Problem Solving for Oil Painters

Finally - a book to help you solve all your painting problems!

Inside you'll learn how to study a painting and correct problematic areas. Study topics include:

Ideas

- Is there a good abstract idea underlying the picture?

- What details could be eliminated to strengthen the composition?

- Does the painting have a focus?

- Are the unessential parts subbordinated?

- Does the painting "read"?

- Could you finish any part of the painting?

Shapes

- Are the dominant shapes as strong and simple as possible?

- Are the shapes too similiar?

Value

- Could the value range be increased?

- Could the number of values be reduced?

Light

- Is the subject effectively lit?

- Is the light area big enough?

- Would the light look stronger with a suggestion of burnout?

- Do the lights have a continuous flow?

- Is the light gradiated?

Shadows

- Do the shadow shapes describe the form?

- Are the shadows warm enough?

Depth

- Would the addition of foreground material deepen the space?

- Does the background recede far enough?

- Are the halftones properly related to the background?

Solidity

- Is the underlying form being communicated?

- Is the symmetry in perspective?

Color

- Is there a color strategy?

- Could a purer color be used?

- Do the whites have enough color in them?

- Are the colors overbended on the canvas?

- would the color look brighter if it were saturated into its adjacent area?

Paint

- Is your palette efficiently organized?

- Is the painting surface too absorbent?

- Are you using the palette knife as much as you could?

- Are you painting lines when you should be painting masses?

- Are the edges dynamic enough?

- Is there enough variation in the texture of the paint?