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I just finished this little painting: Montville, Road Out.
I painted from a photo of the Montville hinterlands I took early in the year (see below). I stayed there alone for two nights in a cabin by a pond, hunting for inspiration. This was a view of the road out of the property. The trees and shadows framed the sides, with the pastel colored landscape and a house featured in the middle. In terms of composition theory, it ticks a lot of boxes.
I tested some new approaches in this painting.
First, I used even larger brushes than usual. I have always used fairly large brushes, but going even larger proved surprisingly helpful. It allowed me to map out the colors and my ideas about the subject faster. Try it yourself. Go a few sizes larger than usual and see how it feels.
Second, I went harder on the simplification. Do I need to render all the leaves of the trees? Do I need to capture every detail and texture of the road? Probably not. So I left them as vague, flat shapes.
Third, I painted faster than usual. I tried to work with the same urgency of plein air painting, even though I was in the studio with a reference photo. There’s something about painting with a sense of urgency. It gives the painting an energy and freshness that cannot be faked.
Fourth, I pushed the colors a bit. I made them more saturated and clean. This gave a classic Impressionist feel. With photos, the colors are sometimes a bit muted or restrained. Or the nuance is lost. You can see what I mean by going outside and taking a photo of your surroundings, then comparing that photo to what you actually see. Chances are, the photo will be good, but no match for what your eyes can pick up in terms of color.
I like how it turned out. At the very least, it gave me a few new ideas to test in my next painting. And I’m sold on the larger brushes. So much so that I put in an order for even larger ones.
A good takeaway from this email is to always look for ways to reinvent or test yourself. What you have been doing is not the only way to do things. Try new colors, new tools, new techniques from time to time. Then keep what you enjoy and ditch the others.
Happy painting!
Dan Scott
Draw Paint Academy
Ps. I have several more completed paintings to write about over the next week. For once, I am painting at a faster rate than I am writing, which I think is a good problem to have!
I was in for a surprise.
After reading your narrative, I clicked to look at the painting. I saw the first drawing only and thought that it was the finished product. I was disappointed and thought the painting was very amateurish. I did not know at that moment of the existence of the same painting on the following page, with the details filled in. I was surprised. The picture with the details looked STUNNINGLY BEAUTIFUL, with life coming out of it. I suppose it is a technique which is commonly used ie drawing a rough sketch with plain colours, positioning the main items in the painting and thereafter filling in the details.
I Try to paint ‘loose’ but always end up adding all the details !!! My paintings are all fairly small, so maybe just go bigger (& then walk away!) is the answer ..inspiring ..& I love the plein air in one of your replies too.
Will give it another go (..UK winter project 😊)
Thanks for this very informative email, including the pictures and info about brushes. I’ve been painting with much smaller brushes, but today I’ll work with larger ones.
Mary B.
Love this! Gr8 colors!
Stunning
This painting is quite lovely! The impressionistic style is lively and interesting to look at. Also, the colors!
Love the looseness and vibrant colour!
Given me courage to try the same technique.
That’s a lovely painting – very evocative of country roads!
I love the freshness and vitality of this, it looks as if it’s been painted ‘plein air’. I’m wondering why you didn’t do this. Fabulous!
Hi Gill. Just ran out of time for doing it plein air when I was there. This is the one I did plein air on that trip:
https://drawpaintacademy.com/plein-air-painting-in-the-maleny-hinterlands/
I love that loose expressive style! And the colours and composition are
very pleasing.
I will have to try this! It is so opposite of what I do. I am an accountant, so detail has always been a biggie for me. I might try drinking a few glasses of wine the first time I do this to help loosen me up. I see so many paintings that leave the detail out and it intrigues me. You may be the catalyst that I need!
Loved your new painting! And thank you for including the reference photo. I loved the color of the road and the trees! I’m new to painting so it helps me to see the choices a professional makes.
A jolly good painting Dan.
It’s worthy of my “Nice Try” award.
( that was my top honour when I was teaching )
Dan, you did a masterful job of turning the plain photo into an interesting painting. Congratulations!
How larg the beashes are ?
I have loved all of your paintings and learned so much from your color class. But I don’t care for this painting because of the foreground. I like the color but it’s too distracting that my eye doesn’t get invited into the rest of the painting. I think the road is important – possibly a smaller brush treatment or some road stones receding gradually into the scene to draw me in? I’m a beginning grandma painter- take my thoughts with a grain of salt. I think you and family are wonderful!
i love to see each new painting.
Your energy is visible in this one particularily
Wonderful colour selection! Looking at the painting I was wondering what the brown object was in the distance… a chimney?…oops, no a tree… Love the violet driveway and the yellow greens. Bravo!
I love this painting! For me it is just striking. I am inspired to use bigger brushes, cleaner colors, and to join Overblenders Anonymous.
Middle and background are fantastic. Personally, I’d like the composition better as a square with the bottom (foreground) cropped; it adds nothing and distracts from the beautiful background and trees.
Just a thought.