Twilight Reverie 8x10
Hello and welcome to Tonalist painting with M Francis McCarthy.
Today's painting is 'Twilight Reverie' 8x10.
Our video features the progression of this painting from its early underpainting stages on up through the final finishing brushwork. Also featured is my usual rambling narration, so please check it out.
Today, I would like to talk about drawing being innate. Many people that come to my studio express a wish to do art. I always tell them that drawing is innate. Drawing is nothing more, at its core than measuring, perceiving something and rendering it in two dimensions on a piece of paper or another surface.
I honestly believe this is something that all human beings can do. In most of us, the ability to draw is not encouraged enough and usually abandoned at a young age. There are many other factors besides drawing that contribute to creating art that is attractive and aesthetically pleasing, but at its essence, drawing is really just perceiving items, measuring them accurately and then rendering that onto your drawing.
I taught myself how to draw as a teenager. Mostly, I copied other artists drawings from comic books or my imagination. After some time I started to make drawings from photographs as well. Sometimes I would also do drawings from real life. I can honestly say that the main reason I became fairly adept at drawing, was because I did a lot of it.
Some artists I know that wish to draw better look for some type of magic bullet. I wish I knew of a good shortcut but the only way I know to become good at drawing is by doing it all the time. Getting your eyes and your hand to work together and coordinate requires many hours of practice.
There are also some basic rules that you can apply;
That is a few good rules. Frankly, that's almost all you need to know about drawing. Many books have been written about how to approach different subjects and motifs, but at the end of the day, if you apply the above set of rules to the subject you wish to render and work diligently you will eventually find success.
M Francis McCarthy
Landscapepainter.co.nz
A bit about 'Twilight Reverie' 8x10; I completed this painting recently and it reflects a new working approach on a darker ground color than my usual Burnt Sienna. I incorporated some aspects of old Masters work into my reference and I think I got a good result. At some point in the future I will probably paint this subject at a larger size.
To see more of my work, visit my site here
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| 'Twilight Reverie'' by M Francis McCarthy, 11x11 Oil Painting on Wood Panel |
Today's painting is 'Twilight Reverie' 8x10.
Our video features the progression of this painting from its early underpainting stages on up through the final finishing brushwork. Also featured is my usual rambling narration, so please check it out.
Today, I would like to talk about drawing being innate. Many people that come to my studio express a wish to do art. I always tell them that drawing is innate. Drawing is nothing more, at its core than measuring, perceiving something and rendering it in two dimensions on a piece of paper or another surface.
I honestly believe this is something that all human beings can do. In most of us, the ability to draw is not encouraged enough and usually abandoned at a young age. There are many other factors besides drawing that contribute to creating art that is attractive and aesthetically pleasing, but at its essence, drawing is really just perceiving items, measuring them accurately and then rendering that onto your drawing.
I taught myself how to draw as a teenager. Mostly, I copied other artists drawings from comic books or my imagination. After some time I started to make drawings from photographs as well. Sometimes I would also do drawings from real life. I can honestly say that the main reason I became fairly adept at drawing, was because I did a lot of it.
Some artists I know that wish to draw better look for some type of magic bullet. I wish I knew of a good shortcut but the only way I know to become good at drawing is by doing it all the time. Getting your eyes and your hand to work together and coordinate requires many hours of practice.
There are also some basic rules that you can apply;
- Draw the big shapes first.
- Reduce objects to simple geometric shapes before applying greater amounts of detail.
- Look for strong areas of contrast in value and work those out simply before worrying about more subtle aspects.
- Utilise linear drawing for things like people and buildings, cars and the like.
- For nature mass drawing is often better, this is accomplished using the side of a pencil, charcoal or something like a brush.
- Offset your subject in the picture plane so that it is not too uniform.
That is a few good rules. Frankly, that's almost all you need to know about drawing. Many books have been written about how to approach different subjects and motifs, but at the end of the day, if you apply the above set of rules to the subject you wish to render and work diligently you will eventually find success.
M Francis McCarthy
Landscapepainter.co.nz
A bit about 'Twilight Reverie' 8x10; I completed this painting recently and it reflects a new working approach on a darker ground color than my usual Burnt Sienna. I incorporated some aspects of old Masters work into my reference and I think I got a good result. At some point in the future I will probably paint this subject at a larger size.
To see more of my work, visit my site here
 |
| 'Twilight Reverie'' by M Francis McCarthy (Detail) |
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| 'Twilight Reverie'' by M Francis McCarthy (Detail 2) |