Painting is one of the most ancient art forms. It started with murals painted by cave men and has reached its pinnacle in the works of Leonardo Da Vinci's Mona Lisa and the works of Michelangelo and many other grand masters. Obviously, the art form had very humble beginnings but today, the refinement of painting as a form of art is hardly paralleled by any other known art form to man.
It is important for every person to understand the basic things like "What is painting", "What is involved in it" and "What makes a painting a work of art?" At its very basic level, the you can say that painting is a process of use of paints and colors for creating shapes, regular or irregular, on a surface which may be canvas or paper or any other products. An artist has an artistic goal in mind for which he paints. The final outcome depends on how the paints are applied and what was the vision and visualization of the artist. You must understand that to be a good painter, you must have a certain passion for colors and shapes. Yet the common goal of all painters is to make sure that their paintings make the viewers happy.
Painting is not something in which you can jump head on. Before you take up the brush and color palette, it is important to understand some of the very fundamental aspects of this art form. The new artist must have a clear picture about drawing of various lines, curves and other shapes. He must also develop the ability to look at the 'big picture' to better utilize the space he has. Yet these are the very basics of sketching. It is followed by getting an understanding of colors and their hues and textures as well as an understanding of color usage, especially how a color will impact the other colors that are painted around it.
This is still not where you stop. After a prospective painter gets understanding of shapes and colors, he should start learning about how the work has to bring out aspects like contrast. He also has to understand the role of various types of brushes and how these brushes and the strokes have to be used. Not many people realize that proper brush strokes have the ability to make or break a painting. Uneven brush strokes without any rhythm can completely kill a painting.
The role of the subject is perhaps the most underappreciated of all basics of painting as an art form. This is more so in cases of landscape painting and portraiture. The painter must have a really good rapport with the subject to bring the best out of his art.
|