Here are some things worth letting the old brain bucket sort out before you put brush to canvas.

1. What’s Your Narrative?

What is it? You found appealing about your scene? What was it that caught your eye? More importantly, what do you want to say about it?

Was it: 

● Distance? 

● Architecture? 

● Colour? 

● Mood? 

● Light?

● Detail?

Simplify your narrative. A tractor in a field is a completely different painting than a tractor with a little bit of field.

The difference is simple:

One is 70% landscape and 30% tractor. 

The other is 70% tractor and 30% landscape. 

Two completely different narratives.

I once saw a painting whose narrative was built around its title rather than simply being a painting of a scene. A tall city street scene. Skyscrapers line both sides of the sidewalk. Way in the background is a little cart with umbrellas selling hot dogs.

In the foreground, two people are walking toward us. One person appears to be holding something. As their hands come together, right in the centre, a little splotch of bright yellow. There it is a hotdog. The title?  “Dang, I Said No Mustard.”  With that little bit of yellow and a title of information, the whole painting fell together. Tell me a story.

2. Simplify Your Design.

I like to use the 60/30/10 value plan.

Simplify your values into three categories: 

Light. Mid-tone. Dark. 

Then give each one a size:

60% — large

30% — medium

10% — small

This makes it much easier to figure out your colours and where to  put those subtle little nuances later. It also helps establish your narrative.

Is it late in the evening with lots of darkness? 

Is it morning, with light spilling everywhere? 

Or is it a mid-value afternoon scene?

Get the big value idea working first.

1- 60dark, 30medium, 10light.

Moonlit night?

2- 60light, 30medium, 10dark

Mid-morning?

3- 60medium, 30dark, 10light.

Sunny afternoon

4- 60light, 30dark, 10medium.

Early one morning

5- 60light, 30dark, 10medium.

Late afternoon?

6- 60dark, 30light, 10medium.

Late evening.

3. Find the Big Shapes First.

You can’t paint the fleas on the dog until you’ve painted the dog. 

Before you worry about every individual tree, every rock on the shore, or the 77 cracks in the sidewalk, break your scene into a few large masses. 

No more than five. Look at the sketches above, there is only 4 shapes. Field, barn, back trees, sky. Big shapes first. Details later.

4. When in Doubt, Leave It Out.

Give yourself permission to leave things out of the scene. Remember our hot dog painting? 

There were almost no cars. 

No yellow taxis. 

No buses. 

No garbage trucks are picking up sidewalk trash. 

No cop directing traffic.

Less is always more. You don’t need to tell the viewer everything. Think like you’re writing a poem, not a crime report. Give them enough to enter the story — then let their imagination finish it.

5. Use Your Eyelids.

For all of this to happen, you have one very handy tool. Your eyelids.

Almost close them.

SQUINT!

Squinting eliminates much of the clutter and helps you get a quick read on what you’re working with.

If the painting doesn’t work when you squint at it, adding another 47 branches to that tree probably won't pull you out of the ditch.

6. 20% Underdone Is Better Than 2% Overworked.

This one is worth remembering. 20% underdone is better than 2% overworked.

There is a point where adding more paint doesn’t make the painting better.

It just makes it more… painted. Don’t be afraid to stop. 

Leave some things for the viewer to discover.

7. BONUS FREEBIE! - Work a Little Faster.

Try working with a bit more recklessness. After you set your design, jump right in and have at er’

Speed can help keep that left-brain chatter from getting in there and making you overthink everything.

Keep the left brain chasing the right brain. You’ll make decisions faster, paint more instinctively, and — most importantly — have way more fun.

This is how much fun you should be having:

So remember:

Tell a story. 

Simplify. 

Find the big shapes. 

Leave stuff out. 

SQUINT. 

Don’t overwork it.

And have a zippy pace 

Have fun.

Keep those brushes swinging!

Your Friend in Art, 

Doug.