You use the RUclips video medium as a wonderful way to condense into a short scope lessons that couldn't be taught so well -- or so quickly -- in a face-to-face class. I know it is a great deal of work, and you make it look easy. But it really is a wonderful service to all of us. Thank you.
As always a very fine demonstration of how to make a well known scenario into a demonstration of interesting play of warm and cold, light and dark and of course an interesting composition of rhythms and forms
There is genius in this. Seeing and studying light at various times of day. Finding patterns in the most common scenes, creating a powerful painting through abstraction, observation. I think it was most insightful when Ian shifted the focal point by highlighting objects off centre and guided our eye to a more balanced composition. I have always made the mistake of looking for the "perfect scene" instead of creating my own "perfect scene" from whatever is around me.
That was just a brilliant demonstration! You are one of the best teachers on the internet and I’m so grateful for your generosity in sharing your experience and knowledge. Somehow what appeared to be a dull subject turned into something quite special.
I like the idea of finding something in the neighbourhood because it really trains you to look more & from your video, watch for the light changes. Thank you Ian
What I learn here is that the beauty is not so much in the subject but in the shapes made not so much by the objects but mostly by the design that comes from light and shadows and when we see this way, great paintings can be created, through labor. Be able to see and discover a good design, be able to sketch it and then paint it. Thanks for the lesson!
I love watching you paint. Your painting style is so clear and clean. No smooshing, no complex layering, Getting the light and shade colours right on the palette and then just putting them down to shape the forms in three dimensions. You are so good at that. It is good to have demonstrations. It really helps to have watched it stroke by stroke, colour by colour. I think there's a place for long form demos. The photos of the lane in different light were instructive. Light gives drama. Come back later if it's not there yet.
As you know I want to keep the videos short. But I may get someone to help me edit the videos so there's a longer form once a month say of 20 minutes. I honestly can't imagine watching someone paint longer than that.
Enjoyed watching you turn an ordinary alley way into a lovely painting. Gives me hope to one day get brave enough to paint something outside in my neighborhood! Thanks for all this good info you impart on us each week!
I think the small changes you made are a masterclass in themselves. Thank you so much for sharing your knowledge. I’ve learned more from this channel than everywhere else on RUclips combined.
These videos are the perfect length for me. You present the concepts clearly and simply, in a way I find easy to follow, and because there’s actually a lot to take in, small bites work perfectly so I’m not overwhelmed. I’m going to be going over each video many times, I’m sure. I’m beginning to notice the big shapes, tones, temperatures, in the world around me, which is exciting. I did a practice painting today from one of your videos and realised that I often paint my darks too dark. Hooray! Lesson learned. It must take a lot of time and energy to create these videos, Ian, and like everyone else I really appreciate your efforts.
That makes me happy to hear Caroline, the shift visually in how you are seeing. And something as simple as darks too dark. What a change that can make in paintings going forward. Great news.
YES!! drawing slows me down as well..very meditative and very helpful when painting outdoors!! Everyone is always in such a hurry to PAINT outdoors, when doing your thumbnails FIRST saves time and frustration in the long run.!!
I love the end result here. I live in Ireland so obviously there is no shortage of landscape inspiration to paint but I am really enjoying how I am training my eye to look at the ordinary things that wouldn't normally catch your eye and just like you say in this tutorial, since we are having our 3 days of summer 😁, it is really interesting to observe how the mundane can become interesting depending on where the sun is in the sky and where the light and shadows fall and change. I am totally fascinated with the two white chairs you showed us with the shadow in blue and I am looking for these contrasts in everything now. Time to stop looking and start painting. Thank you Ian.
"A moment in time" takes on a new meaning. Straight away there is drama, even looking at the garage, but I've learnt now how to redirect to the main interest sought. Yes, I'm actually placing myself in your picture.
You once stated "Crop for Drama" to make the ordinary extraordinary. Strolling my neighbourhood with that mantra in mind, I see more with an artist's eye. Thanks for your words of wisdom.
Thanks so Anaam. I have a lot of weeks sort of mapped out but let me think about a night scene and I will do one (eventually). Thanks for the suggestion. Best wishes.
