Problem Solving for Oil Painters: Recognizing What’s Gone Wrong and How to Make it Right

Finally – a book to help you solve all your painting problems! Inside you’ll learn how to study a painting and correct problematic areas. Study topics include: Ideas – Is there a good abstract idea underlying the picture? – What details could be eliminated to strengthen the composition? – Does the painting have a focus? – Are the unessential parts subbordinated? – Does the painting “read”? – Could you finish any part of the painting? Shapes – Are the dominant shapes as strong and simple as possible? – Are the shapes too similiar? Value – Could the value range be increased? – Could the number of values be reduced? Light – Is the subject effectively lit? – Is the light area big enough? – Would the light look stronger with a suggestion of burnout? – Do the lights have a continuous flow? – Is the light gradiated? Shadows – Do the shadow shapes describe the form? – Are the shadows warm enough? Depth – Would the addition of foreground material deepen the space? – Does the background recede far enough? – Are the halftones properly related to the background? Solidity – Is the underlying form being communicated? – Is the symmetry in perspective? Color – Is there a color strategy? – Could a purer color be used? – Do the whites have enough color in them? – Are the colors overbended on the canvas? – would the color look brighter if it were saturated into its adjacent area? Paint – Is your palette efficiently organized? – Is the painting surface too absorbent? – Are you using the palette knife as much as you could? – Are you painting lines when you should be painting masses? – Are the edges dynamic enough? – Is there enough variation in the texture of the paint?