How to choose a Matt for a painting

How To Choose a Matt for a Painting

Don't

1. Pick the color of your Couch, Curtain ,or your dogs Poopy box, and then use it as one of the matt colors.
2. Don't have a preconceived idea of the color you want to use.
3. Don't pick an obvious color
4. Don't try to make it match your room, focus on the painting only, not the room.

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Choosing a Color

1. When you choose a color for a matt you want to choose the 4th, or 5th dominate color. Not the 1st or 2nd or 3rd dominate color.

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2. The painting either matches your room or it doesn't. If you try to make it match the room, you will be adding a color that will overpower the painting.

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3. Choose a color, based on the painting, not on the room.

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What is the Goal

The goal its to pick colors that become invisible. When you look at the painting you won't even notice the matt colors. You chose this painting ,for that room, because the colors in the painting matched the colors in the room. So there is nothing that you can do to make the painting not match, because it already matches. What you can do, is pick colors that draw the eye away from the painting and onto the color you chose. Yuk!

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How to tell if the colors are right

Put the sample Matt's on the painting. Go to the opposite side of where you have the Matt's. Stand a couple feet back. Focus intently on the center of the painting. Because you are standing a few feet back, you will be also also see the Matt colors. Now, can your eye stay focused on the painting. If it can, you chose the right colors. The Matt colors should disappear

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If your eye is drawn to the Matt color, you chose too strong a color, or a color that doesn't quite match.

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Still having trouble? Then go to the opposite side and view the painting a couple feet back, looking over top of the Matt.

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Still Having Trouble

Your preconceptions of the colors that you wanted, are getting in the way.
Leave it to a Professional and call Dr. Phil!

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DO:

Original watercolor fall trees painting
By Artist Derek Collins
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In the first example is a light Olive, you may not like the color, but get the concept. It is a green,but it is not the dominate green. It's an in between color. It's not yellow, but it pulls some of the yellows, it also pulls some of the lighter greens that you probably didn't notice , because of the overpowering darker greens in the painting

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The second example is just the opposite of the first one. The Matt color reads more as a light yellow, but maybe has a slight cast of Light green. It also goes with the yellow, and the green in the painting. But this color is not the dominate Yellow in the painting. It is a lighter paler yellow.

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NOT!

This is an example of a common practice. A lot of people like to use a Maroon, it does match, but you can't look at the painting without your eye being drawn to the Maroon Mat. You would also get this unappealing effect, if you had chosen the dominate, bright yellow, or the Bright green .

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Tip

I have been framing my own paintings to sell for 25 years. Even for me, it is easy to to have a certain mind set towards certain painting, which makes it difficult to find a matt that works. You just can't get past the colors that you have in your mind. If you run into one that you are having a problem with. Try all the different color groups. You may find one of those in between colors that you were totally not expecting.

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Happy matting, Derek

Loosen up your painting style! What are you afraid of?

Loosen Up

From my experience , it seem that 3 out of 4 artist would say,"I would really like to loosen up my style." If you fall in that boat, I would like to know what you are afraid. I am not suggesting that everyone should change their style. But, I think there are many of you who would like to, but fear is holding you back.

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Reject Criticism

I think there is truth in the adage of the tortured artist. Everyone has an opinion about your work. When you put your work before the public, you are really asking the question, " Do, you like my work". Some will actually say they do or they don't. Some will infer it with a cursory glance, or just by not buying it.

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Don't People Please

There are going to be more people who don't like your work, than do. This is true for any artist. Picasso has no shortage of people who hate his work. You need to practice your best duck waddle a let the insecurities and criticism , slide off your back.

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Go your Own Way

Don't let the fear of losing sales stop you from making a change. If you come up with a different style, you can sell it in a different market . So it doesn't interfere with the customer base that you already have. If it's in your heart to do it, you should. If you don't, you will be in an eternal struggle, trying to please those who can't be pleased and unhappy because you aren't painting what you would really like to be painting.

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It's a Win, Win

What better time to do this than in a market that is down. In order to loosen up, you are going to have to get out of your comfort zone and try some new things. Even if you don't come up with an entirely different style, you will learn in the process. You will take what you have learned, and it will add a new dimension to your work.

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Since when, is more knowledge a bad thing?

How to paint a Tree - original Watercolor oak tree painting

Because of the technique that I'm using here, you can use this same process in Oil or Acrylic.
Today, I am going to continue the discussion on Light and Dark values. Particularly how that relates to painting a green tree. What we don't want is a tree that is just a, Whole Lotta Green. First, when you paint a tree, you have to know how you are going to highlight the tree. Is the light source, high in the sky? In this example, the light is behind the tree, which means that the tree is going to be back lit.

