Is Your Painting Finished? 5 Questions to Ask Yourself
Sep 29, 2010 Drawing
How do you know when your painting is finished? With some pieces you just know, but with others you need to make a conscious decision to stop. It can be difficult to figure out when your painting is finished. You often don’t know it was done until you go too far and realized you should have stopped ten minutes earlier!
Here are some questions to ask yourself to help determine if your painting is finished.
1. Is there enough contrast?
A fully realized painting should reflect a full range of contrast between values (light and dark) and hues (vibrant and unsaturated). When looking at values, it can be helpful to squint your eyes. This highlights the contrast between the lightest and darkest areas of your painting. You can also take a picture of your painting and digitally make it a gray-scale image. This gives you the best indication of the range of values. With not enough contrast in value, your painting will appear gray and flat.
Paintings should also have a mix of hue intensity; the brightness of colours. If you’ve used all of your colours straight out of the tube, you may want to think about toning some areas down by tinting the paint with white or a complimentary colour. This will only make the neighbouring hues look that much brighter!
2. Is your subject matter appropriately rendered?
I tried to word this in a way that could apply to any painting, regardless of subject matter. What I mean is, have you executed your painting in a way that reflects your style and aspirations? If you’re going for a realistic style, are there any areas that are clumsy or need more work? If you’re going for a loose, expressive style, are there areas that have become too tightly overworked? Don’t get lazy with what you’re painting and don’t make excuses.
3. Does the composition make sense?
Composition is the arrangement of the formal elements of your painting on the canvas. It can play a big part in the feeling of your piece. Have you considered the way the parts of your painting interact with each other? Even if you do thumbnail sketches, you may need to make changes to a painting’s composition. For example, when the subject matter gets too close to the edge of the canvas, it can create tension. If this isn’t intentional, it can take away from the effect of the painting.
4. Does it convey the right message?
You need to know what it is you’re trying to get across in your work and make sure your painting reflects that. Sometimes this can be hard to figure out all by yourself. A good way to answer this question is to get other people to look at your work. Other people will react to only what they see and feel in your work, not the ideas that are in your head. If you find that people are responding to something you didn’t intend, you may want to re-consider your approach.
5. Could you live with it?
Would you be happy hanging your painting in your house? Try it! Live with it on your wall for a few days. This is a really good way to get a new perspective on your piece. If there was an area bugging you, you may find that you suddenly know how to fix it.
Some paintings come together with almost an audible click. You step back and it’s finished. Others are a struggle every step of the way. With these pieces, it’s incredibly important that you be critical and evaluate each element of the painting, asking yourself what it brings to the piece. If you don’t feel that sense of completion, don’t panic! Turn on your critical, analytical side and evaluate the painting to determine if it’s finished.
How do you know when a painting is finished?
Disclaimer: Of course, the answers to these questions greatly depend on the style of painting you are doing. While it’s my opinion that most successful paintings have a full range of values, not every painting needs it. It really depends on what you are trying to achieve with your work. Whatever you’re going for, these questions reflect some of the things you should consider along the way.
Tags: acrylic painting, art tips, Creativity, oil painting
7 Tips to Make the Most of Art Gallery Openings
Sep 26, 2010 Promotion and Exhibition
You’ve lande
d an exhibition and the opening date is fast approaching. You begin to wonder what it’s going to be like, how you should prepare and what you should expect. Here are a few things to keep in mind for gallery openings, whether for a solo or group exhibition.
1. When to Arrive
It’s always a good idea, in my opinion, to arrive at the gallery a little bit early if you can. This lets you get acquainted with the gallery director or curator, get a feel for the space and help set up, if you’re so inclined. Some people like to arrive fashionably late, but that’s not my style. I like to know the lay of the land and have a few minutes to relax before jumping into networking.
3. Speaking of Networking…
Be prepared to “work the room.” You’re there to meet and greet, not only for your benefit but for the galleries. It’s a draw for visitors to know that the artist will be in attendance. Some tips for successful networking are:
- have a statement prepared to talk about your art when asked for more information
- keep business cards on hand throughout the evening, and give them out!
- have a website to direct people to if they want to see more of your work
- show genuine interest in your potential clients; ask questions (it’s not all about you!)
- mingle, but stay close to your work when in a group show
- be willing to approach viewers and introduce yourself; don’t wait for people to come to you
- don’t stick with friends or family during the opening, this makes you unapproachable
Basically, try to adopt an open and friendly attitude. Be there to answer questions and share information about your work, but also socialize and meet new people. You want to make your visitors feel welcome and valued for showing up. Remember that each person you talk to is a potential client.
4. Dress Appropriately
Don’t roll in looking like you’ve just left the studio. Yes, you’re an artist, but you also want to make a good first impression. The people you meet could be your future clients and collectors. It’s important to present yourself in a clean, professional way.
5. Saying a Few Words
Be aware that you may be asked to “say a few words” at the opening, sometimes with very little notice. At my exhibition opening last week, I knew I was going to be asked to speak. In fact, it was a mini artist talk and I was expected to talk for five to ten minutes. I made sure I had a small speech prepared so that I wouldn’t forget any important information. I’ve also been at openings where the curator has pulled me aside and said that he would introduce me in five minutes, when I’d be asked to “say a few words.” If you don’t have anything prepared, you run the risk of rambling on and on without direction or getting stuck and not knowing what to say.
6. Drinking
Wine may or may not be offered at gallery openings. If it is, I see nothing wrong with having a glass to relax and be sociable. Sometimes it’s good to just have something in your hand! Just be careful that you don’t over-indulge. Nothing screams unprofessional like a stumbling, slurring artist. This should go without saying, but it’s easy to do, especially if you’re nervous.
