Janet Schlarbaum – Art Lover

Learn How To Paint – The First Step

By: Michael Dale
There is only 1- way to learn how to paint – get some paint and start painting.

The problem is that a beginner will always be disappointed with the results from their first painting attempt. They will be equally disappointed by their second painting… and the third painting.

And, by the time they have finished painting number 10 many amateur artists GIVE UP. This is a shame and a sad waste of time. There is an easy way to learn to paint successfully…

The mistake most beginners make is that they have an idea of what they want to paint. It could be that they want to paint wildlife paintings… A Fox, A Deer, A Badger or A Squirrel. Imagine the disappointment when your fluffy tailed squirrel ends up looking like a pig with the tail of a donkey.

“If you want to learn to paint any subject… First you must learn to paint”

Ignore the temptation of figurative painting. Resist landscape painting. Avoid portrait painting. Learn to enjoy finding out what the paint does… it can be great fun. Remember, it isn’t you doing the painting but the paint allowing you to mold a picture using a brush or palette knife…

“All an artist does is to guide the paint to the places where the picture needs it”

All you need to do to become a great artist is discover the secrets of placing color exactly where you want it. Take the genius artist Vincent Van Gogh’s lead…

He never thought about what he was doing when he painted his masterpiece Sunflower paintings… because he knew exactly what the paint was going to do with each brush stroke and brush mark. The paint gave him a perfect result every time.

It is like riding a horse. Understand what the horse wants and what the horse does and he’ll take you wherever you want to go.

Posted by Janet Schlarbaum