Bird By Bird, by Anne Lamott

I had a severe case of artist block this week. It was different then past stints in my creative process though, it came on strong and I immediately knew I'd have to buckle down to get through it. I started getting self conscious about everything I was making. I felt like they didn't have enough purpose and that I needed to have more ideas behind what I was doing. 

It all began when my Illustration professor, Ed, asked me to think about my purpose for creating art. To be honest, my immediate reaction was to get good enough to make money at it, but I knew that wasn't true. After a few days of not making any art the question had turned from "what my purpose for art is" to "what my meaning for life is." To say the least, it freaked me out. I continued to not make art because I didn't know what to make. It felt like the next painting would have to be the most meaningful, insightful, bright, dark, emotional, transcendent piece I had ever made. And it would tell my life story and somehow relate to everyone else.

After about a week I decided to find some more feedback. In a slightly manic state, I asked my painting professor, Jill, what she thought the purpose for art was. And also, what the meaning for life was. I know this sounds melodramatic, and I acknowledge that I was being entirely irrational. She led me to her office and handed me a book, 'Bird By Bird.' She explained that I should think of each painting as a way of asking a question about life, knowing that I'll probably never find the ultimate answer.

I need to learn to take it Bird by Bird, and in the mean time keep creating freaking artwork.

The Beginning of a Murder

This painting was spurred on by my teacher's suggestion to try dramatic lighting. I had my friend Dillon pose for the picture and when I started painting I originally wanted to add blood in the background.

The Block In

I continued working...

The Half Way Point

Once i added in the background and talked to a few of my classmates I decided to leave out the blood, deciding it may be a little too dramatic and obvious. Or maybe just too close to the show Dexter. I'm almost done now, with just  a little bit of detail to add to the sweater.

Almost Done

The Periwinkle (Or Not So Much) Deer

I paint a little differently in that I usually don't know how the painting will end up. With this one I started with the idea of painting a periwinkle deer.

For the past couple of weeks I've had to get up early to drive to work, on little sleep, and work a 12 hour day. I was working as a pirate, but maybe I'll go more into depth on that later. I found a little bit of joy while looking at the shadows on my way to work. On an early fall morning all of the shadows are periwinkle.

Then I chose a deer for my subject matter and ended up adding in some wallpaper to add more interest and detail. I'm nearly done with the painting now and I've realized I tightened up a lot while painting it. My strokes follow the shape of the form rather than the shape of the way the light is hitting the form. One of my challenges for myself will include painting an animal without following the texture of the fur with my strokes. 

The Periwinkle (Or Not So Much) Deer

Problem Solving for Oil Painters (continued)

I made this checklist from reading Gregg Kreutz's book "Problem Solving for Oil Painters". I think it has been the most helpful single thing I've done since beginning to paint. The book helped me so much that I made the checklist and try to keep it close at hand whenever I'm painting. I'll continue to do this until it becomes second nature.

Idea
Is there a good abstract idea underlying the picture?
What details could be eliminated to strengthen the composition? More clutter makes a weaker image. Instead of adding, try strengthening the central image.
Accuracy isn’t enough. Intensity is the goal. Value the idea over the objects.
Does the painting have focus? Keeping focus on the focal point helps keep you from merely copying and putting equal attention on all the elements.
Are the unessential parts subordinate?
Does the painting read?
Light flowing in the same direction as the eye moves can help. Move the eye from top to bottom and near to far.
Could you finish any part of the painting?
Pick an area and resolve it: all the color, edge, value, and paint. The potential of the picture will reveal itself more clearly. Getting a vision of where you’re going makes getting there a lot easier.
Shapes
Are the dominant shapes as strong and simple as possible? Simple shapes carry. And big simple shapes carry best of all. Make the painting readable from 15 feet across the room.
Are the shapes too similar? The distribution of opposites doesn’t have to be even, just evident.
Value
Could the value range be increased? Constantly comparing value will stop from letting eyes adjust and make things get brighter/darker.
A picture gets exciting when it looks as though it’s been pushed to the limit, as though everything is as dark or as bright or as mysterious as possible.
Could the number of values be reduced? Art is a synthesis, a condensation, not a documentation.
Light
If a picture doesn’t have light flowing through it, it looks weak. The thing to remember is that you’re not painting an apple; you’re painting light hitting an apple.
Is the subject effectively lit?
Is the light area big enough?
Would the light look stronger with a suggestion of burnout?
Do the lights have continuous flow?
Is the light gradated?
Shadows
Shadows, if done well, are never admired.
Do the shadow shapes describe the form? Shadows are the foundation of the picture. They are what hold the light together. The shape of the shadow should echo the shape of the object. Rather than echo what the shadow looks like, the painter should use it to reinforce the overall shape of the object. 
The simpler the shadows are, the better.
Are the shadows warm enough?
For the light to look crisp and luminouse, the shadows must be vague and evocative, and if that’s the quality or an effect is more paintable than a thing.
Warm tones suggest shadowy depth. Cool tones suggest light.
Depth
At some point, the student is forced to choose: if you want to master spatial painting then in effect you need to decide that spatial painting is worthier.
Would the addition of foreground material deepen the space?
Adding foreground material is an option that can involve the view more strongly in the picture. It places the viewer in context.
Does the background recede far enough?
Things in distance have less color, less visible texture, less darkness, less brightness, and so on. Each stroke should make a statement about where it exists in the depth of field.
Are the halftones properly related to the background?
What color can you use to make the halftone area turn toward the background? The background color.
Solidity
Make things look like they have weight. As though gravity is pulling them down.
Is the underlying form being communicated?
Is the symmetry in perspective?
Color
A really great painting is great because it’s truthful; it condenses and refines the way things look; it reveals the essences. Color should be in service of that larger effort.
Is there a color strategy?
Generally, the focus color should be warmer. Juxtapose color with non-color.
Could purer color be used?
Do the whites have enough color in them? Are you using too much?
When toning down the white- use reflective colors and the background colors.
Are the colors over blended on the canvas?
Simply to blur the tricky areas between two planes or objects dodges the issue.
Would the color look brighter if it were saturated into its adjacent area?
Let the bright color glow. The message being sent to the viewer is that the color is so intense the air is saturated with it.
Paint
There’s a visual vibration that occurs when the reality of the image on the canvas is communicated with undisguised paint strokes when the picture is showing its content and its form.
Is your palette efficiently organized?
Is the painting surface too absorbent?
Are you using a palette knife as much as you could?
You want to express thins precisely but never get so tight that you’re afraid to throw a big, expressive stroke in.
Are you painting lines when you should be painting masses?
Are the edges dynamic enough?
Is there enough variation in the texture of the paint?
The mysteriousness of shadow is best conveyed by a flat treatment. Lack of texture gives the eye nothing to focus on and makes the area in question look deep and mysterious.