Day Four- Your Rectangle

How thumbnail sketches solidfy your painting.

Today's Painting Look around for your own objects to paint. You can paint what ever you want, just make sure you are comfortable and the objects are going to stay still while you are painting. For ideas, gather your favorite knick-knacks and place them on a table, or paint your garden, your yard, or even paint your fish. Yes, fish move, but they don't have very many positions, and they are well contained. If you draw your cat or dog, they move around, have a million positions and they can get away from you.

Once you decided on what you want to paint, you are ready for the next step.

Your Rectangle

Close your eyes and imagine a rectangle.
Hold your rectangle in your mind for one minute.
Relax.
Think of your rectangle again and hold it for three minutes.
Relax.
Think of your rectangle again and hold it in your brain for five minutes.
Relax.
Now think of your rectangle and look at your next project. Can you still see your rectangle?

Repeat these exercises until you can imagine a rectangle around everything you look at.

Your rectangle is the single most important tool as an artist. Your rectangle will help you paint a picture from both real and imagined subjects. Your rectangle will aid in composition, angles and perspective. Remember your rectangle because it becomes your paper and canvas.

Thumbnail Sketch

The purpose of the thumbnail sketch is to gather your thoughts into a visible form in both writing and pictures. It will serve as the best reference for your painting. It is basically a tiny drawing or pencil sketch of your idea.

Draw your rectangle in your journal.
What is the first large shape you see in scene you want to paint?
Write down what you see, and then draw the shape where it should go.
What is the second largest shape?
Write it down and draw what you see.
Are there anymore large shapes?
Draw and write about them.
What is the focus of your scene?
What stands out the most in your mind?
What colors do you see?
Write it down.
Where is the brightest spot?
Write about it, point it out, circle it, do what ever you can to get it down and firmly plant the image into your mind.
Where is the darkest spot? Shade it in and write about it.

Repeat the exercise above until you are happy with the results of the thumbnail picture and are able to visualize the image by looking at your thumbnail sketch.

The basic point of a thumbnail sketch is to jot down as much information as you can to help you remember the original idea of the painting. And with the painting, make those things you've noticed prettier and more defined. It takes patience, it takes quieting your mind and looking. Looking in the images in your head, or objects in front of you very closely, down to the weave of the fabric, to the hair of an eyelash, to the leaf on the tree, to the shadow of a bird on the ground that files above and out of the picture. You may not paint in minute detail, but noticing them will affect your paintings greatly.

Observe, write and paint.

Stepping Onto Your Own Path

In the beginning, you learned how to paint on the bunny slopes. You have learned the strengths and weaknesses of your tools. Now you must learn the strengths of your most important tool- your imagination. Now you are going to be on your own for the rest of the painting workshop. You have already learned all you need to know in order to create. Now what you need to do in order to grow into a fine artist is to think and paint for yourself. Stepping onto your own path for the first time is an exhilarating experience. At first you may trip, but you will always be able to get up and continue on your path. There are no rules on your path, there is only infinite possibilities. Here is a guide to get you started. This guide is by no means a be-all-end all formula. You will eventually discover your own.

Whenever you get stuck, go back to the bunny slopes. What you learned on the bunny slopes are the same principles you will need for each painting you create. New paintings you create will be more detailed and complex subject matters than the bunny, but the same principles still apply.

Step One: Decide what you want to paint.
Step Two: Create a number of thumbnail sketches until you find one that pleases you.
Step Three: Place dots to indicate the top, bottom, left and right of each and every object in your painting.
Step Four: Find the angles of each object and draw them in with a lightly colored neutral color.
Step Five: Tone in the background.
Step Six: Tone in each object with it's middle tone.
Step Seven: Add a bit more detail to the background.
Step Eight: Add a bit more shading to the objects
Step Nine: Repeat seven and eight until satisfied with the picture
Step Ten: Add in final details and sign work.
Step Eleven: If you love the picture you'll need to varnish it.

You'll learn how to varnish in the next chapter. It is tricky, and I recommend only varnishing your best pieces.