5 Things to Think About Before Starting a Painting

There are 5 main things to consider whenever starting a new painting or if you have a problem area in a painting.

These apply to "All" artists working in two deminsional art (painting on a flat surface.)

1. What color is it? (in laymen's terms) also what pigments combine to make that color if more than one is needed.


2. What temperature of that color is it? Cool---more blue Warm---less blue and heat in it.


3. What value is it? Light 0 1-2-3 Medium 4-5-6-7 Dark 8-9-10


4. What shape is it? Crescent, heart, triangle, etc.

5. Scale (the comparative size of things).


Two questions to answer when we use a reference or see it in nature and would like to paint it.

1. What pigments would it take to produce the color of it?


2. What techniques would we use to represent the nature of it? Rough, textured,smooth, pitted etc.


Any questions, please let me know.
Sharon