Thank you sooo much for sharing your journey! Been going through that same learning path for the last many years, and yes I struggle and find it sometimes discouraging. Where I live there are no good art schools, no good painter/teacher. So now I travel once a week 200 kms away (400 kms return trip) to take a good class. In fact, it's harder to become a good painter than becoming a doctor, whether good or bad. Plus you probably had to deal with the criticism or your peers and non-peers, rolling with the punches, and staying the course. I so appreciate your vids and love your work. Thank you again. You made my day. Cheers.
@@SIMPLIFYDrawingandPainting It was in Ottawa, the Drawing Room Studio. it has since been closed down because the place is to become condos, and commercial rentals is horrendously expensive. The teacher & founder is Sarah Lacy who graduated from Studio Escalier in France. You can check her out on line, a fantastic young woman with great spirit !
@@SIMPLIFYDrawingandPainting Take into account that my initial comment was 1 year ago, things have changed today, maybe for the worse as far as the world is concerned, but for the better for me as an artist. Live your life to the fullest, don't endure it. Embrace hardship, nothing worth having is riskfree and easy. The hard work is rewarding. Cheers, you have a great channel !
I have been painting for 7 months. I'm 53 years old and have never painted or drawn anything so I am really starting from the beginning. Knowing this allows me to be kinder to myself, in fact, I am doing really well considering.
Great video. Nice to see all the incremental improvements. I'm a digital designer/illustrator mainly, and have a long way to go to where I want to be. With social media and the internet showing us endless examples of amazing artwork, it often feels like a race to be the best. It's refreshing and encouraging to see someone step back and show how it really is the marathon, not the sprint that makes all the difference. Cheers
Thank you very much. The key to painting more loosely is learning to recognise the larger underlying shapes or "masses" that make up your subject. Because oil paint is a liquid, you can control it more easily by adjusting theses larger shapes instead of working with outlines. You might want to consider checking out my introduction to Mass Drawing course, over on my Patreon channel? As it contains some really useful exercises that will help you see in this way.
I am 43 and i am an artist for 30 years now .Also I have title Master of Arts ( thats funny because I cant draw and paint like a Master ) . Most of your works makes me shine and i wish I could paint like you. Dont know how to say it better . Thanks for last tutorials about portraits and brushes . Appreciate your try to give us, as much info as you can .Wish you happiness :)
I’m 52 now. Drawing is one way I try to understand the world.. I have wanted to paint all my life - took a course at Uni, during the pandemic lockdown here. I learn more by watching your videos than I did in all my art classes at Uni. I paint nearly every day now, with whatever supplies I have. You’re an excellent teacher. I’m grateful for the time you take to make these. Thanks for helping me to dive in to painting with confidence.
Alex thanks for the honesty. Your graphical display of how much better you gotten actually is quite inspiring nothing comes easy. I got pretty good at wood working but it took me 30 years I’ve been painting about 2years paining now for a couple years and I just love it. I think the little bitty parts and the big parts and knowing which one is which is the key to any good craftsmanship. Getting good at the small and getting good at the big and knowing where they belong along withPatience and endurance my friend which you seem to pound and pound.... thank you for that. You’re a good painter and so few people are willing to be this honest as to how they got there, thank you again.
Thanks Randy. I agree, a lot of artists are guarded about their knowledge. But the stuff I teach isn't my knowledge, it is what was commonly taught in art schools 100 years or so ago. The technology of drawing and painting from life, which enabled me to paint the way I do today. And I believe this knowledge needs to be preserved.
Very encouraging I so needed that! I'm hoping your Patreon channel has many instructional videos...I'm headed there NOW (will join after midnight- Patreon has an INSANE billing process of 1st of month) thank you Alex - see you soon
Thank you so much for showing your progress throughout the years. This has helped tremendously for me since I am now in the stage of frustration. I had been painting for awhile but for some reason I'm at the stage where I feel like I don't know how to paint. What I appreciate about your video is that you explained at each stage what you realized that brought your work to the next level. Your persistent in painting clearly shows that practice painting and keep learning is the only way to progress. Thank you again!!!
Your explanations and demonstrations are great. I don’t have an art degree , so many tutorials are either too simple or so far above my head that I am completely lost. Thank you So Much.