7. Most Importantly?
Have fun! This is the moment when you get to be in the spotlight and people can appreciate your all the hard work that often goes on behind the scenes. A gallery opening is an event, for artists and viewers alike. It’s a chance to get out, dress up and enjoy good art and good conversation. Enjoy every minute of it!
Drawing the Human Figure – An Introduction
Sep 22, 2010 Drawing
The human figure is perhaps one of the oldest and most classical art subjects, dating from prehistoric times.
Why are we, as humans, so interested in representing ourselves in art? Maybe it’s a narcissistic interest in looking at ourselves, maybe it’s the challenge of rendering the beauty of our form and maybe it’s a fascination with the intricacies of our bodies. Either way, the human figure as art subject is a lasting and persistent subject, bound to be around for many more years.
Figure drawing can be applied to many areas of art from portraits to cartoons and can be done in any media and style imaginable. The most widely known figure drawings are probably those by da Vinci, delicately rendered and exquisite in detail.
When you’re first learning, it’s a good idea to draw very simple poses. This lets you get comfortable with basic proportions. No matter what size a person is, their body usually follows basic proportion rules. As you get comfortable with the figure, you can try more complex poses that incorporate foreshortening.
When drawing the human figure, it’s really important (especially at the beginning) to use a reference. The figure is an extremely complex, intricate shape and a close observation to details is necessary. You can use photos or one of those wooden dolls (though I wouldn’t recommend it), but the best reference is a real person. The dolls are kind of cool looking, but are so unlike a human body that they are, in my opinion, pretty much useless.
You can take many approaches to figure drawing. One way is to look at the overall shape of the body. Drawing a basic outline of the 
entire body gives you a frame of reference in which to work. Another way is to focus on the light and dark shapes. Whatever approach you take, it’s always helpful to have a firm understanding of anatomy. Knowledge of the bones and muscles can help you draw figures more accurately especially as you draw more complicated poses.
Figure drawing, life drawing in particular, is a staple of the visual arts. Even if figures are not your subject of choice, drawing the figure is a worthwhile practice. It’s an exercise in observation and a great way to challenge yourself.
On the Web
Figure drawing resources on the internet.
More info on the history of figure drawing.
Tags: better drawings, figure drawing
Applying Problogger’s Elevator Pitch to Art Marketing
Sep 19, 2010 Promotion and Exhibition
One thing that I’ve always found difficult is talking about my art. It’s not that I don’t like it or that I don’t want to. I love to talk about my work when people show an interest. I love being able to tell people what I do! The problem I have is communicating in a clear, concise way what I do and why I do it.
When people find out I’m an artist, the inevitable question is, “what kind of art do you do?” I usually stammer something about large, abstract paintings, but it never feels like an adequate explanation. Part of the problem is that my art is hard to describe, but the biggest issue is that I’ve never really sat down and thought about the best way to answer the question.
When I first started blogging, I did Darren Rowse’s 31 Days to Build a Better Blog. It’s an amazing program that I would highly recommend to first-time and experienced bloggers. The very first assignment was to write an elevator pitch, a statement that briefly describes the purpose and goals of your blog and mean to spark interest. Originally, the elevator pitch was used by entrepreneurs looking for investment, but this statement can be applied in many different ways.
It wasn’t until very recently that I realized this strategy could be used by artists. By creating an elevator pitch for your art, you not only solidify in your mind what your art is about, you develop a conversation starter that can be used in a variety of social settings. By thinking about these things before hand in a no-pressure situation, you prepare yourself to deliver thoughtful, articulate explanation to any potential clients.
When developing an elevator pitch for your art, remember to consider your audience. Your language might be different when talking to a curator than if you are talking to a co-worker. You want people to understand what you’re saying and be intrigued. Be prepared to expand on what you’ve talked about. Darren suggests you have several elevator pitches of varying lengths depending on what is appropriate to the situation.
I will be putting this idea into practice myself, to better prepare myself for the inevitable question. The next time someone asks me what kind of art I do, I will have a good answer! I’ll be sure to post an example of my elevator pitch soon.
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Tags: art marketing, elevator pitch, promotion
Exhibition Installation Emergency Kit
Sep 12, 2010 Promotion and Exhibition
When it comes time for an art exhibition, you may be asked to install your own work. Some galleries will do it for you, but others will expect you to do it, or at least to help.
It’s always a good idea to come prepared to an installation. The exhibition space may or may not have what you need, so ask or bring your own materials! This is especially true if your work requires any special installation. Also keep in mind that you may need to make minor repairs on art that’s been damaged during transportation.
I installed my exhibition this morning and brought a little emergency kit with me full of everything I would need. Here is a list of my suggested items:
- Screws, plastic reinforcing plugs and nails.
- Hammer and screwdriver.
- White paint and a brush for any touch-ups that might be needed.
- Glue and masking tape for repairs.
- Level.
- Tape measure.
- Extra d-rings and wire.
- Pencil.
- Sticky tack (just in case).
- Artist statement to post on the wall.
- Other promotional material to display.
I was particularly glad I brought the glue. My work can be delicate and one of my paintings got a bit damaged somewhere between the house and the gallery. A bit of glue and some tape to hold the piece in place while the glue dried and it was good as new!
Always be sure to arrive at your exhibition installation with anything you think you might need to hang your work. Try to plan for any possibility and be prepared just in case. You may not need any or all of what you bring, but wouldn’t you rather be prepared?
Tags: exhibitions, galleries, gallery installation
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