( 그림 공부 ) 빨리 그림 그리기에 대해서

Plein air at Halfmoon Bay, California, 2022; All images by Hsin-Yao Tseng

 

대만 출신의 젊은 화가 Hsin-Yao Tseng ( 1986년생 ) 가 쓴 그림에 대한 글을 읽는다.

평상시 내가 야외에서 그림을 그리면서 생각하고 있었던 바를 다시 한번 이 화가를 통해서 확인하게 되는 기회가

되는데 결국은 현장에서 비교적 짧은 시간에 ( 30분에서 2시간 ) 그림을 완성하기 위해서는 " 단순화" 하는 작업이

필수적이라는 이야기. 그러기 위해서 이 화가가 강조하고 있는 9가지 사항을 옮긴다.

 

이 화가의 글 마지막 부분이 인상적인데 그가 San Francisco의 Academy of Art University 에서 사사했던

러시아 출신의 화가 Alex Kanevsky 가 했다는 말 "If you are not excited about what you paint, then your

paintings won’t excite the viewer either." 을 언급하면서 그림을 기계적으로 그리지 말고 내가 왜 그리는가를

생각하고 진심으로 ( from your heart 를 진심으로 라고 옮기긴 하지만 느낌이 다른데 정확히 우리 말로는

어떻게 옮기는게 좋을지 ) 아무튼 그리라는 충고를 하고 있다.

 

그가 언급하고 있는 9가지 충고를 옮기면

 

1. What’s Your Intent?

2. Don’t Overdo the Painting

3. From Fast Speed to Slower Refinement

4. Challenge Yourself to Use Bigger Brushes

5. Always Squint Your Eyes at Your Subject

6. Stand Back From Your Painting Frequently

7. Trust Your Memory and First Instinct

8. Approach Quick Painting as an Excercise

9. Practice Often

 

Plein air at Point Lobos, Carmel, California, 2016

Plein air painting at Cypress Grove, Carmel, California, 2016

Plein air painting at Ocean Beach, 2015

Plein air painting at June Lake, California, 2016

Fishermens Wharf" (2017, oil on panel, 9 x 12 in.) by Hsin-Yao Tseng

Here are some suggestions I’ve learned from my experiences and from instructors on how to do quick paintings.

1. What’s Your Intent?

Always have intent before you start any piece. Take a look around your subject, discovering anything that interests you. What do you want to emphasize in this piece today? Play with the concept, composition, lighting, color palette, texture (paint application), etc.

2. Don’t Overdo the Painting

Set a time limit for quick painting (let’s say 60 minutes). The time limit forces you to cover almost everything on your canvas within the time frame, and it sharpens your mind! If you keep changing and overworking a painting you will lose the freshness of the paint. On location light conditions change nearly every two hours, so first try to establish the larger shapes (light and shadow pattern) and then address the details of those areas. Otherwise, you may end up chasing the constantly changing shapes of the light and shadows and will never be satisfied with your painting.

 

3. From Fast Speed to Slower Refinement

In the beginning, try to work fast and capture the placement of your composition by designing the light and dark value patterns. Everything is still in the two-dimensional stage at this point. When you are about to apply more accurate color notes and start modeling the form, you may then slow down a little bit, but avoid details during this stage as well.

Save the last two or three minutes for the final detail indication—the focal point. Look for the dark accent and the highlight area and emphasize them in this focal area. Even if you still have some other area of the canvas uncovered, working on your focal point will help your quick painting have a finished look.

 

4. Challenge Yourself to Use Bigger Brushes

Avoid the trap of using a number zero sable brush when you should be massing in paint with a larger brush. After you establish the major placement of your subject with a smaller brush, take this opportunity to improve your synthetic view with a larger brush. Depict volumes by interlocking planes of colors, rather than resorting to a linear approach. Consider the different value and color patterns of each mass as you slowly sculpt the forms and volumes with paint.

5. Always Squint Your Eyes at Your Subject

Squinting simplifies the details and allows you to see the big shapes and value pattern of the subject. Also, you can get the sense of lost and found edges.

 

6. Stand Back From Your Painting Frequently

Moving away from your painting allows you to see the unity of the whole piece, which prevents you from overworking small detailed areas and from making unnecessary brushwork. Many times students will overwork details and fuss with edges because they are too focused on one area without seeing the overall effect of the painting.

 

7. Trust Your Memory and First Instinct

Observe the subject as a whole scene. Remember that in a quick painting there isn’t sufficient time to perfect proportions and details. Instead, try painting a small area after each glance. This is a process of rapid observation and memorization.

In other words, half of the work in quick painting depends on memory and your first sense. This is part of the sketching technique and also what makes the approach click if you understand it. Many people who aren’t able to paint using the memory of their observation end up painting without specific intent behind every brushstroke and ultimately begin to feel the pressure of time. Improving your quick painting ability will be a challenge, until you are able to reinterpret what you observe from memory with efficient brushwork.

 

8. Approach Quick Painting as an Excercise

A more relaxed approach will lead to freer brushstrokes. Don’t worry if the piece doesn’t turn out great—remember, it is just a study! Don’t be afraid to make mistakes. Every time you make a mistake it leads to an improvement in the next painting.

9. Practice Often

Painting is art and culture as much as it is a type of skill. All skills follow the rule that “practice makes perfect.” Without practice, how can you become good at something? There are no real shortcuts to create a great piece of work, even if it is just a sketch study.

My spiritual idol Michael Jordan says, “I’ve failed over and over and over again in my life and that is why I succeed. Just play, have fun, and enjoy the game.” To that I add, “Just keep practicing, have fun painting, and enjoy the happiness!” Don’t be afraid to fail or make mistakes; if you are afraid to try something out, you will never find the beauty of treasure!

 

In Conclusion

Whenever I see my old quick paintings done on location or from life, my thoughts fly back to those bygone years. The people, places and events recorded in these studies are therefore a record of my own life. To me, these “images” feel far more direct than written records, and are taken far more to heart. I know some galleries and collectors probably won’t find these works sellable, but in my opinion, these artworks are the most emotional, direct, and honest works by an artist. These works are for your own collection. Maybe a quick painting is not one of your best works, but it is a real connection between you and the environment or model, capturing the essence of that brief moment.

 

My ongoing challenge is learning how to say more while still being able to simplify. Less is more! Simplicity is the highest goal achievable when you have overcome all difficulties. After one has played a vast quantity of notes and more notes, it is simplicity that emerges as the crowning reward of art. I think doing quick paintings is a good practice that helps me achieve my artistic goals.

Finally, I always keep in mind what artist Alex Kanevsky, a guest lecturer at the Academy of Art University, said in 2010: “If you are not excited about what you paint, then your paintings won’t excite the viewer either.” Always remind yourself why you paint, and paint from your heart. If you are tired of doing gallery works or a series of works, you may always come back to the basic fun exercise: Pochade painting!