Should i paint background first

To avoid that problem, paint the background first. If you do that, then you won't struggle to figure out what to paint in the background or worry about accidentally painting over a bit of your carefully painted subject. Then as you paint the subject, you can work in a little color from it into the background to help unify the painting if needed. This sequence of photos by artist Jeff Watts shows an effective way to paint a background that is simple but has visual interest and impact.

Artistic license means you can have the light coming from whichever direction you desire. You simply decide where you want it, then paint in the colors at their most saturated closest to the light and weaker furthest from the light. Jeff said, "First, find your light source. In this painting, it's coming from the left.

Don't paint random brushmarks, but use them to enhance the sense of direction in the light. Your brushstrokes don't need to line up in a rigid row like brand new fenceposts but can be a little higgledy-piggledy like a fence that's weathered some storms. Think of them as dancing rather than marching. Jeff said, "Moving across the canvas in the same direction as the light is traveling, I lightened the paint mixture with cadmium red.

Remember the effect of light isn't constant, it changes as you get further away from the source of the light. Exaggerating this change a bit when painting a background can be very effective as it provides a contrast in tone.

Jeff said, "I continued to lighten the mixture by adding white as I got to the other side. This is the lightest part of the background because this is where the light is shining to. How far up? Then paint it in accordingly. Don't make assumptions. Most people do. Do not think you know better than your color checking. Resist the temptation to exaggerate what you see. Do not make the glow in the bottom of the vase brighter.

Do not make the reflection lines stand out on the table more. Do not make your painting have more "pop". Amateur artists love to over-paint everything — don't do it. Simply trust your color checking, and re-check a color if you need to. Don't "let yourself go" and start playing with your paint. It is so much fun to exaggerate everything you see, but it will make your work look amateurish and unnatural in the end. Take a look at this blog post where I talk about two essential qualities in good realism — not exaggerating things is one of them: Two Essential Qualities of Good Realism.

Do not jump around. It is easier to see your object develop if you paint in the darkest colors first, and then move on to the next value, and then the next, and so on. Take a look at the images below and note how you can see the object develop because I painted it in order from darks to lights.

The other reason I paint from dark to light is because it is much easier to paint a lighter color into a darker color than the other way around. Trying to paint a shadow into a lighter color is very difficult to do without milking up your paint.

Painting in a bit of background around your object will help you see your edges better. If you just paint an object on the canvas with no other paint around it, your edges will look completely wrong even when they are right.

The other thing it does is allow you to "bump" your lines around if you need to by "pushing" your lines back with the background color. Over-paint your darks, but do not over paint your lights. When you check your color, the tendency for most people would be to check the color in the center of reflection where I have placed black dots in the image below.

But look what happens if I then "paint in" that color over the area in the reflection where it looks like it belongs. So instead, you should check the color around the outside of the reflection where I have placed the black dots in the image below.

Paint in that darker color first and then — and only then — paint a small spot more in the middle as I have done in my painting. So as you paint your still life it is always best to over-paint your darks instead of over-painting your lights. January 7, at pm LatteForZoey Default. January 8, at am Johndk Default.

Have fun. As long as there is light, I will paint it. Landscapes are naturally painted with foreground, middle and backgrounds. Char -- CharMing Art -- "Where the spirit does not work with the hand, there is no art. January 9, at pm Thank you one and all for the great advice, I just did a background as last item and am not too happy with a screw up I made:envy: Oh well in the next one I will do background first:wink2: Thanks again for the help;p.

FrankM Default. January 12, at am January 13, at pm March 9, at am Eliminate timidity. Failure is only experience to get us to the next level. You must be logged in to reply to this topic. Keep me signed in. Log In. If you want to keep your background and your subject clearly and distinctly separate, then be sure to use masking fluid to mask your subject before painting your wash.

Acrylic paint is a fast-drying paint made of pigment suspended in acrylic polymer emulsion. Acrylic paints are water-soluble, but become water-resistant when dry. Any acrylic medium or acrylic paint , can be mixed into each other to make wet mixtures, and can be applied over or under any other layer , whether still wet or already dry. Acrylic loves to stick to itself, so as long as each layer is acrylic , then you can layer it on, over, under.

Step 1: Before painting, fill holes with filler, then sand smooth. Step 2: When painting over dark walls with light paint colors, use a white primer. Lighten your dark wall to lighten the room. Mix lighter paint with a bit of your dark paint to lighten a color before painting, if your dark paint has not yet been applied. Use a tinted primer that is close to the lighter color you are shooting for if you are lightening a color already on the wall.

Keep your brushes in the water while you 're painting so that the paint doesn't dry in them. Use a container with a shallow layer of water to keep the brushes wet without soaking the handles which will cause the lacquer to peel off and another container to clean the brushes between colors.

Paint over the edge of the tape with the color already on the wall or whatever you're painting. After that coat dries, apply your new color in this case, the yellow on top. To paint a picture , choose the type of paint you want to use, then sketch out the basic design or composition on your paper or canvas surface.

Fill in the background first and let the paint dry. Then, paint in the objects, focusing on one area at a time. Do you paint the background or subject first? Category: hobbies and interests painting. The benefit to painting the background wash first is that you are less likely to mess up the foreground object. For instance, if you were to carefully paint in the subject first say, a red rose and then paint in the background , you would risk getting the background paint on the rose, which might mess it up.

What is the hardest medium to paint with?