3 Powerful Ideas You Should Steal from David Hockney

[@WillN2Go1]

Good video. I've followed Hockney's work for many years (photographed one of his catalogues). Maybe I can add some thing. Hockney has an amazing 3d technique with large shapes. I can't quite figure out how it works (I've studied this subject) . In the Yorkshire paintings the hills and dipping roads. The shapes push and pull. The 'Tree' paintings of recent years might be one way into understanding how he thinks. The branches are very 'schematic' meaning their pattern captures the essence of the branch structure and leaf clustering of a particular species, but they aren't like a still life of flowers where you can count each petal. Van Gogh does the same schematic representation method as well. Might be where Hockney learned it. That field of Van Gogh's in the video. If you had a photo of it, you'd see the mid ground 'count' of grass stalks in the painting in the foreground of the photo. The midground of the photo would be a color/texture. It's like 90 strokes represent 9000 plants. The trees. In 'Tim's Vermeer' a video about a guy figuring out how Vermeer worked Hockney is interviewed in his studio. Behind him is a panorama of a line of trees photographed from a distance. This reduces the incredible 3D complexity of the tree branches into 2D. Hockney can then work from that to create his stylized schematic. He does paint en plein air, but I think he started in the studio working from that photo. Once he 'figured out' how tree branches 'work' visually (as opposed to how they really are) then he could go outside. The best time of year to capture these branches images of trees is very early in the spring when the leaves are just coming out of the buds. Another couple of weeks and it's all leaves. In 2018 in England this was April, by May it was 'too late.' During my hike around Dorset seeing the neat rows of trees along roads and property lines, the copses of them on hillsides, I thought that they were trimmed. After seeing thousands of 'well groomed' trees I realized this is just how they grow in England. Back in the States when I wanted to make some Asian inspired tree branch images I quickly learned I had to go to the wealthy neighborhoods where trees were trimmed or pruned by arborists. I think compared to English trees American trees are quite scruffy. Hockney's iPad paintings might be a good way to see Hockney reducing Hockney as a way to see how he works. There are fewer options on an iPad than brush on paper. I really like the photo and the watercolor at 4:00. It shows exactly how a painting shouldn't just be a copy of what's there. (Hockney says, 'A painting is a painting, a photograph is a photograph, they're different.' In his studio I've seen photos, paintings like the photos, xerox copies of the painting, and faxes of the painting. I was photographing the paintings.. All different, all with their own qualities.) Curiosity. About 35 years ago I was at a Christmas party in Los Angeles (Harold's house). I'd been doing some drywall work and my glasses were horribly scratched. The lights on the Christmas tree in my scratched glass was giving me amazing 3D patterns. David wears hearing aids and he's shy so you don't expect him to listen in to some guy 3 - 4 meters away in a room full of people. I was playing with my glasses by the Christmas tree and told my wife about the 3D effect. A little while later we were talking to friends on the other side of the room. I noticed David was over by the tree playing with his glasses. I was too shy to walk over and offer my scratched glasses. His glasses of course were in great shape so he wasn't going to see the effect. I knew an artist to whom I happened to mention that another artist I worked with used 8B pencils for sketching. She got really pissed off. Said I was comparing her... I started to apologize and then I realized something. If I'd told that other artist or David Hockney something an unknown amateur artist was doing that I thought they might find interesting, they'd be interested, especially if it was something they didn't already know about. In fact, they'd insist on knowing. Fixed mindset people don't make mistakes, other people make mistakes. Growth mindset people endlessly make mistakes, they continually learn and live amazing lives. Using the white paper or background as a highlight. The Bigger Splash painting was taught in my college as the white of the splash being the white gesso. It isn't, it's white paint. But there is a Japanese Ukiyo-e style water color that I saw in a gallery show with some of Hockney's Yorkshire paintings and portraits. The highlighted rings of the rain drop splashes are indeed the white paper. This is probably well known, but it wasn't to me. I asked about it. Opaquing solution. Hockney painted it on first than did his water color painting over it, then peeled it off. And that other artist 8B pencils. He was a sculptor, but he drew for two to three hours every day, seven days a week for his entire life. Said he had to. Hope this is interesting.

[@dondequesta6391]

It is interesting.

[@ritalynch1930]

ps I love that gem of wisdom about Fixed v Growth mindset.

