Create A Painting In 4 Easy Steps

1. Find the subject of your painting

It's important that the subject of your painting is something you care about. If you don't care about it, you're not going to feel motivated enough to get the painting completed. Finding the subject can be hard for some artists: some spend ages trying to find the right thing to paint; some come up with a long list of prospective painting subjects and whittle that list down based on what they think will be better to paint. Landscape painters especially can spend many weeks or even months travelling about trying to find that perfect landscape to paint.

2. Have plenty of material to work from

If you're painting something like a bowl of fruit in your home, great, you've got that to work from. If, on the other hand, you're painting something like a scene from a park that's a good half an hour drive away, you'll need some reference material to work from. A lot of landscape artists like doing most of their work outdoors, something which is called plein air painting, but then they might finish off bits of their painting at home. This is when it's handy to have some reference material, such as photos or drawings of the scene you're working on.

3. Choose the surface you're going to work on

Choosing the right surface for your painting is important because different surfaces can give paintings different effects. Some surfaces are better suited to some types of paint than others; for example, if you're painting with acrylics, you should look for a surface material that's designed to handle acrylics. Most artists paint on canvas: this comes in lots of varieties and there are types to suit every type of paint. If you're painting on a surface other than canvas, for example wood, paper or even leather, make sure the surface will readily accept the type of paint you're using.

4. Get started, then start another painting

Once you've got all of your supplies ready, it's time to get painting. There's no set rule about how to actually start a painting, though generally speaking, you should map out the painting's features in pencil so you can see where everything will go. It's a good idea to get any areas of fine detail done first, so then you can concentrate on larger areas where there's less detail. Once you've made a start on your painting, put it away and get started on another. It might sound like a crazy idea, but having more than one painting on the go can be beneficial: not only does it keep you more motivated because you've got more to finish, it also keeps you interested and gives you something else to think about.

Joanne Perkins is a Berkshire-based artist with a BA (Hons) in Fine Art. She specialises in painting Berkshire landscapes and loves capturing the natural beauty of her local countryside. She is happy to accept all queries and questions. For more information about Joanne, her work and her current projects visit: [http://joannesberkshirescenes.com/default.aspx] Joanne can be found on Facebook.

1. Find the subject of your painting

It's important that the subject of your painting is something you care about. If you don't care about it, you're not going to feel motivated enough to get the painting completed. Finding the subject can be hard for some artists: some spend ages trying to find the right thing to paint; some come up with a long list of prospective painting subjects and whittle that list down based on what they think will be better to paint. Landscape painters especially can spend many weeks or even months travelling about trying to find that perfect landscape to paint.

2. Have plenty of material to work from

If you're painting something like a bowl of fruit in your home, great, you've got that to work from. If, on the other hand, you're painting something like a scene from a park that's a good half an hour drive away, you'll need some reference material to work from. A lot of landscape artists like doing most of their work outdoors, something which is called plein air painting, but then they might finish off bits of their painting at home. This is when it's handy to have some reference material, such as photos or drawings of the scene you're working on.

3. Choose the surface you're going to work on

Choosing the right surface for your painting is important because different surfaces can give paintings different effects. Some surfaces are better suited to some types of paint than others; for example, if you're painting with acrylics, you should look for a surface material that's designed to handle acrylics. Most artists paint on canvas: this comes in lots of varieties and there are types to suit every type of paint. If you're painting on a surface other than canvas, for example wood, paper or even leather, make sure the surface will readily accept the type of paint you're using.

4. Get started, then start another painting

Once you've got all of your supplies ready, it's time to get painting. There's no set rule about how to actually start a painting, though generally speaking, you should map out the painting's features in pencil so you can see where everything will go. It's a good idea to get any areas of fine detail done first, so then you can concentrate on larger areas where there's less detail. Once you've made a start on your painting, put it away and get started on another. It might sound like a crazy idea, but having more than one painting on the go can be beneficial: not only does it keep you more motivated because you've got more to finish, it also keeps you interested and gives you something else to think about.

Joanne Perkins is a Berkshire-based artist with a BA (Hons) in Fine Art. She specialises in painting Berkshire landscapes and loves capturing the natural beauty of her local countryside. She is happy to accept all queries and questions. For more information about Joanne, her work and her current projects visit: [http://joannesberkshirescenes.com/default.aspx] Joanne can be found on Facebook.