I particularly noticed light and shadow when I was experimenting with different times of day for going for a walk for exercise during Lockdown. I was taking photos on my phone and am so glad I did as it opened up a whole new world for me. As you have shown, even the most prosaic things in our neighbourhoods can be beautifully illuminated if we catch them at the right time of day. Thank you very much for illustrating your this in your video.
I got your book last week , so much to learn packed in there . Now I’m watching this with one eye cocked out the lanai at my neighbors fence … oh the shadows I’m seeing - thanks Ian!
I am fascinated by your videos even though I paint with watercolor…the compositional ideas are same, though executed differently. I have branched out to using casein and gouache and have found your teaching to be very helpful. Thank you. During this pandemic, painting has saved the day for me.🤗
I watch fascinated by how you paint something so ordinary, and not necessarily interesting, and render a painting that is extraordinary! You have learned how to compose your subject matter so well, focusing on how to move the viewer’s eye throughout the painting….I yearn for the day that I will competently be able to do the same. Thanks, as always, for your insights and tips!
Hei Ian, I found your site a few weeks ago. Instructional and enjoyable. Have watched first thing every morning to get up to date (almost there).My One Year Past Covid - project is now to get myself back into drawing and painting for pleasure, which I enjoyed all through growing up, but gradually lost in working life, as Architects went to doing drawings on computers. 😉 You are a super teacher to bring me back to the joy of working by hand. Reflected and challenging! Tomorrow I receive selected new watercolour paints and brushes and will see how I translate your teaching into that medium and painting local. Sure fine, I think! Or I will have to branch out into the new guy on the block (for me), oil paints. See you next Tuesday! Look forward to it!
I love that! A drama of lights and darks! That's what I need to concentrate on! You give the best advice and show how to actually apply your concepts! Thanks!
Hi Ian…It really hit me when you said, drawing for you is meditative. I agree! I also love the way you paint the light of the objects, it just works. Nicely done. On another note, I am rereading your book, Mastering Composition and the 8 types of typical compositions. One type, the Fulcrum, really identified for me with my non-objective, “Orbit” series of paintings. Great information which will help me dive deeper into them. Cheers -Greg
I love your videos Ian. Very informative. It’s very cool to see how you are painting things that are ordinary and helping the viewer to see the beauty in them
I'm not an oil painter but watercolours. The way you look at and explain a composition is such an eye opening experience:-) Love the way you teach, thank you!
I’ve now watched every video you’ve made and will continue to follow you. After a lifetime of painting you’ve given me a whole new fresh world of ideas.
Yes, taking pictures at different times of the day really showed up the difference. I liked your painting, and the way you draw too. Making the decision to change what seemed to be the centre of interest and moving it elsewhere, was good - it's easy to get fixed about something and not to take control. Jane / Oxford
I love this whole video and the painting. A friend has an alley like that in LA, behind his house! I am still trying to picture my process with watercolor for planning but so much of this aligns with my teacher and his methods.
Yes, I am a watercolour artist too but I have found since I started watching these tutorials that the same principles apply and what I am learning is coming into my head now as I paint my watercolours and I find it very helpful.
I so appreciate your painting process. Today’s demonstration is very helpful... from choosing the most dramatic lighting, to evaluating the finished painting, and adding minor changes to improve the overall image.
Inspiring example how to turn a mundane into interesting! Light does it. But also you need to be aware of distractors of attention and "quiet them down"
LOOKS LIKE I NEED TO LEARN TO LOOK WITH DIFFERENT MOTIVES THAN I NORMALLY DO. YOU SEE SO MUCH MORE THAN I DO. I HOPE TO LEARN HOW TO SEE THINGS WITH FRESH EYES! LOVE ALL THE VIDEOS I HAVE SEEN SO FAR.
I find the way you paint the darks and lights to make the painting so much more interesting even though the lights are much darker than I had been painting them and the darks are lighter. More of values I suppose. I live in Ojai and have always the beauty here but are now looking at things much differently and will try painting some of the areas looking at them during different times of the day, as you have suggested. Great information
Very valuable ! What I do is I photograph my neighborhood and transfere it into watercolor paintings. Local people love it but more it means to me is the fact I can see same things changing with the light, observe, improve and learn. I think this is better than any weekend "escape to the country" which I prefered to do before. Big thank you Ian !