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Paint in 3D, Paint in Layers

When you look at a tree, you see leaves in the back, in the middle, and in the front.
Think about this when you paint the tree.

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Don't paint what you see.

When you look at a green tree, all of the leaves look green. The leaves in the back may be slightly bluer and darker. The leaves in the front may be lighter and more to the yellow side.
Don't paint the tree like this, or it will look flat, and way to green. That's how you end up with a, Whole Lotta Green. Yuk!

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Learn the art of exaggeration

Make the darks, way darker than they really appear, this will give the tree depth. This is true of any subject matter. Always make the darks, darker than they really appear. It adds drama, and it give the painting, or tree in this case, depth.

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The Painting is the easy part
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Paint the back first

In this stage, you are going to use a dark, it doesn't matter so much what the dark is, the important thing is that it is dark enough. Don' get persnickety, use a bigger brush or a Fan brush and dab it on, loose is better. You can fix anything by adding another tree branch. Paint the entire shape of the foliage of the tree. Remember to leave a lot of space were you can see the sky behind the painting. That's the back of the tree.

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Paint the middle of the tree

Mix up a green, don't use a green straight out of the tube. Geez! If you are using watercolor, use fresh paint, straight out of the tube, not worked up dry paint. Use a lot of paint and very little water. Again,dab it on, leave at least 40% of the darks. Don't cover up all the darks! Geez! Let some of this go over the sky areas that are peeking though. Stop! Don't cover them all up. Geez! We all have a tendency to want to over do everything.

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Paint the Front
With a tree that is back lit, there aren't going to be a lot of bright sunlit leaves. But at this stage you can add a few brightly lit leaves. These will be more to the yellow side, maybe almost pure yellow,you can make these with a large liner brush or dab them on. Just a quick, small, curvy line. Don't make me say Geez, just a few. That's it, piece of cake!
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To Illustrate the Point

"Cow Wading"
Original watercolor Cow Painting oak tree water
Questions?

Variation - How to mix colors and improve your paintings skills

How to mix colors?

You get 2 colors, then you use a tool to stir them together, until the color changes.

Just kidding? Lighten up, art is suppose to be fun. Stop using the same colors, over and over.

Stop trying to get the exact color that you want. If you are real obsessive about the exact color that you want, you are going to continue to mix the same colors over and over. There are a bi- zillion colors and your mind can only conceive a few.

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Warm and cool colors

We are going to discuss greens, I think they are the toughest colors to master. Why? Because, there are so many greens in nature. In a summer landscape, the ground and all the trees are green. That can practically be the whole painting. If you don't have color Variation, your painting can quickly become one big blob of green. You need to have warm greens and cool greens.

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Warm Green

A warm green may be a green to the brown side, you can accomplish this with a touch of red.

It could be an olive green, you can get an Olive color by mixing a Blue, with an Ochre. Ochre, really is a yellow to the brown side. On a green tree, you can use pure yellow to highlight the top of the tree or a few leaves. It will be read by the brain as a green that is in light.

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Cool Green

Well, that's a piece of cake. A lot of greens are already to the cool side. Most people need to focus on getting more warm greens. In all likely hood, if you are looking at your painting and saying," There is something wrong, it's just so green", you probably don't have enough warm colors or darks.

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Darks and Lights

I can say this with confidence, you need more darks in your painting. The applies to every area of your painting, but we are talking about greens.

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Darks

Mix your green with a dark blue(Cooler), a dark brown(warmer),a black (cooler), a purple which is blue and red( cool, but warmer than blue because of the red).
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Lights

Do all of the above and add white, maybe lots of white and some yellow. If you are painting with watercolor, you do this by using less pigment and letting the white of the paper show through.

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I understand, but exactly which colors should I use?

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This is the question you want to ask, and also your biggest obstacle. Having someone tell you, 2 parts Ochre and one part Ultramarine, is keeping you stuck right where your are. You have to experiment with colors and explore all the different combinations that you can come up with. It will become part of you, only when you do, and discover on your own. Your mistakes will teach you what not to do. The more you do on your own, the more proud you'll be with the finished painting.

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The Example

Notice the painting below

The yellowish grass in the distance reads as Green, highlighted by the sun.

The dark trees in the back looks almost black, but reads as green in shadow.

None of the greens are straight out of the tube, they have all been mixed.

The grass, trees, and water are green, but are all slightly different greens.

There are a lot of dark areas of green

There are light green areas where the sun is shining.

You are not overwhelmed with any one particular green.
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Cloud Movements
24 x 36
by artist Derek Collins
Large canvas acrylic cloud painting river and trees

To see in greater detail , click the link, then click the painting twice

Are you a Professional Artist Wanna be - How to be

Are you a Professional Artist wanna be? Maybe technically, you are a hobby Artist, it doesn't matter. You really have to start thinking of yourself as a Professional. Why? There are a number of reasons. How about!

