Book Design:

Copyright © 2015 by Hennie Reimer

Standard Book Number:

All rights reserved. First edition 2011. Second edition 2015. No part of the contents of this book may
be reproduced without written permission from the author.

Published by
ISBN: 146352658X
ISBN 13: 9781463526580
Library of Congress Catalogue Card Number: 2011909057
CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform
North Charleston, South Carolina
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

I am grateful to my mentors, the late painter John Martin, who taught me colors, and the late professor
John McIvor (University of New York–Buffalo), who taught me about form and content.
A special thank-you goes to Sister Mary Paynter for her untiring efforts in editing my manuscript
and her many kind suggestions and words of advice. Special thanks also go to Dale Hull for his
encouragement and expertise in writing and proofreading. Furthermore, I am grateful to my many
friends, students, and colleagues, without whose encouragement and support this book never would
have been completed.
Finally, my wonderful and faithful husband deserves my utmost respect and gratitude for his
unfailing love, support, and patience—all much needed for the completion of this project.
Introduction: A Brief Overview

1. Beautiful World of Ideas—The Art Phenomenon

Art—and the Rest of the World
Artists—and Other People
Find Meaning in Art Images
Do You Have the Urge to Paint?
Are You Thinking of a Formal Art Education?
Create Your Ideal Work Environment
Get a High on Creativity and Maintain Your Interest

2. The Wild World of Colors—Fun Projects

Fun Projects: Tour of Discovery through Some Great Projects
Materials to Make Your Day
List of Pigments Needed for the Projects
Helpful Hints for Buying Paints
Project One: Have Fun Making a Set of Color Charts
Helpful Hints about Paints and Materials
Project Two: Color Terms to Make You Sound Like an Expert
Project Three: Define the Color Values—and Use Them, Too!
Project Four: Have Even More Fun Making a Color Compass
A Few Hints: Color Mixing for the Color Compass
Project Five: Find Your Way to Great Color Harmonies Using aColor Compass
Part 1: Related Colors
Part 2: Complementary Colors
Part 3: Shades and Tints of Complementary Colors
Part 4: Tertiary Colors
Cleaning Up
Help Yourself Advance
Project Six: Discover Undreamed of Potentials with Color-Coordinated Sheets
Use Values in Color for Better Effects
Project Seven: A Fresh Approach to Realism in a Still Life
Learn to See as an Artist
Begin with a Drawing on Your Canvas
Great Effects with Underpainting
Overpainting—Make Use of Your Underpainting
New Ways to Look at and Paint Glass
Making Your Own: Initial Techniques for Starting a Still Life

3. Freedom to Soar—Abstract Painting

 Journey to New Frontiers
Treasure Hunting with a Paintbrush
Nature—in a New Way
Exchange Old for New: Abstraction Based on a Realistic Painting
Surprise: A Different Approach to Abstraction
Create Something Great with Less: Limitations in Time or Materials
A True Treasure Hunt: Abstraction from Nature
New Effects in an Old Style: Creative Effects for Added Interest in Realism
Use Contrasts for Effects
Do More with Less: Limiting Your Palette
A Trip to a New Frontier: Planning Your First Abstract Painting
On Wings of Imagination: Art and Idea
Examples of Newer Paintings from the Viking series
How the Creative Process Currently Works for me, Personally: A Few Examples.
Abstraction in Portraiture
Painting The Portrait
Straight from Your Head: How to Get and Develop Ideas
Fun with Watercolors: New Possibilities—a Creative Idea
Working with Ideas

4. Have a Painting Party

5. Practical Matters
Notes on Processes
Hints and Advice
How to Stretch a Canvas
How You Prime the Canvas
Applying Gesso with Rollers for a Smooth Surface

6. Want Some Additional Approaches?

Try Painting with the Rollers
Care of the Rollers
Explore Special Effects in Your Colors
Additional New and Different Tools

7. Evaluate Your Own Work

Try This Approach to Self-Evaluation
Periodic Critiques by Others
8. Conclusions
Last Thoughts and Advice
Future Prospects

Afterword: About This Book

Recommended Reading
INTRODUCTION

A Brief Overview
Abstract Painting: A Practical Approach is all about providing ideas and approaches that can
enhance creativity in the art of painting. Generally, it does not set out to provide basic directions for
painting techniques. But a bare minimum of step-by-step instructions for basic painting techniques
will be found here to introduce artists to the way I use color. In abstract painting, color is of the
greatest importance.
In this revised and expanded edition, I have included detailed descriptions of a number of
additional creative approaches to abstract painting in the media of acrylic, watercolor, and gouache.
As before, the book is intended for artists with a commitment to painting—as well as for anyone who
is interested in reading about the art of painting and how the creative process works.
A totally abstract painting generally does not attempt to show the contents of real life; rather, it
reflects a unique concept in the form of an idea that exists in the mind of an individual artist at a given
time. Any standardized instructions—like step-by-step illustrations—would therefore be
counterproductive. I offer descriptions of my processes with the idea that if you, the artist, follow
these or similar approaches, you should be able to achieve personal, creative images once you have
had ideas of your own. And it should become easy to take that small step and develop personal ideas
and procedures of your own once you have tried the approaches described in this book and
experienced feelings of freedom and satisfaction from creating in these new ways.
You also may be surprised to find a modicum of basic instructions for realistic painting in the
first part of this book about abstract painting. This section is included for the benefit of those artists
who have never painted before and believe they can skip this basic painting style altogether and
concentrate on abstraction to the exclusion of anything else. But it is a fact—in abstract painting as in
all things—that the more you know, the better prepared you are.
To reiterate, abstract painting is all about ideas; as an artist one must train oneself to generate
new ones. In this volume I describe some approaches that can be applied toward this kind of training.
In the pages that follow, I seek to inform and inspire.
1 BEAUTIFUL WORLD OF IDEAS—THE ART PHENOMENON

Art—and the Rest of the World

Images of art have been found in all parts of the world, handed down to us from the earliest times.
Some of the most enduring signs of any culture’s activities are the art images it left behind, often long
after the people themselves had vanished. Sometimes its art images provide the only proof that a
culture ever existed. These circumstances tell us several things:

Through the art of early cultures, we can discover some aspects of the customs and
beliefs of peoples who disappeared so long ago that we could not possibly have
learned about them in any other way.
Although not everyone feels compelled to become an artist, humans have a basic need
to create images.
Images play important roles in the lives of human beings. Today we need only to look
at the quality and proliferation of photographic imagery to know that the adage a
picture is worth a thousand words still holds true.

If we accept my first contention, that a work of art is an expression that can convey information,
then it follows that artists should develop an understanding of visual language. In a sense artists are
commentators through visual language rather than words. A successful work of art can have a
powerful subliminal influence on the people and the society that produced it, regardless of its style.
Future generations will know about us and our times through the art of today.
It is not difficult to learn how to interpret the meaning of a visual expression. Artists should
learn what they can about visual literacy by reading books on the subject (see the recommended-
reading section). They can then use this knowledge to strengthen and enhance their compositions and
become aware of their own attitudes and intentions in art.

Artists—and Other People

Art has different meanings for different people. To some collectors it may be strictly an investment.
For others, collecting art may be done for the prestige of owning one or more pieces by important
artists; such art can be purchased at art auctions or in galleries. For most of us, however, art provides
a means to enhance our personal environment, either in the workplace or at home.
There are many misconceptions about why artists create. People often believe that artists are
simply trying to find a way to become famous. However, if this were the goal, people could hardly
find a more laborious and less certain way to go about it. The real reason can perhaps be illustrated
by the following incident that occurred when I was quite young, before I even started going to school.
My grandmother had given me a gift of a very beautiful book with a lot of photographs, and she
admonished that I must not draw in the book. I promised that I would not; because I loved and
respected her very much, I tried my best to heed her words. It was a little hard to understand why she
would say such a thing, but I nevertheless restrained myself and in the end made only a very tiny
drawing of a flower next to the book title. When my grandmother saw it she laughed and, as she
showed it to my mother, said, “She just couldn’t help herself!” I think this short sentence sums up at
least one of the reasons why some of us have to paint: we just can’t help it.
Ultimately, art is a form of communication and as such must be shared, which is the reason that
artists must show and perhaps even try to sell their work.

We Reach for the Stars, 1987. Gouache, calligraphic ink, and watercolor on oriental paper, shaped
and floated on watercolor paper, 29 × 41 in. Calligraphy was added on the back side in the green
area, giving a mirrored effect. The work reflects our present-day interest in the universe and other
planets.

Find Meaning in Art Images

When we look at an abstract work of art, we may sometimes wonder what it means. Beginning artists
often avoid working abstractly; even experienced artists may not always fully know the meaning of
their images. This is in part because art uses symbols and conventions for its expression. We can
learn to recognize and understand many of these conventions. However, a successful work of art also
contains material of greater complexity. These elements probably have their origin in images from the
subconscious mind. We are all familiar with such content from dreams. When we examine our
dreams, we may find that they are a continuation of thought processes that we struggle with while
awake. However, dreams use images and symbols instead of the words we would use while awake.
Because our conscious thoughts use words, we may find it difficult to know the meaning of our
dreams. C. G. Jung estimated that only about 5 percent of our thinking takes place on a conscious
level; the remaining 95 percent occurs on the subconscious levels of our minds. Such subliminal
thoughts may take the shape of images that are similar to the ones we know from our dreams. Some
psychologists think that the brain uses pictures and symbols to store remembered material that is
common to us all and has to do with matters of society, religion, and the like. Some psychologists talk
about a common subconscious, meaning a set of images, symbols, and ideas that form a certain
amount of shared knowledge among human beings.
Art probably makes frequent use of such images from the subconscious, and, as a consequence,
artists often are not aware of the origin of their ideas. It can therefore be difficult even for an artist to
explain on a purely rational level what a work expresses. This should not be taken to mean that artists
are ignorant about the meaning of their art; they are not. But thoughts that are strictly figurative can be
difficult to translate into a language of words. And works of art should not be translated into words
—least of all by the artist. (An exception to this rule should exist in a learning situation where the
expression of meaning in art is the subject of study by the students.) This would remove the power,
the charm, and the mystery from the work, and reduce it to plain language. The message we would
hear would lack the impact of the image, because it would speak to our conscious minds without
challenging us to try to understand it on a deeper level. We could quickly decide whether to accept or
to reject the spoken message. In contrast, a work of art derives much of its power from
communicating directly to our subconscious minds, where we understand it intuitively. Thus, a
successful art image can be a far more powerful method of expression than ordinary words describing
the same idea.

Our World, 1966. Oil on Masonite, 5 ft. 8 in. × 15 ft. 3 in. Photograph by Preston Haskel.

When viewing art, people should carry out their own individual interpretations. We approach a
work of art as we do everything else—that is, with our unique sets of background experiences. These
experiences have combined to form our respective personal sets of attitudes, inclinations, and
preferences. In our subconscious minds, our experiences all come together to form the basis for an
intuitive understanding of life’s complexities. Thus, after we have contemplated an unfamiliar work of
art, and without necessarily being able to say that we understand its message, we usually form one of
three conclusions:

We like it.
We don’t like it.
It fails to move us, and we feel indifferent toward it.
 If we decide that we like the work, it may mean that we have understood the message; it agrees
with some subconscious attitudes we have.
If we dislike a work of art, it could mean that we disagree with its subliminal content as
expressed through symbols. Here the artist has succeeded in conveying a message that we have
intuitively understood but rejected because we cannot agree with the statement. This should not be
taken to mean that the artwork itself is “bad,” but rather that it may stand for something we don’t
believe in. Good art does not try to please; it states a meaning that can be pleasant or unpleasant to the
beholder, just as words do to the listener.
If a work leaves us unmoved, it could mean that the artist did not succeed in producing an image
that refers to something genuinely common to our collective experiences. With nothing for our minds
to refer to or identify with, the message fails, and the work has no meaning for us. It could, however,
have some meaning for other people in another part of the world. Persons from cultures that are very
different from our own often have a different mixture of knowledge and ideas that we as outsiders
don’t share.

Flame, 1969. Acrylic on canvas board, 24 × 18 in.

You may find it interesting to watch the effect of a contemporary work of art on its viewers;
occasionally you may see a reaction you never would have expected. Many years ago I belonged to an
art group that presented a juried exhibition each year. An established artist would be invited to
comment on each painting in a session for the members only. I had submitted a painting I had called
Flame, which was totally abstract. The visiting artist was a landscape painter, and I was curious to
hear his comments because he obviously would have a very different outlook on art than I did.
 His first reaction was to ignore Flame, but when I asked for his comments, he turned to face it
and then launched into a prolonged verbal attack. His reaction was so vehement that his face turned
alternately red and white, and I had the feeling that he wanted to physically shake me. I was glad I
was not alone with him. He put forth a powerful emotional reaction, and, when he was finished and
someone from the crowd suggested it now was my turn to say something, I decided not to counter the
attack. I merely said, “Well! Even though you have said nothing positive about my painting, you did
say a lot!” This way I indicated that although I had accepted his criticism, I had also realized that my
painting had touched him in a way he did not like.
At the moment I felt puzzled and fascinated by the fact that a mere object could unleash such an
outburst of anger. Then I realized that a work of art is not a mere object; it is a statement that other
people may respond to and perhaps disagree with.

Do You Have the Urge to Paint?

I have been drawing and painting for as long as I can remember. In an early memory I see myself with
crayons in one hand while using the other to make life-sized drawings on a wall in our home. To me,
any sizable empty piece of wall space was in need of some decoration. In every case, I knew just
what it should be, and I made it happen. I also remember subsequent trips with my mother, holding her
hand as we walked together around the block to purchase wallpaper glue. When we returned home,
my mom covered my creations with a new piece of matching wallpaper, of which there seemed to be
an endless supply, much to my regret and bafflement. I simply could not understand why my parents
seemed to prefer such empty-looking walls.
My parents were very patient, however. I don’t remember being scolded for my efforts, but I do
remember being told repeatedly that I ought not to draw on walls. It took a while, I remember. Then
one day, as I was holding a crayon and raising my hand to start drawing, I suddenly realized that, for
some reason, I should not do it. Instead, I went into our large closets and began to decorate there.
When there were no objections, I felt relieved to finally have found acceptable surfaces to decorate. I
ran out of space rather quickly, but by then I had developed an interest in drawing on paper, which
was a major step forward. I had found a renewable resource. However, during all my years growing
up, I was constantly confronted with my own life-sized drawings each time I opened a closet. I didn’t
really mind, except that as I improved I wished I could have done them over, but the space had
already been taken. As an adult I have never been able to fully trust a small child with crayons.
You like to paint because you get feelings of pleasure and satisfaction from artistic activities.
You may not have realized that this urge stems from a need to express yourself by means other than
through the use of words. Also, you may not have thought about specific goals you would like to
achieve through your art. This book should help you to discover yourself as you learn to use colors
and shapes to express your feelings and thoughts. All of this may sound a bit complicated right now,
but you will find that it makes perfect sense. Consider the reading recommendations as important
supplements to the text. If you have only this book as your guide, and limited experience, I recommend
that you read and complete the projects as outlined.

As you carry out the instructions in this book, you will benefit from also following these
suggestions:
 After completing a project as given, try some different approaches to the assignment.
Try to devise a design that incorporates the new techniques in a project of your own.
Work in your sketchbook—sketch and write notes.
Keep your working space as clean and neat as possible.

Additionally, you should:

Expose yourself to art by regularly visiting museums, studying art magazines, reading
art books, and other such activities. Form opinions and discover what you like.
Read newspapers, access online news sources, and form opinions about events in
your world because your world view affects your art.

Are You Thinking of a Formal Art Education?

Do you wish to attend an art school? If so, where should you go? Here I offer a couple of thoughts for
you to consider.
If you want to earn a bachelor of fine arts degree, or BFA, you may want to choose a smaller
college for your undergraduate studies. Your choice should be a good school with a low student-
teacher ratio because the classes should not be too large. The school should have well-equipped art
studios. You can expect to get the most individual attention and better instruction in such a setting. To
find out more about the types of art taught in a given art school, you should plan to attend some of the
exhibitions by the students and faculty. Also, if the school is a member of the National Association of
Schools for Art and Design (NASAD), you will know that high standards of instruction will be met.
A master of fine arts degree, or MFA, is the highest degree available for professional artists.
Typically you will have to submit a portfolio and letters of recommendation from your professors
with your application for acceptance. It can be difficult to get accepted, and you may have to apply to
several schools. For this degree you will need to go to a larger school with more art faculty members.
If your plan is to continue your studies to ultimately earn an MFA degree, then for your BFA degree
you should choose the medium that interests you the most for your major and plan to continue with
the same major in graduate school. Students sometimes make the mistake of thinking they can switch
majors when they go on to graduate studies. However, this actually could lessen their chances of
getting accepted as MFA candidates because the graduate programs are meant to provide concentrated
study in their professed areas of interest.
Yellow Orchid Fantasy, 1992. Watercolors, pastels, and pencil on hot-pressed paper, 30 × 42 in.
Abstract watercolor painting of orchids. 25 x32in

Create Your Ideal Work Environment

Few people think of art as hard work. The reason is that when you look at a successful work of art, it
gives an impression of order and harmony. The organization of forms and shapes seems to be in the
only logical arrangement possible. This gives an impression of ease that may be deceptive and lead
nonartists to think that the effects are not difficult to achieve. No one except an artist realizes how
much time and work a successful composition takes to accomplish, and nobody likes to find out.
However, you should not doubt that, as an artist, you will have to work long hours. Therefore, you
should begin to develop good work habits right away. Students who work hard at carrying out their
assignments in class and on their own time progress at a much faster rate than those who do not. But
good work habits involve more than just hard work on your assignments. Self-discipline is just as
important. Attendance and punctuality do more than keep you on schedule; these qualities will help to
give you the peace of mind your work requires and assure proper time frames in which to work. You
will also need self-discipline for sketchbook work, for reading requirements, and for those times
when you lack inspiration. Every artist experiences times when ideas just won’t come. Usually, when
you make yourself start the work anyway, the ideas will begin to come again.
If we accept the assumption that feelings can be an important aspect in a work of art, then it is
clear that the atmosphere in the studio should be as pleasant as possible. If your studio is in your
home, you should set aside a small area where you can have a work table of an appropriate size and
can store your tools and materials neatly. If, like some artists, you share the space in a rented studio
or school with a number of others, you should still be able to define your own space and follow the
same rules of neatness.

Get a High on Creativity and Maintain Your Interest

Here are a few approaches that can help you find renewal in your work:

Try to use new tools with which you are not familiar.
Notice unexpected, new effects while you work and plan to include them in future
projects. Make notes in your workbook or sketchbook.
Participate in competitions; find information about these in art magazines and
publications.
Switch to a different medium for a while. Besides giving you a change, it may inspire
new ideas that you can use in your primary area of interest.
Try to combine different but compatible media.
Primeval Sun, 1971. Acrylic on canvas board, 30 × 24 in.
2 THE WILD WORLD OF COLORS—FUN PROJECTS

Fun Projects: Tour of Discovery through Some Great Projects

The first four projects deal with color theory. You will learn to mix any color, including black, from
the pigments on the list. Black can be many different hues depending on the pigments used for mixing
it, so you should never buy black paint already mixed. It is better to mix your own black from colors
used in your composition. It will then appear more natural in the painting.
I have known artists who had to carry and search through big, heavy boxes or bags of paint tubes
in order to have available the exact colors they might need. If you carry out the color projects as
described here, you will be able to mix any color you will ever need with very little effort and only a
few tubes of paint. You can match the colors more exactly to your needs by mixing your own, and you
will never need to worry about not having a tube of the exact color you want available in your box.
Also, you will waste less because you will not have tubes dry out due to infrequent use.
Before I learned to mix colors correctly, there were times that, as I was desperately trying to mix
a certain color, the mound I was working on would grow to horrifying proportions. This will not
happen once you know your colors, and, even if it should, you will know how to modify and change
such batches into useful hues instead of wasting them. Especially in the beginning, you will find color
charts to be handy tools for determining which colors to mix and how to mix them. Later, you will no
longer need to refer to charts as you get to know and recognize your colors better.

Materials to Make Your Day

Canvas pad, 9 × 12 in.

