| Scott Burdick - (ScottBurdick.com)-
Oil Painting Demonstration – "The Letter" -
Ok, here's my initial pencil drawing. On this painting I was especially concerned with tying together some of the lights and darks to make a nice pattern since the photo was way too broken up. I can't emphasize enough how important planning is before starting a painting. There are an infinite number of ways you can interpret any subject, so having an idea set clearly in your mind beforehand is crucial. Even when doing a simple portrait or landscape outdoors, I'll take a few minutes and think about what I want to go for in the subject. What is it about the subject that attracts me? Is it the color, the drama of the light? Do I want to paint it thickly, or thin? What sort of value range do I want to use? What's going to be the lightest light and darkest dark? How about the composition? If you can't answer basic questions like these then you are sure to run into trouble. Those first few colors and values you place will set the direction of the entire painting session, so make sure they're the ones you want! A good painting is done in your mind -- the actual act of putting brush to canvas is merely the conduit for those thoughts. If there is no thought to be conveyed, then painting becomes aimless and random (I know this for a fact, from first-hand experience!).
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