Ideas for a Painting

It just takes a little confidence and self belief and good working habits, all of which we can acquire. No one can paint what is in your mind, only you can and you have an obligation and responsibility to do so.

Sketching
I must admit, I was never a big proponent of drawing out what you were going to paint. I've read a lot over the years about the merit of value studies, figure studies, placement outlines etc, but it all seemed to take from the final vigor with which I would undertake the painting. The magic seemed to have drained away in all the analysis, leaving me a stale state of mild paralysis and a very weak painting.

But all the great artists have undertaken studies before tackling the final work and I'm gradually learning their value.

Like everything with painting, its very subjective. You have to learn what works and doesn't work for you. Just because you don't do your preparation work in a text book fashion, doesn't mean your doing it wrong..whatever makes the painting great is always the right thing to do, and the only way you learn is by trial and error.

Make plenty of mistakes and don't paint over them or throw them away too quickly, force yourself to observe and replay your thought patterns while you were producing the work.

Did lack of preparation really make this work less than it could be? Maybe fear of failure? or even success!? It’s a more common ailment than you might be led to believe.

Speak to your ideas
To paraphrase Charles Dickens 'Ideas must be spoken to before they gradually reveal themselves' A good way I find to 'speak' to ideas is obviously to sketch them out, and also just to write about them, any arbitrary thoughts. Its your sketchbook, don't censor.

Play with the idea, ask 'what if' questions. Invite your sixth sense, intuition, guardian angel, whatever you choose to call it, invite it in and ask the all important final question "Is this me?" Is this my work? If you’re happy the answer is yes, get painting. Don't wait for tomorrow, its usually too late.