Canvas board, 20 × 26 in. or larger
Brushes, size 12, 6, and 2 flat, plus one smaller, pointed; for acrylic paint, use nylon
bristles; for oil paint, use bristle brushes.
Paints, either oil or acrylic, in the colors specified in the pigment list below; oil paints
can be used, but I recommend using small tubes of acrylic paints for these projects
because oils can take up to three weeks to dry. Since acrylic paints dry much faster
and can therefore be painted over as needed, the projects can be completed much
sooner.
Sketchbook, 8 × 11 in.
Palette knife, one that is used for mixing paint, with a round end
For oil paint: a wood- or paper-strip palette
For acrylic paints: a palette of white or neutral-colored nonporous material—but not
plastic
Plastic tubs—such as white margarine tubs, well cleaned to remove all traces of
oiliness—for storing of acrylics
Small plastic containers with tight lids are handy for storing small amounts of mixed
acrylic paints
Flat toothpicks, to scrape paints off palette knives into small heaps and help them stay
 moist longer
Rags or paper towels
Some sheets of drawing paper; HB, 2H, or harder pencils; kneaded eraser; yardstick
Retarding medium (for acrylic colors)
Turpentine and linseed oil (for oil paints only)
Canvas, acrylic gesso, stretchers (needed later)
Canvas tongs, staple gun (optional later)

The following list shows the only colors you will need for this course. Do not make additions
or substitutions at this time. If you already have other colors in your box, you should remove them
temporarily—for the first three projects, at least. The sessions on color mixing are based on the
specific pigments on the list. The exercises will teach you to mix all colors, with only one or two
possible exceptions that will be discussed later.

List of Pigments Needed for the Projects

Cadmium yellow medium

Cadmium yellow light
Yellow ocher (or yellow oxide)
Cadmium red medium
Cadmium red light
Ultramarine blue
Phthalocyanine blue
Burnt sienna
Titanium white (largest tube)
Miltonia Orchid, 1982. Watercolor, 30 × 22 in.

Helpful Hints for Buying Paints

Be wary of paints on sale, and do not buy old paints—especially acrylics, which have
a relatively short shelf life.
Read labels carefully, and avoid buying tints or hues. They are cheaper, but they have
white added to them. The paints run out faster, and you cannot mix black or dark
shades from tints.

Project One: Have Fun Making a Set of Color Charts

Regardless of the extent of your experience in painting, you will benefit from having a method of
color mixing that will allow you to mix any given color precisely and without guessing. You will save
time and materials. The first project is a simple exercise that is fun and satisfying to do, and, in the
process, you will learn much about the behavior of colors. Afterward, you will have a handy set of
color charts that you can refer to at any time for information needed to obtain a specific color.
The exercise is best performed on canvas paper using acrylic paints that dry fast and thus can be
reworked right away, if necessary. Canvas paper differs from ordinary paper mainly by having a
coating of plastic that makes it less absorbent, which is an advantage for all the color exercises.
If you follow the sequence of the color combinations as outlined, it will make the charts a better
reference tool later on. Comparisons between colors are easier when related colors are shown next to
each other. Locating each color is also easier when the arrangement is logical. For these reasons, I
strongly recommend that you proceed with color mixing in the order shown in the following list:

1) Cadmium Yellow Medium + Ultramarine Blue

2) Cadmium Yellow Light + Ultramarine Blue
3) Yellow Oxide (Ocher) + Ultramarine Blue
4) Cadmium Yellow Medium + Pthalocyanine Blue
5) Cadmium Yellow Light + Pthalocyanine Blue
6) Yellow Oxide (Ocher) + Pthalocyanine Blue
7) Cadmium Yellow Medium + Cadmium Red Medium
8) Cadmium Yellow Light + Cadmium Red Medium
9) Yellow Oxide (Ocher) + Cadmium Red Medium
10) Cadmium Yellow Medium + Cadmium Red Medium
11) Cadmium Yellow Light + Cadmium Red Light
12) Yellow Oxide (Ocher) + Cadmium Red Light
13) Cadmium Red Medium + Ultramarine Blue
14) Cadmium Red Light + Ultramarine Blue
15) Cadmium Red Medium + Pthalocyanine Blue
16) Cadmium Red Light + Pthalocyanine Blue
Phalonaeopsis Orchid, 2000. Watercolor and colored pencils, 30 × 22 in.

Each sheet may have as many color combinations as you can fit in neatly. Some artists may
choose as many as six, and others prefer to have only three on a sheet. Regardless of your method of
organization, do rows of three different versions of each combination following this layout:

1) Larger dab of color number one + smaller dab of color number two
2) Equal dabs of each color
3) Smaller dab of color number one + larger dab of color number two
Here again, be consistent and stick to the proper sequence. Realize that you will need to
concentrate while working on this project. If you forget to pay attention, you can inadvertently make
all the paint dabs the same size. Then you will not reach the goal of the exercise, which is to get
variations in hue. Instead, the resulting three columns will look alike. In any event, though, should
some columns turn out to be too similar, you can redo them quite easily after they have all dried.
At the top of each space that has been allocated for a color combination, neatly write the number
of the combination and the names of the colors. Immediately below this text, place dabs of the colors
in the amounts specified above so that your chart will show relative amounts. Off to the side or on a
separate piece of canvas paper, place a larger amount of white for use throughout the project.
Use an index finger to scoop up all the paint in the first set of two piles. Do not begin to mix
them where they are located; choose instead a space directly below. Placing the colors to be used in
this way (below the original placements) has certain advantages. As the proportional amounts are
clearly indicated, you can tell exactly the composition of a hue at a glance. This will make the charts
easier to use as a reference for color mixing later.
Dip the same index finger in the white paint so that you pick up only a tiny amount. You should
work sufficiently fast to avoid giving the paint time to dry. Mix this into the lower half of the original
area, which will then be a tint. The tint should occupy an area that covers half the original circle of
color. Continue this procedure until a scale of tints appears in a descending column, ending with a
very light value. Follow the same procedure for the remaining two sets of combinations. You should
have three distinctly different color variations in each color section.
After completion, take time to do the following:

Check your work carefully and redo areas that do not entirely satisfy you.
Experiment with other color combinations you can imagine. For example, see how
such a color as burnt sienna can be used to modify pure colors, with white added as
 needed.
Write notes in your workbook and include samples of colors obtained by
experimenting.

Helpful Hints about Paints and Materials

To ensure that the cap does not become glued onto a tube of paint, keep the neck clean. Here is a
good way to avoid getting paint on the neck of the tube: When you squeeze out the paint, allow it to
fall onto the canvas paper from a vertically inverted tube. A small amount of paint will then extend
out of the tube. It will be sucked back into the tube when you release the pressure if you continue to
hold the tube upside down. As an extra precaution to use for tubes of acrylic paints only, you can coat
the neck of the tube with a very small amount of petroleum jelly. However, acrylic paints are
incompatible with oils of any kind, so make sure that no grease gets into the paint. The incompatibility
of acrylic paint with oils will ensure that the cap will never get stuck.
It is easiest to work with a palette knife on a flat palette. For acrylic paint, a palette made of
thick, chip-resistant glass with smoothed edges is good. Tape a piece of white cardboard to the back
to get a neutral ground to use for mixing paints. You can soften and remove old, dried paints with
rubbing alcohol. Porcelain-type palettes with wells are useful for special purposes; you can add
water as needed and cover the wells with plastic to prevent drying out.
As always, be sure to keep your flat toothpicks handy for use in pushing excess paint off a
palette knife after you scrape the paint together into a tight little heap. The paint will not dry out as
fast this way, compared to being left spread out over a larger area.
You can use film canisters, baby food jars, or plastic containers with lids to significantly
prolong the shelf life of mixed paints. Refrigeration makes it possible to store the paints even longer.
Project Two: Color Terms to Make You Sound Like an Expert
When planning paintings, you can take advantage of the effects colors have on one another and the
ways they interact. If you are interested in learning more about the properties of colors, you will find
excellent book titles in the recommended-reading section. Meanwhile, here are some commonly used
color terms:

Primary colors are pure hues of red, yellow, or blue without the addition of any other
pigments.
Secondary colors are colors that you make by mixing two primary colors.
Tertiary colors are the result of mixing one primary and one secondary color. Yellow
orange (from mixing yellow and orange) and blue violet (from mixing blue and violet)
are examples of such hues.
A hue refers to the color of a pigment or a mixture of pigments.
A tint is a hue with white added.
A shade refers to a hue with complementary color added. Adding black could also
produce a shade, but not as interesting a variation as a color addition would.
White and black are not considered to be colors.
The color compass consists of a set of specific colors that have been arranged in a
definite order around a circle. The order of the arrangement has been determined by
the specific ways in which colors interact with one another. It can therefore be a
practical aid in the planning of color compositions for your paintings, if you
understand how it works.

Project Three: Define the Color Values—and Use Them, Too!

A series of different values make up a scale from white to black. The pure hues fall in various places
on this scale. Tints form the upper part of the scale above the pure hues; you mix them by adding
white. Shades form the part of the scale below the pure hues; they can be obtained by adding
complementary color. As indicated above, you can also make shades by adding black, but these lack
the “personality” of the colors obtained by adding complementaries.
Values in color: pure hue is fourth from top; tints are above; shades are below.

Pure hues of different colors do not have the same value, which means they fall on different
places on our scale from white to black. Yellow has a very light value and falls near the top of the
scale, red is approximately at the middle, and blue, being very dark, is near the bottom. You can place
all colors in their appropriate positions on the scale in this way.
It can be difficult in the beginning to decide value in color. If you find it hard to evaluate the
distribution of light and dark values in the painting you are working on, it can help to look at a black-
and-white photograph of the painting. A Polaroid or digital camera is handy for this. If you use a
computer, you can take a digital photograph and view it in black and white on the computer screen.

Project Four: Have Even More Fun Making a Color Compass

List of materials:

Bristol board
Acrylic paints
Small, round palette with wells; do not use aluminum, which may react chemically
with some of the colors and change them.
Brush, medium sized, flat
Palette knives
Containers for water
Rags or paper towels
Flat toothpicks
Eyedropper
 You may wish to use oil paints for your color compass if you normally prefer this medium. If so,
you may save some time by first using acrylic paint, which dries much faster. Afterward, you can
paint over the areas in oil. If you do, you must remember that you can use oil paints on the board only
after all areas to be done in acrylics have been completed. If you must use both types of paint, be sure
to complete all acrylic sections before you apply any oil paints. Acrylics are not compatible with
oils. Oils can be painted over acrylics, but acrylics will not adhere if painted over oils. If you are a
watercolorist, you may want to do this project using watercolors. In this case, you will need to
modify the techniques accordingly.
This project is primarily an exercise in mixing shades and tints as well as blacks. Colors found
opposite each other on the color compass are complementary colors and will produce black when
mixed in the correct proportions.
Any pair of opposing colors will work. In this example I have chosen to use red and its
complementary color, green. Because red is a primary color, cadmium red straight from the tube will
be appropriate for the first choice. For the green, which is a secondary color, phthalocyanine blue +
cadmium yellow light will be appropriate for mixing it.
To start the project, you may want to squeeze some cadmium red into a well in your palette and
then paint the area designated for this color. Do not skimp, but start with generous amounts of each
color. The paints in the original complementary colors will be the basis for the entire project; adding
to the former one makes each succeeding hue. If you are using acrylics, add a few drops of water to
the paints, using an eyedropper to maintain a good consistency. Otherwise, the acrylics will dry too
fast on the absorbent bristol board, and you want the first colors to still be in good working condition
when you mix the last ones. However, take care not to allow the paint to get so thin that the white
surface of the board shines through. This would give the appearance of a lighter value. If this should
happen, you must paint over the area until no white shows through.

Start your project by obtaining a suitable set of complementary colors. A toothpick is handy to
push the paint off the palette knife.

Your next step will be to mix the green. When you think you have a good green, you should test it
against the red before proceeding. To test them, try to produce a black by mixing only the tiniest
amounts (no need to waste paint at this point). Only truly complementary colors will produce black
when mixed in the right proportions. If you cannot get a good black, you will need to adjust the green
color only. Because the complementary in this example is red, a primary color, it needs no
adjustment. When using two secondary colors, such as orange and blue green, you may have to adjust
both colors. This requires some experimenting and patience. You should realize that as the mixed
complementary colors approach black, you must exercise great restraint and add only the tiniest
amounts. It is very easy to overshoot the target.

When mixing black, add only the tiniest amount of red at a time; if you add too much you will not
get black.

Mix small samples of your colors on a piece of paper until you are sure you have the right
combinations for mixing black.
The complementary colors will produce black when mixed in the right proportions.

When you have your black, paint the areas as shown in the illustration using your black, green,
and cadmium red medium colors. The colors should be painted in such a way that they will
completely fill the spaces set aside for each one, with no space between the colors. This way they are
easier to judge.
After you complete the first section as shown, use the same techniques to do the remaining
sections. The illustration in Project Five shows how the color compass will look if you choose to use
watercolors instead of acrylics.
If you are an experienced artist and have a special set of pigments that you like, you may want to
make a color compass using your own favorite colors instead of the ones used in this guide. In that
case, you should be careful to substitute your own cool and warm pigments for the cool and warm
ones used here. For example, use a cool red for cadmium red medium, a warm red for cadmium red
light, a cool yellow for cadmium yellow light, a warm one for cadmium yellow medium, a cool blue
for phthalocyanine blue, and a warm one for ultramarine blue.
You should now mix the first shade. To begin, transfer almost the whole portion of the red to the
adjacent well. Leave a small amount behind to use for comparison and possibly for touch-up, if
needed. Protect the remaining paint from drying out by adding a small amount of water and/or cover it
with plastic. Add a tiny amount of the green color to the red in the new well. This gives you red shade
number one (in well number three at left). Transfer one-third of this color to the next well. Add green
to your red shade number one to obtain red shade number two (in well number four at left). (See also
photo below.)

Colors one and two are pure hues of green and red, three is a red shade, and in well number four a
second red shade is ready to be mixed. Well number five has black.
An eyedropper is a handy tool for adding water to the pigments.

This picture shows the red pigment and two shades. Notice the small dots where comparisons
between the colors have been made. Dark spots indicate values of the preceding shade; light spots
are the colors of bordering tints.

Before you paint the shades in their proper places on the color compass, pause to make sure that
the sequence is progressing at an even rate toward black. Here is a good way to check the
progression: use a toothpick to dip first into the pure hue, and then into shade number one. It should
leave a small reddish mark on the surface of shade number one. (If you fail to get any mark on the
surface of the second color sample, it means that your paint is too thick and you should add a drop of
water.) Discard the toothpick and repeat the process, this time dipping first into red shade number one
and then into red shade number two. Again you will see a little speck of the first color on the surface
of the second one. Continue this procedure until all colors have a tiny blotch on the surface showing
the preceding shade for comparison. If all marks appear to have equal strength, then the scale is
progressing evenly toward black. Otherwise, you will need to adjust the colors before you can paint
the shades in their proper spaces. This takes patience as well as a little practice.
Once you have painted the colors in their designated places, the color compass should show a
scale from a pure hue of red to black. In addition, the section named green should show a pure hue of
the color green, and in the center section there should be black.

The red and green sections of the color compass will look like this when you have painted the first
colors.

Paint all the sections in the same session. The colors can only be compared accurately when they
all are wet.
The red section of the color compass may resemble this illustration when completed.

You can now make tints by adding white to each shade in turn. If you mix the tints so they will all
be of equal value, you will get an interesting color scale. Add only a little white at the time; you can
always add more, but you can never subtract. You should always reserve a small amount of the
original shade, in case you will need it later. As the shades get deeper, you will need more white to
produce colors of equal values. Also, you may need to adjust them a little to get the proper hues. This
is because when you see them in full strength, they are so dark that it is nearly impossible to see their
true color. To make sure that all the tints are of the same value, test them as you did the shades, but
note a small difference in this process: The tiny dots you will leave on the paint surfaces should be
almost invisible. The reason is that it is nearly impossible to distinguish different colors of the
same value.
When you have painted the tints, the section called red on the color compass will show this
scale: (gray: tint of black center), (tint of red shade #2), (tint of red shade #1), (red), (red shade #1),
(red shade #2), (black).
An easier alternate approach would be to let the scale of tints go from pure hue to almost white.
The completed color compass will look neater, but the resulting colors are not as interesting and are
less informative. The scale will then look like this: (red tint #2), (red tint #1), (red), (red shade #1),
(red shade #2), (black).
Test the tints for even progression using the same method as for the shades.

A Few Hints: Color Mixing for the Color Compass

In this project, pay special attention to wiping your palette knife carefully after each time you use it
for a new hue because the quantities used are so small. You would never be able to adjust your colors
with sufficient precision if even the tiniest amounts were allowed to transfer.
 You should mix all shades before painting the shades and all tints before painting the tints. Do so
because you cannot match the values of wet paint against dry painted areas; acrylic paints darken
roughly three values on drying, and oils will lighten on drying.
It is difficult to mix good examples of purple from the given list of colors. Whenever you need
purple, you may prefer to buy good ones already mixed. For this project you can use alizarin for a red
violet. You can easily make a blue violet by adding ultramarine blue.
Take care of your brushes; do not let them sit for a long time in water, or they will bend and
become ruined. When finished painting, you should gently wash your brushes in warm water with a
mild soap.
Since this project takes some time to complete, you should prepare to have some means for
storing the mixed paints. Film canisters are very useful, or you can use margarine tubs that are
carefully cleaned. Arrange several colors around the inside of the tubs, or slip a plastic bag over a
palette that has wells.

Slip a plastic bag over your palette and close it to preserve your paints between sessions.

Project Five: Find Your Way to Great Color Harmonies Using a Color Compass
On the color compass, all the colors relate to each other in a variety of ways. Probably the most
special type of relationship is the one between two complementary colors.
As you saw earlier, complementary colors are any two colors that are opposite each other on the
color compass. They are the only sets of colors that can produce black when mixed, but this is not the
only interesting aspect of complementary colors. They can harmonize in special ways, and, if they are
of equal value, they will show an effect of extraordinary vibrancy and brilliance. This effect can be
very useful when you have a dull area and need to add life to your color composition. Impressionists
use this phenomenon to create a special style with very lively characteristics.
If you are a watercolorist, your color compass could resemble this one. To lighten your colors,
add water instead of white paint as for acrylics or oils. The pure hues are arranged around the
third circle from the outside. Farther out are the tints and closer in are the shades. The shades
in this example have been made lighter to show their true hues. True shades would be too close
to black.

Another interesting aspect of complementary colors is the phenomenon of the afterimage. To see
an example, take a sheet of white paper and cover a relatively small area with another piece the color
of one of the primaries. Look at the colored piece for a few moments and then quickly remove it.
Continue to look at the place where the colored paper used to be. For a brief moment you will see the
complementary color; if your colored paper was red, the afterimage will be green. Any two colors
will work in similar ways to intensify each other when placed adjacently on your canvas, but this
effect is most pronounced with complementary colors.
Other colors that will always harmonize beautifully are combinations of tertiary colors as well
as those of related colors. Tertiary colors are any three colors that are located in a triangle on the
color compass. Related colors are located close to one another on the color compass. I do not mean
to recommend that decisions about the choice of colors for a work of art should necessarily be made
by a mechanical use of the color compass. But knowledge of these harmonizing relationships can
often help you save much time and paint and quickly find the color combination you are seeking. In
any event, it always helps to understand the ways colors behave. The color compass can be used to
plan color compositions or easily show why a given color composition will not quite work out.
Color compositions may contain one or several sets of the harmonizing groups of colors
mentioned above. The objective in project three is to help you experience firsthand some of the ways
these harmonies work.
 The project has four parts and should be done on a sheet of canvas paper. Divide the sheet into
four equal sections. At the top of each section, write the number and name of each experiment as
follows:

1) Related colors
2) Two complementary colors, pure hues, equal values
3) Shades and tints of complementary colors
4) Triads
For each section, first mix the colors you are going to use and then paint the area as planned. The
way you organize your design is not important. The only stipulation is that the colors must border
directly against each other. In other words, you must not separate them with unpainted areas or
black lines. The interactions of the colors are what you want to see. They would be lost if the hues
were not bordering right on each other.