I enjoy seeing other artists progress, it makes me feel that all my failures still have purpose and we’re not a waste of time or money..I was lucky enough to meet and paint with Chris Guest whose style of painting is similar but much more refined to my own and although I do want to emulate his working process, I know he has also spent many, many hours and years refining his skills and eye. I just hope that I can find the time to paint more and progress, I am not able to spend 3 days a week training so I think it’ll take me a very long time, I just have to learn to persevere which I’m too impatient with at times. In the last year I have seen going to weekly life drawing to try to improve my observation skills and I am daily drawing which I have never done in the past I can see improvements, so I’m motivated and I just need that to transfer into paint before I run out of money! 😂
It was really interesting to watch this video. Started to paint a bit over a year ago, at the age of 43. Never ever thought before that that I have any kind of talent to do it, it just happened all of a sudden. Now I'm working on becoming a pro visual artist. Thanks for sharing your views and techniques on painting.
When I started to get back into painting back in 2005 (before then I was mainly pencil and graphite) I tried different painting mediums and was always had a love for the look of oil paint...let's say my first entry into Oil Paint was bad, didn't know what to do the books were complicated and very abstract (this was before there was loads of info on the internet and then that was rather poor or elititist). So after a few months I gave up and settled with Acrylics. Flash forward to 2016 the hunger and passion to learn oils came back and times had changed, now Oil paint my main meduim and totally love it, it's as if I'm always learning new techniques or new approaches to using it - this aspect I love. I've never tried using a limited palette, as I tend to make my own black and use Burnt umber. I do some portraits - in fact I love doing them.....but I still have issues with lips and hair (getting it to look natural) and I've seen some videos and articles online and they either skip parts or go way over my head by over complicating things. Loving the content.
Thx for showing us your early work. You're right about doing away with the under drawing because it get painted over anyway. This is true and was something painful for me being the draftsman I am. I find the economy of your technique very helpful and makes sense because we don't get a fixed likeness till we're near the end anyway. I guess it's up to the artist because people like Alpay on UA-cam is my go to guy when it comes to not losing the painting , but it's a different style and technique. Like you he is someone I have learned alot from as well as Santos and many others.
Yessss. I really needed this!! I’ve only been painting for 4 months doing an online programme and was wondering why I continue to ruin every piece I create hahahahaha I thought maybe I’m not made for this but it’s all I can think about so I can’t get away from it. I set out in search of someone else’s progress so I can see it takes time! This was perfect thank you 🥹
Thank you Ramiro. Yes, it definitely takes time and effort to get good at anything. I wanted to make this video to show people how much more of an important part they play than talent.
Wise words and lovely paintings. I haven't quite got up the confidence to paint yet - but I do a lot of drawing. One annoying thing is that when I occasionally produce something that I really like - it's next to impossible to do it again. I think it's often because I was working sort of subconsciously - not really thinking about what I was doing. Another reason may be that as I learn more, it's quite hard to switch back to an earlier way of doing things. Presumably there's still an element of surprise for you too - when painting? Or do you know exactly how a painting will turn out?
Painting never get's any easier. That feeling of not being able to repeat a success never goes away. And while we're actually in front of the subject most of what we do is instinctive and subconscious, because we haven't got time to think. But you have to force yourself to stop and think about what you're supposed to be doing. Usually making mistakes forces you to do this. Then with enough practice, what you're supposed to be doing eventually becomes ingrained in you subconscious
Very inspirational, thank you! I keep getting put off when I've spent an hour or two on a painting and it looks like it was drawn by a child. Also working in acrylic does seem harder. Love watching your videos though, very helpful.
I love all your videos. I love watching them. They make so much sense, you know how to teach. I have often wondered about what you have just answered in this video. I do have a question if you have a moment to answer. Do you feel it's possible to get to a level of painting skill that you are today, just from watching videos online and/or reading books?
Thanks Ryan! Very glad you like my videos. That's a good question. I can't honestly say I'd have gotten to where I am today with books and videos alone, because I've had teachers who've taught me some very valuable things. But I have also learned a hell of a lot from books and videos and I can also think of artists who are more skilled than I am who are supposedly entirely self taught. So I guess it is entirely possible to learn from books and videos. These day's we're lucky in that it's a lot easier to find out about good books and videos. The main thing is lots of practice, if you paint 10 to 15 hours a week you will definitely improve.
Great work man. 10 years of training should get most people to a top level in any subject. Shame school doesn't teach the old methods of basic draftmanship to kids nowadays, gives a bit more appreciation to skill.
Great journey! Thanks for sharing. WhAt is the lifetime of a painting Alla Prima, the direct method compared to the indirect method, painting in layers? Thanks so much for your videos with great information.