Thanks for sharing your wisdom & experience. I just ordered your Book and DVD "Mastering Composition" from our local bookstore. Am just getting started with oil painting. First subject is a still life - a coffee pot & orange. Hope to "Graduate" to landscapes one day.
Liked your modification and rationale for adjustment, certainly a reminder to me to critically evaluate my composition post ‘finish.’ I may have captured the scene accurately, but failed in making a stronger composition with subtle changes. Thank you.
You're a total genius at composition, Ian. Might have to buy your book after all. Even though I'm more of an abstract expressionist painter myself. 😊💖😎
Thanks so much. The foundation of composition is structure and that will affect representational paintings and abstract ones alike. The structure, or lack of it, holds the whole thing together, or not. But don't let me push you into getting the book! Best wishes.
@@IanRobertsMasteringComposition thanks Ian, appreciate it. I may get the book anyway, no pushing necessary, haha. Thanks for all your great, experienced, enthusiastic, and helpful content!
I was out of High School for a number of years and started dating this girl. Her father had passed several years before and she was living with her mother. They went on vacation and the mother asked me to house sit which I readily agreed to do. When they returned the mother presented me with a painting she had done of the alleyway behind their house. At the time I didn't appreciate it, or for that matter really want it. When the daughter and I broke up some months later I gave the painting to Good Will. Now some 40 plus years later I wish I had the painting back. Watching you paint your alleyway brought back memories. Thanks for a great instructional video, Ian. And thanks for your plein air video as well. What were you? 15? : )
HI George, I wasn't sure where you were going with your comment at first. It's a great story. And yes I told you that was a long time ago when I made that video.
Surprising interest created with what looked like a rather boring scene. And you've done it with what an instructor of mine once told me: don't paint things, he said, paint light. Obviously a reminder I needed. One question that's bothered me for awhile now: why create a point of primary interest in a painting? As long as I'm guiding the viewers eye around the canvas, what difference does it make? Isn't it better really to allow the viewer the freedom - like we have in life - to explore the painting as he/she chooses?
HI Douglas, so it's a good question. You can create a center of interest that is like an eye trap that won't let us out visually. Ideally I'd say you want a panting that as you say allows the viewer to wander all over your canvas, admiring the color and brushwork and the image, but that rests on the structure behind the scenes that the artist creates to orchestrate the pathways through the painting. Too heavy handed and I agree with you, but with a light touch you help the viewer. Hope that makes sense.
Thanks for this very successful lesson. If I May, I was impressed by the1st photo as well. I believe the gradation, variety of colors in the foliage and the emphasis of the verticals would contribute to a very interesting study of subtlety and direction.
Glad you liked the video. By the first photo I guess you mean the overcast one and you're right it could work as well. Not as dramatic. As you say more subtle.
@@IanRobertsMasteringComposition Yes, Thank You. I did mean the overcast early morning photo. Not really dramatic at all but an exercise in layering of tones and variety of color. There's probably 8 shades of green and at least 3 other areas of the red in the fence. I'm really enjoying your neighborhood subject tutorials. It's my favorite thing to photograph when I'm out riding my bike. Thanks again.
Great video Ian! So much value packed into 7 mintues. I found the sequence of the photos to be extremely helpful in understanding which view may provide the strongest composition, and ultimately painting. Especially for those of us who paint from reference photos frequently--realizing that even if the picture is 'pretty' it may not make for good painting is very helpful.
That's a good point about photos Michelle. It feels static. This is my photo I like. But it may just be the starting point for what could really work. Meaning perhaps going out and taking it again in different light as I did for example this week. Doesn't work so well with a photo from your holiday in Greece eight years ago.
Once again you make painting seem so effortlessly. Watching you paint make me want to learn so much. Can you do more of the drawings with a bit more time. Thank you
Hi Colette, I know I sort of rushed the drawing part. I'll do a week where I just focus on a drawing and then do the painting the following week. I think I used to do that and not sure why I stopped. All the best.
I’m using the same palette as you suggested and I’m finding it very helpful. I am learning how to do different desaturated (greys). Would you consider doing a session on it?
HI Joyce, glad that is helping and yes I can discuss neutralizing colors one week. It'll be a few weeks because I've got several things lined up now. But one week I could just talk about how to mix color.
