, and a cloudy sky. In considering what to focus on, ask yourself: What are the few details that will stand for everything else? Perhaps it’s the blue-tinted mountains in the distance. Perhaps it’s the interesting cloud formation in the sky. Or perhaps it’s the texture and activity in the foreground. Whatever it is, those are the details you should focus on. Let them speak for the rest of the painting. You’ll end up with a much stronger and clearer image.
King goes on to write:
“It’s not about the setting, it’s about the story. It’s always about the story.”
By this, he means not to get caught up describing every minor detail as it will get in the way of the story. And the story is what’s important.
Again, this translates over to painting as well. If you try to paint every single detail, highlight, shadow, edge, or line that you see, you’ll end up watering down the story of your painting. And every painting has a story, but instead of words, we use colors and shapes.
I’ll leave you with some pleasant words from the end of King’s book. Just swap out “writing” with “painting”.
“Writing isn’t about making money, getting famous, getting dates, getting laid, or making friends. In the end, it’s about enriching the lives of those who will read your work, and enriching your own life, as well. It’s about getting up, getting well, and getting over. Getting happy, okay? Getting happy. Some of this book— perhaps too much— has been about how I learned to do it. Much of it has been about how you can do it better. The rest of it— and perhaps the best of it— is a permission slip: you can, you should, and if you’re brave enough to start, you will. Writing is magic, as much the water of life as any other creative art. The water is free. So drink. Drink and be filled up.”
Happy painting!
Dan Scott
drawpaintacademy.com