Part 1: Related Colors

Using the color compass, choose a set of related (bordering) colors that please you. The label outside
each section provides information about which colors should be used to mix the hues for the chosen
combination. The placement of the colors on the color compass determines whether the chosen
combination will be shades or tints or both. In either case, you learned how to mix them in the last
project. As you mix your colors now, you will realize that many more small variations are possible
than are shown on the color compass. This is not a problem; on the contrary, it opens doors to added
creativity.
As before, you will find that it is best to paint all the colors quickly, one after the other, so you
can compare them while they are wet.
The related colors shown in this illustration are as follows: 1) a shade of orange-red-orange
(background), 2) a tint of red-violet-red (top), 3) a tint of orange-red-orange (middle left), 4) a
second tint of red-violet-red (middle right), and 5) orange (bottom). Related colors always
harmonize.

Part 2: Complementary Colors

Choose a set of complementary colors. Read their pigment content on the color compass under their
names. Now mix the colors and adjust their values.
This part of the project may be a little difficult because you may not be used to thinking of colors
in terms of value. To get the desired effect, first adjust the values of the colors to match. This means
that the hue with the lowest value—that is, the darkest one—must have white added until its value
matches that of the lighter one. White must be added gradually, with careful comparisons made. Test
the colors in the same manner you used before: dip toothpicks and observe the effects. When the
colors approach each other in value, a shimmering effect becomes obvious. When this effect is at its
optimum, the values match and the areas can be painted.
If you are using watercolors, however, remember that any two colors opposite on the color
wheel can easily get to resemble mud if allowed to mix. So in this case, always wait for the first area
to dry thoroughly before going ahead with the second one.
Take your time for this project, and make sure no unpainted areas exist between the colors. The
effect of the complementary colors can be very exciting.

Complementary colors in pure hues (red and green) and equal values. Such colors tend to produce
lively, vibrating effects. This property can be used to add life to a composition that is otherwise
too dull.
Part 3: Shades and Tints of Complementary Colors
Choose two shades and one tint from the same set of complementaries; in other words, you should
have three hues derived from two opposing colors on the compass. After having observed the strong
effects that complementary colors of equal value have on each other, it is interesting to see the way
the colors harmonize after being toned down. These colors are related because they are made up of
the same components. They are close to each other on the color compass.

Two shades and one tint of complementary colors. In this illustration you can see two shades of
yellow orange and a tint of blue violet.

Part 4: Tertiary Colors

Choose a set of tertiary colors (triads) that you like, mix the colors according to the indications on the
color compass, and paint them in the space provided. They do not have to be of equal value, but they
can be if you wish.
A triad: blue violet, yellow green, and red orange. Triads always harmonize.

Cleaning Up
This page shows four easy steps to the cleaning and removing of acrylic paints from your palette.
First, assemble your cleanup materials. Second, use paper towels to wipe off excess paint—do not
rinse paint into a sink and risk clogging the plumbing. Third, take a paper towel and soak it with
rubbing alcohol; let it sit on the remaining paint until the paint has softened. Finally, wipe your
porcelain palette clean.

Assemble the materials needed for cleaning your palette

Remove excess paint

Soak your palette using rubbing alcohol. It can be covered with an alcohol-soaked paper towel to
keep it moist longer.

When paint is softened, it is easy to wipe the palette clean.

 It is possible to clean brushes in a similar way, by first soaking them in rubbing alcohol and then
rubbing them carefully on paper towels on a flat surface. However, this is hard on brushes, and no
method exists for removing paint from the area where the bristles emerge from the barrel.

Soak brushes in rubbing alcohol only in an emergency! No method can remove paint that has
accumulated in the heel of the brush. Accumulation will continue with use and make fuctional part
of the brush gradually smaller. Keep your brushes clean while working.

After soaking, considerable amounts of paint can be removed by wiping the brush on paper towels,
as shown.

Help Yourself Advance

It would be a good idea to expose yourself to as many styles of art as possible by viewing works and
by reading as much as you can about the subject. Art museums, galleries, and libraries are excellent
resources. Libraries can provide fine books with beautiful reproductions that you can study, in
addition to books about theories and techniques in art that can inspire new ideas and provide useful
information. You should also make it a habit to keep a workbook handy while you read and when you
work. In it you can write notes for future use about what you have read, as well as thoughts and ideas
you have had while reading or working. A workbook should contain:

Notes and thoughts regarding your observations and experiences from carrying out
projects
Loose, abstracted sketches of objects
Loose sketches of any type for practice and possible later use in paintings; the point is
to sketch, sketch, sketch!
Examples of color compositions with notes for color mixing; these may be painted
examples of colors as they happen spontaneously on the palette while mixing colors.
Samples of colors used for specific paintings with notes identifying them (for future
reference if you should later want to use a similar color composition)

Project Six: Discover Undreamed of Potentials with Color-Coordinated Sheets

Color is an important part of our lives. Although some of us may not be aware of our need for colors,
we would soon notice the lack of them if we suddenly found ourselves in an environment deprived of
color. The way we respond to colors changes from time to time with our moods; it may even
correspond to our physical needs at a given time. This subject has been studied and used by
psychologists. Color is one of the most expressive aspects of a painter’s artistic vocabulary. You
have already learned how to mix many colors. Your next step should be to begin to look at colors in a
new way and to observe your personal reactions to them.
If you have carried out all the previous assignments, you have likely learned a lot about the
nature of colors and how to analyze and produce any hue that you can imagine.
You can buy sets of silk-screen papers in coordinated colors for your creative use as an artist. If
possible, choose a set consisting of loose sheets of a fair size. The colors are in carefully calibrated
hues, and a chart may accompany the set to identify each hue on the back by name and number. It also
gives information about tint and shade for each color. It is a good idea to mark your sheets on the back
with numbers and the names that correspond to each pigment if your set consists of loose, unmarked
sheets. Such a set is fairly expensive and should be considered a precision tool. I will refer to these
sets simply as color sheets.
Spread the sheets from one box randomly over the surface of a large worktable; they should be
faceup and in several layers. Let your eyes roam the sheets without thinking about anything in
particular. When you notice an area where several colors have formed an interesting group, pick up
the group and study it for a few minutes.
Most of us have certain preferences in color. They are usually related to such things as our taste
in clothes, which may be prompted by the color of our hair and eyes, among other things. But our
preferences become so much of a habit that we are no longer aware of their origin. You should try to
forget your earlier preferences while you do this project; attempt to avoid favorite colors and take
your time to inspect the table. Pick one color for no other reason than right now it seems exciting to
you. When you have made a choice, pick a new color with one consideration only: it must appear
exciting juxtaposed with the first one.
Spread your color sheets randomly on a neutral ground.

Now pick third, fourth, and fifth color sheets according to the same rules as when you picked the
second one. Find a neutral ground on which to view your combinations. Do not look at them against a
colorful background because this will influence their effect.
Back at the worktable, place the sets face-down. This time pick the ugliest color you can find,
and then choose a second, third, fourth, and fifth one. Try to make a truly ugly combination. We are not
often prompted to look for colors we think of as ugly, so you may find it very difficult to decide on
some. Halfway through the exercise, you may be surprised to discover that you actually like the
colors you chose, after all. (You may conclude that ugly colors do not exist, but you will eventually
manage to produce a combination that seems sufficiently distasteful.)
You may be pleasantly surprised to find a brand-new color combination that you would never
have thought of otherwise. If so, you will see the usefulness of color sheets as tools for creative work
with colors. You may want to repeat this project from time to time in order to refresh your color
schemes.
The next step shows how each set of color sheets can produce several color compositions. It is
an advantage when you can visualize and evaluate a color composition for a projected work of art. It
simplifies the process, especially for beginning artists who often find it very difficult to get the effects
they seek. In addition, this method provides a fun way to work with color.
Arrange your sets of “beautiful” color combinations faceup on the table in front of you.
Experiment a little and arrange the sheets as attractively as possible. If you are working on your own
instead of as a student in a class, make as many different types of combinations as possible, some
wild ones and some quiet ones, in addition to “beautiful” and “ugly” combinations.
Now you should try to find ways to use your combinations. For example, choose a set that
consists mostly of related colors with one or two complementaries included.
Try to pick up a bunch of five to six colors that you like.

Arrange some of the sheets in a pleasing combination.

See the change that can be achieved by adding small areas of complementary colors.

Adding larger areas of complementaries can create very lively effects.

Arrange your color sheets to form an interesting composition. Make it a project to mix exact
matches of the colors and paint the composition.

These are the same six colors used in the last four illustrations.

Arrange them so that some colors dominate because larger portions of their sheets are visible,
while others will be mostly hidden, with only smaller areas visible. Call this color composition
number one. Using the same set of colors, you can create brand-new compositions by varying the
dominant colors. This way, color compositions numbers two and three, for example, will look totally
different from number one. If you used only the complementary color(s) for an interesting accent in the
first three or four compositions, try to rearrange the sheets so one or more complementary-color sets
will be dominant. You will find that manipulating the same color sheets will give you a number of
totally different possibilities. You can now appreciate how even a dull composition can be brought to
life with the introduction of, for instance, a thin line of a complementary color placed appropriately.
Or a quiet composition can suddenly become very wild. Play with the color sets in this way in order
to decide which arrangement(s) you like best.
The third activity in this project is to analyze the colors so you can mix and use them for
paintings. To do so, use the classification chart that comes with each set of color sheets. Read the
number on the back of each sheet and find it in the table. The chart will show you the name of each
color and whether it is a shade or a tint. If you locate a color on the color compass, it will be easy to
see which pigments to use for duplicating the colors exactly as they appear on the color sheets. If you
cannot find the identical hue on the color compass, it should not be too difficult to figure out where it
should be situated and how it could be mixed.
The final activity is to mix the colors precisely to match exactly the colors in your set of color
sheets. Paint them onto the canvas paper with no white spaces showing between the colors. You
should use the same proportional organization of colors that you decided on earlier by experimenting
with the hues from your set of color sheets.
The preceding projects should have cleared up the mystery of color mixing. With more time and
experience, you will eventually be able to identify any colors and know how to mix them without
using charts. But this method is a good introduction that can save much frustration at first. To complete
the project, write on your sheet all the individual sets of harmonies you can find within your color
compositions in your project.

Names of related colors

Names of complementary colors
Triads

Use Values in Color for Better Effects

Black-and-white color sheets in values one to ten

Creativity in color compositions can be one advantage of using color sheets, but it can be useful
in other ways as well. As mentioned elsewhere, it can be difficult at times to determine the exact
value in color. From the examples shown below, it is fairly easy to see that the value of the red color
in the first example is approximately five on a scale from one to ten, and the yellow has a value of
three. In the second example, the hot pink and the green both have approximately a value of seven.
The entire scale from one to ten in the color-sheets system is shown in the illustration. Try to place
other colors according to their values. It can be easier to make the judgment if you squint your eyes.
The value of the red color is approximately five, and the yellow is equal to three.

The hot pink and greens are seen to have the same value of approximately seven on the scale from
one to ten.

Project Seven: A Fresh Approach to Realism in a Still Life

Although painting a still life may not appeal to you, there are important insights you can gain from this
particular exercise that you would not want to miss. If you decide to follow along, even in a
halfhearted manner, I am convinced that you will benefit in a number of ways; at the very least, you
will get some new ideas.
These are the subjects that are specifically covered in this section about the first still-life
project.

Ways to see as an artist

Planning a painting and composing a still life
Color mixing
Color interactions
Practical approaches to painting
General considerations about compositions
 General handling of tools and materials

Learn to See as an Artist

As small children we explored a world that was new to us. In our eagerness we noticed appearances
and details that as adults we hardly catch. We do not usually notice details in ordinary objects like
trees. Our brains store pictures of familiar articles, but in general shapes only—enough for
recognition, but without many details. This type of knowledge is all we need for everyday
functioning. We assume that we know what familiar objects look like better than we actually do. As
an art student, you must rise above this comfort zone and literally learn to see.
A plant is a living organism with many more intricate details than you would generally expect. If
you don’t study it very carefully, you will never make a good representation of it in a painting. When
you have painted it successfully, it is because you have learned to see in a new way.
Some artists may be relieved to hear that painters do not need expert drawing skills. There have
been great masters in painting who were very poor in drawing. A painter who lacks good drawing
abilities can compensate by using creative techniques and innovative approaches. It is, however, very
important that your work shows evidence that you have seen and understood the forms that you are
trying to represent. This will add interest and credibility to your work. It also makes it a true
expression of an experience you have had. Finding a way to show in a painting something you have
seen or felt is the challenge of creating works of art. The production of a work of art is, in this
respect, a question of problem solving. The way an artist chooses to deal with the problems of media
and representation is what defines the development of the artist’s personal style.
For instance, for the following project, you can use an ivy plant or other small houseplant to
study as you follow the text. This project can be done on canvas paper, and it should only be a quick
exercise. You should focus your attention on major features of the plant, which include:

The way the branches grow and change directions in space

The way the leaves turn: some facing us, some facing away, and some presenting more
or less a side view
The ends of the stems, with such details as new stem buds or unfurling leaves
The differences in color and texture between old and new parts of the stem
Light and shadow effects
The pot and the way the stems emerge from the soil

There are three stages to the project:

Drawing
Underpainting
Overpainting

Begin with a Drawing on Your Canvas

All plants have their own characteristic patterns of growth. With ivy, for example, it is easy to notice
the way the stems develop: they first go straight for a short while, form a nodule, and then turn
abruptly in space. You should also study the way new stems grow from old ones, the way the leaves
grow, and how they turn in space. A few leaves face up, but most turn to a greater or lesser extent. Do
not attempt to include each and every leaf, as this would look overdone; choose which leaves you
want.

A simple line drawing like this one is all you will need to start painting your plant. You will not need
to have expertise in drawing skills, but you should make sure you have observed and noticed all
details, as this will add credibility and interest to your final painting.

The perspective in the pot may present some problems for those of you with limited experience
in drawing. For example, a common mistake is to show the oval at the top of the pot as having two
pointed ends instead of two rounded ones. You may fail to realize that the curve at the base of the pot
should have a shape similar to the corresponding curve at the top. These are examples of details that
will show how well you have studied your subject. This way of close observation is what will make
your work different from the work done by most artists who lack training.

Great Effects with Underpainting

Try to approach your underpainting with a feeling of fun and relaxation. This layer of paint will be
mostly invisible in the finished work. Use it as a trial run to study your subject because it will affect
the final appearance of the finished work. This image, which lies hidden below the surface of the
painting, will help you in many ways if you do it with care. It should be noted that in the case of
watercolors, an underpainting plays a somewhat different role; though it still serves as a foundation
and a basic layout for the painting, it will also become an integral part of the completed work because
the paints are transparent. It is therefore important to consider color interactions when planning the
project.
Experienced artists sometimes prefer to work without an underpainting regardless of the medium
used. For beginners, however, it is a very good way to plan a composition effectively. It gives you a
chance to study the subject a second time (the first time was the pencil drawing) before going on to
the final stage of the painting. You can correct and add volume (light and shade), and generally move
or change the forms as you may wish. When you do an underpainting in a monochrome, it provides a
practical and easy method for planning the values in the composition. Value in color can be difficult
to judge, so a good underpainting helps. It is easier to avoid having areas in the finished work that
look either unfinished or overworked if you have started with a good monochromatic underpainting.
And sometimes underpainting can be used to add special, creative effects in the finished work.
For the first project, your monochromatic underpainting should be of a neutral color such as
burnt sienna. The underpainting is nothing more than a wash drawing. If you use acrylic paints, thin
them with water; if you use oils, thin them with turpentine. You could also paint in acrylics under oils
—but never oils under acrylics! Apply the paints in an easy, relaxed way. Study the forms as before,
but realize that while the main emphasis was on the lines earlier, now it will be on the form—that is,
light and shadow effects. Working with volumes in this way will make drawing mistakes easy to see
and correct. Feel free to make changes that will improve the image.

Underpainting can help give the finished painting a nice completed look because the inevitable
unpainted areas will not look white. Burnt sienna is a good neutral color that will blend in and not
be distracting.

Step back and look at your work. Realize that “lucky mistakes” can sometimes enhance an
image. Besides, artists usually do not want to reproduce nature exactly as they see it; photographers
do this very well and more easily. You should feel free to change what you see in order to make the
image more beautiful. When you paint a complex subject such as a plant, you will need to drop some
details. As noted earlier, too many leaves in the painting would only overcrowd the image and make
it look tight or busy. Too many details in the leaves will look unnatural, too, because normally we do
not pay attention to such details. The trick is to include the essential forms.
A good underpainting will make it easy to see potential problems in the composition. Resolving
most of the problems of forms and placement will help the painting process go more smoothly in the
later stages. You can still make late changes, but you can now devote your attention mainly to color
mixing and painting the forms. For beginners especially, this approach makes the process much
simpler and more enjoyable, and the results are likely to be much better.
Artists are very different in their personal approaches, and any art instruction should
accommodate all styles. Whereas some artists are meticulous in their approach, others like to work
faster and in a more casual or “painterly” fashion.
In a work done without the benefit of underpainting, unpainted areas can become detrimental.

No matter which method you prefer, you will sometimes get some effects that you particularly
like in a given area. Usually, you would prefer to leave such an area alone and not have to touch it
again, but areas like that will often have small, unpainted spaces. Without underpainting such gaps
would appear white, and, if left that way, they would give the work an unfinished look. An advantage
of a carefully executed underpainting is that such spaces will have a neutral color that will not be
disturbing.
You could take advantage of the underpainting in other ways as well. For example, you could
plan the picture so the pigment(s) in the underpainting would complement the colors in the finished
painting. Then you could achieve some very special, creative effects by deliberately choosing not to
completely cover the underpaint. This method requires some experience with color interactions.
In this example the underpainting was done in red, the complementary color of green. Such color
combinations can create very lively effects.

There are additional styles that allow the underpainting to play an important role in the final
effects of a painting. Consider, as one example, the use of very thin layers of overpaint. This
technique allows the pigments underneath to modify the colors on the surface, thereby giving a wealth
of interesting variations within each hue.
It is easy to see that an underpainting can enhance a finished work in many ways. Because it also
makes it easier for a beginner to get good results, it makes sense to use this approach at least for the
first painting. Even if the underpaint is completely invisible, the finished painting will look different
because of it. If the underpainting is beautiful to look at, it is likely that the finished painting will be
beautiful, too, because as an artist, you react to what you see. If looking at your canvas while working
makes you feel good, this in itself will inspire you and enable you to achieve better results in the
overpainting.

Overpainting—Make Use of Your Underpainting

You are now ready to proceed to overpainting, and your first step should be to analyze the colors you
see in the plant. For this purpose, take out the color charts that you produced in project one. Because
the predominant color in this case will be the green of the leaves, start by looking at the green colors
on your chart and try to find a hue that you think would match the leaves best. If you hold the chart so
the color you have chosen is next to a leaf, it will be easy to compare. You will find that several of
your green hues come pretty close. Look at a number of them and choose the one that comes closest to
matching the basic color in a leaf.

Use your color charts to determine which colors to use for mixing your basic green for the leaves.
Find the color that most closely matches the color you need and then read the labels above to
know exactly which colors to mix.

If you have difficulties choosing the right color, here is a hint that can help you know where to
look: organic subjects (e.g., live subjects) generally show hues that are relatively warm, as opposed
to inorganic ones that often have cooler colors. Warm colors are defined as those that have a slightly
reddish hue; the cool colors have a slightly bluish hue, or, in some cases, simply a lack of red. For
example, cadmium yellow medium will be seen as a warm color, and cadmium yellow light is a cool
color. Similarly, cadmium red light and ultramarine blue are warm, and cadmium red medium and
phthalocyanine blue are cool colors. Remove the caps of the tubes and study the colors for a moment;
this will help you to understand and remember the differences. To compare the blue colors, you
should dilute each one with a little water on a scrap of white paper; otherwise, they will be too dark
for you to clearly see the difference.
Because the plant is a living organism, you would expect to have to use the warmer colors for a
realistic rendering. That means that the hues most likely to match your requirements will be those
containing a warm yellow and a warm blue: cadmium yellow medium and ultramarine blue.

