A Good Start

Perspectives from The Artist's Road

Van Gogh Painting Sunflowers 1888 Paul Gauguin

Among the many hard-won painting lessons we have had to learn over the years is the importance of making a good start. It matters not whether one works in watercolor, oil, pastel, or any other painting medium—the discipline is the same. With a good start, the painting almost takes care of itself.

Here are the first steps we teach our aspiring students about painting from life. Once mastered, amazing improvements always follow.

1. Take your time. Look long and deeply at your subject before touching a brush. There is always more than one painting in front of you.

2. Work to a plan by imagining what the finished painting might look like. Decide what is important and what you can leave out. Hope is not a good painting plan.

3. Learn the subject by drawing thumbnails of the composition first. Make as many as needed to develop confidence.

4. Make concrete decisions about the colors and light, contrasts and values.

5. Pr…