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If you would like to read all of my current instructional articles, copy and paste - https://www.outdoorpainter.com/author/johnhughes/ to access over 30 of them. Enjoy! 

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The answer to that question is design, but that doesn’t mean that the details aren’t important also. Details tend to have more or less importance, depending on the artistic sensibilities of different artists. There is really no right or wrong answer, but the details can certainly be overdone and paintings like that are easy to spot, if one has an eye for design. It’s not difficult to cross the line into “too much detail”, especially when those extra details do nothing to enhance the overall design of a painting. In all actuality the details are part of the design, so pitting these two against each other is really a non-starter in the first place.

The reason the question even comes up is because I have often been asked by painting students, something to the effect of: “What about the details?” Well, I usually try to explain that the details have a different level of importance to different artists. Some will opt for a lot of detail, while others will minimize the details of a scene, to practically none at all. So as the old saying goes–The devil is in the details! And in the case of painting, they can occupy too much of our focus, or not enough, and that can be a bad thing.

I think details can be an impediment, which gets in the way of seeing the design possibilities of a scene, if we are not all careful! It’s easy to become seduced by the details of a certain view, to the detriment of a simplified design! For that reason alone it would be wise to forget about the details and concentrate on arranging a motif into an interesting pattern of lights, mid-tones and darks, before getting too far into the weeds of interesting enhancements. In this way, the details will be integrated into the design without there being any confusion about which is more important. An easy way to keep this idea in perspective is (SDSD), which stands for Simplified Design, Selective Details.

The order of these two principles is as instructive as the messages which they convey. When you first arrive on the site of your next painting, if you keep this in mind you will be able to concentrate your efforts on the important things first and rely on your taste as an artist to selectively put in embellishments to the design, in the form of details. When you do get to the details you will be much more in tune with the proposition of; how much is too much, and how much is too little? This is because you will be thinking about the all-important design possibilities right from the start.

Every painting, like good writing, should have a beginning, middle and an end. It’s also been said that painting a canvas is a lot like building a house; first comes the foundation, then the framing, the plumbing electrical and drywall, before any of the enhancements such as cabinets, molding, paint and carpeting are installed. The reason for this is obvious, but what are the first things a potential buyer usually sees and is also smitten by? Right, the last items on the list!

Painters, in this sense can be just like home buyers if they are not careful. Getting derailed by the details of your scene first, and being overly concerned about those things, before the possibilities of design enter your mind, is a prescription for disaster! So keep the order of importance in mind at all times (SDSD), and you will be in a good position to execute an effective landscape, which is built on a beginning, middle and end.

 

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“Student” is not a dirty word! (By John Hughes-) Last night, my college painting class and I discussed a subject that was interesting and insightful, with regard to the term “student”. They seemed to feel a sense of relief, when I told them that the word has somehow gained a negative connotation, which should not be regarded that way! The term “student” often conjures up a picture of a “rank beginner” or “bumbling neophyte” who doesn't know which end of the brush to hold! We talked about how each of us should be students of painting throughout our whole lives, because the act of painting is a constant battle of design elements, coupled with the properties of light and the means to express those objectives artistically. This battle starts when the first brush mark is placed on a blank canvas and doesn't end until the last stroke is laid down. I say a constant battle, not wishing to give the false impression of something distressful like trench warfare, for it is a battle more in the sense of a game of chess, which is both rewarding and exhausting at the same time. It's a battle of human wits against the ever devolving impulse to say “that's good enough”. It's a battle with a happy ending and one that should be savored every step of the way! Yes, it's no ordinary struggle, because it's one of “process” and process is just as important as the product it produces in painting! I have often remarked that there is a certain emotional let-down, when a painting is done! It sometimes feels like you have just said goodbye for the last time to an old friend, or just concluded an exciting chapter in your life! While the painting itself is awfully satisfying to behold, it's the process, that often towers over the whole experience, by way of satisfaction. It might be similar to the thrill of performing, just like a musician at a concert; when the curtain finally goes down, there is a certain yearning for the next event to begin! To be painting at our peak performance requires patience, strategic awareness and persistence at a level that is mentally, as well as physically exhausting at times, but one where the rewards for our efforts are hard to pen, in any meaningful way! This type of battle is not drudgery to most serious students of art, but the kind of activity that inspires the human mind and soul to greater heights and future challenges! I can't say enough for being a student of the arts and of life. The word student, should be a badge of courage to all of us and one to be worn proudly at that! I hope I will never lose my enthusiasm for learning this craft, because that would surely spell disaster! We talked further about how none of us ever reaches total knowledge in anything, and painting is no different. I told them that I hope I never get there, because if any of us ever knew it all, when it comes to painting, we would probably give up and start selling used cars out of sheer boredom! That one got a laugh! No offense intended, to anyone in the car sales business either! I don't think there is much in this life that can't be exciting, if we put this level of effort into it. So, to all of my fellow students out there, I say keep striving! Be willing to latch on to every tidbit of knowledge, no matter how small a morsel, or how large a vein of understanding you are able to uncover. In this sense we are all like silver and gold miners, who keep digging in hopes of finding the mother lode. We live in an age that has occasionally been described as one where people are “swimming in information, but drowning in ignorance.” Quite frankly, I have found serious painting students to be an entirely different breed. We tend to spend inordinate amounts of time, squirreled away in our studios and out in nature studying and dissecting what makes the visual world tick. We glory in the discovery of a rare old book, by an esteemed artist of the past. We spend massive amounts of hard earned cash on classes, workshops and tapes, in order to propel our understanding just one inch further and we keep coming back for more! I have been privileged to know some of the finest painters in this country, and most, if not all of them, consider themselves to be students! So the next time someone refers to you as a student, try not to bristle at the thought, stand a bit more erect and stick your chest out, because you have just been given one of the best compliments of your life! Read More