“The arts are not just a nice thing to have or to do if there is free time or if one can afford it."
"Rather, paintings and poetry, music and fashion, design and dialogue, they all define who we are as a people and provide an account of our history for the next generation.”
Malcolm Gladwell says it takes 10,000 hours of easel time to become "the best painter in the world."
10,000 Hours? Are You Kidding Me?
Here's my take on why it takes some time to become a good painter: it's the neurological training of your brain to a new task.
10,000 is a hard number to reach and most ordinary people bail long before reaching that goal (and presumably this is why most of us are not great painters).
Learning the craft of classical oil painting isn't easy if you're starting from scratch - but logging in whatever time it takes to become a competent painter really is doable for everyone.
You can learn to paint in an "intellectual" way - read this blog, pick up a brush and find out how "easy" it is - Ha!
But there is no substitute for putting in some serious time. Here's why "time" will teach your brain how to paint - and then painting will grow into an "easy" skill.
The repeated act of painting - over and over - builds a type of implicit memory - which means that your brain holds knowledge of something your mind cannot explicitly access. (i.e., you do it - but it is tough to explain).
Albert Einstein said: “Love is a better master than duty.” (In other words, it you love to paint it won't be hard to put in a lot of hours to learn this skill).
Riding a bike, tying your shoes, typing on a keyboard, and steering your car into a parking place are examples of what you learned by "doing it." And the more you do these things, the better, faster and more accurate you get.
But can you explain exactly how you do it? Not so easy...
By the act of painting repeatedly, you'll develop a perfectly timed choreography with which your muscles contract and relax as you navigate your way around a canvas with a loaded brush. The more you do it, the happier the result and the easier it gets.
ALBERT EINSTEIN:
“It is not that I'm so smart. But I stay with the questions much longer.”
This is the gap between what your brain can do and what you can tap into consciously.
The old studio system made it easier to learn to paint. The master would stand over the apprentice and watch and give feedback. After some period of time, the student's brain was trained to be masterful - albeit unconscious.
Sometimes this is assumed to be "talent" - but I think that merely putting in time counts for more than the "magical talent myth." In time, it actually becomes part of your neurology.
Good painters - and people on their way to being good painters - put in whatever hours are necessary - over some period of time - to learn the skill of good painting.
Einstein talks about time and repetition:
“If you want your children to be intelligent, read them fairy tales. If you want them to be more intelligent, read them more fairy tales.”
Handling paint is subtle. Oil paint "feels" different and behaves differently on different days. It depends on the temperature, humidity, how long it's been on the palette, the medium and canvas you're using, etc.
It takes time to learn these things and if you discover a substitute - please let me know.
If you painted 40 hours a week for a solid year you'd accumulate about 2000 hours. Thinking about 10,000 hours is a bit humbling, isn't it?
KARIN WELLS (trying to sound like Einstein):
“It is not that I'm such a good painter. But I probably worked more hours than most.”
The conscious mind is not at the center of the action in the brain; instead, it is far out on a distant edge, hearing but whispers of the activity.
You have to sit down and paint - repeatedly - if you want to become a good painter.
My friend Paul Pedersen* sent me a copy of his latest still life painting.
He was kind enough to allow me to stomp on his grapes as a way to teach you all a mini-lesson in correcting a common mistake.
I am grape-ful for Paul's nice little original still life above.
Paul has painted perfect little portraits of each grape - but he failed to "paint the bunch."
I photoshopped the painting to show how to "mass" this bunch of grapes together.
The bunch of grapes need to be painted as one entire unit - with both light and shadow as shown above.
In painting "reality" you paint the desired illusion (not merely what you see). In this case the "illusion" is meant to be "a bunch of grapes" - and not just sixty eight individual portraits of similar grapes (even though that is what they really are).
On the overall mass of grapes, the part nearest the source of light are the lightest - and the portion farthest from the light turns into shadow.
Massing small objects will always strengthen a painting.
Here is Paul's picture - photoshopped to show the result of massing. You can see that the overall light and shadow are maintained.
In painting the individual objects (in this case, grapes) you must not violate the light and shadow pattern you established underneath.
In other words, the values of each individual grape will completely respect the light and shadow you have established in massing the bunch.
Massing is so easy to see when you know what you're looking at. Chardin masses the bunch of strawberries in his still life.
Or when George Inness masses foliage in his landscapes...everybody does it - or they'd go nuts painting each tree branch and leaf.
Corot (and every other master painter I can think of) masses objects . . . trees and even those buildings in the distance.
Titian masses hair and fur in this portrait. Just imagine how impossible it would be to paint individual hairs?
Raphael masses hair and landscape elements.
Raphael masses hair and fur. You can see massing is everywhere - go to any good art museum and look at the Old Masters.
*NOTE: I trust Paul will forgive me for "raisin a fuss" about those grapes. (Groan - I ust cannot seem to help myself with those puns).
In case you're wondering where I went - the answer is "nowhere." I am busy writing a book on "The Nuts and Bolts of Classical Oil Painting."**
My focus: Painting is a Craft that you need to master - before you get to the "art" part.
My aim is to write a basic textbook for someone who doesn't know a darn thing . . . except that they wish to paint in a classical realistic manner.
So many of us are visual - and need to be shown, rather than told, "how to make it look real." (There are rules for this, you know).
The format of this blog maddingly does not allow me to go into the detail I wish. So I am writing/illustrating an ebook to teach classical realistic painting.
So far it's a technical nightmare - but I'll eventually figure it out.
Stay tuned.
** This is only a working title, suggestions welcome.
I keep this painting around the studio to remind myself that some lessons are really painful.