Loved your drawing and painting and helpful to hear your process and great tips. I was glad that you posted on FB because I didn't get my usual Tuesday email, so hoping I'm still on the list. Thanks so much for sharing, Ian!
Hi Joani, glad you liked this week's video. I just checked and you are subscribed on the email list for the Tuesday video so not sure what happened last week. All the best.
You use the RUclips video medium as a wonderful way to condense into a short scope lessons that couldn't be taught so well -- or so quickly -- in a face-to-face class. I know it is a great deal of work, and you make it look easy. But it really is a wonderful service to all of us. Thank you.
I couldn't agree more!!
You're great Ralph. Thanks so much for your assessment of the videos. I really appreciate it. Best wishes.
As always a very fine demonstration of how to make a well known scenario into a demonstration of interesting play of warm and cold, light and dark and of course an interesting composition of rhythms and forms
There is genius in this. Seeing and studying light at various times of day. Finding patterns in the most common scenes, creating a powerful painting through abstraction, observation. I think it was most insightful when Ian shifted the focal point by highlighting objects off centre and guided our eye to a more balanced composition. I have always made the mistake of looking for the "perfect scene" instead of creating my own "perfect scene" from whatever is around me.
NIcely said Diane. We are afterall the creator. Best wishes.
Your painting turned out great! You are making such great helpful videos.
Similar style, as in a demonstration style
Chris and Ian - you are opposite style for RUclips, but both fantastic teachers.
@@julianugentarchitect I disagree I think our styles of painting and presentation are very similar
Thanks so much. I delighted you are enjoying them.
OK, now I'm curious. Have to go and check what's up Chris.
That was just a brilliant demonstration! You are one of the best teachers on the internet and I’m so grateful for your generosity in sharing your experience and knowledge. Somehow what appeared to be a dull subject turned into something quite special.
Glad you liked it. Thank you.
I like the idea of finding something in the neighbourhood because it really trains you to look more & from your video, watch for the light changes. Thank you Ian
You are welcome David.
What I learn here is that the beauty is not so much in the subject but in the shapes made not so much by the objects but mostly by the design that comes from light and shadows and when we see this way, great paintings can be created, through labor. Be able to see and discover a good design, be able to sketch it and then paint it. Thanks for the lesson!
I love watching you paint. Your painting style is so clear and clean. No smooshing, no complex layering, Getting the light and shade colours right on the palette and then just putting them down to shape the forms in three dimensions. You are so good at that. It is good to have demonstrations. It really helps to have watched it stroke by stroke, colour by colour. I think there's a place for long form demos. The photos of the lane in different light were instructive. Light gives drama. Come back later if it's not there yet.
As you know I want to keep the videos short. But I may get someone to help me edit the videos so there's a longer form once a month say of 20 minutes. I honestly can't imagine watching someone paint longer than that.
Enjoyed watching you turn an ordinary alley way into a lovely painting. Gives me hope to one day get brave enough to paint something outside in my neighborhood! Thanks for all this good info you impart on us each week!
You are welcome Joanne. Just give it a try. Maybe just draw it to start.
I think the small changes you made are a masterclass in themselves. Thank you so much for sharing your knowledge. I’ve learned more from this channel than everywhere else on RUclips combined.
I find myself looking for light and dark and composition in my everyday surroundings.
Again, thank you so much. I love watching your videos.
It was helpful to see your final adjustment. Thank you.
Thanks Laura.
"Beauty in the every day!!" it takes an artist's eye to see the "light" of that statement!!
Thanks so much. I guess we all need that reminder of seeing beauty in the everyday, don't we?
It all makes so much sense when you explain and show. It doesn’t seem to go so easily for me. Practice, practice, practice. Right?
These videos are the perfect length for me. You present the concepts clearly and simply, in a way I find easy to follow, and because there’s actually a lot to take in, small bites work perfectly so I’m not overwhelmed. I’m going to be going over each video many times, I’m sure. I’m beginning to notice the big shapes, tones, temperatures, in the world around me, which is exciting. I did a practice painting today from one of your videos and realised that I often paint my darks too dark. Hooray! Lesson learned. It must take a lot of time and energy to create these videos, Ian, and like everyone else I really appreciate your efforts.
That makes me happy to hear Caroline, the shift visually in how you are seeing. And something as simple as darks too dark. What a change that can make in paintings going forward. Great news.
