THE IDEA
By Armand Cabrera
Painting is like language. After learning the fundamentals
of the “painting” language, you must decide
what it is you want to “say”.
THE IDEA IS THE KEY
What is it that motivates you to choose a particular
scene to paint? Is it the light…the mountains…the
atmosphere? Consciously recognizing what has attracted
you to a specific spot or scene is the first thing you
must answer. Take your time to walk around and sketch,
if you feel it will help, but understand why you are going
to paint this place.
Most paintings are ruined at the start. Some artists
never get The Idea down, thinking it
will be revealed once they start drawing. Often painters
don’t get the drawing right believing they can fix
the drawing during the painting stage. By the time the
artist starts to apply the paint, the underlying problems
are insurmountable. Remember, each step of the process
must be finished to satisfaction before going to the next
step.
The reason most people fail to
paint well is a lack of concept.
The desired effect can only be achieved by deciding The
Idea from the very beginning. A conscious effort
allows the artist to go back and analyze each step of
the painting to understand what was done right…or
where a passage was misjudged.
It is not enough for the artist to slavishly copy what
they see. Elements must be edited and emphasized to personalize
your vision. The artist chooses what is to be included
in their painting and what is to be left behind. The
Idea decides these choices and ultimately determines
the outcome of the painting.
There should be only one unifying concept in a painting.
The center of focus in your painting should carry the
idea, holding more weight than any other element. You
do this by increasing contrast, color or detail in the
center of focus. This is the core of good painting.
