Why EVERY Painter should be doing THIS - Tips and Tricks for Artists

I call this the tilt and squint. I know it’s weird, I look really silly when I do that but, believe it or not, it’s one of the most important things you can do to improve your drawings and your paintings. Ideally, it should become a habit, no really ! Let me explain in this quick video…
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About me (bio) :
Website :
www.florentfar...
I am an artist living and working in France. I learned the techniques of the Atelier of the Nineteenth century and now I try to share some of my knowledge with the rest of the world, because I think that beauty still has an important role to play in artistic creation. I do mostly drawing and oil painting, and my goal is always to provide techniques, thoughts and explanations that can be useful to anyone, from beginners to more advanced artists.
The material I use most of the time (not necessarily in this video) :
Drawing
Equipement
✓ Kneaded eraser
✓ Plumb line
✓ Small mirror
✓ An old synthetic brush
✓ Masking tape
✓ Cutter
✓ Sandpaper or sanding block
✓ Mahlstick or Hand rest (DIY)
✓ Level ruler
Graphite
✓ Pencils 2H, HB and 2B
Charcoal
✓ If available: Nitram charcoals (H, HB and B)
✓ Square charcoals
✓ Natural charcoal box
Black and white chalk
✓ Sketch pencil Conté white
✓ Square Conté noir : HB and 2B
✓ Chalk or pencil holder
✓ Pencil sketch Conté Pierre noire : H and HB
Sanguine
✓ Sketch pencil Conté : Blood and blood Medici
✓ Crayon Polychromos Faber-Castel : sanguine
✓ Sketch pencil Conté white
Oil painting
Palette
(Extra-fine paint, recommended brands depending on availability: Lefranc Bourgeois, Winsor and Newton, Royal Talens Rembrandt)
✓ Titanium white PW6
✓ Yellow ochre PY42
✓ Burnt Sienna PR101 or PBr7
✓ Venetian red or English red PR101
✓ Permanent Alizarin crimson (Attention: do not use the traditional pigment, which is not very light-fast) PV19 or PR177 or Quinacridone Rose PV19
✓ Cobalt teal blue PG50
✓ French ultramarine blue PB29
✓ Raw umber PBr7
✓ Burnt umber PBr7
✓ Ivory Black PBk9
Brushes
✓ About ten filbert hog bristle brushes sizes n° 4, 6, 8, 10 and 12
✓ Some flat brushes
✓ Round sable brush or round Kolinsky sable n° 4, 8, 10, 12 (from the size of the nail (about one inch) or synthetic imitation
Medium
✓ Linseed stand oil
✓ Odourless mineral spirits
✓ Safflower oil
Surface
✓ Linen canvas, fine grain universal coating
✓ For studies : Canson oil-acrylic oil paper Figueras
Others
✓ Palette
✓ Foam and spalter brushes
✓ Palette knife in the shape of a water drop, no souldering
✓ A few small pots, containers, jars...
✓ Paper towels
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#art #painting #inspiration
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Thanks for watching !

[@jplum7708]

One benefit of being very nearsighted. I just take my glasses off and my whole world is blurry. 🤣

[@MaridK]

That's a true benefit lol

[@GingahSnapsArt]

Harnessing your powers for good and not evil. Chefs kiss.

[@amysbees6686]

@J Plum I do that as well! Quite effective!

[@judihart9658]

😂🤭that's the spirit!💖👍🤓

[@katilia16]

I do the same thing! Except I’m only moderately nearsighted but it still works.

[@SchaeferArt]

What a subtle concept and technique. I actually do this naturally but never thought about it really haha. Whenever I would finish a drawing on my live streams, I would turn my head and squint (if needed) and move back a little too to see it differently. I knew about squinting but never thought about the turning the head part. Great video and really informative! Hope the paintings and art are going well. Congrats on almost reaching 300K subs as well. You have a strong following and awesome art and videos. I hope I can make it out to France again one day. Keep up the great work! :)

[@marcblur9055]

A piece of red glass or a red photo filter is also a great tool to compare your source and your painting to see if the values are correct. Mirrors have great value as well.

[@hollieharlow1129]

Taking a photo on my phone somehow puts my paintings in a cold light of day.

[@musicpatron1693]

you need more likes man! you're gold to me

[@FlorentFargesarts]

Thank you 😊Glad my work is useful ! 🙏

[@svahas]

I like looking at my paintings from different angles and then I see where the proportions are off. I will try this squinting and turning my head too; thanks! Robert Bateman says he looks at his paintings in a mirror to see the flaws. I just started painting about three months ago. Sometimes I am surprised at what I can do. I always try and keep in my mind what I am painting and that helps me. I have about ten paintings on the go, some are almost finished. I read that Da Vinci said that a painting is never finished, you just give up! I am going to become your patron soon, because you are one of the best! Thanks for your videos.

[@FlorentFargesarts]

Hey Abigail, I have to agree with Da Vinci on that statement, so true 😅You seem to be on the right track after three months, so many people are afraid to start several projects but that's the best way to avoid creative blocks. Thanks for your nice comment ✨✨✨✨

[@svahas]

@@FlorentFargesarts I was afraid to start for a long time. I thought if I made mistakes things wouldn`t turn out; but things can always be changed.

[@davidreames384]

Florent, you are my favorite teacher on KZbin. Thank you for your dedicated and generous spirit.

