Great demonstration! I wouldn’t have thought that the mundane unassuming scene would result in such a beautiful painting! Truly magical ! Thank you so much ❤
I enjoy all your videos. In this painting I would say the bright warm tree shape contrasting with the cool rest of the area is what grabs your attention to start with. Then the focal point becomes the two signs. Your eye bounces back and forth to each one. Since you don’t land in one place it is not satisfying. There is nothing to really hold your interest ultimately.
I'm not sure I'd want someone to end up in one place as if it were a final destination. The point I think is to lead them somewhere but give them pathways out to travel around the painting some more and again be led back to that spot.
I'm not sure if by implying a story you mean it needs figures or something. I think there are two kinds of narrative. One of the language of paint itself, design, structure, value masses etc and the second is perhaps the idea of story as an implied tale. Not sure you always need both.
Thanks for the interesting discussion! I've been thinking about what makes me continue to enjoy a painting, and it seems to be an implied story, not requiring figures. The sense that something has happened, or is ready to happen. I know it's vague, sorry. The language of paint itself is very striking to me when I view a work in person, but that easily gets lost when you have to buy prints. I consider design and structure as technique or tools.@@IanRobertsMasteringComposition
🌞 Dear Ian, your painting brings me tears of joy, beautiful, beautiful, thank you! It makes me think how gigantic the role of art still is. As the best tool to transform, for the better, the reality around us, the reality inside us. Aren't all the challenges of today, even the technical ones, deeply humanistic and therefore artistic? Kind regards, with a luminous sunset from Brazil.
Like you have stressed many times before, design, design, design. Making things look easy, comes after the sweat of finding the right subject and then designing it. Then the fun part begins. Thank you, Ian.
Another fantastic Demo Ian and the light that you’ve pulled in, so wonderfully painted… sometimes you look out for what you would like to paint,but can’t see anything, except it’s right under your nose…. Thank you Ian.
You demonstrated how even a mundane scene can be really great using the compositional principles you always bring home to us-plus the play of light and dark and warm and cool. I am so glad you’ve given us another monthly video. Thank you!
Excellent demo… I’m so pleased you touched on street markings, poles and signs, as I recently dealt with this very subject and needed to see how you so masterfully dealt with it… 🙏🎨🇿🇦
hi Ian! working in real-estate marketing, the physical medium is exotic to me. we do, however, prepare colour compositions for the clients and i find your videos most informative. cup of green tea and one of your videos to set the tone for a serene, creative day. since your series on simplifying, i got interested in notan, got a brush marker and sketch occasionally. it's incredible, how powerful the tonal structure is in conveying a strong composition, even if it's not so obvious after the colour production. thank you for sharing your knowledge, and infusing a whole new dimension of inspiration into someones professional life! best, - raf
Another wonderful demo, Ian. For me, the drama is all in the lights and shadows as you so well illustrate. May I recommend another painter (French) who works in a similar style (but with no commentary): Christian Arnould. He has RUclips videos worth watching.
As others have mentioned, I too would have not given that scene a second glance. Other than the contrasts. Simply wouldnt have seen the whole. Yet you saw it, explained your vision and shared your creating of it. Wow and thank you.
It seems to be sooo simple. Your paintings make me speechless because of these wonderful complex colours. So powerful ❤❤❤❤❤❤❤ thank you and greetings from Germany, Düsseldorf.
I watch most of your videos and enjoy your teaching style. Can you explain colorist techniques. How they use pink unde blue and yellow under green... thank you.
Fantastic demo! I really see the design elements and your use of value and temperature to aid the design as well as your shapes and horizontals and verticals. This demo really pulls together all, your designing a composition ideas. Also love your use of Pthalo green! Remarkable job. Great teaching as well as painting!
It’s beautiful Ian. I was all the time thinking that the bushes on the left were too light but in the end it looks perfect. I wonder wether some texture in the road could help without distracting. Very inspiring thank you
Great painting Ian. Inspiring! Have you ever applied your composition rules to an abstract painting? I’m not an abstract artist myself but in my art development classes I run with young ones, I’m letting them play with colour, texture, line etc. I talk about having the most contrast mainly on the centre of attention, and flow of light and shapes through the paintings etc. Just wondering if you have demonstrated an abstract one before? If not I would love you to show us how you would go about it. There is so much to this painting business isn’t there, that’s what makes it so interesting. Cheers 😊
Hi Meg, I used to make large abstract paintings back in the 80s. I don't now but I would say the ideas of compositional structure, Ior myself at least, I would need to apply them to an abstract painting as well. For me abstraction is more of a removing from a representational image than just starting to put paint on a canvas and see where it leads. I know a lot of abstraction is done that way. But I'm not sure it is my way. But I hope you are having fun with your classes. Sounds like fun.
