Pastel Fall 2015 Class: Learning by Observing

I had finished my project the previous class so I brought in something I wanted to do for myself. I found a painting I did in my plein air class and the reference photo I took down in San Pedro by the boats and working on a charcoal gray sanded paper I used both references to work on my painting.

Reference photo

Plein air oil 

I liked the looseness of the plein air painting but I needed the photo to see detail where the painting was unclear. I also used the painting for my color reference because a photo can be very monotone. Cameras do have their limitations so an artist needs to take special care to note colors and atmosphere when all you are taking are photos. If you can sit down and do a color sketch or a plein air painting that is better when you get back into the studio to paint.

Watching someone else work is as important as painting itself. You see how someone works at the speed they like to work at which is usually a lot faster than working on a class project. You see how they handle different aspect of a painting, the colors they choose, how they attack a complicated element such as the cluttered dock behind the boats or the distant palm trees in my painting. You see the flow of the artist and how it might help you in your painting so never pass up the opportunity to just watch someone paint.

I also want to stress you need to practice doing just studies of single elements. I know we all want to have a finished masterpiece, but if you want to be a better painter you need to learn to focus on the elements of a painting. There are artists that research a future painting by gathering photos and doing sketches and thumbnails long before they ever start on their masterpiece. With all that preparation it usually does turn out to be a masterpiece. Give this a try for a few months – yes, a few months because it won’t happen overnight – doing some sketches and thumbnails, taking or finding images so you know your subject. The drawing I’ve done of wood took me 10 minutes tops but it tells me so much so when I get to wood in a painting I’m doing, I understand what I need to do. Try it you might like it, especially the results and it won’t hurt.

You will continue to work on your own projects, so keep painting and I will see you in class.