[@karenellis2098]

It was one of the first things I learned. Also, turning the canvas sideways, upside down, and looking at it in a large studio mirror also works well. Stand far back and let it talk to you. Edit: I should have watched to the end before commenting. These are really useful practices, especially when something is bothering you but you just can’t figure it out. Thanks!

[@gumobe55]

Hi Florent - your comments/tips are always good/useful. I always tell my students to step away from their ptgs regularly; to turn their painting upside down occasionally; to use a black mirror (when checking tonal values) & to squint at their ptg from time to time - & to leave their painting somewhere around the house that you will pass by often (to get oblique glimpses). And always have pen & paper nearby to jot down issues you discover. You are right about the brain sort of tuning off after a while - & then together with the desire to ‘finish’, you can short change yourself.

[@cephasogbeifun8737]

Florent why do U like using blue significantly in all most of Ur works

[@hmmmph3578]

Thank you. That's a great tip. I also find a break away from painting the picture, for a cup of coffee, or for a month, can be helpful. Is this also because the brain gets used to the errors? Why do I sometimes like six month old work that I couldn't stand when I first made it?

[@Путин-ы4л]

Very nice very beautiful

[@KathyBrooksArt]

What wonderful advice, very helpful. Thank you!

[@FlorentFargesarts]

Glad it was helpful! TY 😊

[@stevehenderson1248]

Also look at yr work in a mirror

[@judihart9658]

😂🤭☝️No.that is not weird. I get called a weirdo?🙄all the time.🤷‍♀️You looking to see if you can impress yourself?😉🙂gets my vote.👍&Once upon a time?An accomplished ?(obviously in her mind)artist lady was giving me hell.& she yelled at me. "Don't admire your work."=🤔😳Oh! So that's what she thinks I'm doing while cleaning her home for her?&that's while I was double checking to make sure it was done well.=Wow!Really?🤨🥱&of course.🙄 She didn't have a problem with me asking if the art there was her work. 🤔& far be it for me to critique her?.lol & No.I didn't mention she'd never see me again. &just between you & me readers.? She was rude. & in too much of a hurry in her artwork.& way, way too full of herself. & hey! If she wants to employ someone who doesn't try? like her. All I can say is? #Later!&✌️out.🤷‍♀️cause ew!🤢🤮Aren't snobby, pompous,full of themselves artists the worst?☝️I think so. 😎

[@B1ackDahlia767]

I do this too. I also look at my artwork upside-down and at its reflection, over my shoulder, with a mirror. I'm near-sighted and can simply step backwards a bit, lol.

[@SnkobArts]

I appreciate the Todd Howard Skyrim reference in the thumbnail 🙏👌

[@chiricuttcomepapt5100]

Great tip. I squint only one eye. The other is totally closed. This helps with the appreciation of values and composition. It also helps me a lot with the sense of depth. This may have to do with the fact that two eyes are great to navigate in the three dimensional world, but a painting is a flat surface, perhaps more suitable for single eye observation.

[@Quince82]

AH! no way!! I've done this my whole time drawing/painting 🥺 so cool

[@daniellechausse1344]

Merci beaucoup pour tous ces judicieux conseils.

[@amysbees6686]

Will tilting your head like that over the course of a couple/few hours make your neck sore?

[@sindicta5757]

Digital artists do this by flipping/mirroring the canvas. Great tip!

[@sheranlanger247]

My arthritic neck was screaming in agony watching your tilt and squint 🤣

[@Ipl80779]

Sir, how long will i practice painting all day ?

[@Exiide89]

It's a good exercise for the neck too. 😉

[@cynthiamarston2208]

I need all the tricks some days

[@oguzmen5451]

Todd Howard is that you?..

[@fineart9399]

Really appreciate your tips and techniques. Very helpful. Your videos are one of the few I really watch and I learn a lot. Thank you 🙏🏻🙏🏻🙏🏻

[@painterpip4531]

Excellent video with very important information that I constantly need to keep at the front of my mind. Thank you very much for this timely reminder. With your words in mind now, I will now paint on....

[@JUNMENDOZAfineartists]

Thank you for sharing.

[@honestreviews3056]

You look like van gogh

[@sulamith105]

Yes! Great tip! I regularly look at my work in mirrors and photograph it as I'm making it. It has a way of revealing the truth of your errors that your brain has normalized!

[@Krightowl]

Thanks for all of your videos. I have yet to watch one without learning something new. It's awesome watching you work.

[@pr1me840]

I just take a photo with my phone and flip the photo so left is right and right is left. Easy way to give a different perspective.

[@ohsillybeans]

Sometimes it's easier to do the body tilt until you almost fall over than flipping the canvas lol Taking a step back from the piece while staring at it for a bit helps too

[@dianebonneau2350]

Such creative ways to achieve or practice what seems like a visual idea we can easily do. Many thanks🌺☕️

[@adm58]

A black mirror (phone screen) also works well when assessing tonal values.

[@bryanmartin9420]

Thanks again

[@tabuena.fineart]

Cool infos😊

[@robertbakerii5469]

I’ve been doing the tilt and squint also. It really does help.

[@ForeverArt0]

✨✨💕💕

[@FlorentFargesarts]

✨✨🙏🙏

[@photographedemode]

❤️