How to Plan an Original Painting

Planning an original painting does not have to be complicated. It is recommended that you start off by planning to paint a still life painting first. That will teach you all you need to know about juxtaposing objects so that they are pleasing to the eye.

First of try setting the scene by using boxes or risers to create differences in height that will make your scene the most interesting.  Having everything on the same level is just not as visual interesting as having the objects placed at different heights.

Before painting you should make a practice sketch. This is also known as a thumbnail sketch or working drawing. While you are making practice sketches you can erase and rearrange objects into a pleasing composition.

Remember that these do not have to be overly complicated as they are just sketches. These types of sketches, which are just used to plan out the appearance of a painting, are also sometimes called thumbnail sketches or working drawings. They are a blueprint for the work of art that you are about to create.

You can also make a homemade artist viewfinder to compose your painting. You can make a viewfinder out of a piece of cardboard that is in the same proportion to the scene that you are painting. This helps you to really focus on the scene you are looking at.

When planning your painting you can decide on either open or closed composition. Closed compositions have everything in the frame in the painting. Open compositions have figures or objects that somehow extend outside the frame of the painting. Both types of composition have their own aesthetic advantages.

Balance is an important part of planning your painting. Symmetrical balance is easier to pull off but many think that asymmetrical paintings look better. When things are balanced in threes or thirds you have more of a chance of making a work that looks creative. If everything in the painting is symmetrical and even it is easier to see a flaw in the composition.

Yet another part of planning a painting is figuring out patterns of composition to do with color. Repetitive colors and patterns greatly augment the aesthetic appearance of any painting. You can also play with repeating image motifs to make any artistic work more interesting.

The key to planning any original painting is ultimately also about being inspired by your subject matter and the unique way in which you plan to portray it.

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