I love these videos that help us recognize potential subjects in ordinary scenes around us. What I wonder about, though, is whether it takes more visual fluency than most potential buyers have to appreciate paintings that are design-based rather than subject-based? Visually educated fellow artists can appreciate such paintings, but with decreased art education, I wonder what you've experienced in terms of reception in the art marketplace?
Julliette, that is a good point. You can imagine of course someone travelling in Europe and buying a painting that contains cafés, flower boxes full of geraniums, and maybe a red tile roof or two. But to my mind I can't think about that market.
Superb sir as always. You exactly know where to put what and how much. That's the whole game. But it requires a vast experience of a master like you are. Hat's off sir. Warm regards.
The problem is I live in LA and we don't get fog like that very often. Not never but not often and it burns off quickly. So I don't. But if I find myself with a scene or photo that would lend itself to that I'll do it. All the best.
Thanks for this nice and informative demonstration. It's interesting to see how you mixed the colors for the sunny parts. Have you thought about removing or changing the white marking line on the parking area? I mean changing the position with 90°, so that this line would introduce and guide your eye into the painting. Just my personal feeling 🙂
Glad you enjoyed the video. I didn't think of putting that line 90 degrees to where it is. The road going back did that enough I thought and the horizontal line helps slow us down from being pulled to the back of the road to quickly. At least in my view.
The main lesson here is that sound composition can make even boring subjects powerfully engaging. Respectfully, one suggestion I would make is that the curves of the sidewalk and the painted line feel a bit "flabby". I feel the painting would be greatly strengthened by constructing those long curves out of several shorter straight segments. The eye will still read them as curves, but they will feel much more sturdy.
Completely disagree with the previous comment! Beautiful painting from an unassuming scene. But those lit trees certainly would have caught my eye. By the way, thanks so much for the heads up about the Blackwing Matte pencils! Have completely transformed my drawing!
Gracias Ian. Una pregunta: siempre el punto focal o el punto de interés máximo en una pintura, sería la ubicación de la palmera? Al tercio y en el horizonte aproximadamente?
I tend to use a simple structure: a horizontal (often the horizon line) and I look for a strong vertical (the palm tree and edge of sidewalk in this panting) that meet at the focal point. Obviously there will be exceptions. But that is what is happening here. Even though the beautiful warm light might seem like the focal point, structurally I think it is the smaller palm tree in shadow just below the lit one. It does in this case fall on the third. But usually if I can I try and push the focal point out past the third so there is more tension. I hope that all makes sense. All the best. Translated to Spanish using google translate (I am sorry about any mistakes): Tiendo a usar una estructura simple: una horizontal (a menudo la línea del horizonte) y busco una vertical fuerte (la palmera y el borde de la acera en este jadeo) que se encuentran en el punto focal. Evidentemente habrá excepciones. Pero eso es lo que está pasando aquí. Aunque la hermosa luz cálida pueda parecer el punto focal, estructuralmente creo que es la palmera más pequeña en la sombra justo debajo de la iluminada. En este caso recae en el tercero. Pero normalmente, si puedo, intento empujar el punto focal más allá del tercero para que haya más tensión. Espero que todo tenga sentido. Mis mejores deseos.
Thank you! I really enjoy every video you upload. Does it sometimes happen to you that you make a sketch / thumbnail of a scene, and after thinking it all through (the composition, values, etc), you lose interest in it? Because it is in a way "a solved case" to you, even though it has a good structure and it could be made into a good painting. Just wondering, what is the approximate ratio of thumbnails to real paintings in your case?