I don't think whether how a painting was made, Alla Prima or indirect will affect its longevity as much as the archival quality of the actual materials used i.e. the pigments, mediums the surface etc. Does that make sense?
Thanks Alex, I really enjoy your videos and they are usually the first thing I search for. This one in particular is very inspirational. Can you tell me , for the commissioned portraits do you use photography as a tool ? Im wondering how long you spend with the client sitting? I know alot great artists use photography and I am hoping you do too , as it would make the task seem more achievable for the likes of me , although I am still a very long way off of it, even with photos as an aid.
Hi Nicky, I do sometimes use photos. Tho I only use photos for charcoal commissions of very young children. For the rest of my commissions I prefer to work from life. I find its the best way to get the right expression. When you take a photo you're stuck with the same expression. When you work from life your sisters expression will change often and you're more likely to pick up on something that represents your sitter more accurately. You'll also want to interact with them in order to capture a more interesting expression and so they don't look bored. Therefore painting 1 on 1 in your studio is a slower process, I usually spend 6 -10 hours on a head and shoulders portrait commission, sometimes more. If I'm painting a model in a class who's sitting reasonably still I finish a painting in a single session, like my demo's on here. Also, whenever you work from photos try to get a small colour study done from life. The colours come out quite a lot different, photos make the darks darker and the lights lighter. At some point I'll do a video on how to use photos.
@@SIMPLIFYDrawingandPainting Thanks Alex, I seen how quick you are when you work from life in your videos, hopefully the speed will come for me too with more experience, im gonna try the colour study thing, and try to do 1 life painting attempt for every one I do from a photo, i think my life drawings will have to be still lifes though,thanks for the reply,look forward to your next video :)
Hi Alex, thank you for you videos. I am trying to break away from the slow layered process of portrait painting. All my paintings suffer from over-modelling. They also take many weeks to complete. Do you think the “tiling” process is a good way into a more alla prima style of painting? I find it quite hard to just lay down paint without the reassurance of some kind of underpainting. Just out of interest was the lovely double portrait of the couple sitting together done from life or from a photographic reference?
Yes the double portrait was done from life in 8 sittings. Yes, tiling will give your work a more Alla prima, painterly appearance but I find I exaggerate the variance in value between each of the different shapes I put down. In order to prevent over modelling I like to establish larger areas of colour, e.g. a general flesh to fro the front plane of the head if its in the light and a shadow colour for the side plane. The when I start defining smaller shapes, they are slight variations of of this original colour. Does this explanation make sense? However there is a draw back to working this way too. It's easy to end up making your colours a bit muted (not always a bad thing) So now I'm trying to push the colour a bit more in a places. I'm always learning, as I hope this video shows.
Thank you. Yes that does make sense. I just need to concentrate on not getting too detailed too soon. I think it's probably about confidence and not being afraid to fail.
I would recommend to continue with the layering processing. Take your time and work one area at a time. Please don’t take it wrong. These videos are excellent and very educational. You can also get Neo Megilp, a fast drier medium. Just last week while visiting my son in Vegas, I did an indirect landscape in less than one week using the Neo Megilp. Works wonders. Try it and see if you like it. You will be surprised.
your previous paintings are still absolutely beautiful. i started painting last year and i still can't pass by the 'cartoony' look when i try to paint realistic portraits, any tips? thank you so much 💗
Thank you! I think the key to getting your work to appear more lifelike and not graphical like a cartoon, is to understand edges i.e. the soft and hard transitions between different shapes. You may find this video useful: ua-cam.com/video/Sm9hCGY6k6k/v-deo.html
I mostly teach myself and use online classes now I'm looking at oils and trying them soon out. I have no problem I could get classes but they expensive or not geared to.what I.want in my area
I used to draw all the time when I was growing up. Tho hardly ever from life, I used to mainly copy comic books or draw from my imagination. I did used to do caricatures of people, friends and teachers etc. so maybe I developed a bit of a knack for portraiture that way. However after I left Art school in 1994, I started working in front of a screen and for the next 10 years I reckon I can count the number of times I actually did any drawing on 1 hand. But in 2004 I really started getting back into it and was going to life drawing classes again on a weekly basis. I'd probably been drawing regularly for about 6 months when I attempted my first ever portrait in oils from life. Whether or not it's any good, I hope you think I've improved since then?