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IMPROVE YOUR CRAFT

No matter the level of the artist there are always new things to try or improve upon. When your income is not dependent on art, there is no urgency to improve your skills or to make changes to your work that will make it more marketable.

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PAINT EVERY DAY

The number one thing you can do to improve your skill is to paint every day. It's easy to put painting aside when your not dependent on the income. I know that it is not always possible, not even for me. For me , the business side of art often get in the way. If you have a real job, or maybe kids, life gets in the way. Still, if you don't make it a priority your skills will remain the same indefinitely.

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TRY NEW THINGS

I have done juried art show for many years. It is interesting to watch all the other artist through the years. There are some artist who's work hasn't changed one Iota in 20 years. Then there is a group of more spirited, adventurous artist, who are always trying to fix the broken wagon. I fall in that category,I am never satisfied.

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As I am going to Art shows this years I am noticing a lot of artist with entirely new bodies of work. Some are adding a different twist to their work. Some have changed their work entirely.

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When the economy falls apart and sales are slow. I always think, if I just do this differently my paintings will sell better. This struggle, and the changes that I have made, haven't always produced immediate sales. But this process has always improved my skills, and eventually the sale have come.

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PRICING YOUR WORK

What should you charge for a painting. Well, until you start thinking of yourself as a Professional, you will never have the backbone to raise your prices, so it's a moot point.
No one else is going to see real value in your work, if you don't.

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IMPROVE YOUR TONE

I have found that when a hobby artist talks about their work, they present their self in a couple different ways.
1. The apologist: The are constantly apologizing for their prices, offering sales, and just presenting a overall tone that cheapens their work.
2.The diversionist: They don't have confidence in their work, so instead of talking about their work. They talk about their feelings. How they feel when they paint. How the painting makes them feel when they look at it.
3. The aloof artist: You are not really aloof. You just appear to be, because you are afraid to talk to people, so you say nothing.

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THE CHICKEN OR THE EGG

Do you think that when your skill level gets to a certain point, your paintings will start magically selling, when you are coming across as an Amateur. Because you are not a Professional at this point, you don't have the pressure of the market bearing upon you. So it is critical that you start thinking of yourself as a Professional. Make it a priority to improve yourself in all these areas, because they are all inter- related. If you act like a Professional Artist, people will believe you are. More importantly, you will start to believe.

Is a web site necessary for an artist?

Please feel free to add your opinion. I am just giving you information to think about.
I am right 95% of the time, so there is always a small chance that I could be wrong about something,somewhere, at some time.

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I just think that with the advent of blogs, the necessity to have a web site has been lessened.
The whole point of a website is so that people can find you and your work. Right!
Two weeks after I started my blog, my search position on Google catapulted. I can be found much easier now that I have a Blog, than when I had a Website.

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I had a website for ten years and never had a sale on it. I wasn't really trying to sell on the Internet. My web site was really targeted toward the customers that I had at my art shows. Everyone at the show wanted to know if I had a website, but none of them ever bought anything from my website. They wanted to see the art in person, that's why they go to art shows.
After a website has been there awhile and not updated, it gets down graded by Google.

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The Pitfalls

It is possible to have a kick butt website, that is not SEO friendly. Each page of a Website has a title. The person that builds the site needs to manually give each page a title, and add a description of that page ,using Keywords that describes your product. Will the person that builds your site, know what words are the best keywords for your product? Did the person that built your site do this? You'll probably never know. This is done in the background of the programming, it's not something you can see.

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Is your site really fancy, does it have music, scrolling pictures or words, or other such niceties.
These fancy professional looking things, all slow your website down, and frankly are totally unimpressive to most people. They are to busy being annoyed that the page won't load, to notice how impressive your site is. Goggle downgrades sites like these,precisely because the pages load too slow.

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If you have a website built, what are you going to do when you sell, and your Website becomes outdated. How are you going to add new work to your site. This is the problem you will have if someone else builds your site. If it needs changed a lot. It could be a money pit.
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Online Stores

Are you selling your work on some of the online stores like Ebay, Etsy, Yessy , etc. ... If so, I don't see the point of having a website where you are selling the exact same product. If you are selling totally different products then that makes sense.

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The good thing about the on-line stores is that they are already optimised for SEO. After all, if people can't find your work there, you will leave, or you won't sell, and they won't get a commission.

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The second thing, is that it is easy to add new products and revamp your store whenever you deem it necessary.

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Thirdly, the on-line stores already have shopping carts. There is absolutely reason to have a Website that doesn't have prices and a shopping cart. That's just making it too difficult for someone to purchase from you.
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Using Your Website as a Hub

Why?

