How to enhance your painting Ideas
By Marion Boddy-Evans, About.com
There's no art rule that says you may use a painting idea only once. If an idea for a painting is good enough for one
painting, then why not use again? Turn the idea into a series of paintings, explore how you might improve on the first
painting, and see how you might develop the idea through different compositions and colors. You could paint
variations on the theme, as the Impressionist Monet did with haystacks, poplar trees, Rouen cathedral, and
waterlilies.
Or if the first version of the idea didn't come out as you'd hoped, then paint it again until it does. The photo shows
three watercolor paintings by Frances Tanner, using this sunflower reference photo. These are a great example of
sticking with a subject until you get the level of result you're after.
Frances said: "In the first attempt, I felt the the background had a kind of dabbed on look, the sunflower is overworked
and some of the colors I used became muddy looking.
"The second time I tried, the background turned out more to my liking but was pretty uninteresting. I think it was the
contrast between the blue sky and the yellow of the flower I liked, but again the sunflower looks stiff and overworked.
"The third try, I used the negative space painting technique on some of the background and the brush strokes made
parts of it look more organic. The sunflower has a more graceful, perhaps lyrical appearance and the colors are more
vibrant, I think."
You can revisit an idea immediately, or in a few months when you've more miles on your brushes. You might revisit an
idea once a year, such as a self-portrait. How do you know when you've used up an idea, or when you've finished a
series? I don't think there's a definite answer to this question, but rather you feel you've done enough with it for the
moment.