I usually only start a thumbnail in anticipation of painting. It is quick, like jotting down an intention. I’m fired up and ready to paint and this is like a roadmap to make sure I’m heading in the right direction. I might have to make adjustments to the thumbnail before starting. But with thumbnails the drawing itself is not for the drawing, but just as an aid before starting to paint. So nothing gets dissipated in that process. Thumbnails would be close to 100%. Now exploring a drawing for it’s own sake, something more finished, that is a completely different story. I might not start a drawing with any intention of turning that into a painting. I just wanted to draw. Sometimes it leads me to realize I’d like to paint it too. Sometimes I, as you express, feel I’ve got as much out of it as I can and don’t want to paint it. When you get to the drawings because they can play their own role independent of making paintings of them, it gets harder to think in terms of percentages. Hope that helps. All the best.
@@IanRobertsMasteringComposition Thank you so much for answering me, Ian, I really appreciate it. You explained it very well. In fact that inspires me not to give up that easily, but to aim to move from thumbnails to finished paintings in most cases, too. Wishing you all the best from Valencia, Spain.
HI Carla, Two things. The fear of starting is always there. For me too. You just have to push through that. Once you do start things start to flow and you wonder why you put up so many internal barriers. I call that the Dance of Avoidance in my book Creative Authenticity. We all go through it. We just learn over time to navigate it better. And two, perhaps start smaller. drawings, of household things. Look at the work of Dike Blaire. Just simple paintings and drawings of household things. Keep it simple, and good luck. That fear is the #1 killer of creativity. So I would say just dive in and see what happens. What can go wrong? I'm half joking on that one. All the best.
@@IanRobertsMasteringComposition Thank you for your advice. I will start with some drawings first of simple items as you suggest... I ordered your book and I'm sure that will help as well! Thank you again and happy painting!!
Thank you. I didn't oil out. I just head straight in on the second layer. My first layer is pretty thin (thinned with mineral spirits) the second layer thick and I am covering the whole surface again. So really I am not "interacting" the first with the second layer. I am just covering it. All the best.
That's a touch one. Probably an hour to an hour and a half. But then I sit and look at and make small adjustments. And so the "time" part gets harder to judge. I spend time letting the painting talk back to me, letting it tell me what needs adjusting. That sort of takes it's own time over a few days. Each thing I notice and the adjustment itself may only take a couple of minutes. So the actual time the brush is on the canvas is not the best measure of how long. Hope that makes sense. All the best.
Great demonstration! I wouldn’t have thought that the mundane unassuming scene would result in such a beautiful painting! Truly magical ! Thank you so much ❤
Thank you very much. So glad you liked it Susan.
Another fantastic demo, especially going from an ordinary scene to a magnificent painting. Lots to learn from this one! Thanks Ian
Many thanks Leslie. All the best
Among your finest works, Ian. The impression of light is superb on this one.
Glad you enjoyed it and thank you so much Jimmy
I enjoy all your videos. In this painting I would say the bright warm tree shape contrasting with the cool rest of the area is what grabs your attention to start with. Then the focal point becomes the two signs. Your eye bounces back and forth to each one. Since you don’t land in one place it is not satisfying. There is nothing to really hold your interest ultimately.
It's a great exercise, but doesn't imply a story.
I'm not sure I'd want someone to end up in one place as if it were a final destination. The point I think is to lead them somewhere but give them pathways out to travel around the painting some more and again be led back to that spot.
I'm not sure if by implying a story you mean it needs figures or something. I think there are two kinds of narrative. One of the language of paint itself, design, structure, value masses etc and the second is perhaps the idea of story as an implied tale. Not sure you always need both.
Thanks for the interesting discussion! I've been thinking about what makes me continue to enjoy a painting, and it seems to be an implied story, not requiring figures. The sense that something has happened, or is ready to happen. I know it's vague, sorry. The language of paint itself is very striking to me when I view a work in person, but that easily gets lost when you have to buy prints. I consider design and structure as technique or tools.@@IanRobertsMasteringComposition
I remember finding your videos many years ago and since then you have been one of my favorite art teachers. You deserve more engagement!
🌞
Dear Ian, your painting brings me tears of joy, beautiful, beautiful, thank you!
It makes me think how gigantic the role of art still is.
As the best tool to transform, for the better, the reality around us, the reality inside us.
Aren't all the challenges of today, even the technical ones, deeply humanistic and therefore artistic?
Kind regards, with a luminous sunset from Brazil.