[@TheDanishPainter]

Yes I've been reading with great interest! Thank you so much for sharing all your insights and knowledge. This was very interesting, I love hearing stories and insights like this. Thanks for watching and leaving such an awesome comment!

[@scarletohara6743]

i loved your reflections on art. it was really helpful, thanks

[@lindazorich6734]

Great video! Putting words to some concepts, making it vocally aware always helps. Always good to here how someone interrupts something that is visual.

[@annfrodeberg6658]

Thank you for the inspiration 🙏 I wish you a happy painting week😍

[@maisycakes1125]

Wonderfully explained concepts - so clear I learned a lot from you today, Thankyou. 😊

[@DavidPerez-zt3qq]

Thank you for sharing this. Love the simplistic style Hockney used. I must try today. !

[@philipk917]

Fantastic! Thank you for sharing. Well Wishes and Happy New Year for you and yours and all. ❤🧡❤

[@wilhelmsanchez]

Lovely video, thank you. I love David Hockney. An Irish painter called it "pinching" not stealing. Nothing wrong with pinching!

[@WillN2Go1]

As a photographer there were many images I wanted to copy. I wanted a print like that, but I also wanted to learn. Initially I'd set out to 'just use the technique.' They'd never even look like the same technique. So I set out to flat out 'steal' the image. By the time I'd get an photograph that I was satisfied with it looked nothing at all like the original. Picasso stole from Matisse more than Matisse stole from Picasso. (they were friends). The paintings Picasso made after the one that looked just like the Matisse were always far more interesting. So steal, but not slavishly.

[@user-cv7bn2lq3r]

Thank you for your vision into the ways we can adopt the gems of other artist's work to find our own way.

[@TheDanishPainter]

My pleasure, thanks for watching 🎨

[@peckerdecker]

Great video and book information on Hockneys sketchbook. I _like Your mark making_ at the 4.11 of this video. Thank you

[@hanssing1]

Good evening Marie Louise, thank you very much for this , which I find very encouraging - have a great week ahead 🙏

[@markdonovan1540]

Your watercolour summary of the concepts is very helpful.

[@melissaamyx2196]

Thank you for this, concepts I need to keep focusing on for sure. You have such a wonderful way of explaining things!

[@JRJackman-qs8ph]

Very helpful video. Thank you.

[@stralenmax1384]

I'm not an artist, i just love to express myself through colour. Your video showed me how it's important to be myself in my hobby. All videos about watercolour show the techniques, accentuating skills. It's important indeed. But.. Thank you for looking at this particular aspect of painting. When I saw your own painting, I felt like if I'm flying over that beautiful landscape.

[@malgorzata7011]

Thank you so much for your ideas, it is a new challenge for me, I definitely need to learn how to loosen my paintings, thanks!

[@carolbicknell9603]

Thank you!! A much needed reminder!!

[@johnkitching6293]

Thank you Marie Louise for this video it will help enormously!

[@everydel2941]

Thank you so much for putting in the time and effort to prepare this for us.

[@TheDanishPainter]

My pleasure, thanks for watching 🌻

[@scood2323]

Lovely to see you working in watercolour-great video and good points.

[@jamiletorres400]

Very helpful. Thank you

[@francoisederocher]

Great tips from one of the great masters. Thank you.

[@robhead22]

Excellent discussion! Thank you!

[@klnrklnr4433]

great channel. Learning a lot from you.

[@muchasgracias6976]

Such a relaxing video. Thanks.

[@curlew-3592]

I live near this area and I love this series of paintings. It always makes me smile listening to artists as where does looking for inspiration and ideas stop and copying ideas start!😂😂

[@luluesparza7360]

Excellent video…thank you!

[@guitarquartet]

I'm a musician but a big follower of visual art (with Hockney being a particular favourite), these concepts translate nicely, thank you!!!

[@TheDanishPainter]

How cool that his work transcends different genres of art. A sign of his brilliance. Thanks for sharing!

[@crisalidathomassie1811]

So much inspiration here! Thanks so much. David Hockney, the greatest. ❤❤❤

[@KittehNow]

GREAT VIDEO ❤❤, thank you!!!!

