A-to-Z blog challenge: Step S - non-painting tasks (part 2: doing art by doing nothing)

 

Doing nothing when creating a painting really comes down to taking a step back and assessing the work done. Being enthusiastic about a project is a good thing, but sometimes, taking a moment can prove to be a very important step.

Painting is a close-up process. I stand at the easel, my hand probably resting on the panel while painting or adding mixed media elements to the surface. Being so close means that I cannot see the whole. The rule of thumb is to stand back at least three times the distance of the largest dimension of the artwork to see the whole.

Small pieces are easy; you can simply take one step and see the whole, but painting anything over 50cm will require some more distance.

Not looking at the painting for a day and then coming in and assessing it at that three-times distance will provide information not always easy to spot from close proximity while painting.

What do I see when I stand back?

- do the colours blend as I want them to

- are all the elements in the composition in the right place

- is there enough contrast

- do the mixed media elements provide the impact I want

- and more

When viewing the painting from a distance, you can see a multitude of details, which can tell you a lot about it.

What to do next? Please stick around for the next post.

Until tomorrow!

🇿🇦💜 Linzé