# Carol Marine - Daily Painting (Highlights)  ## Metadata **Cover**:: https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/51pdIw9RotL._SL200_.jpg **Source**:: #from/readwise **Zettel**:: #zettel/fleeting **Status**:: #x **Authors**:: [[Carol Marine]] **Full Title**:: Daily Painting **Category**:: #books #readwise/books **Category Icon**:: 📚 **Document Tags**:: #painting **Highlighted**:: [[2020-09-19]] **Created**:: [[2022-09-26]] ## Highlights - I find I can easily say to myself, “This one simply didn’t work,” wipe it off, and start over. ([Location 206](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B00KAFXAL6&location=206)) - Benefits of Painting Small and Often ([Location 266](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B00KAFXAL6&location=266)) - It fits into your busy schedule. ([Location 269](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B00KAFXAL6&location=269)) - You’re more inspired to experiment. ([Location 273](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B00KAFXAL6&location=273)) - You’re less emotionally involved. ([Location 278](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B00KAFXAL6&location=278)) - It facilitates quick growth. ([Location 281](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B00KAFXAL6&location=281)) - You feel less fear. ([Location 285](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B00KAFXAL6&location=285)) - You enjoy the process more. ([Location 289](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B00KAFXAL6&location=289)) - You gain confidence. ([Location 292](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B00KAFXAL6&location=292)) - It’s less tedious. ([Location 294](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B00KAFXAL6&location=294)) - There’s more structure. ([Location 298](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B00KAFXAL6&location=298)) - It helps your larger work. ([Location 301](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B00KAFXAL6&location=301)) - making sure your painting time is uninterrupted: ([Location 360](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B00KAFXAL6&location=360)) - If I don’t feel like painting, I do something else instead, ([Location 395](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B00KAFXAL6&location=395)) - Those are some of the best things for refilling my tank, and I use them whenever I need them, without guilt, because I know if I don’t, I risk a bigger burnout. ([Location 396](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B00KAFXAL6&location=396)) - If you want to be good at anything, you’ve got to put in the time. ([Location 407](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B00KAFXAL6&location=407)) - I use a limited palette (titanium white, cadmium yellow light, cadmium red medium, alizarin crimson, ultramarine blue, phthalo blue, burnt umber, and sometimes cadmium yellow lemon and permanent rose). ([Location 651](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B00KAFXAL6&location=651)) - Below, I’ve divided subjects into six main categories. ([Location 762](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B00KAFXAL6&location=762)) - 1. Still lifes and flowers 2. Landscapes (includes sea- and skyscapes) 3. Animals 4. People (includes figurative subjects, portraits, children, and sports) 5. Cars and buildings (includes interiors and cityscapes) 6. Abstracts ([Location 765](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B00KAFXAL6&location=765)) - To be accurate with value you must constantly compare every value with every other value in your subject rather than just values that are very near each other, which is our tendency. ([Location 1229](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B00KAFXAL6&location=1229)) - Squint!” ([Location 1231](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B00KAFXAL6&location=1231)) - Squinting allows you to see the entire subject at once, or as I like to call it, the big picture. ([Location 1233](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B00KAFXAL6&location=1233)) - Details can be important for a painting, but they can also prevent us from seeing that big picture at the start of a painting. ([Location 1235](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B00KAFXAL6&location=1235)) - A common mistake with my students is to make their number 1 as light as the highlights, which means the highlights don’t “show up.” ([Location 1250](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B00KAFXAL6&location=1250)) #pink - But if you instead have one value take up more than half the space, another take up more than half of what is left, and the last take up just a little bit, this gives you a much more interesting value composition. I call these dominant, secondary, and smidge values ([Location 1275](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B00KAFXAL6&location=1275)) - Keep in mind the eye is going to tend to focus on the smidge, or smallest value. ([Location 1294](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B00KAFXAL6&location=1294)) - A big problem I try to avoid is having an important element of my composition disappear because a nearby element has a similar value. ([Location 1340](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B00KAFXAL6&location=1340)) - You can see this clearly if you squint. ([Location 1347](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B00KAFXAL6&location=1347)) - Also be aware that the eye tends to gravitate toward areas of greatest contrast. ([Location 1349](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B00KAFXAL6&location=1349)) - Make sure that doesn’t happen in an awkward spot, like too near an edge or right in the middle of the painting. ([Location 1350](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B00KAFXAL6&location=1350)) - Color Mixing ([Location 1361](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B00KAFXAL6&location=1361)) - Saturation ([Location 1367](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B00KAFXAL6&location=1367)) - Saturation is the relative intensity of a color, or chroma. ([Location 