LESSON 1: COMPOSITION and value
Composition is the foundation of any great painting. In this lesson you will learn some of the basics of composition and explore value.
Goals for lesson 1:
Goals for lesson 1:
- Look for symmetry, radial symmetry or asymmetrical balance in your reference picture and design which of these design principles is the best way to organize your composition.
- Start planning which visual elements you want to emphasize in your landscape painting.
- Complete the value scale exercise below.
- Sketch your composition onto your canvas or panel (remember to spray with fixative if you have a lot of charcoal in your sketch... if in doubt, send a picture!)
- Take advantage of working wet in to wet to create soft edges in your most distant visual elements.
- Email, text or message me a photograph of your progress.
lesson 2: Value and color
Value and color are two of the most important visual cues that tell your viewer objects exist further in the distance.
Goals for lesson 2:
Goals for lesson 2:
- Continue developing your painting from background to foreground.
- Use lighter values and desaturate color to tell your viewer that objects are further away. To make a color lighter in value, add white. To desaturate (or dull) a color, add it's opposite on the color wheel.
- Simplify shapes and create softer edges in the background. Save your sharp edges and detail for objects closer to the viewer or where you want to focus the viewer's attention.
- If you are new to oil painting, complete the color wheel and color mixing exercises.
- Email, text or message me a photograph of your progress.
lesson 3: shadows and edges
It's week three and we are moving into the shadows. Shadows are vitally important for making objects feel heavy and grounded, and they provide contrast for your lighter values.
Goals for lesson 3:
Goals for lesson 3:
- Continue developing your painting from background to foreground.
- Observe the pattern of angles where the water meets the land.
- Learn to mix dark neutral colors using the three primaries.
- Begin developing the deepest shadow areas in your painting.
- Complete the Water Droplet exercise if you find it helpful.
In Week 4, we will add the first layer of glazes to the water. This is where the fun really begins!
Goals for lesson 4:
Goals for lesson 4:
- Continue developing your painting from background to foreground.
- Use a full range of values from very light to very dark.
- Begin to add detail and textures to some of the objects closer to the viewer.
- Apply the first layer of glaze to the water
- Complete the Glazes exercise if you find it helpful.
Now that you are finished or close to finished, here are a few useful self critique questions:
- Stand back. Where does your eye go when you look at your painting? Is your composition interesting and effective and does it focus the viewer on the visual elements that are most important?
- Did you try some new techniques and push the boundaries of what you know?
- Do you have a complete range of values in your painting from very light to very dark and all the values in between?
- What would you like to do better in your next painting?
- How does this work fit into the grand scheme of your development as an artist?