I never drew/painted before or studied anything. So, any suggestions would be more than welcome.
This is my first sketch.
Attached Image. (Click thumbnail to expand)
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Compassion is the sometimes fatal capacity for feeling what it is like inside somebody else's skin. It is the knowledge that there can never really be any peace and joy for me until there is peace and joy finally for you too. - Frederick Buechner
If society prospers at the expense of the intangibles, how can it be called progress?
And the painting of the farm..... This is a photo of a scanned picture, so it isn't too clear. I never did get the house right. Any suggestions as to what I should have done would be welcomed.
What great strong colors you've used! And there's a good sense of motion, your eye wants to go right up that path...
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"All that is gold does not glitter, Not all those who wander are lost; The old that is strong does not wither, Deep roots are not reached by the frost. From the ashes a fire shall be woken, A light from the shadows shall spring; Renewed shall be blade that was broken, The crownless again shall be king..."
And the painting of the farm..... This is a photo of a scanned picture, so it isn't too clear. I never did get the house right. Any suggestions as to what I should have done would be welcomed.
Listen, its just a matter of perspective - that's all. Its very hard to draw a structure and get the perspective right. I'm not trying to be bossy, but what will help a lot will be to set up a little house on a table, like a model or decorative one, and sketch it over and over and over... practise this and you'll get the hang of how the angles change when your view of a structure is from the side.
You've captured the sense of the landscapes in PA, I can tell you that... when I visited there in Jan of 05, that's the kind of locations I saw. We were in the north east part of the state, near Nescopek & Berwick & not far from Wilkes-Barre and Bloomsburg. I haven't done any landscapes from the trip yet but am looking forward to it; its a beautiful part of the country.
I wrote a response and then lost it. How annoying!!
SB, thanks a million. That is a great suggestion. I am NOT a disiplined artist. Why I don't play the piano, so if I'm going to get anywhere painting I know I need directional practice.
The farm in in Indiana County - West Central PA. Steelers Country!
I did get the angle much better in the sketch, but just couldn't get it close enough in the painting. I think in part because I didn't have a fine enough brush.
I do like those weird angles. But, as a novice, I know if I tried to do anything head on it would look like a stick figure. The painting I am working on now is of the lake that used to be in the hills above Johnstown, PA until the dam failed and washed away the town. I have a horse and carriage crossing the dam in the foreground, at and angle. I have to get the angle and the depth because the painting covers a great deal of ground. Maybe I should use a model for this too. I have been working off a photo I found of a horse and carriage at similiar angle.
Scary business this painting. I finally started painting yesterday. Until then it terrified me. Then, once I start, I dont' want to stop. It's jsut the starting that is so hard.
I've heard of that flood in Johnstown - what a tragedy that was. Hope the painting of it goes well. It's true that the actual starting of a painting is so hard!! I've got a commission to do right now and I confess its been about two months since I sat down at the drawing board... I know I'm going to be rusty and am nervous about starting, afraid I'll mess it up. The thing for us both to do it what you already know: sketch it before starting the painting. My mentor used to say doing a page full of little thumbnail sketches, then a couple of larger rough draft sketches, was the best thing to assure that the actual painting will go more smoothly.