Beryl Appleby -Artist - tip of the Month Archive

When painting from your own photograph you can take a short cut from scaling up by getting a black and white enlargement via a photocopier to the size that you require. This also means that the tones are set out for you.
Trace off the main features thereby eliminating any perspective errors.
A word of warning ! The camera can lie !! The lens may cause distortion so do allow for this.
When sketching (or photographing) in the open air remember that you can make notes in your sketchbook which will aid your painting.
Notes such as times of day (for shadows), colours, anything obscuring the view (shrubs etc.), type of weather (cloudy, sunny wet) etc. You see this at the time but memory fades!!
Always keep a sketch pad by the phone to enable you to doodle while you are talking. You never know this could be the start of a wonderful painting idea. If not, it will still improve your drawing skills.

Beryl Appleby