I'm very much liking the concept of finding inspiration in the neighbourhood. It's improving my observation skills.
That's it exactly. What do we have right here for inspiration.
YES!! drawing slows me down as well..very meditative and very helpful when painting outdoors!! Everyone is always in such a hurry to PAINT outdoors, when doing your thumbnails FIRST saves time and frustration in the long run.!!
sort of my mantra right there.
Thank 🙏🏾 Ian Robert for inspiring artists around the world.
You are most welcome Usha!
I love the end result here. I live in Ireland so obviously there is no shortage of landscape inspiration to paint but I am really enjoying how I am training my eye to look at the ordinary things that wouldn't normally catch your eye and just like you say in this tutorial, since we are having our 3 days of summer 😁, it is really interesting to observe how the mundane can become interesting depending on where the sun is in the sky and where the light and shadows fall and change. I am totally fascinated with the two white chairs you showed us with the shadow in blue and I am looking for these contrasts in everything now. Time to stop looking and start painting. Thank you Ian.
So glad you were inspired by the video. I do hope you get more than 3 days of summer. Good luck and best wishes.
@@IanRobertsMasteringComposition Thank you Ian
"A moment in time" takes on a new meaning. Straight away there is drama, even looking at the garage, but I've learnt now how to redirect to the main interest sought. Yes, I'm actually placing myself in your picture.
That's great Jonathan. Glad you are enjoying the videos. Best wishes.
You once stated "Crop for Drama" to make the ordinary extraordinary. Strolling my neighbourhood with that mantra in mind, I see more with an artist's eye. Thanks for your words of wisdom.
That's great Edward. It's amazing when you don't think vistas, how much stuff there is to paint.
Gorgeous painting! Would love to see you paint a night scene if you ever decide to do one :)
Thanks so Anaam. I have a lot of weeks sort of mapped out but let me think about a night scene and I will do one (eventually). Thanks for the suggestion. Best wishes.
You are the best teacher with so much good information. Love what you do for us!!
These are the best videos I found about simplifying paintings. I love the style and I want to learn to paint like this!
I particularly noticed light and shadow when I was experimenting with different times of day for going for a walk for exercise during Lockdown. I was taking photos on my phone and am so glad I did as it opened up a whole new world for me. As you have shown, even the most prosaic things in our neighbourhoods can be beautifully illuminated if we catch them at the right time of day. Thank you very much for illustrating your this in your video.
I got your book last week , so much to learn packed in there . Now I’m watching this with one eye cocked out the lanai at my neighbors fence … oh the shadows I’m seeing - thanks Ian!
Delighted to hear the shift in vision Wendy. Exciting. Shapes not things. All the best.
I am fascinated by your videos even though I paint with watercolor…the compositional ideas are same, though executed differently. I have branched out to using casein and gouache and have found your teaching to be very helpful. Thank you. During this pandemic, painting has saved the day for me.🤗
Glad you are enjoying the videos Leila. All the best.
Lovely. The concept of the warm against cool paint to show sunlight is so simple and brilliant. Shapes shapes shapes...my new mantra.
That's it Alison. All the best.
I watch fascinated by how you paint something so ordinary, and not necessarily interesting, and render a painting that is extraordinary! You have learned how to compose your subject matter so well, focusing on how to move the viewer’s eye throughout the painting….I yearn for the day that I will competently be able to do the same.
Thanks, as always, for your insights and tips!
You are very welcome Ann Marie. Thank you.
Beautiful demonstration.. inspiring..! Thanks
Hei Ian, I found your site a few weeks ago. Instructional and enjoyable. Have watched first thing every morning to get up to date (almost there).My One Year Past Covid - project is now to get myself back into drawing and painting for pleasure, which I enjoyed all through growing up, but gradually lost in working life, as Architects went to doing drawings on computers. 😉 You are a super teacher to bring me back to the joy of working by hand. Reflected and challenging! Tomorrow I receive selected new watercolour paints and brushes and will see how I translate your teaching into that medium and painting local. Sure fine, I think! Or I will have to branch out into the new guy on the block (for me), oil paints. See you next Tuesday! Look forward to it!
Well delighted you are coming back to it Beret. And which ever medium draws you in I wish you inspiration and fun from it. All the best.
