Basic Steps to Follow Before You Start Painting
Ever thought of the steps you need to take before painting? Well here are a few you can follow to make painting easy and fun.
Painting is one of the most enjoyable hobbies for many of us as children and grown-ups. Some of us even consider taking it up as our source of income, and some try it to calm their nerves after a long, tiring day. As easy as it may look, painting can be quite difficult.
Your painting might not be as good as a professional if you are just a beginner. There is no problem if you’re not as good as painting is your personal creation, no matter how it is. Still, there are some steps you can consider following before you start painting.
Besides, putting your imagination on a canvas and creating art never hurts anybody. The moment you pick up your brush to paint, you are about to create magic. So here are some steps you can follow for an easier process.
Make up your Mind about What to Paint
In most cases, coming up with the concept of what to paint can be quite a challenge. There are ways you can overcome the struggle of choosing what to paint.
Some note down what to paint, some feel like capturing the subject with a camera might be of help. You can go with either; make your own mind map and proceed with painting. Most importantly, choose a subject that you’ll be comfortable with painting.
Your inspiration can be boosted by anything around you. However, these are some steps you can follow while pre-painting. Moreover, if you are a beginner, these steps will make painting easier for you.
The Visual Elements
The composition, such as shape, color, and texture has a huge role to play while considering painting.
Lighting
This has to be one of the most important factors to look upon before painting. This determines the mixtures of colors to use, the shading, the reflections, and shadows of the subject you will be painting.
Color Harmony
This is the step where you assess if the colors of the subject and its surrounding area complement each other or not. You experiment with the hue varieties because color harmony helps us to set a mood for our painting.
For example, we go for hues of blue or grey to portray a dull mood.
These combined factors often make us more open to options and help us to create art and nurture our painting skills.
Capture a Reference Photograph for your Painting
To be on the safer side, it’s always wise to take pictures of your subject or anything that you wish to paint. This is of great help for people who have just started painting or are planning to get into it.
It’s always a good idea to take pictures of your subject from different angles, under different lights. This will help you with the shadows and reflections, which will make your painting more realistic.
It is perfectly fine if your picture doesn’t come out as good as a professional photographer’s, as the photos will only be used as references.
Taking a reference picture is a good idea because it helps you to avoid making your painting look unrealistic and cartoonish. It helps us ensure to put in all the necessary details the painting requires to make it look more realistic.
Subject Analysis
In the pre-painting process, it’s very useful if you start analyzing the subject. If you get a perfect image of what you want to draw and add your uniqueness to it, your painting will be good to go. If you have a mind map of painting put up, you will be good to go when you start painting.
- When it comes to analyzing the subject, try to leave out unnecessary details surrounded by the subject itself. This keeps you focused on the thing you want to paint.
- It is always safe and a good idea to convert your reference picture to grayscale. That way you can determine the darkest and lightest hues of the subject.
- Always check the major color for selecting its harmony. Use a color checker to help yourself out with this. You can also come up with your choice of hues you want to use in your painting.
- One of the best things about a reference picture is that you can always zoom it to analyze the smallest and finest details. That way your painting will no longer look unrealistic.
Get your Supplies Ready!
Make sure you stock up your supplies before you start painting. You don’t want to run out of supplies midway. Make sure you’ve got your colors, brushes, and solvent in place before you start making art.
Running out of supplies can often make you lose focus on what you are doing as you start worrying about purchasing supplies. This way your interest in painting gets hampered.
Just Start Your Painting
Last but not least, you will be ready by now to start painting. So stop being lazy, follow these steps for creating cool things to paint!
Prepare your canvas, your supplies, and put on some music if that helps you to set the mood. Stroke on your blank canvas with paint. This usually works as a warm-up session before you actually start painting.
A quick study of your subject won’t hurt. It’ll help you greatly as the last minute preparation you need. This way you can work on the issues you have or might face in the process.
Make your Pre-Painting Phase Easier
The processes discussed above are reasons why painting might seem like an easy thing to do after a few tries. The steps are easy and also provide you a great insight into your surroundings, as you would be doing a study. You get to have a keen observation of light, texture, and details in this way.
Creating something of your own feels great, and we should always try crafts and painting to destress our minds. Ever wondered how taking up painting would make you a keen observer? Now you know, painting is a great hobby for obtaining a greater perspective on life.
