Tutorials Painting Tutorials Basic Preparation for Painting
Basic Preparation for Painting
Saturday, 22 November 2008 22:50 Joan
Posted in Painting Tutorials
A Sketchbook is a handy tool!
Sketching regularly will improve your drawing skills and exercises the art of observation. Skill in drawing is essential in expressing what you see and helping to plan your paintings.
It is useful to record reference material to use later when you are ready to start your painting maybe later in your studio.
Tonal values can be recorded using a pencil, paint or pastel. For example, recording how the sunlight and shade affect different aspects of a landscape at a certain time of the day. Sketches can be simple quick lines to give a rough plan of action or more intricate for the important details. However, do avoid copying everything from sketches. Use them as a reference and transfer in a painterly way to your picture.
If sketching in pencil then cartridge paper is ideal but if using watercolour you would need a watercolour paper such as Daler-Rowney Bockingford pad 150gsm/72lb. This is also ideal for pencils and pastels as well. There are the spiralbound pads which fold back easily and pads can be pocket size or larger just as you choose.
A sketchbook pad is to record your ideas and also reminds you of your good and not so good paintings!! You can keep it to yourself or show it off. That is your choice! Each sketch will be an added experience in developing your talents.
Add notes to your sketches and don’t worry if there are mistakes in the drawings. A sketch can take 2-3 minutes, for example, for something in view for a short time, like a running animal or a passing boat and you need to jot down important points such as shapes and colours. Adding notes will jog your memory.
So have a go and you may surprise yourself at the talent you didn’t think you have. Have fun and enjoy this great hobby of painting!
Anonymous 2008-11-22 23:15:05
Some valuable points made here. I'm no pro, but it all makes perfect
sense.
Good luck with your new site!
R