I love that! A drama of lights and darks! That's what I need to concentrate on! You give the best advice and show how to actually apply your concepts! Thanks!
Glad you found it helpful Mary-Chris.
I love watching your painting process.
I really learn so much from watching you.
Thx you
Thank God I found your channel. Very interesting videos. I loved them. Very helpful for self taught artist. Thank u for sharing your knowledge.
Beautiful drawing and painting. I love them both! Thanks for sharing.
Hi Ian…It really hit me when you said, drawing for you is meditative. I agree! I also love the way you paint the light of the objects, it just works. Nicely done.
On another note, I am rereading your book, Mastering Composition and the 8 types of typical compositions. One type, the Fulcrum, really identified for me with my non-objective, “Orbit” series of paintings. Great information which will help me dive deeper into them.
Cheers -Greg
Glad you are enjoying both the videos and the book. All the very best Greg.
This was very helpful. Thank you.
Glad it was helpful Joyce.
I look so forward to your weekly posts....🙏🎨🙏
Delighted you are enjoying them Franco.
Been learning a lot about drama, contrast, etc. Thanks to you, my friend!
Nice! I’m in Mexico and painting from the rooftop flat I’ve rented.Just started watching your vids recently. Real food for thought. Thanks.
I love your videos Ian. Very informative. It’s very cool to see how you are painting things that are ordinary and helping the viewer to see the beauty in them
Hi Kathleen, in a way that's our "job" isn't it? Seeing the world somehow in a way that others don't take the time to. All the best.
I'm not an oil painter but watercolours. The way you look at and explain a composition is such an eye opening experience:-) Love the way you teach, thank you!
Thank you so much June.
What a brilliant video. Thank you so much.
Such a great concept for a video, this was super helpful!!
Glad you think so Tracy.
So happy i discovered your channel. Beautiful instructions
These videos are such an encouragement to me as someone new to painting. Thanks for spending the time and effort doing this
Always look forward to watching your new video. Learning so much. Thank you.
Delighted to hear it Lesley. All the best.
I’ve now watched every video you’ve made and will continue to follow you. After a lifetime of painting you’ve given me a whole new fresh world of ideas.
Summer, I'm honored. Thank you for letting me know.
I love the painting...lots going on, without being too busy...Great job Ian
Thanks so much Greg. Hope all's well and all the best to you and Sandy.
Yes, taking pictures at different times of the day really showed up the difference. I liked your painting, and the way you draw too. Making the decision to change what seemed to be the centre of interest and moving it elsewhere, was good - it's easy to get fixed about something and not to take control. Jane / Oxford
Glad you found it helpful Jane.
Thanks for a great video Ian! You're a wonderful teacher and I'm so grateful for all this work you've done to put these videos out there for people.
Glad you like them!
I love this whole video and the painting. A friend has an alley like that in LA, behind his house! I am still trying to picture my process with watercolor for planning but so much of this aligns with my teacher and his methods.
Yes, I am a watercolour artist too but I have found since I started watching these tutorials that the same principles apply and what I am learning is coming into my head now as I paint my watercolours and I find it very helpful.
That's great Laurie. Good luck with the alley.
I so appreciate your painting process. Today’s demonstration is very helpful... from choosing the most dramatic lighting, to evaluating the finished painting, and adding minor changes to improve the overall image.
Glad it was helpful Faé.
Inspiring example how to turn a mundane into interesting! Light does it. But also you need to be aware of distractors of attention and "quiet them down"
That's it Svetlana. Finding the big shapes and reducing the clutter. Best wishes.
wonderful draftmanship! more please.
LOOKS LIKE I NEED TO LEARN TO LOOK WITH DIFFERENT MOTIVES THAN I NORMALLY DO. YOU SEE SO MUCH MORE THAN I DO. I HOPE TO LEARN HOW TO SEE THINGS WITH FRESH EYES! LOVE ALL THE VIDEOS I HAVE SEEN SO FAR.
I was so proud of myself to have spotted that building having too much attention right before you pointed that out! Another great value sketch thanks!
That's great Lisa. Learning to see like that becomes invaluable in knowing what needs adjusting. Best wishes.