If your not actually selling from a Website, why have it?

The number one, easiest way to be found on the Internet is a Blog, not a Website.
Because you update a Blog often, and because it is already optimized for SEO,(Keywords).
If you are using your Website as a hub, just to point people to all the places you can be found on the Internet, why not use a free blog instead.
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But I want to keep my name.

www.I'm famous.com

I commonly hear people say that they have a web URL that they want to keep so that people can find them. At one time would have agreed with that. My old site was artistderek DOT com. I gave up that name and someone else has it right now. I just Googled Artist Derek. I came up in the number 2,3,4,5 position on the first page. Nowhere on the first page was the person that has the URL , artistderek DOT com. So who is better off? Every day a couple people find me by searching for Artist Derek Collins. That's the goal, so you can be found. I just Googled Artist Derek Collins, there are 9 spots on the first page, I had every spot but 1. Do you have a website? Google yourself, how easy or hard you are to find?

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What should you do?

1. Start a Blog today
a. A hub to send people to all the places you sell art
b. so your customers can get to know you.
c. It will elevate your search status.

Website?

1.Use one of the online stores as a website and drive traffic to it with a Blog and whatever else.
2.Use one of the services that will let you build your own Website, like Godaddy, then use a Blog and whatever else to drive traffic to it, so that you can update it and have full control over it.
3 Already have a website? Then start a Blog and drive traffic to it.

What kind of watercolor paper should I use?

I am glad you asked! You probably think I'm going to talk about brands and Archival quality, and nothing but the best. You would be wrong. I don't find the different brands to be all that different. The only caveat would be that some brands have whiter paper than others. Having a really bright white might be important to you, especially if your doing a snow scene. But even then it is not critical.

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Hot Pressed, Cold Pressed or Rough

Hot Pressed is smooth, Cold Pressed has some texture, Rough has a lot of texture.

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Hot Pressed

The paper is smooth. So it doesn't absorb a lot of water. The water sits and floats, on top of the paper. When you wet the paper, it makes it very difficult to get the water even on the paper.

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It also dries faster and not as evenly. I am sure you are aware that watercolor can be hard to control. If you use Hot Pressed, smooth paper, you are just adding another element that you have to try to control.

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The up side to the smooth paper is that is is much easier to put fine line detail work, because of the smoothness of the paper. If you are doing a lot of wet on dry, sharp focused realism, then Hot pressed could be your choice. If you want to paint wet on wet, then stay away from Hot pressed. If you are an inexperienced painter then that goes double for you.

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Because the hot pressed doesn't absorb as much water, it is harder to get intense colors. Since it doesn't absorb as much water, by default it is absorbing less pigment. Hence, less color saturation. I like intense colors, so it is an annoyance to me. If you want intense colors you will have to build it up in layers. I am a professional artist, and even I have to work harder to control the Hot Pressed Paper, especially wet on wet

Here is a painting that was painted on Hot Pressed Smooth paper.

Notice the Red, how it appears to be sitting on top of the Blue

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This painting was painted on Cold Pressed paper

Notice the red in this painting, how it merged and mingled with the blue.

Also how much freer and more impressionistic this painting is.

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Cold Pressed

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The amount of water that you have on the paper is critical when painting a watercolor. Cold pressed paper has some texture, little grooves in the paper. These little grooves cause the water to spread. This may not make sense, but this is what makes Cold Pressed easier to control than Hot Pressed.

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Listen closely! Remember, Cold Pressed absorbs more water. The water doesn't sit on the top, like it does with Hot Pressed. The key is that is absorbs the water more consistently. So while the watercolor will run, it will run in a more consistent manner. Making it easier for you to predict what will happen. Then all you have to worry about is the amount of water on your brush. Trust me on this one.

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As I said before, because it absorbs more water it absorbs more pigment, allowing you to get more intense colors more easily. Cold pressed is the number 1, selling paper, there is a reason for that.

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Rough Pressed

It is really a lot like Cold Pressed, just more of the same. The grooves are deeper. So it requires boldness. You will have to be willing to use larger brushes as it will absorb even more Water and Pigment. It does allow you to add more texture in your paintings. Not for the timid. Cold Pressed is still the safer choice, as it is more versatile and the fine detail work will be easier because the paper isn't as rough. Rough might be the choice for more abstract or splattered impressionist paintings.

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If you are wondering what kind of paper you should be using, the answer is Cold Pressed. It is the most versatile of the three. It bridges the gap between Rough and Smooth, and gives you the best of both worlds.

If you are a new or frustrated watercolorists, please switch to Cold Pressed now, Before it's too late.

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I beseech you!