Ten Condiments of Painting

Fight the inner doubts (Negativity belongs in the dark values of your painting).
Be your own Cheerleader (root your paintings on).
Tell it your way. Originality… Originality.
Break the rules (Don’t be afraid to try something new).
Loosen up. Let your spirit guide you
Schedule your Painting time (Don’t let errant errands get in the way)
Enjoy – put your feelings in your work (Smile when you paint).
Learn from your failures
Take on challenges
Remember each work of art (Good or bad) makes you that much closer to your goal.
Ethics:
Others original art, photos, drawings etcetera... are never to be sold, put online, compete in a show, or distributed in anyway and/or displayed as one's own artwork in our original vision as an artist.
The work done in my class’s is intended for personal growth and learning. The same professionalism applies as above...
I always ask myself would this work have been created or looked the way it does if I were working on my own is it my vision and my own inspiration that created the picture? If you have to, ask...

If in doubt blend it out.
Get in, get out, stay out. (Don’t over work a piece)
Paint for yourself, First.
Color, Shape, Value and Edges.
See the light and darks.
Learn the basics of drawing (Keep a pencil and drawing pad with you)
Do Studies, Experiment. Composition, Rules of Thirds, Golden Ration. Learn about and use them. Then Break them.
Know your Paper, Get good paper
Paint with basic large shapes to the specific smaller shapes. Details come last.
Paint from the light to the dark. Warm colors move forward, cool colors push back.
Work from the most “distant” object/background to the “Closest” object in the foreground.
Learn to control the transparency of the paint. Water is your friend, too much water is not.
Mix More Paint Than You Plan to Use.
Sharp edges are dry, soft edges are wet.
Mistakes & Accidents happen, learn from them (Happy Little Trees).

Ten Condiments of Painting and other things