The BEST Exercise to Become a Better Painter

[@byronbuchanan3066]

Im almost 50 and Ive mentored a lot of artists and my opinion is that the number one thing that will improve your painting is to paint! Almost every single person that has wanted my advice on how to paint hardly ever paints.... you can't get good by painting once in a while. paint paint paint. Put the work in. Now, I refuse to teach anyone unless they show me a lot of work that has been done in the last two years.... no work no lessons. there are no quick tricks... it's all about working and studying the masters. My two cents.

[@StudioKeturah]

Such good advice!❤

[@DennisGranahan-e9h]

Agreed, and compare your previous paintings with your current. ❤

[@Jayman911x]

Fully agree! Do. the. work! You will improve!

[@patrickokra]

You’re absolutely right. I agree 100%!

[@johnartist59]

Quite right. I'm 65 and have been a professional artist for most of my life. I paint everyday. Sometimes doing 2 to 4 paintings a day. After a while, it becomes second nature, just like any job.

[@mayawypych1529]

Hi Patrick, love you story about the pots. It resonates with the story I've read years ago about a very old Japanese potter, very famous. When asked about how he achieved such fine work, he replied: "The first 20 000 pots are the worst" I wish I remembered his name. Love your work, btw, it is very fine.

[@patrickokra]

HA, I love that, thank you for sharing

[@ronschlorff7089]

LOL. in painting there are usually fewer attempts 'til you "get good-ish", but there will be lots of "worst" ones along the way, believe me! ;D

[@westfieldartworks8188]

Boy....this video was absolutely worth the price of admission. Incredibly good teaching and ideas regarding composition, and particularly how to simplify and compose the visual field in front of you. Thank you, and Subscribed.

[@patrickokra]

I appreciate it!

[@martinwrightart]

I’m doing the strada challenge this January and most my paintings will be 5x7”’s. I’m only on day 6 but can already feel a confidence in my work from daily painting and from life. Thanks for sharing Patrick, great advice as ever

[@patrickokra]

Thanks Martin, best of luck on the challenge!

[@metgirl5429]

Great insight … New to painting makes so much sense Thank you for sharing 🌷

[@EllenR654]

Thank you for this video!! I never would have thought of doing a color study master copy, wow!!! I have only thought that you copy the whole thing and haven’t felt ready for that just yet. This is brilliant, I can’t wait to try it!!

[@patrickokra]

It’s a great exercise. Hope you try it!

[@208amanda_martinez]

I never thought of it that way. Solving problems they might have had. That’s brilliant

[@patrickokra]

🙌

[@drjohn5801]

Absolutely BRILLIANT... your explanation and description of color studies is, for me personally, a revaluation... after all my years of painting, I now know where I went wrong.... HUGE THANK YOU 😊

[@patrickokra]

Huge your welcome, glad it is helpful 🙌🙌

[@ronschlorff7089]

Good one Patrick. Much conveyance of truth. After painting (realistically) for several years one will realize it is mostly an "exercise in problem solving", and each painting has multiple ones to solve with perhaps one or two being paramount, depending on subject. The more that you do it the better you will become at solving the basic problem of making a two-dimensional space look like three dimensions if that is your goal in certain genres, like landscapes. I do a lot of small paintings (6x8, 8x10) to solve problems for big ones or just to make a "good painting" of whatever size, but it does not always guarantee that success with the small painting will translate into "success" with the larger paintings. There is something "fresh and immediate" about a small painting since it is done fast, without much detail, and focuses on the "big picture" of composition, values, atmosphere, etc. Yes, you can paint a "big picture" on a 6x8 panel, I did many this last year. :D LOL

[@adm58]

Great video Patrick; very inspiring. Thank you.

[@patrickokra]

Thanks!

[@VictoriaNaumovaArt]

It's a great exercise, thank you for sharing! 😊

[@patrickokra]

🙌

[@michaelfiore1023]

Nice little lesson/chat. Thanks.