I don't paint in this medium but i find your videos so helpful. composition, tone, colour, lighting and drama. thank you
Brilliant insights... Very articulate ❤️
I find the way you paint the darks and lights to make the painting so much more interesting even though the lights are much darker than I had been painting them and the darks are lighter. More of values I suppose. I live in Ojai and have always the beauty here but are now looking at things much differently and will try painting some of the areas looking at them during different times of the day, as you have suggested. Great information
Hi Julie, I think if you push the color temperature you don't need such a big shift in value to get the sense of light. All the best.
So enjoy your tutorials..thank you
Thanks again for a great teaching and video.. I like to see and hear your thinking in the changes and choices for the time of day..
You are welcome Holly. All the best.
your videos are super instructional! thank you!!
Very valuable ! What I do is I photograph my neighborhood and transfere it into watercolor paintings. Local people love it but more it means to me is the fact I can see same things changing with the light, observe, improve and learn. I think this is better than any weekend "escape to the country" which I prefered to do before. Big thank you Ian !
That's great. There really is something to seeing and appreciating what's around us. I mean it can sound trite. But there is depth there too.
Thank you for the exposition, love how you paint
Thanks so much. Best wishes.
Thanks for sharing your wisdom & experience. I just ordered your Book and DVD "Mastering Composition" from our local bookstore. Am just getting started with oil painting. First subject is a still life - a coffee pot & orange. Hope to "Graduate" to landscapes one day.
Glad you are enjoying the videos and good luck with your still life.
Yes I have been painting my neighborhood,,I live in enterprise,Utah,very small community..thanks for your inspiration and help..take care
You are so welcome Veronica. Small towns have lots of potential.
Liked your modification and rationale for adjustment, certainly a reminder to me to critically evaluate my composition post ‘finish.’ I may have captured the scene accurately, but failed in making a stronger composition with subtle changes. Thank you.
Glad it was helpful Will.
Enjoyed the pace of your video. Lots to learn with a small investment of time it took to watch your tutorial. Thanks✌
Thank you so much Ian. I am learning a lot from your videos! You’ve inspired me to paint a scene from my neighborhood.
Great to hear Sue. Thanks for letting me know. Best wishes.
Thank you, your short videos are like concentrated capsules of knowledge!
Glad you like them Smita.
I loved this and learned so much! I especially noticed how you did the shadows on the ground. Thank you!
Thank you for these videos. Very clear, concise. I am learning from each one.
Glad you like them Jane. All the best.
Great painting, video very helpful, thanks for sharing
You are welcome Joanne.
You're a total genius at composition, Ian. Might have to buy your book after all. Even though I'm more of an abstract expressionist painter myself. 😊💖😎
Most of abstract IS composition.
I found the composition book very informative and think you will enjoy it.
Thanks so much. The foundation of composition is structure and that will affect representational paintings and abstract ones alike. The structure, or lack of it, holds the whole thing together, or not. But don't let me push you into getting the book! Best wishes.
@@IanRobertsMasteringComposition thanks Ian, appreciate it. I may get the book anyway, no pushing necessary, haha. Thanks for all your great, experienced, enthusiastic, and helpful content!
One of your very best, Ian - jam-packed with valuable gems:)
Thanks so much Deb. Best wishes.
I was out of High School for a number of years and started dating this girl. Her father had passed several years before and she was living with her mother. They went on vacation and the mother asked me to house sit which I readily agreed to do. When they returned the mother presented me with a painting she had done of the alleyway behind their house. At the time I didn't appreciate it, or for that matter really want it. When the daughter and I broke up some months later I gave the painting to Good Will. Now some 40 plus years later I wish I had the painting back. Watching you paint your alleyway brought back memories. Thanks for a great instructional video, Ian. And thanks for your plein air video as well. What were you? 15? : )
HI George, I wasn't sure where you were going with your comment at first. It's a great story. And yes I told you that was a long time ago when I made that video.
Surprising interest created with what looked like a rather boring scene. And you've done it with what an instructor of mine once told me: don't paint things, he said, paint light. Obviously a reminder I needed. One question that's bothered me for awhile now: why create a point of primary interest in a painting? As long as I'm guiding the viewers eye around the canvas, what difference does it make? Isn't it better really to allow the viewer the freedom - like we have in life - to explore the painting as he/she chooses?