1368](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B00KAFXAL6&location=1368)) - three primaries: ([Location 1389](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B00KAFXAL6&location=1389)) - the three secondaries: purple, orange, and green. ([Location 1392](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B00KAFXAL6&location=1392)) - Now adding a little of the third primary (that is, the primary directly across the wheel) to each of the secondaries. This moves our colors inside the wheel and makes them less saturated. ([Location 1396](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B00KAFXAL6&location=1396)) - I like to think of everything in the middle of the circle as “gray.” ([Location 1405](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B00KAFXAL6&location=1405)) - “Gray” = Blue + Red + Yellow (and maybe white) ([Location 1407](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B00KAFXAL6&location=1407)) - these grays are what make the saturated colors stand out. ([Location 1418](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B00KAFXAL6&location=1418)) - too much saturated color makes no color stand out. ([Location 1420](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B00KAFXAL6&location=1420)) - Something I’ve noticed about shadows is that they are all gray. ([Location 1427](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B00KAFXAL6&location=1427)) - since, if you inadvertently add a third primary to the mix, it will become more gray and less saturated. ([Location 1462](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B00KAFXAL6&location=1462)) Use colors between to mix - Blue and Yellow Don’t Make Green: How to Mix the Color You Really Want— ([Location 1469](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B00KAFXAL6&location=1469)) #blue - Often we think of colors (and want to mix them) as brighter and more saturated than they are; ([Location 1475](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B00KAFXAL6&location=1475)) - there is some yellow in my red already, the blue I add is the third primary, which is making a grayer red. ([Location 1485](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B00KAFXAL6&location=1485)) - This problem with seeing is especially prevalent when we’re looking at reds, oranges, and yellows, ([Location 1494](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B00KAFXAL6&location=1494)) - If you’re sure it needs white and it still looks chalky, try adding a little yellow and/or red. ([Location 1540](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B00KAFXAL6&location=1540)) - I include burnt umber on my palette for three reasons. ([Location 1558](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B00KAFXAL6&location=1558)) - use it for my ground ([Location 1558](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B00KAFXAL6&location=1558)) - combine it with ultramarine blue to get a dark that is close to black. ([Location 1559](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B00KAFXAL6&location=1559)) - I started by drawing the boundaries of each object: top, bottom, left, and right. ([Location 1672](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B00KAFXAL6&location=1672)) - I generally put down the easiest marks first and then work from there. ([Location 1674](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B00KAFXAL6&location=1674)) - Then I sometimes fill in a few of the darker values with my drawing brush and burnt umber. ([Location 1685](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B00KAFXAL6&location=1685)) - Here’s how to start smarter: ([Location 1697](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B00KAFXAL6&location=1697)) - mark the boundaries: top, bottom, left, and right of each object ([Location 1698](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B00KAFXAL6&location=1698)) - Work the entire canvas at once rather than focus on any individual element! ([Location 1699](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B00KAFXAL6&location=1699)) - Compare the location of each mark to as many other things as possible (including the edges of the canvas and the halfway marks)— ([Location 1701](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B00KAFXAL6&location=1701)) - Once you get everything in the right place, round out each complete object. ([Location 1703](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B00KAFXAL6&location=1703)) - If your objects overlap, it can be helpful to draw each object as if you could see through it. ([Location 1703](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B00KAFXAL6&location=1703)) - Get big shapes down before you draw anything peripheral ([Location 1705](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B00KAFXAL6&location=1705)) - Once you have those big, simple shapes, work your way toward details. ([Location 1706](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B00KAFXAL6&location=1706)) - Shade in darker values ([Location 1707](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B00KAFXAL6&location=1707)) - Ignore Your Brain ([Location 1741](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B00KAFXAL6&location=1741)) - To better ignore your brain, here are some things to try: ([Location 1759](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B00KAFXAL6&location=1759)) - Paint what you see and not what you think you see. ([Location 1760](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B00KAFXAL6&location=1760)) - Squint! ([Location 1762](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B00KAFXAL6&location=1762)) - Always check the relative positions of things in your painting. ([Location 1766](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B00KAFXAL6&location=1766)) - Measure proportions with your brush. ([Location 1770](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B00KAFXAL6&location=1770)) - Use your viewfinder to get angles right. ([Location 1789](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B00KAFXAL6&location=1789)) - Back up!!!! ([Location 1796](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B00KAFXAL6&location=1796)) - When