[@belindalarmour5457]

Thank you, great advice

[@MrRaym1961]

Great lesson and thank you millions for sharing such insightful painting knowledge !!!!

[@patrickokra]

Glad you enjoyed it!

[@Chripiter]

It's true. I was learning to paint clouds. Clouds Clouds Clouds. Omg,Clouds. So first I needed to paint a sky. THEN, I could paint Clouds. Thing is, a couple months ago,I was stressing over sky's. So,I painted let's say 25 sky's. Now,it's 25 clouds,but sky first, have to just get it out of the way. So I real quick,paint a sky,no pressure, no problem,doesn't matter,it's just got to be done. And it is. I don't even think about much when I'm painting sky anymore because I did it so many times,it's very easy for me. I'm thinking about the Clouds that are next. After clouds,it's probably gonna be trees. Far away trees,close up trees,pine trees, dead trees,live trees,fall foliage trees, hangmans trees,etc etc. With Clouds in the background, and a sky. I'll strees on the trees,so while I have to just get my sky and my Clouds put down, so I can practice trees,I won't even worry about the sky and Clouds. Then I will do,maybe, lakes,with reflection, 25 times,then maybe rocks,25 times,then people, or barns,or cornfield. Eventually all these things will come together in their little contributions. And then, I gessoover everything, and reuse my canvas,or Masonite panel,and do it over again. I'm always "practicing ". Everything is practice. It takes the pressure off,mentally.

[@chaconne0488]

@Chripiter Interesting, because I try exactly the same :))) it seems simple, but when I don't repeat it, I forget, and starting over is annoying, so I have to repeat it :)))

[@patrickokra]

I think that's a great way to look at it! It's all practice.

[@LisaSonora]

This is so helpful! thank you so much- you have a new subscriber!

[@ollekoos2071]

Agree 100% - which a super rare case for me😊😊😊

[@patrickokra]

🙌

[@heyihan9071]

Good advice. Thank you.

[@suzanneosio7596]

I inspired to do a painting a day!

[@Ran_G]

Thank you and happy new year

[@patrickokra]

Likewise!

[@earlyrainstudio546]

What is illustration vs what is art? Sometimes, Impressionism inspires and Realism challenges thniking. More importantly the meaning of what we are seeing :) Good message to inspire thinking. Thanks from the north...

[@patrickokra]

🤓🤔🙌

[@VTun1ng]

@7:10 you are talking about importance of studying after master painters. Would this also apply to learning to draw or it is beneficial just for learning to paint? I made quite few pencil/charcoal studies of old master's paintings but mostly when i studied composition and values. Never though i could also study with pencils/charcoal how they simplyfied paintings

[@patrickokra]

Good Q. Pencil thumbnail/comp mastercopies are something I’ve done hundreds of, to study composition. I’ve also done pencil or charcoal mastercopies of finished drawings where I’m trying to study the technique/process. Those are examples where you are studying something very intentionally. Just doing pencil sketch of oil paintings (something I’ve also done) is still good drawing practice and studying and taking the painting in will improve your sensibilities and build your visual library, but maybe it’s not as intentional of an exercise as other master copies. BUT, as it’s still exposing you to great painting, it’s still a good way to practice drawing 👍

[@jellyartist]