Thanks so much. And I agree - that search for connection and resonance I think does make a difference. All the best
Like you have stressed many times before, design, design, design. Making things look easy, comes after the sweat of finding the right subject and then designing it.
Then the fun part begins. Thank you, Ian.
That's it Dennis. All the best.
Another fantastic Demo Ian and the light that you’ve pulled in, so wonderfully painted… sometimes you look out for what you would like to paint,but can’t see anything, except it’s right under your nose…. Thank you Ian.
That is well put. How often do we pass (attention elsewhere) something gripping if only seen more deeply. Best wishes.
You demonstrated how even a mundane scene can be really great using the compositional principles you always bring home to us-plus the play of light and dark and warm and cool. I am so glad you’ve given us another monthly video. Thank you!
My pleasure Lillian. Thank you for watching
Excellent demo… I’m so pleased you touched on street markings, poles and signs, as I recently dealt with this very subject and needed to see how you so masterfully dealt with it… 🙏🎨🇿🇦
So glad you found it helpful Franco. It's great when the timing works out like that.
hi Ian!
working in real-estate marketing, the physical medium is exotic to me. we do, however, prepare colour compositions for the clients and i find your videos most informative. cup of green tea and one of your videos to set the tone for a serene, creative day. since your series on simplifying, i got interested in notan, got a brush marker and sketch occasionally. it's incredible, how powerful the tonal structure is in conveying a strong composition, even if it's not so obvious after the colour production. thank you for sharing your knowledge, and infusing a whole new dimension of inspiration into someones professional life! best,
- raf
Great as always.
Thanks so much
A great demonstration, Ian! Thank you! Proves the point of learning to see the Grand Canyon at our back yard!❣️❣️❣️
Exactly. So glad you found it helpful. All the best
It’s all about the light in this painting. Thank you for sharing yet another excellent demonstration.!❤👍
Thank you so much for watching. All the best.
Another wonderful demo, Ian. For me, the drama is all in the lights and shadows as you so well illustrate. May I recommend another painter (French) who works in a similar style (but with no commentary): Christian Arnould. He has RUclips videos worth watching.
Glad you enjoyed the demo. I'll look up Christian. Thanks for the recommendation. Best wishes.
Your centre of interest is also in the golden mean sweet spot! Love it! Thank you Ian!
Hi Richard I didn't actually think of that until you pointed it out. Best wishes.
Loved this video! Loved it because of the emphasis on design and light and your vision and not so much on the subject. Thank you for sharing.
Delighted that you found it helpful.
Just the aspect of the process needed! Great way to kick off a creative week and month. Always with thanks!
Glad you enjoyed it Cameron. All the best
Fabulous painting! Beautiful! And such a helpful commentary and instructive video. Thank you so much! 🤗🎨
My pleasure Dianne. All the best
Wow great painting Ian , and as always great instruction , I am blessed by your generosity , I hope the flood damage is not in your area , Craig
Hi Craig, thank you and yes we are high but not quite dry. But all is well in our household. Thanks for asking. Best wishes.
Great demo packed full of information. Great, I learn something every time!
Wonderful. So glad you liked it
The world is more beautiful through your eyes!!
Thanks Linda.
Thank you so much Ian for another great demo. My goodness you are confident and brave when painting vertical and horizontal lines in one stroke.
You are very welcome Julie. Glad you liked watching
As others have mentioned, I too would have not given that scene a second glance. Other than the contrasts. Simply wouldnt have seen the whole. Yet you saw it, explained your vision and shared your creating of it. Wow and thank you.
Thank you so much. I am glad you enjoyed watching it. All the very best.
It seems to be sooo simple. Your paintings make me speechless because of these wonderful complex colours. So powerful ❤❤❤❤❤❤❤ thank you and greetings from Germany, Düsseldorf.
Thank you so much for watching. Glad you liked it!
Very nice painting! It really conveys the sense of the setting sun illuminating the trees in the background.
Thank you so much Douglass
Always learning when watching you teach, Mr. Roberts!
Thanks so much Dianne. Delighted you enjoyed it
PARABÉNS PROF. SUA AULA ESTÁ MUITO BEM EXPLICADA. VOU TENTAR FAZER IGUAL. GRATO
Terrific teacher! Very grateful!!
I watch most of your videos and enjoy your teaching style. Can you explain colorist techniques. How they use pink unde blue and yellow under green... thank you.