you back up, you see your painting smaller and often notice mistakes you didn’t see when you were standing close to it. ([Location 1797](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B00KAFXAL6&location=1797)) - Mentally zoom out. Always be thinking about the big picture. ([Location 1800](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B00KAFXAL6&location=1800)) - See the subjects as shapes and forms. ([Location 1802](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B00KAFXAL6&location=1802)) - Take a picture. ([Location 1808](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B00KAFXAL6&location=1808)) - Do the whole thing upside down. If you’re working from a photograph, turn it and your canvas or panel upside down. ([Location 1815](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B00KAFXAL6&location=1815)) - I find it easiest to think of the center of the earth as the vanishing point when I’m looking down at a still life like this. ([Location 1886](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B00KAFXAL6&location=1886)) - The Number One Rule ([Location 1965](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B00KAFXAL6&location=1965)) - The Simple Secret to Better Painting: How to Immediately Improve Your Work with the One Rule of Composition, by Greg Albert. ([Location 1966](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B00KAFXAL6&location=1966)) #blue - “Never make any two intervals—of distance, length, spacing, and dimensions of shapes—the same.” ([Location 1968](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B00KAFXAL6&location=1968)) - the “horizon” is now higher and the composition is no longer cut in half. ([Location 2005](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B00KAFXAL6&location=2005)) - The really cool thing about the concept of variety is that it can be applied to many more things than just size and distance. ([Location 2012](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B00KAFXAL6&location=2012)) - But I am always thinking about variety! I don’t want all my strokes to go in the same direction, or be the same size. I try to make some smaller or bigger and longer or shorter, depending on the space I need to fill with paint. ([Location 2049](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B00KAFXAL6&location=2049)) - Don’t think you have to use every rule all the time!! ([Location 2072](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B00KAFXAL6&location=2072)) - In fact rules are made to be broken. ([Location 2074](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B00KAFXAL6&location=2074)) - The Rule of Thirds ([Location 2080](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B00KAFXAL6&location=2080)) - If you draw lines on your canvas basically dividing it into thirds, horizontally and vertically—where those lines meet are the supposed “magic” spots. ([Location 2080](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B00KAFXAL6&location=2080)) - Avoid Kissing Objects ([Location 2103](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B00KAFXAL6&location=2103)) - Don’t Kiss the Edge of the Canvas ([Location 2115](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B00KAFXAL6&location=2115)) - Avoid Rows of Objects ([Location 2123](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B00KAFXAL6&location=2123)) - Don’t Make Lines or Other Objects Go Directly out the Corner ([Location 2133](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B00KAFXAL6&location=2133)) - Avoid Unfortunate Tangents ([Location 2142](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B00KAFXAL6&location=2142)) - Don’t Ever Use the Line “But It Was Really Like That” ([Location 2158](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B00KAFXAL6&location=2158)) - most metal has lots of darks in it and just a little bit of light. If you don’t make the darks dark enough, the highlights don’t have that ping! effect! ([Location 2243](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B00KAFXAL6&location=2243)) - My ground color then is often the complement of that dominant color ([Location 2323](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B00KAFXAL6&location=2323)) - If muddying will occur, is there a different color I could use ([Location 2331](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B00KAFXAL6&location=2331)) - Warning! Don’t use a strongly colored ground on a painting with a lot of white in it. ([Location 2353](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B00KAFXAL6&location=2353)) - Planning Your Moves ([Location 2359](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B00KAFXAL6&location=2359)) - My method is to start with more vulnerable areas and work my way toward areas that are less vulnerable. ([Location 2363](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B00KAFXAL6&location=2363)) - There are two things I have found that make an area more vulnerable: ([Location 2366](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B00KAFXAL6&location=2366)) - The area is an “island” ([Location 2367](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B00KAFXAL6&location=2367)) - The area of color is very saturated ([Location 2368](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B00KAFXAL6&location=2368)) - Very small areas that can go on top of other paint are the least vulnerable, ([Location 2381](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B00KAFXAL6&location=2381)) - It is very important with this approach that you not paint back into vulnerable areas, ([Location 2382](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B00KAFXAL6&location=2382)) - In more complicated scenes, you generally have islands within islands within islands, and so on. I have found it is best to paint them in order, from the inside out. ([Location 2398](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B00KAFXAL6&location=2398)) - — Accept that it happens. — Acknowledge that it’s temporary. — Allow my creative well to refill. ([Location 2806](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B00KAFXAL6&location=2806))