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Viewing 13 posts - 1 through 13 (of 13 total)
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  • January 8, 2016 at 4:36 am #993708
    janlapp
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        I recently did this study of some animal skull. I painted along for maybe an hour or so, really pleased with my progress and thinking everything looks good. I took a 20 minute break to eat something a make a cup of tea, not looking at the painting once.

        Once I decided to continue I took one look at the painting and screamed :). It looked terrible, the edges where wrong everywhere and there was absolutely no transition between the darker and lighter areas of the painting, just lights and darks sitting next to each other in stark contrasting blocks that looked just awful.

        I suppose the reason for this thread is that to me this was almost something close to a revelation, I think it’s amazing how your eyes can play tricks on you once youve been staring at something long enough. I didn’t see any of these things while I was painting, I needed to look away and forget the painting, 20 minutes was enough and then I could see all these things that were wrong.

        unfortunatley most of this has been fixed in the pic, really wish I had taken a picture of the painting before I started working on it again. Oh, and we got 25 below zero here at the moment, brrrr…

        January 8, 2016 at 5:16 am #1245393
        sabana
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            Its a bit.like an optical illilusion. When you stare at them long enough you see other things. When you look with fresh eyes the illusion has gone. So your mind is really being brainwashed into thinking it is.perfect when in reality it is not.

            January 8, 2016 at 8:46 am #1245391
            JDWooldridge
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                I totally agree! Mirrors help a lot as well. I wish I had a nice big one for my studio.

                I’ve wanted to visit Finland for a looong time! Looks like a beautiful place.

                C&C is always welcome!!
                John D. Wooldridge, Painting Arkansas

                January 8, 2016 at 8:58 am #1245396
                TerryCurley
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                    This is good advice. I’ll keep to this practice of taking a break from now on.

                    I keep trying and enjoying every minute.

                    January 8, 2016 at 10:00 am #1245387
                    dirtysteev
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                        For me, not only are frequent rest breaks (15 min every hour or so) needed, but so is staying back from the painting itself. Make marks, step back a few feet, study, step up, make marks, etc. Really helps me not to get ‘locked in’ to the painting, foul my perception, and cuts down on eye fatigue.

                        https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.102485309786134.5873.100000739957683&type=3
                        January 8, 2016 at 11:43 am #1245394
                        DaveCrow
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                            I have made it a habbit to periodicly walk away from my paintings without looking at them, then look at them from a distance and up close with fresh eyes.

                            That break from looking at it gives me a chance to see what it actually looks like not just what I “know” it looks like.

                            "Let the paint be paint" --John Marin

                            January 8, 2016 at 2:30 pm #1245388
                            AllisonR
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                                totally agree, although 15 minutes every hour seems extreme to me. Why even bother painting? I have found that painting in the morning about 2 hours, then having lunch, away from all art, maybe cup of the afterwards, then painting again two-three hours, is much better than a 6 hour stretch. If I can get two two or three hour sessions in the afternoon, then I take a break between them.

                                Stand back! Yes, this is a huge change of view and mistakes are visible. Using a mirror to see the painting upside down or flipped left to right also helps. Using a black mirror helps. Walking away and staring at the backyard helps….

                                Being born places you at a greater risk of dying later in life.

                                http://www.artallison.com/
                                January 8, 2016 at 5:40 pm #1245386
                                ianuk
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                                    Take a photo of it, once you do that you notice everything, usually after it’s been posted here.

                                    January 9, 2016 at 5:51 am #1245392
                                    janlapp
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                                        I’m thinking a new rule of thumb is – when your painting starts looking great it’s time to take a break. And yes about taking distance from your painting, I do that too all the time, specially when working on details. I haven’t learned to look at the painting through a mirror yet, even thought I have a perfect mirror for it. I intend to make it a habit though because it has happened that I’ve seen my drawings/paintings flipped and they look all skewed.

                                        January 9, 2016 at 6:26 am #1245395
                                        zippie
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                                            Take a photo of it, once you do that you notice everything, usually after it’s been posted here.

                                            Truth!

                                            "There are no wrong notes; some are just more right than others."- Thelonius Monk

                                            January 9, 2016 at 8:46 am #1245389
                                            maryinasia
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                                                Originally Posted by ianuk:
                                                Take a photo of it, once you do that you notice everything, usually after it’s been posted here.

                                                Yes!

                                                January 10, 2016 at 1:39 am #1245397
                                                Jonathan Patrick Bradley
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                                                    I always think,”it isn’t right until it is.”, meaning if there’s anything at all biting at you, keep going.

                                                    Then, once it feels right, i’ll check the perspective and look at a mirror and correct all the stiff I thought was right. C: luckily “done” usually comes soon after.

                                                    I take frequent breaks often too, when the subject permits. One can’t be without hot coffee while painting.

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                                                    www.jonbradley.art

                                                    January 10, 2016 at 5:32 am #1245390
                                                    Raybrite
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                                                        When I did my one painting (oils not here yet). I had not thought it looked that good.
                                                        When I walked away to have my wife see it, it looked entirely different.

                                                        Ken
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