This is a detail of an oil sketch I did many years ago. In those days I was a bit too "casual" with my work and set this painting on the floor next to my easel to dry.
One day I discovered that I had managed to splatter paint all over it - which was dry and could not be removed.
Still . . . I left this work on the floor until a week later - my full-time-dog and part-time-art-critic evidently mistook this piece for a fire hydrant.
Sarge (named after John Singet Sargent) never did that again - thank heavens.
So the point of this story is: Treat your work with the respect it deserves and don't leave it laying around where it can get damaged.
The purpose of a frame is to visually separate the painting from the wall it is hanging on.
I like a wide gold frame - at least 4" wide to do this - just because I paint in a classical style.
Sometimes I choose a frame by placing my painting in a frame in Photoshop. I like to "try it on" before I buy if possible. Like this recent reject below:
I'll have to keep trying "Doris 'Granny D' Haddock" in frames until I find one I like....maybe something with a touch of silver perhaps?
There are many framers and frame companies - but fast, elegant and relatively inexpensive appeals to me.
I just got an email from (con)artist and world-class braggart Djordje Prudnikoff who sent an email to his "group" shamelessly complementing his own work ~
- and then he signed my name!
I did not send anybody this email.
I do not support this good-for-nothing shyster who used my name without my knowledge or my permission.
I am stunned that any artist would do such a moronic thing.
I moved this up from an earlier posting as I have had so many questions about how this is done.
Knowing how to draw an accurate ellipse "by eye" can be an extremely useful tool...i.e., from rendering vases and teacups - not to mention its use in portraiture.
Here's how it is done:
Determine the outside dimensions of your ellipse with a rectangle.
Connect the corners of the rectangle with straight lines (CC).
Where these lines intersect is the center, point B.
Divide line BC into thirds by eye and mark with dots.
Point D is the outermost dot and will be moved verrrry slightly outward so that it is a little less than 1/3.
Mark the center of the sides of the rectangle (Point A).
With a dotted curved line, the elipse will only touch the rectangle at Point A and pass through Point D.
Thank heavens this works with any perspective view too and that is when you REALLY need it.
NOTE:
When drawing a circle or any curve, it will always be easier to be accurate if you use a dotted line rather than a solid line first.
My teachers are offering a very intensive week long workshop on Classical Realism.
And what an opportunity this is!
Numael and Shirley Pulido are not only great painters, they are the best teachers I ever had.
You can enjoy some of their work below while you read about this workshop. Numael's works are in oil and Shirley's works shown here are in pastel.
Portrait by Numael Pulido
This five and a half-day course is meant to accommodate artists looking for a unified approach to picture-making and oil painting technique.
Portrait by Numael Pulido
This is an intensive course of instruction and open to only 8 students per workshop.
Still Life by Numael Pulido
It is a teaching applicable to all levels, - for beginners or for advanced painters who are looking for a more classical approach.
Still Life by Numael Pulido
Each student will start a start a still life with the same instruction and advance according to his/her own level of experience.
Portrait of Shirley by Numael Pulido
Some time will be devoted to advice for doing more effective set-ups for both still life and portrait painting.
Portrait by Numael Pulido
This is a workshop which provides the student with a great amount of procedural information and time-tested principles that allow the natural talent of the student to become more accessible.
Flowers (pastel) by Shirley Pulido
Schedule:
Students will arrive on Sunday, June 19, and there will be a three hour (3 - 6PM) introduction and preparation for Monday’s first class.
Friday 24 will be the last day of formal instruction. Saturday morning, 9-12AM we will be available for further questions or discussion for any one wanting it.
Flowers (pastel) by Shirley Pulido
The price of the course is $750 which includes some materials such as non-toxic medium.
Portrait by Shirley Pulido
Accommodations are abundant in the area - and New England’s oldest, beautiful inn is right in town.
Good lunches, a five minute walk to town center.
And Peterborough, a cultured and elegant town, 7 miles down the road from Hancock for relaxed evenings.
Portrait by Shirley Pulido
The Manchester NH. airport is 45 minutes from Hancock.
Study Form, Composition, Light, using the limited palette: ideal for artists wishing to enhance their knowledge of master painting technique and classical composition.
Still Life (pastel) by Shirley Pulido
This is a real opportunity to study with two masters of classical realism. And they are only accepting 8 people.
I recommend The Hancock Inn (one of the oldest inns in the country) as a delightful place to stay. It is within walking distance of the Pulido Studios, dining, library, grocery store....and a large picturesque pond.
"The Classical Realism Workshop" is a rare opportunity - so grab it if you can. I promise, you won't be disappointed.
Last Workshop:
I stopped by the last workshop toward the end and snapped a quick picture of the students busy working. This studio is small - but very comfy. The Pulidos have painted a mural on the far wall that gives their space a delightful "airy" (and classical) atmosphere.
I never met anyone who wanted to paint that was totally lacking the talent. But without solid instruction it is nearly impossible to get to a professional level.
For a lucky few, Numael and Shirley Pulido took their workshop participants through a step-by-step classical oil still life painting. Having experienced this procedure first-hand, the student can now return home and bring this traditional knowlege to all of their future works.
As I expected, they all "got it" - and the resulting work is most impressive. It is really exciting for me to see what happens when "Talent Finally Meets a Teacher."
Workshop in classical realism by my teachers numael & shirley pulido
STILL LIFE WORKSHOP - May 21-26, 2012 & PORTRAIT WORKSHOP - June 25-30, 2012 Limited to 10 students - Applicable to all levels - both beginners & advanced.
The Pulido Studio intensive six-day workshop on Classical Realism
Numael and Shirley Pulido (my teachers) are now offering a workshop. I cannot think of any better opportunity for a student to learn to paint really well & really fast.