A lovely painting Ian - this ordinary scene when lit in an exciting way is very evokative - many thanks
Glad you enjoyed it Peter. All the best
Fantastic demo! I really see the design elements and your use of value and temperature to aid the design as well as your shapes and horizontals and verticals. This demo really pulls together all, your designing a composition ideas. Also love your use of Pthalo green! Remarkable job. Great teaching as well as painting!
Thanks so much Mary. Delighted you enjoyed it.
Such great instruction! And your painting thoroughly demonstated your point that the light makes the painting, not the subject. Thank you!
Thank you so much Joanne. Glad you enjoyed it
Great ideas about design structure. Thanks for helping me to see it.
Glad it was helpful Sharon. All the best.
It’s beautiful Ian. I was all the time thinking that the bushes on the left were too light but in the end it looks perfect. I wonder wether some texture in the road could help without distracting. Very inspiring thank you
Thank you. I am so glad you liked it
What a great demonstration! Your demonstration of what seem to be simple techniques, create an amazing painting. Thank you!
Thank you so much!
It is so wonderful to watch you paint!
Thanks.
Just brilliant as usual, thank you so much Ian.
Glad you enjoyed it Teresa. Thank you
Thank you for sharing insights that I can immediately try to apply!
You're so welcome Robert. Glad you enjoyed it.
Loved watching this process
so glad to hear that. All the best
Ian thanks again for this beautiful demonstration
Glad you enjoyed it and thanks so much.
absolutely beautiful!
Thank you so much Danny
Thank you so much for this amazing demo, Ian. So much to learn from you! Thank you for sharing your knowledge and experience.
Glad it was helpful Kamlesh. Thank you for watching
Thank you very Much,Ian
You are welcome!
What a fantastic demonstration. Thank you. I learn something new with each post.
That makes me very happy to hear. Thank you
Thank you Ian.
You are welcome Joyce. All the best.
These demos help so much. Thank you.
Glad you like them. Thank you for watching
Thank you! My current painting has great subject matter but will greatly improve with more value contrast, inspired by you.
Good luck with that Margaret. All the best.
Thank you so much for this fun and inspiring video! You are a great gift and so generous with your time and talent. Love this painting!
You are so welcome Mary! Thank you
amazing demonstration Ian and beautifully explained!!!
Glad you liked it Paresh. Thank you
Beautiful painting! thanks for the demonstration.
Glad you liked it. You are very welcome
非常喜欢您对绘画的理解以及无私的奉献，感恩!
Beautiful! Thank you for sharing!
You are so welcome Joanne
Fabulous - wonderful explanation!
Glad it was helpful!
Great teaching Work, Mr. Roberts
Best wishes from Germany
Thanks so much Thomas. All the very best.
Great painting Ian. Inspiring!
Have you ever applied your composition rules to an abstract painting? I’m not an abstract artist myself but in my art development classes I run with young ones, I’m letting them play with colour, texture, line etc. I talk about having the most contrast mainly on the centre of attention, and flow of light and shapes through the paintings etc. Just wondering if you have demonstrated an abstract one before? If not I would love you to show us how you would go about it. There is so much to this painting business isn’t there, that’s what makes it so interesting.
Cheers 😊
Hi Meg, I used to make large abstract paintings back in the 80s. I don't now but I would say the ideas of compositional structure, Ior myself at least, I would need to apply them to an abstract painting as well. For me abstraction is more of a removing from a representational image than just starting to put paint on a canvas and see where it leads. I know a lot of abstraction is done that way. But I'm not sure it is my way. But I hope you are having fun with your classes. Sounds like fun.
Very Maxwell Parish. Thank You !!!
Beautiful, Ian
Thanks for watching.
Beautiful piece, well done.
Thank you very much Leon
I love these videos that help us recognize potential subjects in ordinary scenes around us. What I wonder about, though, is whether it takes more visual fluency than most potential buyers have to appreciate paintings that are design-based rather than subject-based? Visually educated fellow artists can appreciate such paintings, but with decreased art education, I wonder what you've experienced in terms of reception in the art marketplace?
Julliette, that is a good point. You can imagine of course someone travelling in Europe and buying a painting that contains cafés, flower boxes full of geraniums, and maybe a red tile roof or two. But to my mind I can't think about that market.
