Deciding a painting is finished tends to be tricky. How can you be sure it is indeed where it needs to be, that there isn't something you've left undone or that still needs fixing or could be improved? I'm lucky in that my Significant Other also has an artistic eye, so I usually ask his opinion when I begin to think I'm there.
We'd recently been talking about how you decide, which led to him putting together a helpful list of things you can do to check: Are We There Yet?
• Have Your Say:When is a Painting Finished?
Image © 2013 Marion Boddy-Evans. Licensed to About.com, Inc.
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Supersize Your Paintings
If you dream of painting on a huge scale, here are some tips to help you turn a vast expanse of white canvas into a painting.
Learning to Paint
Spotlight: Current Painting Project
This project, which runs until the end of May, is not about inventing a fantasy landscape, but rather taking a real landscape and being selective about what you include rather than merely reproducing reality.
Find Out More
Are We There Yet? Aka Finishing a Painting
Saturday May 18, 2013
This Week's Painting Tip: DIY Painting Easel
Friday May 17, 2013
Do you wish you had a painting easel but can't afford one? Well, if you've some basic woodworking skills (or know someone who does), it's feasible to make a simple, A-frame easel. Even better, you can make it "double sided", so you can have a painting on either side that you're working on. Find out more...
See Also:
• Tips on Buying an Easel
• Photo Gallery: A Plein Air Easel
• Forum Discussion: Do I Need an Easel?
Image: © Clark Botha
One Point Perspective Made Easy
Thursday May 16, 2013
The "p" word (perspective) all too easy throws people into a tizz. Make it sound more complicated by saying "one-point perspective" and some folk are want to give up before they've even started. Yet it's something we've all seen: The railway track converging in the distance, the avenue of trees, the long road ... the way two parallel rows of whatever meet in the distance, that's one-point perspective. So don't let the artspeak frighten you, it's simply a term for something you already know.
• Perspective in Art: A Beginner's Guide
• Perspective in Art: A Beginner's Guide
The 5 Most Tedious and Boring Art Tasks
Wednesday May 15, 2013
Varnishing paintings is something I enjoy even less than watching paint dry. I like the result (the uniform finish), and the added layer of protection of my painting, but doing it isn't exactly exciting. It's on my list of the unavoidable art tasks that are simply tedious, repetitive, mind-numbing, and boring, albeit essential. Read more...• Have Your Say: What do you think is the worst art task?
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