How to Paint

How to embrace the physicality, messiness and freedom inherent in the earliest stages of a painting; how to practice loose, dynamic paint strokes using one's entire arm; going over some of the basic supplies needed while starting out.

What kinds of surfaces are best for beginning painters; how one can choose the surface that works for them; a demonstration of creating gradients; getting to know the kinds of brushes one will use to achieve different lines and effects.

Value is crucial to the way the brain translates images into meaning; why understanding value is more important than understanding color; developing the ability to pinpoint value differences; how to break an image down into its fundamental values.

A look at the rendering of three-dimensional forms using light and shadow; why it is easier to achieve than one might think; painting geometric objects using an understanding of light sources, cast shadows versus form shadows, and reflective effects.

Understanding color is about discerning the subtle differences in value, hue and saturation; introducing practical color theory; how to break colors down into a simple matrix; how to directly mix paints; the principles of optical mixing.

Why color is like musical notes; how context and interaction are key; why a limited palette of four or five colors can be surprisingly powerful; how to create a quick painting from a monochrome reference image using just four colors.