You never disappoint. Great lesson 😊
Glad to hear that. Thanks Mary
Great demonstration
Delighted you enjoyed it. All the best.
Thank you so much, for that video.
Superb sir as always. You exactly know where to put what and how much. That's the whole game. But it requires a vast experience of a master like you are. Hat's off sir. Warm regards.
Thank you so much. I am glad you enjoyed watching the process.
Great mastery ❤
thanks so much
Great demonstration! Thank you!!!❤
Glad it was helpful Denise
Excellent demo. Thank you
Glad you liked it
very nicely explained thought process. thanks. it feels a lot like a puzzle.
It can be sort of like a puzzle. I hope this video helped you. All the best
Happy New Year Ian! This is my favorite video you have put up to date. Very good explanation of the construct of design!
Hi Yolanda, I am delighted you liked it. My very best wishes for your 2024 as well.
nicely done ! i would not have thought of the size of canvas
Thanks Robbie. Glad you liked it
INSPIRING, INSTRUCTIVE & INTERESTING!
Thanks so much
Beautifully simplified
Glad you think so
Excellent demonstration
Glad it was helpful!
wonderful
Looks fun.
Thank you
Very informative . Thanks for sharing.
Glad it was helpful!
Amazing ❤
Thanks so much
Very cool, thank You!
Glad you liked it. Thank you for watching Viktor
Bravo!
Thank you George. Best wishes.
Hi Ian,
Just another question?
I really love foggy morning paintings. Just wondering if you have any demo’s around this? 😊
The problem is I live in LA and we don't get fog like that very often. Not never but not often and it burns off quickly. So I don't. But if I find myself with a scene or photo that would lend itself to that I'll do it. All the best.
Thanks for this nice and informative demonstration. It's interesting to see how you mixed the colors for the sunny parts. Have you thought about removing or changing the white marking line on the parking area? I mean changing the position with 90°, so that this line would introduce and guide your eye into the painting. Just my personal feeling 🙂
Glad you enjoyed the video. I didn't think of putting that line 90 degrees to where it is. The road going back did that enough I thought and the horizontal line helps slow us down from being pulled to the back of the road to quickly. At least in my view.
Beautiful, thank you!
You're very welcome Kevin. Thanks for watching
You are sutch a god teatcher! To simplefly means everything!
thank you so much
The main lesson here is that sound composition can make even boring subjects powerfully engaging. Respectfully, one suggestion I would make is that the curves of the sidewalk and the painted line feel a bit "flabby". I feel the painting would be greatly strengthened by constructing those long curves out of several shorter straight segments. The eye will still read them as curves, but they will feel much more sturdy.
Good advice. All the best.
Lovely
Thank you.
Super 👍
Thank you!
Completely disagree with the previous comment! Beautiful painting from an unassuming scene. But those lit trees certainly would have caught my eye. By the way, thanks so much for the heads up about the Blackwing Matte pencils! Have completely transformed my drawing!
I disagree too. And I am delighted you like the pencils. They are the best. All the best
Interessting demo, painting made me think of Edward Hopper
Thank you John. Kind of you to say
Gracias Ian. Una pregunta: siempre el punto focal o el punto de interés máximo en una pintura, sería la ubicación de la palmera? Al tercio y en el horizonte aproximadamente?
I tend to use a simple structure: a horizontal (often the horizon line) and I look for a strong vertical (the palm tree and edge of sidewalk in this panting) that meet at the focal point. Obviously there will be exceptions. But that is what is happening here. Even though the beautiful warm light might seem like the focal point, structurally I think it is the smaller palm tree in shadow just below the lit one. It does in this case fall on the third. But usually if I can I try and push the focal point out past the third so there is more tension. I hope that all makes sense. All the best.
Translated to Spanish using google translate (I am sorry about any mistakes):
Tiendo a usar una estructura simple: una horizontal (a menudo la línea del horizonte) y busco una vertical fuerte (la palmera y el borde de la acera en este jadeo) que se encuentran en el punto focal. Evidentemente habrá excepciones. Pero eso es lo que está pasando aquí. Aunque la hermosa luz cálida pueda parecer el punto focal, estructuralmente creo que es la palmera más pequeña en la sombra justo debajo de la iluminada. En este caso recae en el tercero. Pero normalmente, si puedo, intento empujar el punto focal más allá del tercero para que haya más tensión. Espero que todo tenga sentido. Mis mejores deseos.
