One Simple Habit That Will Improve Your Painting Fast

One of the questions I get asked a lot from students is I have this photo I want to paint, where do I start? Obviously I help guide them in the process, it’s every artists goal to paint from their own inspirations, you see something and want to capture it. However until you understand all the elements that make up a good painting it can be tricky, it’s a bit like learning to swim, you don’t go straight into the deep end and hope for the best but honestly this is often how people paint, they are so keen to recreate they don’t spend the time on all the other elements. Until you understand colour, brushwork, technique a photo can be very overwhelming and you end up trying to replicate everything you see.

Where to start when you cannot paint from photos yet

In all my years of painting I’ve found the best way is to honestly start from the beginning. Learn about your paints, learn to mix colour, understand the importance of value, how to layer, different techniques, this is everything I cover inside my Vibrant Visions programme.

Another great way to begin to build up a library of techniques and understanding is from the masters. I have hundreds of books and I really study their colour, their techniques and how they constructed a painting, it’s a really great place to start.

Take Monet’s Water Lilies. There’s so much going on in these paintings, layers of colour, broken brushwork, reflections that aren’t really reflections at all but suggestions of light and movement.

Monet Water Lillies

Don’t try to paint the whole thing. That’s not the goal and it’ll only overwhelm you.

Instead, crop in. Pick one small section, maybe a patch where the lily pads meet the water, or an area where the colours blend into shadow. Look closely at what’s actually happening there.

Monet Water Lillies – Cropped

How has he layered the paint? Is it thick or thin in that spot? What direction are the brushstrokes going? What colours sit next to each other, and are they blended or left distinct?

Then paint just that section. A small study, nothing more.

In fact the other day I had a short 15 minutes to paint and I did just that. I looked at one of his paintings and tried to recreate a little of the magic he brought to his work. Not only was it very relaxing but not having the pressure of creating a finished piece was very liberating.

Me having a play!

Why this works

This is how you build a library of technique you can draw on later. Every small study teaches you something, how paint behaves, how colour mixes on the canvas rather than the palette, what loose brushwork actually looks like up close rather than from across a room.

When you eventually sit down with your own photo, you won’t be starting from nothing. You’ll recognise what you’re looking at. You’ll know how to translate a soft edge, how to suggest light without painting every detail, how to layer colour so it has depth instead of looking flat.

Working from your own photos comes with time. Copying paintings, studying them properly, is where that time is best spent first.

This is how it’s always been taught

Artists throughout history learnt this way. They studied their predecessors, copied details, broke down what worked and built their own understanding from it. It’s not a shortcut and it’s not cheating. It’s the foundation.

So next time you’re staring at a photo wondering where to begin, put it aside for now. Find a master painting instead. Crop in. Study one small piece of it. Paint that.

You’ll be surprised how much it teaches you.

Let me know in the comments if this is something you already do or are going to try yourself. I read every single one.

Happy painting,

Michelle

P.S If you’ve been keen to join Vibrant Visions you can now do so here: Vibrant Visions