One of the best and most informative videos on general approach to painting, I’ve seen in a long time. I only used to paint in oils and about 8 yrs ago I was asked to take over an art class locally. To my horror it was watercolour, which I hadn’t realised when I said yes! I took the plunge and although had only dabbled with them until then, I threw myself into it and dedicated all my time to reading about it, watching videos and painting. It was pretty horrific at first but that chipping away along with a logical approach began to pay off. Teaching as well as coming up with class projects and realising I had to vocalise a lot of my own findings in many ways, taught me so much. One of the biggest realisations was that practice of all aspects would reap rewards. Now, I wish I had done this decades ago. If I ever return to oils I will approach them in a different, more prepared way. No more, ‘ I can paint over it if I make a mistake’. Watercolour is perhaps akin to alla prima oils in that you can’t easily paint over something if you really mess up. You also need to use the white of the paper and, as you say of one of your small studies in this video, you left the white of the canvas… THis is Really a good point in oil painting because despite the opacity of the paint, what lies beneath still shows through and it took watercolour to make me really see this. I’ve copied a few master paintings before and got a lot from that but I like very much your pile of studies and what you have to say about them. Anyone learning painting or wanting to improve (which should be most painters) would do well to dedicate some time to such a venture. You are investing in yourself and ultimately saving a lot of time in doing that learning curve. Also, as you rightly say, enriching yourself by studying good paintings. Thanks for sharing.

[@renzo6490]

From the book ''Art and Fear'' : David Bayles and Ted Orland The ceramics teacher announced on opening day that he was dividing the class into two groups. All those on the left side of the studio, he said, would be graded solely on the quantity of work they produced, all those on the right solely on its quality. His procedure was simple: on the final day of class he would bring in his bathroom scales and weigh the work of the "quantity" group: fifty pound of pots rated an "A," forty pounds a "B," and so on. Those being graded on "quality," however, needed to produce only one pot-albeit a perfect one-to get an "A." Well, came grading time and a curious fact emerged: the works of highest quality were all produced by the group being graded for quantity. It seems that while the "quantity" group was busily churning out piles of work-and learning from their mistakes-the "quality" group had sat theorizing about perfection, and in the end had little more to show for their efforts than grandiose theories and a pile of dead clay.

[@PaintsbyEric]

Merci pour cette vidéo très intéressante. les supports sont des panneaux de bois en MDF 3 mm il me semble. vous utilisez quelle dimension en général ? j'aime aussi peindre sur des petits formats pour l'étude. Cordialement

[@patrickokra]

5x7 inches 🙌

[@PaintsbyEric]

@@patrickokra Ok merci . ça ressemble au format 0P 18 x 12 cm en France 👍

[@KristaFulbright]

What size typically is that? A 4”x5”? Is that acrylic or oil?

[@synchronal]

He paints in oils and says in this video the studies are 5 x 7 inches

[@patrickokra]

The material varies, but the size is 5x7

[@Jayman911x]

great video thank you! Question - when doing master studies are the 'master paintings' that you choose in the same ratio as the 5x7 panels? If not do you just crop the composition to fit the 5x7? etc?

[@willdudley4644]

Hi Patrick, you mentioned that we should be mindful of the black and white point when using digital images. I don't think you elaborated on that though

[@tleish]

I had the same question

[@patrickokra]

When you’re working from a photo on a screen to do copies, you need to know what that image looks like compared to white pixels or black pixels, because it’s so much brighter than your pigment. Then you can translate it into paint, also keeping in mind where your titanium white and ivory black will be for those extremes. that’s the best way to nail the color on copies when working from screens, in my opinion

[@willdudley4644]

@@patrickokra thank you!

[@x_barwolf_x]

Are you going to make any more palette boxes ?

[@patrickokra]

Man probably not soon, its was a big time sink. Maybe I might find someone else to produce them 🤔

[@x_barwolf_x]

@@patrickokra dang, they look amazing I was thinking of getting one

[@chriswhitehouse8982]

@@patrickokra I was going to ask you the same thing. Any chance of offering the plans so that folks could make them on their own if they have some woodworking skills? Thx.

[@x_barwolf_x]

@@patrickokra well if you decide to make a couple more I will buy one

[@jonathanyoung3265]

New to painting here. What are the studies painted on? Anyone able to help me out? I can't tell if it is small canvases or paper stuck on to MDF?

[@elaineclift2227]

Looks like painting boards to me. Cheap ones are easily available in batches...a canvas surface on the board can be treated with gesso if you like a smooth surface. Good luck!

[@soniasiddiqi924]

Hi, what boards are these and where can we find them?