If your chart was carefully executed, you will clearly see three quite different hues that are the
result of colors being mixed in different proportions. From this it will not be difficult for you to
decide the proper amounts of each color you must use to obtain the best match.
Painting your leaves with variations in your basic green, as shown in this picture of the palette,
will ensure a natural look in your leaves and help you avoid a monochromatic effect, which is
typical for beginning artists. Remember: never paint anything without first having studied it.

Start by mixing a generous amount of the green color, which will be your base color. You should
mix enough so you will have plenty for the entire project. (Make sure you have planned a way to store
the paints so they will not dry out.) Now divide this pile into four to five smaller piles. Leave the first
pile unchanged. To each of the other piles, add tiny amounts of other colors: red, blue, yellow, white.
Arrange these colors neatly on you palette, along with some titanium white and burnt sienna.
Before starting to paint, take a little time to study the colors in your plant. You will notice that
within the basic green, there will be many minor changes in the hues of the leaves. Here are some
examples of what to look for.

Where the sun shines through the leaves, there will be a definite shift toward yellow.
Use green with a little yellow added.
Where light from a clear blue sky is reflected in upturned leaves, there will be a shift
toward blue. Use paint that has blue added.
Light from a neutral source or an overcast sky will create a shift toward white. Use
paint from the pile with white added.
For darker shadow areas, use paint from the pile that has a little of the complementary
color added: red. Red will shift the green toward black, thus producing shades. But be
careful—too much red will change the green into a brown.
In stems the green will vary from a very light yellowish in the newest parts to rich
browns and reddish hues in older parts. Add varying amounts of red for the browns
and reds.
Additional color variations can be obtained by lightly adding very small amounts of
paint to the colors on the brush. Generally you should never mix paint using your
brush, but with care it is possible to add tiny amounts in this way.
 What remains now is the actual application of the pigments to your painting. Sometimes students
will tend to paint an entire leaf in the basic green color with the intention of adding the color
variation needed for form later. This is not a good way to work because all the efforts of your initial
study are thereby lost. Instead, you should take advantage of the forms you have studied and recorded
in the underpainting. Study the forms again and apply the appropriate hues where they belong as
indicated in your wash drawing; be guided by what you see in your subject. It will not take you long
to get used to working in this way, and you will soon find that this method saves you time and effort.

New Ways to Look at and Paint Glass

This project will be devoted to the special problems of painting glass. When completed, you will
have concluded your introduction to basic painting techniques, and you will then be ready to conquer
any challenges you may encounter in the art of painting realistically.
For your subject you will need a piece of colorless glass of a simple form, such as a jar, a plain
drinking glass, or a vase with uncomplicated forms. Place it in front of you on a table with a simple
background, which should include straight lines.
On your canvas paper lightly draw an outline of the glass. Always use a hard pencil (2H or
harder) and avoid black, heavy lines when you sketch on your canvas. Lines can be difficult to cover
in paint, especially with acrylics in the lighter colors. Colorless glass is basically invisible. What
you must look for are the effects created by the presence of the glass in its location.
Glass has two properties that we can observe and record easily:

It reflects light.
It bends light.
 Reflected light results in highlights—tiny areas that are too bright to show any detail. Highlights
can be observed on any shiny surface illuminated by a light source and are the only areas to be
painted in pure white. You must always be particularly careful to observe and record the shapes of
highlights with extra precision—especially in glass, which has so few distinguishing features
otherwise. If highlights are painted too large or are shapeless, the eye will not recognize the
representation as glass.
Another effect of reflected light is that the images of surrounding objects are always visible on
shiny surfaces. Because clear glass has no recognizable details of its own, the highlights and
reflections become the only visible elements. These peculiarities are usually rather subtle, which
makes it necessary to study and record them with extra care in order to ensure that they will be
recognized as intended.
The second visible property of clear, colorless glass is bent light. Bent light causes normally
straight lines to change their shapes. Such details as flower stems or the straight edge of a table can
appear to be broken or otherwise misshapen. This is such a prominent characteristic of glass that
without some straight shapes or lines to be distorted, it can be difficult to get the glass to look like
glass.
Clear glass has no real visibility of its own, so the background must be planned carefully
because it will contribute an important element as it is seen through the glass. In other words: glass
and background are inseparable and must always be painted together. So when you paint glass, as
opposed to other subjects, you have to paint the background first.
Now study the glass in front of you. After having read the section above, you will probably
recognize some of the characteristics of glass that you did not pay special attention to previously. The
old rule, never paint anything you have not first seen, is more important than ever when you attempt
to paint a subject like clear glass. Following are some details to look for.
With a Pink Ribbon, 1988. Watercolor, 30 × 22 in.
In the contour of the glass, look for variations in values.

Study the contour of the glass. Notice that in some places it is lighter than the background, in
other areas it appears darker, and in some places it seems to disappear altogether. These are the ways
you must paint the contour—just as you see it. There may be highlights as well. These are always
very small and very precise in nature, and it is of the greatest importance to paint them exactly as
seen.
Look for broken representations of objects as seen through the glass. This is most obvious
where there are straight lines. The absence of straight lines will make it more difficult to make your
representation look like glass. In the illustration, such broken lines can be seen where the stem
emerges from the water and again from behind the top of the vase.
Look for reflected images of objects in front of the glass.
Look for dark, almost black areas. They will always be tiny and should be added in the end. Be
very precise when doing so.
In this detail the arrows point to pink reflections of the ribbon.

Look for highlights and paint them last if you are painting in oil or acrylics. If you are using
watercolors, you may want to use masking fluid to be sure you can preserve these very small and
finely defined shapes. You must be very precise here, also.
Again, before you paint anything, be sure you have first seen it.
Your glass may have some color but still be transparent. If you use oils or acrylics, you can add
small amounts of paint the color of the glass to the pigments used for the background; use the same
procedure as for watercolors. In the case of watercolors, first paint the glass the color of the
background and then apply a glaze that has the color of the glass. (A glaze is a thin wash that will
merely modify the original color without obliterating anything.)

Making Your Own: Initial Techniques for Starting a Still Life

Still Life with Grapes, 1960 Watercolor, 18 × 24 in. 1960. When choosing objects for your still life,
look for as many contrasts as possible, such as size, color, texture, and general shapes.

Search your home and general surroundings for a number of suitable objects. Choosing what to paint
is a creative activity, and your choices become an integral part of your expression and your style.
Placing the objects that you have chosen in a pleasing manner is an enjoyable aspect of painting a still
life. There are no mysteries to solve and nothing to worry about; you are your own master and should
enjoy a sense of freedom as you approach the project. There are some considerations that can help
make your still life more interesting.

Strive for contrasts in size, texture, color, shapes, and the like.
Avoid including objects that already have been given artistic form by others, such as
figurines.
Avoid sentimental subjects like teddy bears. Instead, try to make the composition
expressive of your personality by combining objects that have a special appeal to you
and that are interesting when seen together.

Start sketching the still life on drawing paper. The drawings do not need to be very detailed.
Rough sketches will show the general placements of the objects in the composition. Experienced
artists often skip this step and draw directly on their canvas. But for the first time at least, there are
reasons why it is preferable to follow the steps as outlined for this project.
 If you have had experience with drawing, you will find that compositional requirements for
paintings are different from those of drawings and watercolors. A drawing may benefit from showing
blank areas where the paper is allowed to become an element in the design; similarly, it is often
considered desirable to have the composition surrounded by a margin. When painting on canvas, the
opposite is true because the canvas does not have the aesthetic properties that a good paper does. The
canvas must be covered or the painting will look unfinished. Also, a painting will not be beautiful
unless every area within it is beautiful.

In your compositions avoid dualities, two elements with equal emphasis and similarity in shapes
and sizes, as seen in this photograph.

When you have produced a sketch that you like, study it to decide how much of it you want to
include in your painting. You may find that often your composition will become more powerful if you
leave out certain parts. Here is a method you can use to decide how much of your drawing to include
in the painting. Using a piece of paper, cut a window and place it over the drawing so it will isolate
an area you like best. Move it about and view various parts of the drawing before you make your final
choice.

Dualities compete for attention, and it is difficult to make them work in a composition. Three or
five items, as shown here, are easier to work with.

I suggest that you use a canvas board for your first still-life paintings because this will allow
you to get going faster. Chances are the dimensions of your drawing are different from those of your
canvas board. Your goal must be to reproduce your drawing on your canvas board so the composition
will be exactly as it is in your sketch. If the proportions will change in any way, it will not be the
same composition, and you probably will not like it as well. Use a technique that will ensure that the
composition remains unchanged in every aspect.
Your first step will be to determine how much of the canvas board you will need to trim away to
keep the correct proportions for your composition. Typically you will need to enlarge your drawing
and trim one side of the canvas board to get the drawing to fit. Here is an easy way to find out what
the new dimensions should be.

Position the drawing in the lower-left corner of the canvas board in such a way that
the left and bottom sides coincide.
Draw a line from the lower-left corner through the top-right corner of the drawing.
The point where the line cuts the top or the right side of the board will be the top-right
corner of the painting.
Using a utility knife and a metal ruler, trim away the area that is above or to the right
of the top-right corner of the painting.

With the method described here, anyone can experience success in painting still lifes or other
subjects with a minimum of frustration. And if you are a beginner, it is especially reassuring to use a
method that will enable you to reach your goal as quickly and easily as possible. Later, you can build
on what you have learned in order to arrive at a style and method of your own.
The following will give you a method you can use for transferring and enlarging your drawing to
the canvas board. With this approach you can be sure your composition will be enlarged without
unwanted changes.

Divide the bottom line and one side of the drawing into evenly sized sections, and
draw horizontal and vertical lines to form a number of squares.
Using a hard pencil, divide and draw the same number of squares on the canvas board.
The squares on the board will be larger than those on your drawing. Keep the lines as
light as possible, or else they could show through the paint in lighter areas. Use a hard
pencil (#2H or harder).
Copy the drawing from the paper to the canvas board one square at a time. (It should
now be very easy to do so.) When you copy the small squares of your drawing onto
the larger squares on your board, you will be enlarging your drawing. If you are
careful, the drawing will be exactly as in the original, and the new dimensions will be
correct.

Alternatively, you could use a computer to enlarge your drawing to the correct size and then
trace it onto your canvas board. Or you could sketch on the canvas board directly because the board
is going to be painted over anyway. However, in the beginning there are some advantages to using the
approach as outlined, as follows:

You can preview your composition easily and crop to eliminate detracting and
 unneeded areas, to make your painting as powerful as possible.
You have, with a well-planned painting, added familiarity with your subject, which
makes the overpainting process more effortless.
You can more easily keep lines and marks from getting too dark and difficult to cover
with paint.
You will enjoy painting on a clean surface free of smudges from erasing, which is
likely to improve the finished work.

Later, after gaining more experience, you may want to paint directly without the use of a
drawing.
3 FREEDOM TO SOAR—ABSTRACT PAINTING

Journey to New Frontiers

Abstraction in art is frequently confusing to the uninitiated perhaps because there is a tendency to
compare abstract art of our day with representational art of earlier times. At this time you may have
had little or no previous exposure to abstract styles in art. Even representational art of today should
be examined in a different light than earlier forms of realistic art because of the contemporary culture
in which it was created.
One question often asked is why modern art changes so often. The answer could perhaps be that
as society undergoes rapid changes, art, not surprisingly, does so as well. Changes in styles of
expression reflect, or indeed often precede, changes in the society in general.
“What does it mean? and “How can we understand it?” are commonly asked questions.
However, as discussed earlier, we may not always need to actually “understand” a work of art in
order to appreciate it. It is enough to realize whether or not we like it. We may understand a work of
abstraction on an intuitive level. If you can begin by accepting the new art forms on these terms, then
later you can probably learn to discern some of the deeper meanings in many paintings, even if they
elude you now.
We may talk about a work of art as an art object—that is, a special kind of an object. Our lives
are full of objects of all types, such as tables, teacups, and pitchers. We accept these objects for the
purposes they were made to fulfill. Although they may also be designed so that they are beautiful, and
we may perceive them as such, we do not expect to understand them in any special way. Abstract
works of art initially could be perceived in exactly the same way: merely as objects created for the
purpose of delighting us. If we like them, we may hang some of them on our walls and use them to
enhance our personal environment.

Treasure Hunting with a Paintbrush

If you would like to attempt an abstract work of art, you are probably wondering how and where to
begin. You may have heard it said that abstract painting is easy “because you can do just what you
want.” But chances are you will soon discover that it is precisely this freedom that makes abstract
painting and drawing more difficult and challenging than anything you have tried before. What you
will need is a set of new approaches and techniques. In the process, you may discover some
techniques that could lead you to an entirely new and personal style, or maybe you will simply find
some ideas you can incorporate in your realistic work to make it more interesting.

Nature—in a New Way

An uncomplicated form of abstraction can be found in nature. For example, one definition of the word
abstract can be simply the removal, or lifting out, of a part of a totality. When looking at the
photographs of a pink orchid, you will see how, as the camera comes closer to the plant, increasingly
smaller parts of the total subject are represented. As you zoom in, you also will begin to notice
aspects that may not have been obvious before. The last picture on the following page shows only a
very small area of a flower. With so many more details that normally go unnoticed, the image takes on
an abstract quality. Probably only a trained botanist would recognize the object as being a part of an
orchid bloom. It is still a valid representation, but at the same time it is quite an abstract one.
Exchange Old for New: Abstraction Based on a Realistic Painting
Suppose you have made a painting in a realistic style. You can now select a small section of it to use
as a preliminary study for a new abstract work. First, you need to choose and isolate the area that you
want to use as a model for your new painting. For this purpose, cut a rectangular area out of a sheet of
white paper. This frame should conform proportionally to the shape (not the size) of the canvas or
board you plan to work on. Move your frame around on your existing painting to help you find an area
you like.
Try to cut paper frames of different sizes. The smallest frames will give you the greatest degree
of abstraction. Realize that the elements that attracted you to a particular area in an earlier painting
must be precisely duplicated in your new abstract image.

Surprise: A Different Approach to Abstraction

There are other ways to use an existing realistic work as a point of departure for an abstract image.
For example, take a good look at a painting or a drawing that you have done in a realistic style. Look
at the lines and shapes that make up the image. Begin to think in terms of which lines and which
shapes you like better than others. When you begin to feel strongly about a line or a shape, quickly
copy it using paper and pencil. Continue to look at your picture, pick another line or shape that you
like, and copy it onto your paper so that it looks good together with your first forms. Now you have
two elements in your drawing, and you will see that they are interacting in some ways. Look again at
the original work and choose a third element that appeals to you enough to be placed in your new
drawing in a way that appeals to you. Continue to work in this way until looking at your drawing
gives you feelings of satisfaction and completeness.
A playful approach can often render surprising results. Look objectively at your developing work
and decide if you may like some aspects of it.

Create Something Great with Less: Limitations in Time or Materials

You may be a person who has a natural ability to draw and paint realistically. Such artists often find it
difficult to try to express themselves abstractly. Yet you may feel that your work needs “something
extra” to make it more interesting. You may want a greater or lesser degree of abstraction. Choosing
to work abstractly, if only temporarily, may give you some ideas you can then incorporate in your
realistic work for added interest. Some degree of abstraction alongside realism can be fun and
challenging to attempt.
One approach could be to try to place limits on yourself. For instance, try to force yourself to
work much faster than you are used to by severely limiting your time. Draw very quick impressions of
subjects or scenes, taking only three, two, one, and half a minute. You may be surprised to find that
some of these quick sketches, though different from your usual standards, may please you very much.
You will soon be able to determine which speed is best for you. Indeed, after a short while you will
no longer be looking at your watch. Such drawings can have immense power and a rhythm of their
own, often more so than elaborate productions.
You can limit yourself in other ways as well. You may decide to leave a favorite tool out of your
toolbox or try tools you are not familiar with. Such approaches will invariably lead to newness in
your style. Try to draw with such tools as sharpened sticks and ink or black oil paint on a stiff brush.
Try to invent tools. Even if you don’t discover new techniques that you would want to continue using,
chances are you will discover some new ideas or effects that can add interest to your more traditional
work.
 Depending on your personality and preferences, one or more of the preceding methods may be
the best way to start out. Once you have some experience, you will have no difficulty finding some
new ideas of your own. Ideas are what count in creativity. Use inexpensive materials for your first
attempts and do not be afraid to experiment. Even if the results fail to please you, you should always
take enough time to look carefully at your picture. It’s possible there may be an area here and there
that may seem exciting to you, even if you don’t know why. Analyze those effects to find out what
makes them appealing, how they came about, and whether or not they may present ideas you can use
in more serious paintings. It could be that such an area could serve as a model for a new work.
Always remember that if you do not take pains to preserve color composition, contrasts, proportions,
and more, you will lose the effects you liked.

A True Treasure Hunt: Abstraction from Nature

When you have gained some experience and a certain amount of confidence, you will probably want
to try abstraction directly from nature.
Here again, you can create abstract images by choosing as your subject a very small area from a
still life or a familiar scene or object. If you are familiar with photography, you are probably aware
that photographs of very small areas can appear quite abstract. You can use the same approach in your
paintings. Remove the film from a slide and look through the frame to isolate the surrounding and
generally distracting forms in a composition or a landscape. Choose to paint an area from the scene or
subject you like. If you hold the frame close to your eye, your subject will not appear abstract at all.
You will see that the farther you remove the frame from your eye, the more abstract your subject
becomes because increasingly smaller areas are included. Such a frame provides a very handy way to
previsualize your subject matter for abstract (or nonabstract) work in any medium. It helps you to see
your composition clearly by isolating and clarifying your choices of how much of your subject to
include.

New Effects in an Old Style: Creative Effects for Added Interest in Realism
An interesting exercise can be to force yourself to use new approaches for creativity. You can try to
take a drawing or painting that you like and redo it two or three times, but develop it in different ways
using different tools and approaches. The result should be three totally different images. You can
either copy the first drawing and use it as a foundation for your modified designs, or you can easily
make new drawings. Let us assume that the original work was done in a style you have been working
in for some time. If the following two to three works are indeed going to be totally different from the
first one, then you will have to think of alternative ways to solve the problems posed by the
composition. If you truly make an effort to use new approaches, the result should be renditions in
three different styles. As in all exercises, you should relax and not worry about the outcome.
Afterward, you can compare the results and decide on your preferences.
By using the same elements in each one of these new and different images, you will be able to
compare them directly. If you prefer one to the others, you will know that the new techniques or style,
not the elements in the composition, are what make you like it better. Even if you don’t especially like
the results, there likely will be some new and unexpected effects in certain areas that you may like
well enough to want to explore them further.

Use Contrasts for Effects

In a realistic image you can change a simple element (e.g., contrasts) and achieve quite different
effects. Try to experiment with your contrasts. You may eliminate the middle range of contrasts as if
they did not exist and squeeze all your contrasts into the ranges at the top and bottom of the scale,
from light to dark. Similarly, you could play with the contrasts in color.

Do More with Less: Limiting Your Palette

Try to remove one color from your palette. Forcing yourself to manage without one specific color can
give very interesting results. If you eliminate red, you will have to use another color in its stead. This
simple method can give interesting and quite surreal effects.

A Trip to a New Frontier: Planning Your First Abstract Painting

In the following project, I have outlined an approach that will help you get started painting in an
abstract style. I recommend that you begin by following these instructions. Later, you can experiment
with one or several of the approaches described to compose an abstract drawing that you like. When
you have completed your sketch, you will be ready to plan your color composition.
Make an approximate copy of your drawing in a small scale of no more than a couple of inches
in either dimension. Now place the top left corner of a piece of tracing paper over your miniature
drawing; it may be easiest to use a small piece of tape to prevent the drawing from moving
underneath. You should be able to clearly see your drawing through the tracing paper. Use coloring
pencils to sketch all areas in the colors you think you would like to use; do the most important areas
first. Take advantage of the lessons learned earlier to help plan your color compositions. When your
color sketch is completed, make a new rectangle to the right of the first one and start over with a
different distribution of your chosen colors, or use a new color combination. Do not make pencil
outlines of the shapes on your tracing paper. Your painting will not have black outlines between
colored shapes, so it would be misleading to show such lines in your sketches. You should make as
many as ten to twelve of these small, color sketches. Ultimately there will be several that you will
like better than the rest, and you can choose between them.
The sketches should be fun to do, and each one should not take much time. You should simply
settle down and enjoy the process. Allow plenty of time for this step because it can save you time and
materials later. The color composition of an abstract painting like the one you are about to do can be
difficult and frustrating to carry out because of the way the colors interact with each other. Careful
planning can make it much easier; if you are not happy with the color composition in a small sketch, it
is a simple matter to modify it. Making changes on the canvas will take much more time and paint,
because modifications in one area often necessitate changes in other areas as well, due to unexpected
color interactions. Careful planning makes good sense.
When you have your color-composition sketch ready, you can start your painting. If you use a
canvas board, you will save some time in the beginning. Later, you may want to paint on canvas. You
should transfer your drawing to your board using the technique described earlier. And remember to
refer to your color charts to simplify your color mixing.