Thank you! I really enjoy every video you upload. Does it sometimes happen to you that you make a sketch / thumbnail of a scene, and after thinking it all through (the composition, values, etc), you lose interest in it? Because it is in a way "a solved case" to you, even though it has a good structure and it could be made into a good painting. Just wondering, what is the approximate ratio of thumbnails to real paintings in your case?
I usually only start a thumbnail in anticipation of painting. It is quick, like jotting down an intention. I’m fired up and ready to paint and this is like a roadmap to make sure I’m heading in the right direction. I might have to make adjustments to the thumbnail before starting. But with thumbnails the drawing itself is not for the drawing, but just as an aid before starting to paint. So nothing gets dissipated in that process. Thumbnails would be close to 100%. Now exploring a drawing for it’s own sake, something more finished, that is a completely different story. I might not start a drawing with any intention of turning that into a painting. I just wanted to draw. Sometimes it leads me to realize I’d like to paint it too. Sometimes I, as you express, feel I’ve got as much out of it as I can and don’t want to paint it. When you get to the drawings because they can play their own role independent of making paintings of them, it gets harder to think in terms of percentages. Hope that helps. All the best.
@@IanRobertsMasteringComposition Thank you so much for answering me, Ian, I really appreciate it. You explained it very well. In fact that inspires me not to give up that easily, but to aim to move from thumbnails to finished paintings in most cases, too. Wishing you all the best from Valencia, Spain.
Wonderful Helene. That makes me really happy to hear - don't give up. I hope you have fun with it. All the best. @@helene9947
Wow!
Glad you liked it.
Do you have any tips on how to get started? I have all the paints, canvas and materials I need....but I feel stuck on how to just start painting!
Посмотрите "8 1/2" Феллини и вы поймёте , что вы не одинок. Успехов!
HI Carla, Two things. The fear of starting is always there. For me too. You just have to push through that. Once you do start things start to flow and you wonder why you put up so many internal barriers. I call that the Dance of Avoidance in my book Creative Authenticity. We all go through it. We just learn over time to navigate it better. And two, perhaps start smaller. drawings, of household things. Look at the work of Dike Blaire. Just simple paintings and drawings of household things. Keep it simple, and good luck. That fear is the #1 killer of creativity. So I would say just dive in and see what happens. What can go wrong? I'm half joking on that one. All the best.
@@IanRobertsMasteringComposition Thank you for your advice. I will start with some drawings first of simple items as you suggest... I ordered your book and I'm sure that will help as well! Thank you again and happy painting!!
I will watch this movie when I can, thank you!@@ВикторВоробьёв-р7л
You're very welcome. I hope you have fun with it. And I hope my book helps too. All the best. @@carlamariestudios
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Thank you for watching
Excellent demonstration Ian. Do you oil out the surface before starting with the second layer?
Thank you. I didn't oil out. I just head straight in on the second layer. My first layer is pretty thin (thinned with mineral spirits) the second layer thick and I am covering the whole surface again. So really I am not "interacting" the first with the second layer. I am just covering it. All the best.
yeah I totally see the design is way more important
Excelent class! How.much time did you wait to paint the second layer? Thanks for your help!
That's a touch one. Probably an hour to an hour and a half. But then I sit and look at and make small adjustments. And so the "time" part gets harder to judge. I spend time letting the painting talk back to me, letting it tell me what needs adjusting. That sort of takes it's own time over a few days. Each thing I notice and the adjustment itself may only take a couple of minutes. So the actual time the brush is on the canvas is not the best measure of how long. Hope that makes sense. All the best.
@@IanRobertsMasteringComposition Thanks for your fast answer!
you're very welcome @@henriquejanuario881
Salamat po
you're welcome!
Why not keep the cars? They do add interest, unless you are simply more interested in the foliage.
Hi Finn, I just didn't want to deal them - too much trouble for no return is sort of the way I think of it.
"Man made, I mean - person made ... " - that was funny...lol
Glad you enjoyed it
Fantastic.....totally agree .....design is the key!......great lesson thanks!
Glad you liked it. Thank you Paul