[@patrickokra]

A lot of these are home made, but you can also buy artist loft 5x7 canvas panels or centurion 5x7 linen panels. They’re both great

[@soniasiddiqi924]

@ Thanks Patrick!

[@chaconne0488]

Jeśli lubisz Lewitana, to polecam też prace : Iwana Trusza i Jana Ciąglińskiego. Piękne kolory, spodobają Ci się . Pozdrawiam

[@patrickokra]

Dzieki, nie znałem tych malarzów 🙌

[@junevvaldez5959]

FOCUS ON VALUES AND COLOR

[@patrickokra]

COLOR IS VALUE BUT VALUE IS NOT SLWAYS COLOR. WHY ARE WE YELLING

[@rickbroomhead3226]

Are some of those paintings on 1/4 drywall If so it would save some money.

[@catherineharmer4824]

They are 4 x6 canvas boards. They are inexpensive and easy to purchase from art stores.

[@patrickokra]

A lot of them were made on homemade panels of 3/8” Masonite, from back when a 4x8’ sheet was $8. Just put some acrylic gesso on em and you’re good to go. Now I buy various types, saves time

[@nathanielovaughn2145]

"Color gets all the credit for the work value does." Value studies > color studies, but point noted.

[@ivanmatveyev13]

The story about ceramic pots would make sense, if i wouldn’t have known so many permabegs.

[@patrickokra]

I had to Google what that is, I must be getting old lol. If someone’s a permanent beginner, but they have a lot of mileage in and ACTUALLY do a lot of training, then my best guess is they’re probably spinning their wheels by not trying different approaches or trying different ideas when they draw/paint. Learning to draw/paint comes in large part for gaining new ways of thinking. We don’t actually improve our drawing skills that much after a certain point, we need to work on ways to expand our perception. Should have gotten into that a bit, maybe another video

[@stevenewbold3616]

There’s nothing wrong with using personal photo reference, you just need to make sure the reference is worth using.

[@patrickokra]

I tried to make the point in the narrow context of learning to paint. Working from photos vs working from life is a really big, whole other contentious issue among artists. I’ve thought about making a video, but I don’t think I’m ready to get into the weeds of that. Maybe in a few years

[@stevenewbold3616]

@@patrickokra Fair enough. I think a large difference is that with photographic reference is becomes quite easy to become a slave to the reference for composition and colour and often detail also. By definition painting from life relaxes these constraints and direct comparison. But that said, learning to paint with freedom and expression from a photographic reference is a key skill, and let's be honest, is how a lot of professional artists work. Anyway, colour studies and painting lots... I agree... excellent advice.

[@mickrozycki451]

Is that a basement studio?

[@lennysamuel9290]

Copies of other paintings from a photo! To many artists are being told don't do it like this! Has to be done like that! Paint enjoy and find out how you like doing it!!!🖌🎨

[@Mamali316]

Absolutely wrong about not painting from photos!! Here is why: with photos, you get to create what you want them to be and transform them to a surreal, abstract, or any how you wish to deviate. After hearing that, I stopped listening to the rest of your speech!

[@suziewoo2820]

Why? Just because you have an other opinion, you ditch the person?

[@ronschlorff7089]

I use photos; I just make sure they really awful crappy ones , with one basic idea, and no details, so I don't try get too much useless information from them, by copying, they lie about values color and atmosphere. So, I use what I know to fill in the blanks, based on all of my "vast outdoor painting experience", LOL, and import that into a studio painting when I'm stuck indoors due to weather or a broken leg or some other thing preventing me from going outside to paint. LOL ;D

[@jeanwagenhoffer2146]

When you are learning from home and not in an art class you don't have access to live models or even going into the woods to paint! You copy other artists, watch and follow pictorials, and copy photos!

[@Mamali316]

@ronschlorff7089 That is exactly what I do. Thanks

[@evolgenius1150]

Instructions unclear. Painted butter. 🧈