Elements in Space, 1968. Canvas board, 18 × 24 in.

A detail from Ragnarok, 1985. Gouache and ink, 41 × 29 in. Midgaardsormen is a prominent figure
in Nordic mythology. The body is my design; I copied the head from the Vikings, making this a
collaboration between the Vikings and myself. Notice how all lines follow an over-and-under
pattern, which is a characteristic of Viking art.

On Wings of Imagination: Art and Idea

While growing up in Denmark, I was always surrounded by reminders of the Vikings. We were told
stories about their deeds as well as their mythology. It was likewise impossible to escape their
characteristic insular designs, which were to be seen everywhere. I was not particularly interested in
Viking art then.
But once, when I was very young, my aunt showed me how to draw an unusual design, probably
to keep me occupied. She told me that she did not know where the pattern originated, but someone
had shown it to her when she was little, and she had liked it so much that she had drawn it often when
she had nothing to do. I liked it too, and it fascinated me enough that I never forgot it. Later, I felt
certain that it must have been a form of grid used as a basis for a design of some sort. I thought that I
myself might someday use it.
Many years later, when I was studying calligraphy and the historic development of writing, I
eventually ended up reading about the Vikings. In his book Celtic Art: The Methods of Construction,
George Bain postulates his theories of how the intricate designs of the Celtic peoples could have
been made possible. He contends that the designs were based on spirals, and he devised a method
that could have been used to produce them on the then-available materials. His theory seems very
plausible. The designs of the Vikings show some similarities to those produced by the Celts, but they
are also quite different in many ways. However, on reading the theories of George Bain, I was
immediately reminded of the little design my aunt had shown me many years earlier. I felt certain it
had by coincidence been passed down to me from the time of the Vikings.
The grid I used designing my Viking compositions. To make the designs, I let my eyes be guided by
the dots and lines. Even a very intricate design like the one from Ragnarok is easily carried out
using this method.

I did some experiments by superimposing my grid over Viking designs I found in books, and they
seemed to fit perfectly. I have not attempted to prove my theory by further research. The few examples
I tried seemed to fit so well that I felt satisfied about the probable correctness of my theory. If used as
a grid for Viking insular designs, a more perfect method could not have been devised. It would allow
for an extremely fast and accurate method to create even the most intricate designs with the greatest
ease. Furthermore, when we consider the materials on which the art was carried out—wood and
stone, with no paper to sketch on or to use for transferring the designs—it becomes obvious that a
practical method of execution would have been needed.

A Viking Was Not Afraid to Die, 1988. Cut paper and gouache, ink, 23K gold leaf, 30 × 22 in. This
painting exhibits its title written in runic letters.

The Viking era ended about a thousand years ago, and if we calculate roughly twenty-five years
for each generation, we see only about forty generations between the Vikings and us. Until as recently
as only a few generations ago, ordinary people were used to passing all knowledge from one
generation to the next by word of mouth. Furthermore, they are reported to have been very accurate in
this respect, more so than we tend to be today. I think it is not inconceivable that a small, easy-to-
carry-out, pretty design could have been handed down over many generations, even if only as a
pastime for children. In making this assumption, I naturally felt quite excited; it seemed like the
Vikings had communicated with me through their art across the oceans of time. Whether or not this
was actually so, I allowed my imagination to accept this hypothesis. In my mind it became an
exhilarating and inspiring thought.
Life in the Morning, 1987 Cut paper and gouache, 30 × 22 in.

I wanted to know all I could about this distant people with whom I now felt I had a common
bond. I proceeded to read all the books I could find and to study all the art I could uncover. Next, I
wanted to use my own art to communicate backward in time to the Vikings. This, of course, is not
possible in reality, but it can be a possibility in art where we are free to soar and to create a world of
our own in any way we like to imagine it. I knew the Vikings of a thousand years ago would never get
my messages, but this did not have to hold me back. It is really not much different from when a letter
fails to arrive at its destination; the message has been expressed and sent. If the intended recipient
does not receive it, in many cases no great harm is done. Indeed, somebody else might even get the
letter and enjoy reading it, too (as happened once when I wrote a postcard from England to one aunt
but mistakenly addressed it to another one).
Vikings in a Modern World, 1988. Cut paper, gouache, ink, and 23K gold leaf. 30 × 22 in.

I liked the idea of speaking to the Vikings through their art, just as they had spoken to me. To
make sure that these people of so long ago would understand my messages, I decided to base my art
on the same design methods I believed they themselves had used. Thus began a new series of works
that I called my Viking series.
First, I wanted to make sure the Vikings would know from the beginning that the messages really
were meant for them. For this reason, I began simply by reciting some of the historical facts about
them that I knew from books I had read. The idea was that the Vikings would then recognize
themselves in my work and thus know there could be no mistake: it really was meant for them. Later,
in a newer group of works, I went on to tell the Vikings about us and our times: those aspects of life
that have not changed (sunshine, snow, etc.), along with those that have and that might indeed be
difficult for someone from a thousand years ago to accept. The second set of works has modern forms
and more color, and it expresses aspects of our lives today while still employing the same principles
of design.
I am presently working on a new series of paintings to address peoples of the future. Your
thoughts are your own, and if they can give rise to new ideas, it does not matter if they may seem
farfetched. Who can know where ideas come from, anyway?
The reason I have recounted the concepts behind these specific series of my art is to illustrate
the importance of the idea in art. A big difference between representational art and totally abstract art
is that in the latter there exists no model to work from. The way you think about your work and the
concepts behind your art will shape it and help define your style to a very high degree. In abstract art,
the idea that exists in your own mind is what will determine the appearance of your expression.
Shadows from the Past, 1988. Gouache on handmade-paper with ink and 23K gold leaf, floated
over watercolor paper, 30 × 22 in.

Examples of Newer Paintings from the Viking Series

The following paintings from 2010 are from my third and newest series of Viking images, and they
are a sequel to the two previous series of paintings discussed in the section on art and idea. I include
them here to illustrate how one new approach can lead to many new and creative ideas.
The first painting shown below is a transitional one that, not surprisingly, shows similarities to
works done in the style that went before, while at the same time being quite different in appearance.

Variations on a Theme #4, 2009. Gouache, pen, and pencil. 30 x 22in.

Developing newness within a style presents some interesting challenges, often with unexpected
results. When I began working on the next two paintings, I sometimes felt the colors were too gloomy
and decided to try brighter, triadic colors instead. The next painting is an example of such a situation.
Although I liked the initial result, it was not long before the image in its initial color composition
started again to work on my mind, demanding to be painted. The result is shown below, and I like it
better than the “improved” version. This can be seen as another example of how we cannot force a
painting; we must give it what it demands.

Break-away, 2010. Gouache, pastel, and 23K gold leaf. 23 × 30in.

Solar Flares, 2010. Gouache, pastel, and 23K gold leaf.14 × 11in.

How the Creative Process Currently Works for Me, Personally: A Few Examples
My recent work has followed a natural development into a new series of abstract paintings, one that
is not based on the idea of an exchange with a people from the past. Each one of my gouache paintings
begins with a concept in the form of a fully developed design in color. Some of the designs may have
taken years to develop in pencil in a sketchbook reserved only for such sketches. For the foundation
in my designs I still use the grid I described earlier that I believe was developed originally by the
Vikings and introduced to me by my aunt when I was growing up.

I expanded the design as shown and began to use it to make layouts for my gouache paintings.
When we look at a drawing, our eyes are being pulled across the page, led by heavier lines and
points. In this way I use the grid for the purpose of leading me around; my eyes will randomly follow
some of the lines and dots, and I allow my pencil to follow the same movements. You can train your
eye-hand coordination in such a way that your pencil duplicates the movements of your eyes; I will
show the principles of this ability in the following examples.
Painting Versus Drawing. Painters often think they can paint but they can’t draw. But painting is
just another way of depicting that which is between lines. As a painter you do not need to be able to
draw expertly in order to produce a masterpiece, but it is still handy to have some degree of
proficiency in drawing. And that proficiency can be achieved quite easily with a little practice. It is
possible to train your eye-hand coordination in such a way that your pencil will move in perfect
synchronization with your eye movements to make a quick expression; in this way you can easily
make relatively accurate representations of even quite complicated forms in front of you. To start your
eye-hand coordination training, it will help to first free up your hand movements. On a piece of scrap
paper, deliberately move your pencil in random directions; beware of repetitive movements but make
a deliberate effort to change the direction of your lines continuously.
 This takes a bit of practice—good times for this training can be, for example, during telephone
conversations. The ability to move truly randomly will give your hand the freedom it will need for
real eye-hand coordination. Once you have mastered this movement, you are ready for the next phase
of the exercise. Seat yourself with pencil and paper in front of your subject. Now, very slowly, begin
to move your eyes along the contour of your model and make a simultaneous attempt to move your
pencil at the same rate and in the same directions as your eyes while not looking at the paper.

A very slow speed is necessary with this technique; it takes time to, first, observe all the
irregularities in the contour of the subject, and, second, to transfer and record the information in the
drawing. At a good slow speed it should take you at least about twenty minutes to go around the entire
contour of, for example, a human model. At this point, do not expect your drawing to look like the
model—unless you cheated and looked down at the paper—for now this is strictly an exercise. With
some practice your drawing skills will gradually improve and you can then—from time to time—stop
drawing while looking down at your work and make some decisions about possible adjustments. You
can get to be very good at this! While you may not want to draw models long term, this can become a
very handy and satisfying way to draw any subject from nature and can be of great help in any kind of
drawing where you need or want a good representation of what you see.
When I have a little time to relax, I will sit down with a pencil and a piece of paper that has the
grid drawn on it. Slowly I allow my eyes to wander across the page, following lines and dots with my
pencil duplicating my eye movements. When I am finished, I will have a design that in most cases is
not yet complete. I will now study my drawing and ask myself which shapes and/or lines I can make
more beautiful or interesting. A change in one place leads to a change in another one and so forth. The
objective is a drawing in which all lines and all shapes—including the negative spaces—must be
beautiful. Furthermore, all lines and all shapes must be interesting and beautiful together. I sometimes
return to work on such a drawing for years. My sketchbook is by now almost full. Sometimes I will
sit down and leaf through the book, enjoying those designs I like and stopping at an occasional one
that never quite “worked out” before. I will begin to work on it again for a little while before letting
it rest again until the next time. I will usually write down the year I last worked on the drawing, to
remind myself how long it has been under development. When a drawing really satisfies and excites
me and I feel drawn to it in a way that makes me want to paint it, I go right ahead.
Enlarging a Drawing. My first step will be to enlarge my original drawing to fit on my
watercolor paper. To do so I use the following technique, which allows me to copy a drawing to
canvas exactly—that is, free of distortions that could cause the loss of some of the effects in the
original drawing.

1) Place the original drawing on top of your canvas in such a way that the lower-left
corners are on top of each other and the left sides coincide.
2) Draw a line through the lower-left and the upper-right corners of your original drawing
and continue the line to where it will intersect with the edge of your canvas/sheet of
paper.
3) Draw a vertical line where the corner-to-corner line crosses upper edge of your canvas
—this will be the right edge of your painting and what is beyond his line should be
removed.
4) Divide the upper edge and one side of your original drawing into sections of equal size
and draw lines in both directions to form a grid consisting of fairly large squares.
5) Divide the sides of your canvas into the same number of sections and draw lines to form
the same number of larger squares; use a hard pencil to make your lines so faint as to
be barely visible because lighter colors will not completely cover dark pencil lines.
It will now be very easy to make an exact, enlarged copy of your original drawing
onto your canvas—one square at a time.
 Alternatively, I can scan my drawing into my computer, enlarge it to the desired dimensions,
print it, and from there copy it onto my canvas or good paper in precisely the same configuration as in
my sketch.

Planning Colors. I use only a very small number of the most basic colors as described earlier,
which I will then mix to the exact hues I want. This allows me complete freedom in my choice of
colors; I can watch them develop before my eyes during mixing and stop mixing when I see exactly
what I like. Each color projects its own specific moods and emotions. For example, a bright red—
and, to a slightly lesser degree, a bright yellow—can be used to express feelings of energy,
excitement, and happiness. Blue gives a feeling of calm, coolness, and quiet; green generally projects
industriousness and energy; brown can express comfort, hominess, and warmth. I carefully look at my
drawing to get a feel for the special rhythm expressed there. I will then attempt to match the feel of the
colors to the special feel and energy in the drawing.
 Painting. Now comes the time to apply the paint to the precise areas of my choice. Precision is
of the greatest importance in an abstract composition of extreme simplicity. If a painting depicts
recognizable objects or scenes, the contents will to some degree dictate the appearance of the image’s
colors and forms because the finished image must reflect the reality represented. By contrast, a
painting showing only colors and forms without any reference to recognizable objects has to be done
with the utmost precision; otherwise any special effects will be lost, and the painting will totally fail
in its ability to affect.
 Assessing. Once the paint has been applied I study the results to make sure the effects are
balanced and harmonizing, as they should be. When satisfied, I proceed to determining what else is
needed to complete the image. My current style in painting makes use of heavy lines to complement
the painted areas. Usually I superimpose a sheet of tracing paper over a line drawing—most often
elements from the original sketch—to evaluate what effects I can expect and, when I am satisfied, I
will trace the lines onto the painted image. I will then pull up those lines using a heavy ink pen.

Bigfoot, 2014. Gouache on paper, 23 X 30 in.

The painting will now rest for a while. I will study the effects to see if anything more is needed
and where. This step must be allowed plenty of time. At first I will look at it daily, and then I will
hide it away for a couple of weeks before looking at it again. After this length of time, it will no
longer be as fresh in my mind, and, if any additional changes are needed, it will become more
obvious to me.
Naming. The only remaining step is to give the painting a title. My paintings do not exhibit
recognizable objects, which makes the titling a little more challenging; most often my titles suggest a
concept that I feel is appropriate rather than something concrete. Frequently the title will just present
itself, either while I am working or at a time when I am not even thinking about it. It will then pop up
every time I look at the painting or think about it, and it will simply refuse to let go. Sometimes I am
surprised, and I may even resist giving the painting a title that it seems to demand if the title seems too
outrageous.
An example of a curious title could perhaps be Bigfoot. I began by simply calling it Big until it
became Bigfoot. One might ask, how can Bigfoot be an appropriate name for an abstract painting such
as this? We must think about what the word stands for: Is Bigfoot the name of a specific group of
beings, or is it a myth? Is it a fact or a good story? It could be either, but I like the thought of a group
of human (or nonhuman) beings living happily under simple circumstances. To me the thought was
compatible with the feeling I personally get from the painting.
Another example could perhaps be the title Waltzing Matilda; for a while I refused to use this
title, but it would not let go. The painting fought so hard to keep it that I decided—in the end—that I
had to find out exactly what this title stood for. Finally, when I heard the song in a YouTube video
(https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VEVKUE_ma00), I simply had to give in! I could not possibly
give the painting another title! To me it evokes a jaunty, happy-go-lucky feeling that does in fact to me
seem appropriate for the painting’s title.

Waltzing Matilda, 2012. Gouache on paper, 23 X 30 in.

Using Grids for Composing. Recently I thought, “Surely, I can by now create these designs
without using the grid—after doing them for so long! It cannot make a big difference! I will try to
make one without using a grid.” I was very surprised to see what I got. At first, things went pretty
much as usual, and the initial design did not seem exceptional—although I did not like it quite as
much as I wished. The surprise came about as I reworked the design; I had expected that the end
process could have improved the initial layout to some degree. But instead all I had when finished
was a rather plain drawing of what was basically a flower—very conventional and not nearly as
interesting as I had expected. Perhaps I could train myself to work in this way to get some designs I
would like—but why bother, when the approach I have developed works so well and so efficiently?
Here is the result of my little experiment:

Now I have no doubt that the grid works on the mind; it frees the mind up to some degree and
inspires some new and different forms not otherwise attainable. It somehow circumvents the way the
brain naturally works. I think my brain subconsciously strives for a kind of simplicity in a way that is
difficult to override without some external stimulation—in this case, the grid. Could this striving for
simplicity be a necessary characteristic for functioning in our daily lives and making life a little
easier? Does it explain why my little design ended up such an uninteresting, simplistic representation
of a flower?
When it comes to considering an image, however, the mind likes some degree of complexity.
So if an artist can find a way to introduce a little bit of mystery in an image, the image will become
much more compelling. Abstract expressions of ideas and thoughts make certain demands of a
composition that are not compatible with too much ease of understanding. A grid seems to make
creative choices easier to accomplish.
This was only one of my creative approaches but there is an element in this process that I want
to emphasize because it is very important: Regardless of which approach you use, you must
carefully scrutinize and judge the painting before each new step. Then you must carefully consider
what the next step should consist of.
There are as many different approaches as there are artists and ideas. In each case it is a
question of developing a set of procedures that will work for the individual artist, fit into his or her
lifestyle, and lead to satisfying results. The idea on which a painting is based determines to a large
degree the style and appearance of the final product. It may not be an overstatement to say that
problem solving is the root of creativity; when we encounter a problem in working with art, we need
to be creative to find a solution. It can be difficult, but it affords us a feeling of satisfaction when it is
successfully accomplished.
For now I would like to suggest that if you are serious about painting abstracts, you would do
well by engaging in some experimenting of your own. There are many different ways to approach this,
but try first to use a grid. Even if you should—in the end—decide that grids are not for you, you
won’t have lost anything by trying, and chances are that in the process you may discover a new idea
that would have escaped you otherwise.
A grid can be as simple or as complex as you want to make it; you can create one of your own or
you can use an existing one that you happen to know about. If you use someone else’s grid, you won’t
need to worry about your paintings looking like someone else’s because your own personality and
moods will be different, resulting in different choices and therefore different outcomes.
Here is an example of a very simple and straightforward approach that you may like to try for a
first attempt. Use a hard pencil for light lines that can easily be changed or erased when no longer
needed. With a hard pencil (e.g. 2H or 6H) and light lines, draw a grid consisting of squares where
the lines are parallel with the sides of the sheet of paper. Then draw another grid on top of the first
one in such a way that the lines of the second grid will be at a forty-five-degree angle to the lines in
the first one and run through the corners of the first one. Your paper now shows a grid consisting of
small triangles.
It may be easiest to use a simple still life for your subject for the first attempt. You should set it
up consisting of objects of contrasting shapes and lines. Take care to make your arrangement as
appealing as possible. It is not unusual in the beginning to underestimate the importance of beauty in
subject matter for abstract work. Do not make the mistake of thinking that because your painting will
be abstract, your subject matter will not be recognizable, and your source is therefore unimportant.
The fact is that while working, you inadvertently project the feelings you have for your subject into
your art piece to a much larger extent than you might expect. Even if you plan to make a totally
nonrepresentational work, you cannot produce a beautiful picture if you are looking at a subject that
holds no appeal for you. Therefore, unless you compose your still life carefully, this exercise will be
a waste of your time.
A charcoal drawing using a grid. Notice that some lines from the grid were in some cases modified
to become an important aspect of the drawing.

