Focus On Planning a Painting: Drawing, Photography, Composition and Finding Art Ideas

The studio space is ready; the art materials fill the drawers. The easel holds a blank canvas in the corner. Now what? Every painting begins long before the first brush touches the canvas.

Colour, art technique and the art materials are all well and good, but what does the art paint? Such ‘artist’s block’ can solidify over time unless something happens. This hub page looks at how to get started with your first painting or next piece of artwork.

Planning a Painting from Start to Completion

A balance needs to be drawn between overplanning and just getting on with it. Part of the journey consists of the idea conception, the visual resources, the art materials and the composing. All this before even opening a tube of oil paint. Where does the artist begin?

Strong preparation will lead to good reference material, drawing accuracy, and quality art materials. These will prevent common problems from arising later in the painting process.

Beginning Artwork from Scratch

Let’s start from the beginning. An idea comes to mind. The artist will need visual resources, be it sketches from life, their own photos, other’s photos or a vision. In every case, planning is needed. Does the artist gather several resources? Or does the painting evolve from one image? Perhaps the resource is the artist’s imagination, as in experimental art or abstract. In all cases, some idea of the size of the artwork, the art materials required and the process will need to be looked at.

The Importance of Planning Before Painting

Often, the planning stage can take longer than the painting itself. I see the painting stage as the home straight. It’s the ‘fun’ part, where the paint flows and the finished artwork inches closer, seldom turning out as expected.

But painting niggles can occur. Many can be traced back to decisions made before the painting begins. Poorly conceived compositions, inferior reference material and inaccurate drawing will have a knock-on effect on the painting that can be difficult to resolve. Good planning provides a solid foundation from which the painting project can progress.

Learn to See with an Artist’s Eye

This hub page gathers practical solutions for each stage of art preparation. How does the artist take good photos for instance? What about improving drawing ability? Composing the image?

Visual awareness comes first. How visually aware are you? The brain can trick the eye during the drawing. Seeing like an artist is often overlooked. My article on raising visual awareness can make creative opportunities suddenly appear. More ideas come to mind and compositional problems can be solved.

The Viewfinder for Seeing Clearly

A viewfinder can be useful for filtering out the surrounding noise. By isolating part of a scene, artists can more easily gauge arrangements. Looking through the frame will reveal strong compositions by removing distracting visual clutter. My articles on how to make a viewfinder and framing an image offers a way forward.

Many artists are surprised by how this simple planning tool can help with seeing more clearly. Photography is another way of filtering the world and framing the view in front.

Taking Better Photographs for Artwork

Many artists rely on photographs when conceiving a painting, but poor reference material often leads to poor results. Weak lighting, skewed angles and blurred images can cause the artist to ‘guesswork’ part of the painting, rather than seek the truth.

Thoughtful selection of subject matter, lighting and viewpoint can transform an average photograph into a valuable artistic resource. I have included a dedicated series of articles to taking good photographs on this blog.

The Drawing and the Underdrawing for a Painting

This hub page supplies pathways for these vital planning stages. Learn to look around you, edit out background noise or use a viewfinder to take better photos and improve your drawing ability.

Which brings me to drawing.

Many painters worry that they cannot draw well enough to paint effectively. But drawing is a skill that grows through observation, practice and perseverance. Even those who work loosely and boldly transmits an understanding the subject matter’s underlying structure.

Through this hub page, learn to understand perspectives, vanishing points, ellipses and proportion. See the bond between shapes, angles, and proportions. This means seeing the painting as a whole, rather than in parts. This leads to composing.

How to Draw What is In Front

Composition is different to accurate drawing. Artistic licence means editing out and shifting elements around to make the artwork compelling. This often entails balancing things out. Learn to look at the composition from different viewpoints: proximities, upside down, through a mirror or after a long break. Issues previously invisible will suddenly leap out.

Preparing Materials and Workspace

A well-prepared workspace allows artists to focus on the artwork when ready. An organised studio, quality art materials and time-planning is certain to help the artist maintain creative momentum and minimise hitches.

A compelling painting obscures the planning stage. These consist of the concept, visual awareness, photos, drawings, composition, the working space and the art materials. But all are implied in the finished result.

By addressing these stages, a piece of artwork is more likely to materialise from imagination.

Use this page as a central resource for articles relating to painting preparation, drawing and composition. As new tutorials are added, they will be linked here to create a comprehensive guide to supports every stage of the process before painting begins.

Further Reading

My book, Draw What You See
Guide to oil painting canvas
Make your own canvas boards
Alkyd versus oil mediums

Browse my full collection of articles on planning a painting.
Or visit my sister art blog for my articles on how to address an amateurish drawing and a first encounter with oil paints.