Problem Solving for Oil Painters

About Problem Solving for Oil Painters

Finally – a book to help you solve all your painting problems!

Inside you’ll learn how to study a painting and correct problematic areas. Study topics include:

Ideas
– Is there a good abstract idea underlying the picture?
– What details could be eliminated to strengthen the composition?
– Does the painting have a focus?
– Are the unessential parts subbordinated?
– Does the painting "read"?
– Could you finish any part of the painting?

Shapes
– Are the dominant shapes as strong and simple as possible?
– Are the shapes too similiar?

Value
– Could the value range be increased?
– Could the number of values be reduced?

Light
– Is the subject effectively lit?
– Is the light area big enough?
– Would the light look stronger with a suggestion of burnout?
– Do the lights have a continuous flow?
– Is the light gradiated?

Shadows
– Do the shadow shapes describe the form?
– Are the shadows warm enough?

Depth
– Would the addition of foreground material deepen the space?
– Does the background recede far enough?
– Are the halftones properly related to the background?

Solidity
– Is the underlying form being communicated?
– Is the symmetry in perspective?

Color
– Is there a color strategy?
– Could a purer color be used?
– Do the whites have enough color in them?
– Are the colors overbended on the canvas?
– would the color look brighter if it were saturated into its adjacent area?

Paint
– Is your palette efficiently organized?
– Is the painting surface too absorbent?
– Are you using the palette knife as much as you could?
– Are you painting lines when you should be painting masses?
– Are the edges dynamic enough?
– Is there enough variation in the texture of the paint?