Use a piece of square-pressed charcoal for the drawing. Remember that the grid is meant to
guide, to inspire, and, in some cases, to be included. Later, you can erase grid lines you don’t want.
Choose lines and shapes from your still life that you like, and feel free to place them in any location
you choose on the paper. Allow the grid to interact with your drawing so that in some places the grid
serves to redefine forms or even add forms to the work. As your drawing progresses, in some places
you may want to pull up certain lines from your grid along with some of the lines from the still life.
You may move any of the lines, as you feel inclined. You may emphasize lines or shapes from still life
or grid with shadows, to make them integrated in your drawing.
Do this exercise several times until you get a feel for it. You can then choose the best sample and
develop it in color for use as a preliminary study for a painting. Be guided by your feelings and the
suggestions that the drawing seems to demand. You could now develop this drawing into a painting. If
this is what you want to do, you would be wise to work out the colors very carefully beforehand.
Colors interact, as you now know, and it is far easier to do a number of color sketches first than to
attempt the struggle on the canvas directly. The extra time spent in this way will be worthwhile; it
will help you complete your painting much faster and with less frustration. With more experience you
can easily make your own changes to this procedure and find a way of working that suits your needs.
Four Bottles and a Lemon, 1961. Oil on particleboard. 16 × 18in. Notice the correlation between
this painting and the charcoal drawing on the previous page.

A black-and-white photograph can make it easier for you to judge the values in your painting if
you find that you are in doubt.
An Experiment. If you would like to try a quick experiment to see how the above approach
could be applied to one of your own paintings and which effects you can expect, here is an easy way
to do it. Use an old painting you don’t care a lot about or use a printed copy of a good painting. On
top of it draw the grid as described above using light lines only; then study it for a bit and decide
which lines you would like to cut in order to modify the composition. Now experiment with pushing
the sections slightly along the cut lines and study the effects to decide which ones you like best. If you
like some of the effects you get, you may perhaps want to try to plan for such effects in a future work.
See the examples below.
American Dream, 1978. Acrylic on canvas, 48 × 36 in. This painting, created many years later, was
not based on the above grid; however, the way the spaces have been divided was clearly inspired
by the grid. The terrain in southern Michigan is extremely flat, which allows you to see very far
into the distance; the result is that those faraway details are very small. To make a more
compelling image, I chose to divide the spaces in this way.
Gordian Knot, 2014. Gouache and Ink. 23 X 30 in.

An Exercise. Abstract paintings can have recognizable visual content to a higher or lesser
degree—or they can be totally abstract, meaning that no realistic details are included in the
expression. Many nonartists have difficulties accepting abstract
paintings—most often due to a lack of exposure to this art form. Beginning painters usually feel
some degree of curiosity—or a need to “discover” a meaning and to find out if this could be a format
they might want to pursue in their own art. Whether or not you ultimately decide to specialize in
abstraction, it is a form of expression you need to explore because you might find it satisfying and
exciting. Only when you have tried different possibilities can you be sure you have chosen the way
that is best for you.
Try this little experiment: settle yourself comfortably with paper and pencil and a previous
painting or drawing that you like. Take your time to study the work and make an attempt to look not at
the forms in the work but only at lines. Pay no attention to the roles these lines play in the earlier
composition, but try to choose a line or a set of lines for no other reason than they should look
pleasing together. When you have found a line or set of lines you like, carefully copy it to your paper.
Now, study your earlier work again to find another line or set of lines that for some reason appeals to
you and copy this one on top of your previous drawing in a place where all the lines will look good
together. Continue in this way until you have a feeling of satisfaction when you look at your new
drawing. Study your new drawing. It may give you a feeling of a certain rhythm or mood or perhaps
action like dancing or weeping or sleeping. If so, choose a color harmony that has similar potential
(see the section on color harmonies in chapter 2); if no particular feeling or mood presents itself
when you look at your new drawing, simply use the colors that come to mind. It can happen that such
a feeling or mood will suggest itself after the painting is completed, in which case you can use it to
help invent a title for your work.
Acrylic on Canvas. An earlier body of my work consisted of about fifty-five minimal paintings,
in acrylic on linen (which I refer to as canvas) produced from 1973 to 1978. The original idea for
these paintings first presented itself to me as I was driving to thedentist for oral surgery. This is a
typical example of the way ideas often pop up when we least expect them; it is so important to be
alert and open to such occurrences. These are the first two paintings in this series:
Composition 1-73, 1973. Acrylic on linen, 45 X 45 in.

Composition 3-73, 1973. Acrylic on linen. 45 X 45 in.

As a first step, I constructed the stretchers out of two-by-two-inch strips of wood from a
lumberyard. I then stretched my canvas around the corners neatly to eliminate the need for frames; the
reason for this was that the compositions were generally very subtle and a frame could easily have
produced too great a contrast and been distracting. For the next step, I used masking tape and sheets of
plastic to cover those areas where I wanted the canvas to remain without priming; then I gave the
canvas a couple of layers of gesso applied with rollers for a surface free of any brush marks. This
provided a textural contrast; the surface was smooth where primed, while the unprimed areas
appeared matte and a little rough. As the light was reflected differently from the two types of surface,
colors generally appeared darker and more intense in the unprimed areas; this effect would change
depending on the angle of viewing. The viewer thus became involved in the creative process. An
example can be seen in the image of the first painting: a band of primer was applied from top to
bottom.
Before starting to paint I mixed all the colors I had planned to use for the painting. It was
necessary to mix them all at once because the hues were calibrated to be so close to each other that
they were nearly impossible to tell apart except when compared directly while wet. I first mixed a
large amount of the basic color that would dominate the painting and then thinned it with water to the
proper consistency for application with a roller. Portions of this color were then set aside for mixing
the remaining hues. To these portions I added in turn tiny amounts of the different colors planned for
the painting; I calibrated the colors as I went by transferring a tiny droplet from one batch to the next
—it was the only way to tell them apart. For the contrasting hues, I generally used complementary
colors, which tended to make them interesting together and a little easier to detect in a composition of
such subtlety.
Composition #70, 1974. Acrylic on linen, 48 × 48 in.

Composition #77, 1974. Acrylic on linen, 48 X 48 in.

Composition #72, 1974. Acrylic on linen, 54 X 54 in.

After the entire surface was lightly sanded, it was time for the actual painting process, which
was carried out with rollers to ensure an even application without brushstrokes. The dominant color
of the painting went on first with a couple of coats covering the total area. After masking off those
areas that were not to receive any more paint, the next color was applied in the same way as the first
and so on until the exciting moment when, finally, all masking was removed to reveal the finished
painting.

Composition #74, 1974 Acrylic on linen, 48 X 48 in.

Composition #22-75, 1978 Acrylic on linen. 48 X 48 in.

Later Styles. A later variation of the minimal style described above came about when I had the
idea to paint acrylics on Plexiglas rather than on canvas; the textural effects were now in the painted
versus the shiny areas of the unpainted glass. It is not recommended to use rubbing alcohol on
Plexiglas, but I used it anyway on a soft cloth to quickly remove a certain light film that tended to give
the glass a water-repellent quality. Initially I painted on clear glass, and the color effects were subtle
and very similar to those in the canvas paintings. Later I went to a darker, smoky-colored glass that
showed stronger contrasts with the painted areas and therefore necessitated stronger contrasts in the
colors as well.
Composition #7-76, 1976. Acrylic on Plexiglas, 28 X 28 in.

The stronger colors were eventually carried over into subsequent painting styles in acrylics on
canvas that otherwise maintained the same geometric simplicity in the compositions.
With Red Circle, 1982. Acrylic on canvas, 28 X 28.

My Newest Gouache Paintings. My painting styles changed more dramatically—away from

geometrics—when I decided to switch to using paper and gouache instead of acrylics on canvas or
Plexiglas. Although the subject matter is still very precise, the forms are freer, and, together with the
colors, tend to convey more feeling. In the earliest images, the Viking series described earlier, there
was an element of perceived communication back and forth with the Vikings who lived several
hundred years before our time. The newest expressions have been free of any such associations and
have gradually developed into the present, nonobjective style of pure color and form.
Spin, 2012. Gouache on paper, 23 X 30 in.
Serendipity, 2013. Gouache on paper, 23 × 30 in.

Stains. For a short time after the initial set of paintings in the Viking series, I began to work in a
very different style, which I called Stains. I enjoyed creating these images, but I had to stop when I
could no longer get the beautiful handmade organic papers that I used. I made them by placing a sheet
of organic paper over a larger sheet of heavy plate glass, pouring gouache paint dissolved in water
over the whole sheet to soak it, and using my fingers to shape the edges and sometimes also form a
hole somewhere. Next I placed a second sheet of heavy glass over the wet paper and allowed it to
dry in this way overnight. The next morning when the stained paper was completely dry, I removed
the top sheet of glass and gently lifted it off the bottom sheet; it was then ready to be painted on. The
paper was so thin that the paint went right through to the back, and sometimes I took advantage of the
back rather than using the side actually painted. This allowed me to get some intriguing effects like
calligraphy—which I did on occasion—that appeared mirrored. When the work was completed, I
attached it to a sheet of watercolor paper using small beads of clear acrylic medium along the top
edge. When this dried, I applied finishing touches of watercolor or colored pencil to exposed areas of
the watercolor sheet.

We Sing And Play. 1987. Gouache on paper, 30 X 23 in.

Battle Cry. 1987. Gouache on paper, 23 X 30 in.

Abstraction in Portraiture
Portraits, like any other subjects, can be abstracted in many ways. However, I would recommend
proceeding from a good drawing, at least at first. Working on a drawing first will familiarize you with
the face and probably eliminate a good deal of the struggle involved in achieving a likeness before
going ahead with the actual painting. So I will begin by giving some hints for the drawing.
It can be difficult to get a good likeness in a portrait; faces are so much alike that it can be
difficult to tell them apart if we are not very familiar with them. Also, when an artist attempts to
create a portrait from a photograph, it can be quite difficult to get a “natural” expression. This is
because, as the facial expression changes, small muscles here or there may come into play, but not for
long enough for that musculature to become characteristic of that face. When such small,
uncharacteristic changes are caught in a camera we have no difficulty recognizing the person in the
picture; the image gives such a complete representation of all the other details that there is no
problem. But if a drawing or a painting includes such a detail, it can cause the picture to look
unnaturally stiff or just “wrong.” So for a natural look you will want to work from a model at least
part of the time. You will also want to pay close attention to those details that are most likely to show
personal characteristics and ignore the rest simply because this reflects the way our eyes and our
minds tend to work.

Start your portrait drawing (or painting) at the center of the head, which is right between the
eyes. This is where all the details originate, and, once they are in place, the rest will follow more
easily. Another good reason for starting right in the center is that, as we concentrate hard on the
details, the drawing can easily get out of proportion; when we begin working in the middle this is less
likely to become a serious problem.
So draw the eyes from the smallest part of the nose and out—one side first, and then the other.
Ignore the nose, but be careful to have the distance between the eyes correct Pay special attention to
the upper eyelid and the eyebrow and the shape of the space between the two. The bottom eyelid
normally gets very little attention and should only be indicated enough to show the general size and
shape of the eye. Do not make the mistake of carefully tracing the total shape of the bottom eyelid:
a slight indication is all you want.
 After the eyes it is time to look at the nose. Follow the same rules as for the eyes, and carefully
choose those details that are most characteristic for the face being studied. Except when seen from the
side, the nose does not present clear, linear outlines, and, when we look at a face, we tend to not pay
much attention to the larger part of the nose. It appears mostly as a raised part of the surface. Never
draw an outline of the nose. The exception is the area of the nostrils, which does show important
characteristics that should be rendered precisely.
The mouth is very important. Beside the eyes, it is the most attention-getting detail of a face.
But here again, if you present too many details, your rendering will appear amateurish. The
predominant feature of the mouth is the line where the lips part. Study very carefully the
characteristics of the line that is formed by the meeting of the upper and lower lips; it is one of the
most expressive details of a face and tells very much about the mood and the personality of its owner.
By way of contrast, the outer contours of the mouth do not attract much of our attention, but we do
notice the fullness of the lips, which we can indicate best by a light shadow or a small mark or two.
When working on a portrait always remember the most important rule: Never draw or paint
anything you have not first seen.
 When the facial details have been completed as described, it is not difficult to add only as much
as you can see of the contour. Look carefully at how the line relates to the features. Be very careful to
be exact because the shape of a given person’s face and head are unique; precision on this point is
very important for the likeness of your portrait. This also goes for the hair. To indicate movement in
the hair, use parallel directional lines if you are doing a drawing and parallel directional brushstrokes
if you are painting.
Always use a live model if you want your work to have the best likeness and a natural look, at
least for the parts of the project that include the most important details as discussed above. Your
drawing can be very loose—you will need only a sketch with a good likeness. Photographs are handy
for reference only, because a photograph captures a very fleeting moment in which muscles may be
activated that are not the ones typically seen on the person’s face. The result can be an unnatural
expression and a certain stiffness.

Painting the Portrait

The first step will be to copy and enlarge your drawing; handy procedures for doing so have already
been discussed. Be careful to keep your lines very light so they won’t show in your painting. If you
find that you want to show lines, you can add them later on.
Your abstract painting will be more than a portrait because of the choices you will make along
the way. You are not limited in your choice of colors and forms as you would be for a realistic
rendering. Your choice of colors, your rhythms, and the ways you structure the painted surface will all
be influenced by the feelings you have for the subject. Not only are you representing someone you
know, you are also making a personal statement about this person and what he or she stands for. As
before, choose colors that are appropriate for your subject; unrealistic choices in the colors alone
will go a long way toward creating a successful abstraction, and they will express a lot of meaning.
Beyond that you are free to use any of the procedures discussed in this book for abstract painting in
general. For example, you can use lines or not, and you can divide the painted surface in any way that
may appeal to you. Below are a few examples. Your imagination is the only limit.

Sensei, 1972. Acrylic on canvas, 28 X 36 in.

Peter, 1972. Acrylic on canvas, 28 X 36 in.

Borge, 1972. Acrylic on canvas, 28 X 36 in.

Guardian, 2010. Gouache and pastel.

Straight from Your Head: How to Get and Develop Ideas

Where do our ideas come from? Inspiration can be found everywhere; you only need to keep your
mind open, welcome new insights, and have the courage to act on those insights as they present
themselves.
Start out by actively trying to search for ideas for abstract paintings. You will experience a
gradually increasing sensitivity, and inspirations will occur to you, sometimes in surprising ways.
They occasionally present themselves as exact visions of completed works of art, whether you are
awake or dreaming. I have on a couple of occasions seen a complete show of new and as yet totally
unconceptualized works in a dream; unfortunately, I was not able to remember more than two or three
of the images distinctly enough to actually paint them. An example of a painting from such a dream
show is included here.
Composition with Green, 1980. Acrylic on canvas, 36 × 48 in.

Producing the actual painting after such a vision may seem like a relatively simple matter. The
fact is, however, that the work becomes very exacting; if the image is not to lose its power, each and
every aspect has to be carried out with precision. The colors and proportions must be perfect, or the
painting will have no impact at all. With nothing concrete to refer to, it is not so easy.
Ideas for abstract compositions rarely arrive on their own, however. Frequently you will have to
take steps to “invite” them first. I will present some techniques that have helped my students and me.
After you try these, you will begin to devise your own methods, which probably will assist you even
more. What you will find in this chapter will help you get started.
The most important aspect is to get going and then to be prepared for when the ideas begin to
come. Keep a small, pocket-sized notebook and pencil always at hand, and make it a point to take the
time to make notes at any time as ideas come and go. Make quick sketches and jot down notes. I have
frequently been surprised when, after losing my original sketches and making new ones from memory,
I found the first drawings again. I saw some differences resulting from the delay, but found that I
generally liked the initial forms best, as some of the subtleties invariably were lost. The reason for
this could be that the mind not only stores the information but continues to develop the ideas. You will
undoubtedly get more inspirations and more sketches than you can use, but you can choose and
develop as art the ones that appeal to you most.
In earlier chapters I suggested some approaches for creativity that were purely technical in
nature, such as placing limitations on yourself in materials and tools, or consciously choosing a
specific element either from nature or from an earlier painting that you liked. These methods can also
serve as an effective introduction to a greater or lesser degree of abstraction. Now the time has come,
however, to proceed into a completely new territory where you will produce art images that is neither
rooted in the kind of reality we perceive through our eyes nor composed of recognizable content. This
art will be based solely on the constructs of your mind—your ideas.
The first challenge will be getting the ideas. For this you will need to develop new ways of
thinking; you must train yourself to think visually rather than verbally. Think of how our nightly
dreams use images to convey messages and meanings rather than words.
Descending Sun, 1971. Acrylic on canvas, 30 × 24 in.

The techniques I will present in this chapter merely represent the kinds of methods you can use
for tapping into your own creative resources, at least in the beginning. Later, when you have
developed your own personal style, you probably will need no such props and will find your own
ways.
As a first example, I will describe an approach that has worked well for me. If I close my eyes
while listening to music, I perceive the musical sounds as shapes with color. I have heard other artists
describe this phenomenon, so it cannot be unique. You, too, may be able to see music in this way. Try
this: Place pencil and paper within easy reach and arrange yourself comfortably while listening to
some music you like. Relax, stop all thinking activity, and simply listen. When your mind’s eye sees
some forms or shapes that you like, quickly make a thumbnail sketch with color notations. Repeat this
process until you have a number of sketches. Choose one or two layouts or shapes you like best and
develop them in small, color sketches. When you have a number of such small-scale color
compositions, pick a favorite one and proceed to develop it into a painting on a canvas board. You
should experiment by listening to different types of music; you will find that each style inspires
different shapes and forms. Personally, I get the best results from Stravinsky, whereas Beethoven
tends to make my compositions cluttered. Some examples of paintings I have done using this approach
are included in this book: Primeval Sun, Descending Sun, Elements in Space, and Flame.
Coming Together, 1975. Acrylic on canvas in three sections, 56 × 56 in.

Another example may occur during a situation of stress or a change in your life, when new ideas
or images can pop up unexpectedly. If this should happen to you, waste no time before acting on your
new inspirations, no matter how strange they may appear at first. My series of minimal paintings
resulted directly from my stressful visit to my dentist, as I mentioned earlier. An example can be seen
in the illustration.
I prepared the canvases for these minimal paintings with gesso in selected areas only, and
afterward I initially painted the whole canvas in just one color. The areas with gesso under the paint
were smooth to the touch, and those with no gesso were slightly rough. As I have related earlier, this
resulted in subtle differences in the way light reflected from the different areas; the colors would
change slightly depending on the viewing angle. In other words, the viewer became an active
participant in the creation of the painting, because when seen from certain vantage points, some or all
details vanished. I then added geometric shapes (circles and bars) painted in such subtle colors that
they were not immediately visible. Only gradually did the viewer become aware of these details. A
typical viewer’s comment was, “At first I saw nothing, but then I began to see circles everywhere!”
The colors I used were complementary, so, although the effects were too subtle for the usual
liveliness of such color combinations, one result was that when the paintings were shown together in
a gallery, there would be a softly shimmering effect.
Composition #8-76. 1976. Acrylic on Plexiglas. It can be interesting to try some new materials
with different possibilities.

I followed this initial minimal style with a second one that differed mainly in the materials used.
The painting was done on dark Plexiglas. The colors were less subtle and no longer complementary,
and viewer participation ceased to be a major factor, although the paintings still would appear to
change somewhat with the viewing angle.
Switching to a different medium is bound to bring about new ideas, often as a result of
discovering the various possibilities inherent in using new tools and materials.
Earlier in this book, you saw examples of the mixed-media paintings from my Viking series of
works on paper. This came about when I began to study ancient calligraphy; I wanted to know about
the different eras that had produced various styles in alphabets. When I reached the Vikings, a light
went on inside my head, and I developed a brand-new style, entirely my own. No other artwork even
remotely similar has ever been produced by anyone else.
My Spirit, My Spirit, 1987. Oriental paper, stained with gouache and watercolor, colored pencils,
and ink. calligraphy, 30 × 41 in.