[@dennismajor1]

An overiding concept for all three of three of these ideas or concepts is 'contrast' - values is obvious, colours; is the contrast power of complements - complementaries enhance and accent each other and finally, in the case of this video, brush stokes à la Vincent van Gogh - see the tree, road and sky in Hockney's painting (ROAD AND TREE NEAR WETWANG, 2004) - here you have the contrast of broad repeated brush stokes in the tree and the smooth even washes of the sky and the road. Of course given enough experience of the artist, a painting can minimize all these contrasts and be effective but contrasts are quite powerful. Others are, when done in the same painting; the use of transparent and opaque watercolours, granulating and non-granulating watercolour paints, active and non-active watercolours (where active means how well and quickly a paint spreads out in an area of wetted paper), randomness of repeated objects contrasting with ordered repeated objects again in the same painting etc etc ...

[@isabellekramer6533]

Excellent!!! Thank you so much ❤

[@florencegeorges7419]

Really interesting! I’m come from France and I don’t know about this artist known in the world.

[@flaviofrk1]

What set of watercolor or paint are you using for these little studies?! They look so beautiful

[@francoisemcdermott6725]

Thank you so much for sharing this 😊

[@jamiletorres400]

What is the fist book that you show in the video? Thank you

[@ladyflimflam]

It’s called A Yorkshire Sketchbook and is widely available. I got mine at Target.

[@jamiletorres400]

Thank you.

[@b.comeau2597]

Lovely video! Thank you ,

[@sentient24]

Well said! Kudos!

[@ellenpham4834]

Thank you for this fun and interesting video. Would you give the titles of the books you refer to here? Thank you!

[@ellenpham4834]

I can see the larger book is Hockney/Van Gough, but the smaller book doesn’t show it’s cover, and I love it. I can’t identify it enough to find it :)

[@kazfarndon4990]

They are listed in the description under the video

[@maureenknight3863]

wow, awesome painting!

[@XenaArt]

Чудові роботи! 👌👌👌 Дякую за ваш досвід ❤❤❤

[@ingridterpstra5743]

Excellent🎉 i regonize all. Hockney books are great inspiring

[@allisonwelburn2467]

. Thank you so much for all your very helpful and inspiring videos. I really love your work and one day hope to have the freedom and loose style in my meagre paints . Can I ask you what book you were looking at if that’s allowed ? I’m new to u Tube so not sure if I’m allowed to ask ?

[@TheDanishPainter]

The titles of the two books in the video: Hockney - Van Gogh: The Joy of Nature by Hans Den Hartog Jager Published by Thames & Hudson Ltd. And A Yorkshire Sketchbook by David Hockney Published by Royal Academy of Arts Hope that helps and welcome to the channel :)

[@Eris123451]

I've always though that David Hockney probably got his best ideas from Van Gogh, (which he acknowledges,) and possibly Grant Wood ?

[@sandradonofrio413]

Excellent!

[@MrMjp58]

A nice set of ideas.

[@JacqueBernadette]

Lovely

[@guylainemorinstudio7869]

Thanks

[@judehayashi5892]

Thank you…inspiring…

[@PerChristensen-e2i]

Tak for råd om "values"

[@connieanderson2281]

♥️ David Hockney

[@andrewwalker3312]

i really admire david hockney a true genius

[@kerrystevens9313]

❤

[@pdscott2071]

Instead of stealing it can be called LIFTING other artists ideas. That was what our art professor called ...Lifting ideas from others, lol.

[@sublimeister9630]

David Hockney-the modern Bob Ross. His older works is better… 🙏😊

[@prospero2007]

What are you talking about?!? Hockney pre- dates Bob Ross by decades! Not to mention that there’s no comparison between the two! Hockney is one of the most influential fine artists of modern times, while Ross is a celebrity amateur who convinced equally and even more atrociously untalented amateur ‘painters’ that everyone can create ‘art’! Educate yourself!

[@swordscot]

Not steal - it’s being inspired by. There is nothing new under the sun when it comes to art

[@randalllaue4042]

How sad for you! Choose your words carefully, please stop telling people that.

[@delshaydevera]

Stop talking

[@randalllaue4042]

NOT STEALING!!! LEARNING! Choose your words carefully!!

[@tonydejesus2134]

"Good artists copy. Great artists steal." -Pablo Picasso

[@tommybell1786]

Calm down.

[@randalllaue4042]

@@tommybell1786 not helpful.

[@meowtotheworld4801]

There's a book called 'Steal Like an Artist' that artists are often alluding to when they say "steal".

[@Jacklette]

I love your work but as an European you should not say VÄNGO for Vincent Van Gogh! 🤩

[@malexder0082]

Complementary, not complimentary.