2 Ways To Improve Your Representational Painting: Secrets of A Modern Painter

Learn to trust your vision, and discover the unique characteristics of paint.

1. Stop painting direct from photographs.

Unless you are painting photo-realism, do not paint straight from photographs.

Only refer to photographs to solve a problem if the real subject is not available as reference.

Use your memory, don't fall into the trap of 'correctness', right perspective, color, scale, shape, etc... nothing is right or correct in art unless the artist deems it so - A quick look in any book cataloging the great paintings throughout history will remind you of how the individual artists vary in their perceptions of reality. As an artist, your goal is to see things your own way and to represent them after processed through your heart and mind. We haven't had photography as a tool for painting for very long; however, more and more painters now use it as their primary reference.

Our modern times are awash with ideas as to how things should be done and the vast majority of self-learners refer to the same 5 or ten books. Why do you think so much plein air painting looks like it could have been done by the same artist? Be unique, dig into your soul and your memories and share with us your own perspective and vision.

2. Use more paint.

In order to let the paint speak for itself, you have to use more paint- a lot more. Paint has sculptural characteristics, the texture can define as much as descriptive lines; let a single stroke be an entire hillside, a distant mountain, a road - put it down and look at it, you have to learn the qualities and feel of paint from painting - you have to discover the potential of the paint to carry meaning in and of itself.

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