My aforementioned stained-paper series grew directly out of my studies of calligraphy. Once I

ensured that a stained paper I had created was thoroughly dry, I would add some creative touches as I
felt inclined, use a brush to write a brief statement in a calligraphic style of my own, and allow it to
dry. Next, I would place the paper on a sheet of smooth watercolor paper with the writing side facing
down. The calligraphy would bleed to the underside to show up mirrored. This ensured a unique
effect, and, not surprisingly, it was illegible. What was surprising was that viewers generally thought
it looked like Arabic script, and people would come to me saying, “But Hennie, I did not know you
could write Arabic.”
I added some final touches, such as dabs of color on the rice paper in selected areas. I then
attached the colored paper—floated it—onto the watercolor paper. Finally, I added some abstract
details inside the holes using colored pencils.
I hope these examples have given you some impressions of the freedom and fun you can have
with abstract art in particular—and with all creative art generally. Assuming that you have developed
an idea for a painting in a brand-new style, the challenge becomes finding ways to execute your idea
effectively so it can become a viable painting. Often you will need to devise new ways of working in
order to obtain the desired effects. This is the fun part: Painting, especially abstract painting, is a
constant process of problem solving,
 When you begin to work, first paint those areas where you feel absolutely certain about the
placements, the colors, and the forms, and let these constitute the skeleton of your painting. The
remaining parts of the painting can then more easily be subordinated to the total. Any adjustments—of
the colors, for example—will be carried out in areas of lesser importance, whereas the really
important elements remain in place unchanged. Proceeding in this way will save you much frustration
because as colors interact, a change in one area often necessitates changes elsewhere. With the most
important colors in place, only details of lesser importance will be involved, and these can be
remedied with a minimum of effort.
During the painting process, it is likely that there will be times when you will feel a strong urge
to add something that was not part of the original plan and that makes the painting differ from your
initial intentions. You must not fight such creative impulses, but instead relinquish your control and
allow yourself to be carried along. Give the painting what it demands, nothing less and certainly
nothing more. While painting, your mind is hard at work attempting to create visual expressions to
contents often buried deeply in your subconscious. Thoughts or ideas may come and go so fast that
most of the time you are hardly aware of them unless you make the effort to write them down or sketch
them constantly. Focus or attentiveness is crucial. It is impossible to work seriously and carry on a
conversation at the same time.
Painting #20, 1983. Acrylic on canvas.

Sooner or later, you will enjoy a feeling of satisfaction as you work. When that happens,
immediately stop painting and put down your tools. You may think there is just a little more needed
here or there, but you should resist the temptation to touch the painting at this time. It is not generally
desirable to “perfect” a work of art, and the most difficult lesson for anyone to learn is when to stop.
If you are in doubt, place the painting in a closet for a week or two and then take a good look at
it again. This way you will see it with fresh eyes, and if something is indeed lacking, you will not be
in doubt about what should be done. If you still do not feel sure, you can try to paint the element in
question on a separate piece of paper and, when dry, place it on top of the painting in the appropriate
position. This will give you a general idea of the effect the change is likely to have.
Generally, if you feel that a painting you are working on needs special attention in some areas,
trying to see it from new and different angles can help make potential adjustments more obvious.
Simply increasing your distance from the painting by walking away will tell you a lot, and you should
do this routinely while working. At times when you need a deeper scrutiny, try to study your picture in
front of a mirror. If a mirror is not readily available, viewing the picture upside down can sometimes
help; if the painting has good balance right side up, the same will hold true upside down (but not on
the side).
Ideas for new paintings frequently present themselves while you are working on an existing one.
This is why it generally pays to go right to work on whatever project is at hand, even if you do not
feel particularly excited about your current idea, or at those times when inspirations fails altogether.
Play with the paint on inexpensive paper. Just do something to get started.

Fun with Watercolors: New Possibilities—a Creative Idea

Watercolor painting offers its own possibilities for creativity. Many of the approaches discussed so
far can be applied directly, although often the medium demands some differences in application. In
addition, new and different possibilities exist when using this medium.
White paper of exceptional beauty is the ground most often chosen for the execution of
watercolor paintings, and the paper serves to enhance the charm of the image, lending a special
character to a work done in this medium. If by contrast a painting done on canvas is allowed to show
the ground as white, unpainted areas, the result is not added beauty because the gessoed canvas lacks
special character and does not add aesthetically to the overall effect. In addition, white generally
plays a different role in oil and acrylic paintings, where it mostly is used only to show extreme
highlights; even in abstract compositions, white often tends to give an effect of harshness. As a
general rule, therefore, the choice of white should be planned very carefully when painting on canvas.
The opposite is true for watercolors, which generally are transparent and allow the white of the paper
to be perceived through the colors and thereby influence them. Additionally, in areas with no paint,
the beauty of the white paper adds sparkle to the image.
Orchid Levitation, 1992. On hot-pressed paper, watercolors, 30 × 42 in.

An abstract watercolor of orchids.

The painting Orchid Levitation was not painted on the usual white paper, however. Instead, it
was painted on top of another painting that I considered to be less successful. After my decision to
sacrifice the original painting, I first scrutinized it for an area that I liked well enough to want to
preserve it and then sealed off this section using plastic and masking tape. Next, I placed the painting
on a sheet of heavy glass and, under running water, gave it a good scrubbing using a stiff, old-
fashioned household scrub brush. This process removed most of the paint but left areas of very subtle
pastel hues—a beautiful and inspiring ground for a new painting after it had been allowed to dry
thoroughly. This method can be of good use for earlier, unsuccessful paintings (after you have given
them plenty of time to grow on you), but only if you have used nonstaining colors. The list of colors
provided earlier under color mixing are all nonstaining and permanent—two very good reasons for
sticking with them—and there are other obvious advantages as well. If you have added some colors
to this palette, you can easily test them to find out if they are stains (stains penetrate into the paper and
cannot be washed off, whereas nonstaining colors will remain on top).
After scrubbing, Orchid Levitation was painted again with a new composition. I planned the
new painting carefully so that I could, first, incorporate the preserved section from earlier work, and
second, take advantage of existing white areas. The existing colors on the paper were subtle enough
to allow any color to be painted on top. Next, I transferred one or several pencil drawings of related
orchids on top of the painting. Finally, for added effect and to ensure complete integration of the
earlier rectangle, I added some detail around the edges using pastels. Pastels are different from
watercolors only in that they have even less medium added, which is why they are soft and crumbly.
They are considered a watercolor medium and need a fixative spray after application.
 The following two images are newer. They are quick expressions, done in about an hour each. I
refer to them as watercolor sketches. They are examples of what can happen when you impose limits
on yourself; in this case the limitation was time. I began by quickly doing a watercolor sketch using
watercolor and brush only. Next, I did an equally fast sketch using a watercolor pencil. This type of
pencil is what accounts for the contrasts in line; the darkest lines resulted where the paper was still
damp, and the lighter lines were drawn on entirely dry paper.

Try Something New in Watercolors. On a small piece of good watercolor paper, quickly do a
very loose watercolor sketch without pencil lines, details, or anything fancy. Keep in mind that if you
allow complementaries to blend, the result will often be “mud,” which can be distracting. So if you
plan to use complementary colors, paint the smallest areas first and allow them to dry. Next, paint the
remaining, noncomplementary areas; experience will teach you to what extent you wish these to
blend. Finally, while some areas still remain damp, use a watercolor pencil to add a drawing of your
subject right on top of your painting. This kind of pencil will give you a wonderfully varied line.
Where the paper is still damp, the lines will be dark and heavy; and where the paper has dried
completely, they will be very light. Details you omitted in the painting can be added in your drawing;
in the mind’s eye, it will all combine to become one complete representation of your composition.
Not all paintings will turn out, but you should just take pleasure in working in this loose way
with the watercolors. Soon you will find success and satisfaction in this work.

Rhapsody, 2009. Watercolor sketch, 11 × 15 in.

Golden Moment, 2009. Watercolor sketch, 11 ×14 in.

Working with Ideas

As a visual artist, your best friend should be your sketchbook! Use it to work with your ideas, work
with colors, and quickly try new techniques on a handy, small scale. A sketchbook is not a place
where everything needs to be successful or “good.” It is your private space—where you learn, grow
as an artist, and develop your style. It should go along with you wherever you go for brief notations
and for the enjoyment of quickly making a sketch of a beautiful scene in front of you. While working
in this way you will be sharpening your creative abilities. Furthermore, the impressions you record
will keep places and situations in your memory forever. So you will continue to have enjoyment from
your sketchbook in more ways than one, even long after it has been filled.
I would suggest that you buy a book with totally blank pages—that is, without lines or marks of
any kind. It should be well made and sturdy enough to stand up to the kind of heavy use that it will be
subjected to. If the book is beautiful, well constructed, and full of good-quality art paper, it will be
inspiring to work in. Some sketchbooks have beautiful, handmade watercolor paper; they are
wonderful for watercolor sketches but not always suited for pen or pencil drawings. You may even be
able to find a nice, leather-bound sketchbook if you are lucky!
4 HAVE A PAINTING PARTY

A community painting can be fun if you belong to a group of artists. It consists of a painting that you
plan and execute together. In this situation, a number of interested participants decide to explore
together the possibilities of a new direction in painting. There are several advantages to this
approach. From a number of creative people involved in a common task, more ideas and problems
are bound to surface. Ideas can be tried out, and problems can be solved easier and faster. This can
be an ideal situation when you want to approach a new direction in art. Also, due to the nature of the
task—several artists working together on one project—it is hardly to be expected that the endeavor
should necessarily meet with success in the form of good art, although it can. No one person can be
blamed if the experiment fails to result in a good painting; all participants should have a feeling of
freedom. The only objective is to complete the experiment, and, in the process, to learn and have
some fun at the same time.
Unfortunately, it often happens that sooner or later interest in the project wanes, gradually the
work stops, and the project does not get completed. In my classes I always included a community
project after the students had completed two paintings that were abstractions from nature. At that time
they had limited experience with abstraction and were about to start making abstract paintings that did
not refer to anything known. One year it so happened that I had to have a prolonged absence for health
reasons when the community project was about halfway finished, and already there were signs that
the work was slowing. I told the students that I expected this painting to be completed by the time I
returned, which would be in time for grading. I did not expect anything unrealistic, however, given
that I would not be there to push. On my return, when I walked into the empty studio, I was greatly
impressed to see the completed painting hanging on the wall, and furthermore it looked very good—
totally abstract and very modern. Needless to say, I was very pleased and surprised. When the
students arrived, I praised them for their accomplishment and went on to discuss the painting with
them.
 By and by small smirks began to appear on their faces, and then they confessed: they had
removed their shoes and socks and danced on the painting! I had to laugh when I realized what fun
they must have had. This is exactly the spirit and sense of freedom intended with this project; the
students needed an idea for how to proceed, and they found a way to solve the problem.
 I know you are now asking, “But is this art?” It may or may not be. First of all, art as I see it
should be playful in some aspects. Second, real art cannot be produced in a totally automatic way—
that is, without vision and judgment by the artist.
However, for the production of a statement in art, there is no tool that is not allowed. Any tool
that will produce the effect needed is what you should use—even if it is your feet—so long as you
continue to use judgment. By that I mean that as a need arises, you make your decisions about how you
can best achieve the effect you are after; you then go ahead and carry out your plan. The next step must
be to study the painting and assess how well you succeeded and what modification may be needed.
With this done, you then have to decide which additional effects, if any, may be needed in the next
step toward completion of the image. This method reinforces the idea that the production of a work of
art can be seen as a continuous process of problem solving. Seen in this light, it is clear that it would
not be art if the painting had been produced in a totally automatic fashion, as if the students had
merely danced with paint on their feet without any thought of the outcome beyond merely covering the
canvas with paint. The result would then have been a set of random marks with no meaning
whatsoever. It is not impossible that there could be beauty in a painting produced in this automatic
fashion, but there would be no meaning or intention, and it would not be art. Art is produced by a
conscious effort directed by impulses from the brain.
How can a person without special insights into art know if a work has meaning? It is not always
easy. However, art has an underlying organization, also called a hidden order, that can be perceived
and thus recognized. (See in the recommended-reading section Ehrenzweig’s The Hidden Order of
Art.) As a general rule, you can expect that if the markings are truly random, signifying that a hidden
order perceivable by the mind is missing, then you will not be able to remember or to recognize a
painting. In this case it probably is not truly art. If there is an underlying order, generally your brain
can perceive it, and you will be able to recollect it later. This is definitely not an exhaustive
definition of what constitutes art, but it can be used as a guiding principle in the beginning.
The important aspect of the specific creative process as cited above—and the reason I have
described it here—is to give an illustration of the spirit and the meaning of the community project. It
is not important whether the painting made by the dancing students was good or bad, or even if it
demonstrated a valid approach. What is important is the way the problem was recognized and
resolved; the painting was completed, and the participants undoubtedly had some fun in the process
and presumably learned from the experience. There are numerous ways such a project can be
confronted and carried out. Many different ideas should surface, and you may be able to use some of
them afterward in your own work.
Here is a suggestion for an approach that can be used as a starting point. The foremost guiding
principle should be to use imagination and have fun. Your first step as a group should be to agree on a
style and procedures you would all be interested in trying out. After you have settled these questions,
you should plan how to proceed. Keep in mind that the procedure may have to be changed as needed;
flexibility is important. (The students did not plan from the outset to do a dance!) Your project should
provide an opportunity to experiment with styles and techniques that none of the participants has yet
tried and might not be likely to try otherwise. Use it to gain some extra experience and new insights.
You should decide together how to proceed and make the necessary plans, work schedules, and the
like.
You would be wise to appoint a leader or coordinator for the project. This person could see to it
that materials and tools would be available when needed. Also, he or she could have the
responsibility for planning the details and making sure the project progresses satisfactorily.
To get started initially, the group should have the following items on hand:

Drawing paper, pencils, and erasers

A pile of eight-inch-square pieces of paper
Sheets of tracing paper
Colored pencils

Arrange yourselves sitting down as comfortably as possible around a large table or in a circle.
Have some coffee, play some quiet music, and try to feel relaxed. Each participant should make a few
quick sketches to suggest to the rest of the group. Hand the suggestions around and choose together
which ones you like best. Quickly trace a copy of each of the most favored compositions. Then take a
little time to look at all the sketches and think about ways you could improve them. Hand them around
again. Discuss them and together modify them on new sheets of tracing paper. Talk about the
possibilities until the group reaches a conclusion in the form of a composition that you all like.
Once you have a design, the next step will be to choose your color composition. Spread out the
color-coordinated sheets on a table and work individually or together as you saw earlier, choosing
sets of colors on which you can all agree. When a decision has been reached about a color
composition, once again work individually on tracing paper to produce color renditions of your
projected painting. Each person should present his or her best effort to the group for evaluation.
Together choose a favorite one and modify it as needed on fresh sheets of tracing paper.
When your color sketch is ready, it will be time to plan the execution of the project. You must
come to an agreement on which techniques you want to use. Try some procedures that you have not
tried before and can have fun trying together. You should not choose overly demanding techniques like
photo-realism. Your project should first and foremost be fun to do and provide some good times with
your friends.
The final step in planning your design will be, as in all art projects, to determine a strategy for
the execution. You will need to decide the proper sequence for each detail or aspect to be applied, as
well as who will do which parts.
To execute your project, work together to make a stretcher in the right proportions. If you want
your painting to be very large, use one-by-one-inch wood strips from a lumber supplier. Make sure
the strips are straight and dry when you buy them. Use a miter box to glue and nail the strips together
and secure the corners with triangular pieces of Masonite. Finish the corners nicely, planing and
sanding where necessary. Cover with a layer of shellac to make the surface less absorbent.
5 PRACTICAL MATTERS

Notes on Processes
When you have settled into a preferred painting style, you should start to develop an awareness of the
hidden meanings in your paintings. Most beginners do not have a good understanding of the deeper
feelings that prompt their artistic expressions. It can be interesting to examine and try to comprehend
your own images, especially considering that it is not unusual for some people to have an amazing,
intuitive understanding that enables them to read a painting like a book.
For this purpose you should start to keep a new kind of notes. Find a small notebook that you can
easily keep in your pocket. This notebook should be private and meant for you alone. At each new
step in your painting process, jot down any thoughts regarding your intentions and reactions. Note
your feelings about the results of each step in the process, as well as what you intend to do next and
why. Write down any thoughts that come to mind.
You will find that your thoughts come and go so fast while you work that afterward they will be
forgotten until you are reminded by your notes. It will surprise you to recognize thoughts you had
forgotten. You will be amazed to discover how much can be expressed in an image—and in your own
works, at that!
As an approach to attempt to understand the meanings in works by other artists, try to simply sum
up and think about the elements you see present in the image. Often, after a short deliberation the
meaning becomes quite clear.

Hints and Advice

At some time you may experience some general problems. Here are two examples of common
problems and possible solutions.
Example 1: You are afraid to continue.
You like your painting so much that you are afraid to continue working on it, for fear of ruining
it. You would like to think it is finished, but something is still lacking. What should you do?
If you are working on your own and feel in doubt about what the next step in your painting
should be, simply put it away—out of sight—for a few days or even a week or two. When you return
to it, you will see it in a different way than before. Allow the painting to make its own suggestions
about what it needs. Do not be afraid to try your ideas; even if they should not work out, you will
have discovered something new.

Example 2: You are stuck.

Should you try a new style? The painting style you have adopted is no longer satisfying to you,
and you have discovered a new style you want to try. The new style is similar to that of an artist you
think highly of, and you would like try to paint the same way.
First of all, beware of fads in art. Sometimes an artist appears whose style will be very
popular for a while, only to fade away later. If you want to use an existing style in art as a starting
point for your own work, you should choose that of a well-established artist whose works have
proven to be of lasting value. Try these strategies:

Look at reproductions of paintings you like, and try to define more clearly what you
are searching for in your own art.
Look for and formulate a definition of the style in which you are interested.

Once you have decided to alter your style, you will probably feel a strong urge to make a
complete change immediately. But if you have worked for a long time to develop your current style,
you should think it over carefully. It is often possible to make more gradual transformations. That way
you can use your present skills and continue to develop your style instead of throwing away all that
you have gained so far.
Work hard in your sketchbook, making sketches and writing notes about your thoughts rather than
painting, to find out how comfortable you are working in a new or modified style. Try to make your
thoughts visible, in sketches or in words. Read books. Know yourself before jumping into something
entirely new and different. Sometimes it can be a good idea to work in a different medium for a
while. This can lead to new ideas that you can introduce into your painting style.

How to Stretch a Canvas

Ready-made stretchers are assembled by simply fitting the corners together and pressing the tongues
into the grooves. If you are using two-by-two-inch wood strips, you will need glue and nails. In either
case, it is practical to use a straight angle to ensure that the angles of the stretcher are straight. To
keep the stretcher from losing its straight angles during stretching, you can use small triangular pieces
of Masonite board; the two identical sides should be no longer than three to four inches long. A
lumberyard will sometimes cut them for you. Lightly attach one to the back side of each corner so that
later they can be removed easily, when you no longer need them. This precaution is particularly
helpful for stretching large canvases.
Cut a piece of canvas to a size so that it extends approximately three inches beyond the stretcher
on each side. Canvas comes in different qualities, and you will want a heavier quality with a good,
tight weave such as cotton duck; lighter canvases may tear during stretching. I recommend that you not
buy preprimed canvas because it is far more difficult to stretch. Besides, when you do your own
priming, the canvas will shrink slightly and get a little tighter. In addition, the gesso used in the
preprimed canvas could have very small amounts of glycerin added in the priming, which can make it
difficult to get acrylic paint to adhere in some areas.
To stretch the canvas, place it flat on a work surface with the assembled stretcher on top, facing-
side down so that the front of the stretcher (which has a raised edge) is against the canvas.
For a very large painting, buy wood strips from a lumberyard. Miter the corners and assemble
first with glue, then nails.

Allow three inches of canvas on each side for stretching.

You should work on all four sides of the stretcher at the same time. First, bend the canvas around
the edge of one side of the stretcher and secure it in the center of the back side with a staple gun. Then
do the opposite side the same way, while pulling it as tightly as you can.
After this, do the two remaining sides the same way. Now grab the canvas outside the corner of
one of the sides. Pull in a direction that is an extension from that side so the canvas will be stretched
between the staple in the center and the corner. With the other hand, fold the canvas to cover the side
of the stretcher and place a second staple closer to the corner. Do the other corner on the same side
just like the first one. Then go to the opposite side and stretch the fabric toward the corners in the
same way, but this time also pull against the opposing side that you worked on before. After you have
stretched the first two opposing sides, do the remaining two opposing sides the same way. Pulling
toward the corners in this way will eliminate buckling near the corners.
You now have your canvas attached to the stretcher in twelve places. Pull the canvas lightly on
one side and place staples approximately one inch apart in the areas between those staples that are
already in place. Pull more strongly on the opposing side. If the canvas is a poor grade, it may tear
from the stretching, and you must be careful not to pull too hard. A good grade of canvas will not tear.
Pull in a line extending away from the side you are working on.

