Quick Tip 107 - Avoid Over-stroking

did you know there are painters who use their brushes as applicators rather than stroke makers and then wonder why their colors are often money well let's address that [Music] you [Music] let me show you what I'm talking about here sometimes we refer to this particular action is dabbling where you are not even concerned are not even aware of what the brush is doing but you're just using it to put paint down well that's going to make mud and it's also going to tighten up your painting I'm talking about this sort of thing let's just pick up a color a random a combination of color well just put it anywhere over here so here's what I'm talking about you put a color down and you just keep stroking interest keep stuffing just keep stuffing it if you just can't be happy until you stroke it to death every stroke mixes the color a little bit more a little bit more a little bit more it takes away from that vibrancy of that first brushstroke that's part of it the other part of it is that the brush actually is a tool that can help you shape your subjects and also can using the brush as a tool can cut down on the amount of time you're spending with your painting when you're doing the dabbling thing like this just dabble step a little bit here a little bit here dabble dabble you're also uncertain you're showing a certain amount of uncertainty and so you really correct a whole lot of foibles when you when you learn how to use the correct use a brush as a stroke maker and not anticipate applicator let's begin with the pen determine the size of the shape you're working in I've got this little preliminary drawing done here orange right here determine the size of the shape you're working in and use a brush but not only the size of the shape as well use a brush that is larger than what you need rather than smaller than what you need use the largest brush you can use to get the job done without feeling awkward so I could actually begin with my wider brush here also if you can you can use either a flat brush or and an oval shaped brush which we call a filbert that doesn't matter so much because some people have preferences of 1/2 the other that doesn't map some look as how you use the bus so that's part of it now if I start out with this flat brush and in unlocking at this subject I'm going to interpret the subject and I would want to start in the shadow areas first of that subject then what I would do is I would load my brush according to what I know about shaping shadows and then I set the brush down on the edge of the shape like this and pull it towards either the edge of the ship in the other direction or I could pull it this way so I have I have the potential of going one direction or another but by looking at the shape I'm working in and then alone the brush loaded brush to move along in that shape one stroke is all we need rarely do we need to struck that more than once the next thing then would be to pick up more color in the brush place the brush stroke it and this time I'm going to struck it in this direction to put more of a color in the brush more of the color when I'm seeing that particular of that particular color is moving beginning to move a little bit out of shell beginning to reflect a little bit of life beginning to go a little bit green so I load my brush with those colors and I don't have to just pick up right here I can actually go right over here and how you hold the brush it doesn't matter it depends on how you are where you're turned it it matters to in medicine point that you don't want to hold it way down here and be stroking like this because that's going to tighten you up but hold brush as far back as you can I like sometimes when forming shapes I like to hold the brush like this depending on how much leverage I need and sometimes I hold the brush light with tending on how much leverage I need and so then I might look at this shape and I might put my brush right there as you just pull it right around like that then I would load the brush again what colors do I need for the next stroke it's always like you ask yourself what colors do you the next stroke not just dipping into any color randomly and then stroking trying to find the right color so then I might this time I'm a stroke in this direction I might pick up the next color I need for the next stroke that would be determined by the subject and then I might stroke in this direction might pick up the next color underneath for the next stroke and I might stroke in this direction so you see the direction is determined by the shape itself and kind of over exaggerating this bisques now just to make my point I would put a little bit more shadow on that you stretch one stroke that way if I needed to see let me pull it just a little bit more this color in here and I then when might struck it in this direction a little bit more the color and I'm seeing that I need there and then I might stroke it in this direction so you see the brush moves each stroke moves in a different direction than the previous stroke the brush gathers up the colors that it needs to make that stroke and then you determine the movement of the brush according to what the shapes doing whatever the shape is doing will tell you pretty much which way the brush needs to move so I might move it this way now this I want to scumble that means if I need a little color writing on top of that then I just turn it turn the brush this way and do that little scumble like that now and so now I can move into the rest of the shape then will why not just go ahead and do that the rest of that shape I look at the value of the shape and then okay I see that this needs to happen like that I see that this needs to happen like that I see and not necessary going into explaining the color mixtures and all here because what I won't use pay attention is a brush stroke I'm seeing this can happen like that seeing the next brush stroke I need to love that see that need that to be a little bit lighter and so then which way do I go right here and there if I need that blended I could just sit the brush between the two and pull it and as I'm moving around the shape and seeing that I need to pick up this a little bit more orange so it's a Feb remember of each brush stroke I'll tell each brush stroke what color is needs in it so each brush stroke will then carry the color it needs to make the next portion of the shape whatever that portion the shape happens to be and if I move around they all as I move around the meat or that orange the interior part pick up the next color and Stroke it and I'm seeing as I'm going to allowing my eyes to guide me and tell me what color did I pick up next I like go here next and pick up this color I might go here just nice going it could be a little bit darker I might go here next and pick up the color there I might go here next and this needs to be a little bit more orange so that I might go here next and pick up the color there and sometimes we can we can maneuver we can can wiggle the brush around we can do all kinds of things this is basic this is just basic instruction to get started with using the brush as a tool as a shape maker and not just as an applicator okay then I can go right here and pull this direction and go here but very very very rarity are you going to need to keep brush and keep brushing till you brush the color out there's another thing that I often see among students I'll see them continuing to brush and continues but contingent interest until they think they need to reload the brush but you're not painting a house you're creating painting so each brush load needs its own specific color to go where it needs to go within the subject that you're painting alright so the one last little thing here and that is to on this particular subject here we would we would place the outside of here I can use the brush a little bit different I can use the tip of the brush here and with the tip of the brush loaded with that with that lighter color I can simply pull it around and now some places I might be able to turn it this way get a little bit lighter turn that way pull it around pull it around put it around and let's anchor this way and the other thing that then I could do is use the corner of the brush and give it a little up indicator now if I wanted there to be a little bit more of that sparkle then I would use the valley of the brush load the belly of the brush with that value of color and simply scumble like this simply scumble along the surface to create that little texture that I need to see right there a little bit more of that and that's probably enough to show you what I mean it's very exciting you can start just if you're not aware of using the brush as a tool rather than just as a paint applicator just practice with what I've shown you here practice with a simple shape allowing the brush to be loaded with the color appropriate caulk where it's going to go and then stroking along the direction of that shape and every shape goes in at least two directions so you might go this way or you might go this way whatever the shape tells you it wants to do so if you found this quick tip helpful why not explore our full-length instructional videos go to dynamite calm you'll find that we have over 100 downloads of full inch lessons and do the DVDs with those as well so give it a try there's your quick [Music] [Music]

Channel: In the Studio Art Instruction

Views: 50,597

Rating: 4.9654074 out of 5

Keywords: in the studio, art instruction, quick tip, 107, with Dianne Mize, Dianne Mize, SauteeLive, how to paint, how to draw, fine art, online art lessons, online art instruction, online art classes, oil painting, acrylic painting, watercolor, pastel, composition, art, painting, avoid over-stroking

Id: -gf6kPShY5U

Length: 11min 27sec (687 seconds)

Published: Wed Apr 05 2017