Painting FROM PHOTOS

Former BP Travel Award winner EDWARD SUTCLIFFE shares his simple seven-step plan for making striking realist paintings from your source pictures

- EDWARD SUTCLIFFE

Whether you are a beginner or have been interested in art for a period of time, below are seven principles, skills and philosophies that, if followed, will make you a more accomplished realist painter.

I guess there’s only one caveat here: that the responsibility for putting these principles into practice is down to you. There is no “silver bullet” when it comes to painting; it will make demands of you and you will find it difficult. However, if you enjoy the act and if you put in the hours over a period of time, then there is nothing stopping you creating wonderful art. While this piece has been written from the perspective of painting from photographs, many of the principles can be equally applied to working directly from life.

1. STATE YOUR INTENT

At the beginning of each painting, write down a very short statement of intent: one or two sentences about what you want your artwork to say and do. This will give you clarity and help you to avoid the creative cul-de-sacs that many painters find themselves drawn down.

Think about how you want to work. Most paintings, regardless of their originality, are in some way attached to a genre or style. Do you want to be a photorealist? An impressionist? An expressionist or work in a traditional academic style?

It’s also worth thinking hard about how your painting will be interesting and engaging to other people when they see it. Good art is packed with emotion; it tells honest stories from the artist’s own experience. People will want to see your story, your observations and your experiences interpreted in paint, so write them down first to give you a focal point when creating.

2. LEARN HOW TO LOOK