Fold over the canvas and pull in the direction indicated.

Place a staple near the corner.

Using canvas pliers can allow you to get a tighter stretch for very large paintings.
Using pliers on corners.

Pull away from the corner.

Fold over, pull toward the center of the canvas, and place a staple.

To finish the corners, first pull the canvas away from and over one corner to the back side. Place
a staple in the middle of the corner on the back. Do the remaining corners the same way. Trim away
excess fabric and make a neat fold on either side of the corner. Then, while you pull against the
opposite side, place staples the rest of the way to the corner. Finish all corners this way. With
practice you can get an even tighter stretch if you use canvas pliers.

To finish the corners, first cut away excess canvas.

Fold under as much canvas as you can.

Place a staple on top of the folded-over canvas. Repeat this step to finish the corner.

A canvas stretched as described will be free of buckles along the edges, and if you pulled hard,
it would be nice and tight everywhere. You can insert wedges into the corners of the stretcher for an
even tighter stretch. If you have made your own stretchers using glue and nails, you cannot use
wedges.

How You Prime the Canvas

For priming the canvas, you need acrylic gesso. If you plan to paint with oil, you should be extra
careful to cover the canvas completely, because oil will eventually rot the canvas if it comes into
contact with it. For the acrylic paints, there is no such concern; the gesso merely furnishes a smooth,
nonabsorbent surface on which to paint. Without gesso you would need to use far greater amounts of
paint, which is much more expensive.
Depending on the technique you use, you can have your gessoed surface either completely
smooth or textured. The choice depends on your painting style. If you want brushstrokes in your
painting, you may want them in the gesso as well. In this case, you should be careful to ensure a
random pattern in your brushstrokes as you apply the gesso. Areas of unpleasing patterns in the
brushstrokes could become detrimental to your painting, and they would be impossible to eliminate
later. You could also build up certain effects in your gesso by using acrylic paint extender, which is
almost like modeling clay. It could save you paint, but you must be absolutely sure of your
composition beforehand, because you would not be able to change it.
On the other hand, if you need an absolutely smooth surface, you should use house-paint rollers
to apply gesso that has been thinned with water to the consistency of thick cream.
You will need more than one coat of gesso. If you plan to use thick paint and have brushstrokes,
you may need only two coats of gesso. If you want to gesso with rollers, your gesso should be thinner,
and you will need three to four coats or more. You can expect the first layer of gesso to take some
hours (or overnight) to dry because the canvas will be soaked. Succeeding coats will dry much more
quickly. Use sandpaper to lightly sand the gesso between applications and after the last coating for a
nice, smooth surface.

Applying Gesso with Rollers for a Smooth Surface

The rollers you will use are the kind commonly available for painting jobs around the house. They
come in three basic types: some have a short nap, others have a longer nap, and some do not have a
nap but are instead covered with a foam material. The ones with a short nap are probably the easiest
to use for gessoing.

If you plan to apply gesso with rollers, you should add water to a consistency of thick cream.

Begin at the center.

Work toward but not over the edges.

When most of the gesso has been deposited in the center, gently work over the edges. Do not apply
pressure and do not try to completely cover the canvas over the stretcher strips, so the canvas will
look like shown in the next picture.

The canvas is not soaked and will not stick to the stretcher underneath, which would cause
unsightly markings.
Cover a wood block with sandpaper and use for lightly sanding the surface until it feels smooth.

Your gesso should be mixed with water to become a fairly thick, slightly runny consistency for
the first layer. Subsequent layers can be thinner.
For the first layer only, begin by applying the thick gesso to the center portion of the canvas.
Whenever the roller has lost most of its load of gesso, apply the remainder to the edges where you
have the wood stretcher underneath. Do the edges by passing the roller lightly over them. This way
you can prevent the canvas from getting soaked, and the gesso will only partly cover the canvas in
these places. Do not worry about the way it looks for now; it will not be a problem because new
layers of gesso will cover the areas. If the gesso were to soak through to the wood strips, it would
make the canvas stick to the wood, which would cause some unsightly marks that you can never
completely get rid of.
After you have gessoed the surface, do the sides around the edges using the rollers. You must be
careful to have only a small amount of gesso on the roller for the sides; otherwise, the edges will
become messy. This applies mostly if you are using two-by-two-inch wood strips and are not
planning to frame the painting.
Clean the edges by lightly running an almost-dry roller over them. Have the roller at a forty-five-
degree angle to the surface. This is to soak up excess gesso that may have accumulated on the surface
right inside the edges. The canvas will need to dry overnight.
When the gesso is dry, the surface will feel rough and will need to be sanded. Use medium-
grade sandpaper stretched over a flat surface, such as a small piece of the wood left over from
making the stretcher. Lightly sand the entire surface, including the edges, until it feels smooth to the
touch.
For the second and subsequent layers, the gesso can be thinned to resemble a thick cream. The
drying time will be much shorter because the canvas underneath will not get wet, and you will no
longer need to worry about treating the edges differently. Even if the canvas was not completely
covered with gesso the first time, there will no longer be any danger of it sticking to the wood to
create ugly marks. The surface will need sanding between applications and after the final layer. Add
as many layers as you need until you are satisfied with the surface. You will find that some rollers
will suit your purpose better than others. The ones that have a short nap seem to work best; they will
be less likely to make the gesso produce annoying foam. If you get a few bubbles, you can use a hair
dryer to get rid of them.
Be sure to clean your rollers between sessions, as described under “Care of the Rollers” in the
next chapter.
Sunshine, 1987. Gouache stained and shaped paper with calligraphy and ink; color pencil, 25 ×
20 in.
6 WANT SOME ADDITIONAL APPROACHES?

Try Painting with the Rollers

With rollers you can apply paint without creating brush marks. It is a cleaner way to work than using
spray guns because there are neither overspray incidents nor airborne particles to threaten your
health.
You will need to develop ways to keep the paint from areas where you don’t want it. For this
you can make shields with sheets of plastic and masking tape. Here is how I would do it:

One-quarter-inch-wide masking tape can be stretched to form curves as you apply it to

your canvas. Attach it to the inside of the form you want to protect.
Place a sheet of plastic over your canvas. Use a waterproof marker to draw over the
masking tape so that the plastic mask will be slightly smaller than the taped-off area
when cut out. A plastic drop cloth from a paint store is good.
Use scissors to cut along the lines you just made.
Place the plastic mask over the area you want to protect. Use short pieces of masking
tape to attach the mask to the quarter-inch strip already applied so that the edges of the
mask are completely covered.
Press down on the masking tape to ensure a good adhesion. Run the edge of a
fingernail over overlapping pieces so there will be no gaps where paint can leak in.
Thin a small amount of clear acrylic medium with a little water. Use it to form a seal
to prevent paint from leaking into the protected area. Apply the medium so that only a
narrow path on the canvas outside the masking tape gets wet. In other words, run the
brush mostly over the tape and as little as possible outside, or there will be a
noticeable difference in texture around the edges. Tiny amounts will not show.
When the sealer has dried, you can proceed to paint with rollers the same way as you
did on the final layers of gesso. Do not remove the mask until the paint has dried
thoroughly so you can be sure you will need no additional coats.
When you have finished painting with one color, you can mask off additional areas and
continue painting with other colors.
Mix a larger amount of paint than you think you will need because you can never
exactly match the color if you run out.
If you buy commercially preprimed canvas, you may find that the paint will tend to lift
off when you remove your masking tape. The gesso used often has small amounts of
glycerin included.
A seal (clear acrylic medium) is applied to the mask, overlapping slightly onto the painted area
outside the mask, to prevent leakage of a new color into the masked- off earlier application.
Photograph by Glenn Reimer.

Care of the Rollers

Do not allow the gesso or paint to dry on the roller because this will ruin it. The easiest way to clean
the roller is to immerse it vertically into a pail of water and let it sit for five to ten minutes. This will
cause the gesso to sink to the bottom of the pail. Replace the dirty water and repeat the process a few
times using clean water until the rollers are clean. Finally, dunk the roller up and down into the water
a number of times. Replace with clean water until the water remains clean. Rinse and hang the roller
to dry. If possible, slip the roller off its handle so you can rinse the holder and the inside as well, and
it will dry faster.
Clean roller carefully in cold water.

Use a paper towel to remove excess water. Air dry.

Explore Special Effects in Your Colors

Try to think of some colors you have not used before. The way colors interact with each other can be
very interesting and yield some surprising effects. You may want to explore further some of the color
effects you saw when you experimented with related colors, triads, and complementaries.
Afterimages and color interactions can add a powerful new look to your work. Use coordinated color
sheets to find new combinations.
I have made extensive use of afterimage effects in the minimal paintings that I did in the
seventies. Although the colors in the paintings were very subtle, the afterimage colors were still very
strong. For instance, I might have a completely neutral gray ground. If I would then add a minimal
amount of red to my neutral gray and paint an area in the new hue that had the red added, the ground
that was previously a neutral gray would now become distinctly green. By playing the colors against
each other in this way, I could end up with an appearance of a larger number of colors than were
actually present on my canvas. I planned for the additional colors and counted on their effects, and I
considered the extra colors a bonus: colors that did not have to be mixed and balanced against each
other. People might at times exclaim, “I love your blue!” when in reality there was no blue in the
painting at all.

Additional New and Different Tools

Try some alternate techniques in painting. New or different tools will lead to renewal in your work.
You have probably already discovered that painting with rollers has given you some new
possibilities that earlier you thought were not available to you.

Flash. 1984. Acrylic on canvas on five panels, 72 × 99 in. A spray gun made the graduated effects
possible.

Eventually you may want to try to use an air gun or an airbrush. If you do, be careful to observe
safety recommendations. Overspray is a health hazard if you don’t have adequate ventilation, so use a
special mask to avoid breathing vapors. As when painting with rollers, you can apply paint without
brush marks using an air gun. In addition, airbrushing can add effects to your paintings that would not
be possible any other way, such as very subtle color gradations. If you are a photo-realist, an airbrush
is invaluable, but it is a tool that can be used for special effects in any style of painting. It permits
blending of colors on the canvas without the usual fuss, especially if a high degree of perfection is
what you want. Airbrushes and guns are expensive. If you want to try one for limited use at first, there
are some simple, inexpensive airbrushes on the market that use compressed air in cans instead of
compressors.
Painting with palette knives gives a special kind of texture. It is not easy, and you should
experiment with it before applying it to serious work. It is difficult to make changes with this
technique, and because it takes large amounts of paint, it is an expensive way to work. If you want
special types of texture in certain places, you can use acrylic modeling-paste extender, which is less
expensive than building up with paint. You could use your palette knife for this buildup and then paint
over it. Many types of texture can be created with modeling-paste extender.

We Walked on the Moon, 1987. Gouache on Paper.

Mixing different media can be an interesting possibility for some new effects. You can add sand
or other material for texture. Make sure the material you use will not react chemically with your paint.
Crushed pastels can be interesting too, especially because they can add interesting color effects while
also adding texture. Collage is yet another possibility.
Specialty brushes should be used with some caution because they tend to give monotonously
uniform effects. The results could easily become boring, unless you have a definite purpose.
You can paint with rags or with your fingers or any tool you can think of that will give you the
effect you are seeking. You can pour or sprinkle the paint onto the canvas. If you want a special effect
but can find no tool that will suit you, you have to invent one or experiment to find an approach. You
must use ingenuity, which usually is fun as well as challenging.
Some artists like to paint on unstretched canvas. It is possible to stretch it after completion. You
should try to paint on unprimed canvas. If you use very wet paints, you may want to wash the canvas
first, because it might prove slightly water repellent. Try it without prewashing as well so you can see
which way you like best. You can use the same techniques as on primed canvas, but the effects will be
different.
 Another possibility would be to prime the canvas in selected areas only. This technique requires
careful planning before you start, so you will be sure that you will have the effects where you want
them. However, if you want to use oil paints, you must first seal the canvas with rabbit-skin glue. Oil
paint on unsealed canvas will eventually cause it to rot.

Circle with Bars, 1975. Acrylic on canvas, 48 × 60 in. This painting was carried out with rollers.

Below you will see an example of a painting done on a partially primed canvas. It is a two-
sided painting that can be displayed on a wall or, as shown here, can hang free and act as a room
divider. The circular shape, as well as the vertical bars, have no gesso; the canvas was merely
stained, allowing light to shine through from the other side.
Composition #23-80, 1980. Acrylic on canvas. 144 × 72 in. Reverse side is shown below.
7 EVALUATE YOUR OWN WORK

Try This Approach to Self-Evaluation

Sometimes we may wonder what compels us to spend so much time and effort on painting. Try to
answer these questions:

Why should I do this painting at this time?

What am I trying to express with this painting?
What am I hoping to achieve by producing this painting?

If you find it difficult to answer the questions, you might consider trying the following technique
when you work. It could help you find the answers you are seeking.

Keep a small, pocket notebook handy.

In it write down all thoughts you have while working on a specific painting. Each time
before you apply paint or add a new detail, first write down your thoughts and your
reasons for wanting to make the changes. Write what you expect to achieve with the
new features.
When you have made your changes, note your reactions before you do anything else.
Continue this way of keeping notes throughout the process of working on the same
painting until it is completed.

When you have finished your painting and you read your notes, you will be surprised to
recognize thoughts and ideas that came and went while you worked. You will need to use this
approach only once or twice to become aware of your objectives. It is surprising how many thoughts
come to mind while we work. Our minds are very busy solving many problems. The thoughts come
and go so quickly that afterward we can’t remember them. It is interesting and impressive when we
look at the finished painting and simultaneously recall the thought processes that took place.
Recording your thoughts in this way while you work will not reveal any psychological secrets; it is
merely a way to remember intentions and intuitions you had while working. It is nevertheless a good
idea to keep your notes private, because they were not intended for anyone else.

Periodic Critiques by Others

Critiques provide opportunities for you to observe the effects your paintings have on others. You paint
to express ideas that are important to you and hopefully to others as well. If you are painting with a
group, it would be good to arrange critiques from time to time. It is normal to feel a little nervous
about the reception of what you have worked so hard to accomplish. Always bear in mind, however,
that when someone critiques your work, it is only the opinion of one person. Most likely it is well
meant, so give some serious thought to what was said. It is possible that some comments, if not all,
might be useful. Also, as an artist you need to toughen yourself against unfavorable remarks and
sometimes even rejection.
Make your own remarks about another artist’s work gentle but honest. Although you wish to
avoid hurting anyone’s feelings, you should make an effort to express your true opinions. Not only
does it benefit your friends to hear them, but it is also good for you to make decisions about what you
think and to formulate your responses. This will help you develop as an artist because feelings and
attitudes are what art is about. You come to know yourself when you learn to understand others. Some
people find it difficult to express negative opinions. You should make it a point to find inoffensive
ways to include the negative aspects in your discussions. For instance, if you find something to praise
before you proceed with your criticism, you will find that your friends can accept your remarks much
more easily. I used this approach while teaching, and as a result I was frequently accused of
bestowing too much praise: “Hennie, you always say that everything is beautiful!” The fact is that I
always told the truth, but I focused on good aspects before the bad ones. The students took my advice
without perceiving an undue emphasis on negative comments because I had prefaced the negative
element(s) with praise.
Another useful approach can be a silent critique. First, display the paintings you want critiqued.
Then have all persons involved anonymously write down on slips of paper their answers to the
following three questions.

What is your immediate reaction to this painting?

What do you like best about it?
What do you like least about it?

Make sure each person responds to all three questions. Encourage them to take the time they
need to formulate their answers, and be sure to take the time you need when such questions are put to
you. Also, don’t forget that paintings are not always meant to please. Just as a remark can express
unpleasantness, so can a painting—and sometimes this is the intention. So if you fail to respond to
the last question or if you try to flatter, you may be missing the point.
8 CONCLUSIONS

Last Thoughts and Advice

If you have read the entire book and carried out all the projects as presented, you have learned the
following:

How to set up and paint a realistic still life

How to paint abstractly from realism or from a realistic painting
How to design, plan, and carry out a totally abstract painting
The importance of forming an idea and working from a concept
Many creative approaches that you can use regardless of your chosen style
How to mix any color with precision
How to make colors harmonize and how to adjust them if they don’t
How to save and use leftover paint
How to purchase, use, and care for your tools
How to stretch and prepare a canvas
Ways to evaluate your work and understand its hidden meanings

Additionally, you have gained a basic understanding of art philosophy and the nature of art,
which should give you some direction in your work. Later, you may want to supplement your
knowledge in this area by reading or taking courses. It is a large and interesting subject.
Maybe there are times when you wonder about the quality of your own art, and it is possible that
you have some doubts. In that case, you should know that it is common for artists to have feelings of
disappointment and letdown when they have just completed a project. In fact, the greatest danger to a
painting is the artist himself or herself, who, on seeing the finished piece, may have such strong
feelings of disappointment that he or she destroys it. To avoid having such a reaction, it is best to hide
the painting out of sight for two to three weeks before looking at it again. The next time you see your
work, you will see it in a new way, and chances are you will like it better. Also, if the painting does
have one or more flaws, it will be much more obvious at that time, and you can better decide how to
correct it.
If you paint with a group of artists in a community studio or in a course, it is very common for
you as an individual artist to feel that the work of one or more of your fellow artists is better than
yours. You must not let this kind of thinking discourage you; remind yourself that a friend whose work
you admire probably has the same feelings about your output. We know our own work too well; we
know precisely what we set out to do and where we fell short of our expectations. We have no
knowledge of the mental and emotional processes of our fellow artists; we see only their paintings—
that is, the end result. We must not forget that art is always a compromise; it is a constant search for
solutions to problems we encounter along the way, and how we solve those problems constitutes our
creativity. If this were not so, we might as well just take a photograph.
Any frustrations you may have can be eased somewhat by knowing that professional artists do
not expect each and every one of their works to be perfect. Depending on their style of working, you
may hear them say that they feel good if one in two, one in three, or even one in five turns out well.
Seen in this light, you should not expect to like every one of your paintings. Do not feel disappointed
if you like some of your pictures better than others. Do not be surprised to discover that the painting
you like the least may be the one that another person will like best. Our feelings about what we see
differ greatly from one person to the next. If you attempt a painting or drawing of a subject that is of
particular importance and it disappoints you, try to do it again. It will probably satisfy you more the
second time, and, without a doubt, you will find that it will be much better still the third time. The
reason for this is simply that each time you study a specific subject, you get to know it better.

Future Prospects
You should now be in a position to embark on a satisfying and exciting journey into the unknown
frontiers of your own imagination and fantasies. You believe you know yourself. But when you
confront a blank sheet of beautiful watercolor paper or an empty piece of canvas that asks nothing of
you, it is then that you know pure joy and potential greatness. The clean surface represents little
value in itself, but you have the power to make the paper or canvas beautiful, perhaps even valuable.
Here is a little part of the world where you can make all the decisions and have total control. What
you make of it depends on many things, such as the special mood you happen to be in at the moment,
but this is not important. The medium belongs to you, and it (in and of itself) does not represent a
great value. So if the final image fails to satisfy you (after you have given it the necessary time for
proper acquaintance), you can decide to throw it away, and the next time you can start all over on a
new piece. This is the beauty of being an artist.
I hope this book has inspired you to proceed with many happy hours of painting. I also hope that
you will now have the courage and the urge to forge ahead with daring and exciting ideas that you
might otherwise have felt too inhibited to attempt.
Attraction, 2009. Gouache on paper, 22 × 30 in.
AFTERWORD

ABOUT THIS BOOK

As a young child, before I even learned to read, I enjoyed books so much I decided that someday I
would make one of my own. I especially liked the ones that had beautiful illustrations and were
enjoyable to look at. I have attempted to make this book follow that pattern, and I hope those who
read it will enjoy it.
Over the years I did not give much thought to an early decision of mine to create a book, but
when I retired from teaching painting and drawing at Siena Heights University (then College), I was
struck by the idea that now I did in fact have something to write about. And so I started working on
Abstract Painting: A Practical Approach. I have always enjoyed writing, and I found in this project
an interesting, new dimension of teaching. For various reasons, however, it has taken a very long
time.
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