HI Douglas, so it's a good question. You can create a center of interest that is like an eye trap that won't let us out visually. Ideally I'd say you want a panting that as you say allows the viewer to wander all over your canvas, admiring the color and brushwork and the image, but that rests on the structure behind the scenes that the artist creates to orchestrate the pathways through the painting. Too heavy handed and I agree with you, but with a light touch you help the viewer. Hope that makes sense.
I use Blackwing Pencils too - I love them! Thanks for your great videos.
Blackwing Matte are the best.
I'm so grateful I found your videos. I simply love the content and presentation. I'm learning so much. Many thanks, Tzipora
You are so welcome Tzipora.
I find that video extremely interesting... thank you
Thanks so much I am really enjoying these videos. I am going to paint my neighborhood too.
Sounds great Susan. Good luck.
Love your simple approach
Very helpful
Thank you
You're very welcome Sandra.
Thank you Ian. It is very inspiring. I love the idea of painting the neighborhood. I use to do it also. and your painting is gorgeous.
Glad you liked the video Hannah and thank you glad you liked the painting as well.
Thanks for this very successful lesson.
If I May, I was impressed by the1st photo as well. I believe the gradation, variety of colors in the foliage and the emphasis of the verticals would contribute to a very interesting study of subtlety and direction.
Glad you liked the video. By the first photo I guess you mean the overcast one and you're right it could work as well. Not as dramatic. As you say more subtle.
@@IanRobertsMasteringComposition
Yes, Thank You. I did mean the overcast early morning photo. Not really dramatic at all but an exercise in layering of tones and variety of color. There's probably 8 shades of green and at least 3 other areas of the red in the fence.
I'm really enjoying your neighborhood subject tutorials. It's my favorite thing to photograph when I'm out riding my bike.
Thanks again.
Your videos are wonderfully instructive and encouraging. Thank you.
Glad you are enjoying them Joan. Thanks for letting me know.
I just love this painting. Tuesdays definitely a highlight in the calendar, thank you Ian.
Glad you enjoyed the videos Liz. Best wishes.
great info on problem solving, thanks!
Great video Ian! So much value packed into 7 mintues. I found the sequence of the photos to be extremely helpful in understanding which view may provide the strongest composition, and ultimately painting. Especially for those of us who paint from reference photos frequently--realizing that even if the picture is 'pretty' it may not make for good painting is very helpful.
That's a good point about photos Michelle. It feels static. This is my photo I like. But it may just be the starting point for what could really work. Meaning perhaps going out and taking it again in different light as I did for example this week. Doesn't work so well with a photo from your holiday in Greece eight years ago.
Really helpful video. Thank you ❤
Thank you, Ian. Another very educational video. Be well. g
Thanks Gayle and all the very best to you.
Thank you for another painting which as previous ones seems to be so simple but when I try it is not :)
Regards
Gabriela from Poland
HI Gabriela, glad you enjoyed it and found it helpful. All the best.
Loved this video thanks
This was a very nice demo and I learned.
Once again you make painting seem so effortlessly. Watching you paint make me want to learn so much. Can you do more of the drawings with a bit more time. Thank you
Hi Colette, I know I sort of rushed the drawing part. I'll do a week where I just focus on a drawing and then do the painting the following week. I think I used to do that and not sure why I stopped. All the best.
Definitely engaging! Thanks Ian!
That's great Celeste. You're welcome.
Love your explanations, it helps so much.
That's great. Glad you are enjoying them and finding them helpful.
I’m using the same palette as you suggested and I’m finding it very helpful. I am learning how to do different desaturated (greys). Would you consider doing a session on it?
HI Joyce, glad that is helping and yes I can discuss neutralizing colors one week. It'll be a few weeks because I've got several things lined up now. But one week I could just talk about how to mix color.
Thanks Ian that was terrific. When I get back to my every day I hope to paint from it!
HI Lana, thanks a lot. Talk soon. All the best til then.
Loved your drawing and painting and helpful to hear your process and great tips. I was glad that you posted on FB because I didn't get my usual Tuesday email, so hoping I'm still on the list. Thanks so much for sharing, Ian!
Hi Joani, glad you liked this week's video. I just checked and you are subscribed on the email list for the Tuesday video so not sure what happened last week. All the best.
@@IanRobertsMasteringComposition Great, thanks for checking, Ian!