After a wonderful 3 week(ish) off for Christmas, it was time to get back into painting. January was a month of practice. I discovered simple tweaks to improve painting. First, I watch Paint Coach on YouTube almost every day. I finally decided to buy his Patreon and paint along with the tutorials. It’s been very beneficial for me. Breaking down paintings into large flat shapes first and then adding more detailed shapes as I go is quite mind opening. Now that I’ve been doing this method a while, I honestly cannot remember how I used to begin my paintings… Also I’m learning how to add the focal point. I “knew” what this was, from high school, but didn’t quite know, it seems. I try to find in my paintings the spot where the darkest dark and the lightest light touch. Lastly, I’m learning to exaggerate, to concentrate on just one main object. For example in the painting below, there are mountains, trees, and a lake, chose just one to focus on. This one focuses on the mountains, so those become much larger in the painting. Having a good composition can make all the difference in a painting.
Below are several of the practice pieces I did with the Patreon tutorials. I had a great time painting them. I highly recommend finding a teacher you not only enjoy learning from, but truly understand. Having one person to focus on learning from will greatly improve your painting!
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