7 Ways to Become a Proficient Painter

Are you a candid or an amateur painter? If your serious you should know a few technical details to become a proficient painter. Splashing paints and dabbing a few brush strokes does not make you a good painter. You need to know the 7 key painting techniques to unleash your creative side.

To start with, try all seven methods and then choose one technique that best suits your style of painting. Don't just work on one technique and presume that the rest is not meant for you. You can even try to creatively combine a couple of techniques together to create an impressive and expressive painting.

Blocking In
In this style of painting, the artist works on the background, subject and the foreground, all in sequence. As an artist you should make a rough composition of what you want to draw on your canvas and the tones of colors to block in the subject. Then, the wet paint should be allowed to dry after which you add details, shades, shadows and more tone to the picture.

Sketching One By One
There are a few professional artists, who prefer to sketch, paint and add details in one section at a time and once that segment is done the artist moves on to paint another section of the same painting. Many people choose to start from a corner of the canvas and slowly move to the center and then to the extreme end of the paper. But a few artist paint different still life components, one by one adding details then and there. Acrylic paint can be used to blend colors on the canvas itself.

Detailing The Foreground/ Subject First
Artists who follow this style of painting, work on the subject or the foreground first and then paint their background. They often complete 50% or more detailing of the foreground and then switch to adding shades to the background. Using this technique is not as easy as it seems to be. If you are not confident about your brush strokes and think that you will mess up the subject while painting the background, then you must consider twice before you choose this painting style. Once you are done with the detailing of your subject you can apply contrast paint for the subject to stand out.

Finishing Your Backdrop First
This is a very common style adopted by professional painters. Paint the background first and let it dry before you design your foreground subject. However, you should plan and visualize the scene before you start to paint on the canvas.

Drawing Intricacies Before Painting
A small number of painters believe in sketching an intricate drawing of the subject first and then once they are completely happy with the design they start painting. If you are a starter you can try drawing the picture on paper first and then transferring the idea on the canvas. Remember if your drawing isn't satisfactory you will not be able to start painting! In this technique your paintbrush is not just an ordinary coloring tool, but painting instrument that will decide the quality of your painting with definite strokes.

Underpainting
This is for those who have lots of time and patience to paint the painting in monochrome first and then add the true hue and tones for a complete picture. The painter dabs transparent colors first to the drawing and then the light and dark effect is created using the normal paint. Grisaille, Verdaccio and Imprimatura are forms of underpainting.

Alla Prima
Alla Prima is a painting technique in which the painting is completed in just a single sitting. The artist works on wet paint over and over again and finishes painting before the paint dries. The artist may have to sit for longer hours if the subject and composition chosen is complex; otherwise it should not take more than a couple of hours to create a lucid and elegant painting.

Here are 7 ways to become a proficient painter. Which one is right for you? Not right for you? Only you can answer that.

Check each style out and see which works best. And as suggested, try combining styles to create your own.

Sources:

emptyeasel.com/art-tutorials/painting-tutorials/
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