ARTIST’S HINTS AND TIPS

1. When you mix your colours, always mix a good amount of paint. Remixing colours in the middle of a critical part of your painting is annoying and often ends up leading to a different colour to the original. The other temptation is to thin the paint with too much medium to make it go further. 2. Be aware of repetition in your painting and avoid it i.e. painting a row of trees or rocks that all look the same. 3. Use a large palette. Running out of room when mixing colours can lead to a muddy painting. It can also be frustrating when you have to clean your palette mid-painting. It is easy and cheap to buy a laminated board from the hardware store and cut it to size. You can then mix on the white laminated side. 4. If you are mixing a dark colour, start with the dark paint and the light to it. When mixing a light colour, start with the lightest colour and add the dark. This helps avoid giant mounds of paint! 5. Don’t focus too intently on the early stages of your work. Keep in mind the big picture. It is too easy to fiddle at this stage and overwork your painting. The time for final touches is at the end when all the board is covered.