Start to Finish - Art Fundamentals Series
We are going to continue to create our Art Fundamentals videos and share them here on our blog and YouTube channel. My hope is to help those of you who are new to art with basic techniques, mediums, and products. This will also help bridge the gap if you want to take one of our online classes where we go into more detailed lessons and techniques.
Through this lesson, we will talk about finalizing your piece from start to finish. This includes some of our favorite primer and fixative supplies and how to start a painting from concept and when to know when the piece is complete! Look for more tips below!
There are so many products out there it can be so overwhelming! I will included my most used products but you will need to experiment on which product and brand works best with your practice. Here are some basics for those of you new to art. Priming is creating a barrier between your medium (paint, pencil, pastels etc.) and the substrate (paper, canvas, wood panel etc.). Fixatives and varnishes finalize the piece. They are a clear coat in various finishes (flat, matte, semi-gloss, gloss) that stabilize the pigments and help protect your artwork. Both are necessary to help preserve your artwork!
So how do you start a piece? How do you turn your idea into reality?
I find the most important way to start is to….START! Simple right? Easier said than done BUT I think sometimes we wait for the BIG IDEA and then we keep waiting. Sometimes, just putting a pen or paintbrush to canvas and letting our instincts guide us we will be pleasantly surprised with the results. Worst case scenario, you are practicing! On the days in which I feel inspired, I jot down notes whether on scraps of a paper or digitally on a note pad of anything that inspires me. I also collect images online, magazine clippings, elements from nature and put them in a bowl in my studio. I go back to that idea bowl or list often on the days I am feeling uninspired. Some days the notes have meaning, other times they don’t but they always seem to spark something even on the cloudiest creative days.
What to do when you finish your piece?
You will want to put a fixative or varnish on the piece.
Next, decide if you want to frame your piece. If so, do you want a simple modern frame or more of an ornate frame to finish the piece? Don’t know where to start you can use online tools to see your piece in various frames OR go to your local framing shop and ask for advise. Remember to wire your piece so it is ready to hang.
Take a high quality photo of your piece with a clean background.
Name your piece! Get creative here!
Record the details of your piece - dimensions, medium, name
Add your piece to your website!
Market your piece on social media, in your newsletter, or share with collectors
Knowing when a piece is finished?
To be honest, you could think it is never complete but chances are at some point you have to say it is done! Here are some tips to help me decide if it is complete or as close to finished as I will get!
Look at the piece from a different perspective or angle. Does it look different on a flat surface versus the wall?
Take a photograph of your work. I find that sometimes the view of a camera lens is different than my eye. I find areas that need more contrast, a feature that is off in a portrait, or the perspective slightly off in a landscape.
Ask a friend. Another point of view is always beneficial. You don’t have to ask just artists friends either. Sometimes the best perspective is from someone outside the art field.
My Favorite Products to Begin and Finish Your Piece
Golden’s Archival Varnish Mineral Spirit Acrylic - (Used over a wide variety of paints, including acrylic, oil, alkyd, watercolor, and casein)
Krylon Workable Fixative (Protects pencil, pastels, and chalk drawings. Allows easy rework.)
Latour Sennelier Fixatif (There are a variety of options for pastels, pencils, and charcoals)