@@SIMPLIFYDrawingandPainting or course, your understanding of form, value and color is improved a lot. Its just a bit misleading to call that a first portrait with that huge story behind that. For example, 2 years ago I was on a absolute zero level and couldn't draw anything at all, and even though I never used oil, I'm pretty confident that when that moment happens, it will be better than something I did in early 2018, simply because the construction of underdrawing will be solid
@@sawkapalkin1297 I don't think it is misleading. Its his first portrait in oil paint. Anyone who has studied art even a little knows that you need to learn to draw at least a little before you can paint a whole portrait. So when I saw the video I already presumed he knew how to draw.
SIMPLIFY Drawing & Painting You have... I’m having SUCH a difficult time understanding portraits with values and dimension...mine just come out cartoony
Nice video, thanks for sharing. How Long Does it Take to Learn to Paint? I think, the issue is how long does it take to built mastery. If Art is like a professional career, like law, medicine, accounting, then it should take at least 3 to 4 years of studying in Artelier (NOT ART COLLEGE OR UNIVERSITY) plus hands on experience. So, it should take 7 to 10 years to built mastery at a professional level, e.g., professional artist, professional lawyer, professional architect, etc. Unless, the artist becomes an expressionist and no mastery is required, just throw gesso on canvas (White on White (1918)) and you're ready
That sounds about right. 3 to 4 years learning how to draw and paint from life by doing the exercises your teachers set you. Then another 5 to 10 years, or even more figuring out for yourself what want to paint and solving all the problems you encounter on the way. With abstract painters and conceptual artists, although their formal training consists mainly of learning to talk about art, they should in theory be spending a similar amount of time and effort on the second part of their training. I reckon some clearly do, as I've seen some pretty spectacular stuff. But others appear to me to just be taking the piss. I don't really know much about it, so I'm not qualified comment. I only know about painting from life.
I have question. In learning progress, did you always enjoy painting? Or sometimes felt that it's not worth to paint some subject but you keep painting that subject?
Hi Alex Love your working methods ,what’s your opinion of the working methods of a lot of the contestants on Sky portrait artist of the year using iPads and grid method. Do you think it is a valid way of painting? Ray
haha Sky portrait artist of the year. Don't get me started. They have had some really good painters on there, but they never win. The judges appear to prejudiced against people who can actually paint from life. And Tai Chan Sherenburg, whatever his name is, is a pussyhole for not saying anything about it, seeing as he actually paints. As far as the iPads etc goes, it's not really painting from life. I have nothing against using photography, many great artists in the past have, like Anders Zorn and Thomas Eakins. The problem with photographs is that you CANNOT learn to paint from life from them. And if you don't know how to paint from life, you'll just be copying photos, which will be obvious to anyone looking at your work, who can actually paint from life. Photography does not capture everything the eye sees. So when you use photography you have to make a lot of stuff up, colour and value wise. I find it a lot easier if I have the thing in front of me. Unfortunately for some subjects, that's difficult logistically, which is when photographic reference becomes incredibly convenient. I can't remember who, but a wise artist once said, you should paint from life for at least 10 years before you start using photography. That's a bit unrealistic, but it makes sense.
@@SIMPLIFYDrawingandPainting thanks for answering that so comprehensively, and good question too. I have always wondered about the artists on that program who use photos etc. It does my head in. Too many are encumbered by technology and frankly idiotic methods. Just paint ffs. It was good enough for Vincent and his mates, and they knew a thing or two. I like tai, but that Kate is a cow. I think she gets her way.
@@SIMPLIFYDrawingandPainting Christian Hook won it. He is now in art orbit. What do you think of his work? I think it's gimmicky and he uses photography a lot. Although his portraits are very good and he did classical painting but I have no idea who with.
@@SIMPLIFYDrawingandPainting I thought I recognised him! And Magnus.. I messaged you on Instagram asking the same question so feel free to ignore me there! Thanks for all your content.. much appreciated :)
I've spoken to one or two medical people about this, and surgery sounds quite a lot like painting. There appears to be more of an an "Art" to being surgeon. But It's certainly a lot easier to earn a living as a surgeon. But then you have to be quite clever before they let you into med school, anyone can be an artist.
@@SIMPLIFYDrawingandPainting Hm I think it's all about hard dedicated study either way. Obviously the stakes are higher with surgery but the intelligence part is required in both. But yeah med school is a better gamble for food and prestige.
Yes, it is one of the hardest activities, but that doesn't make it impossible. A lot of people give up because they think they haven't got what it takes to become good at painting. But with time and practice anyone can learn to paint properly.
Can anybody learn to paint or should you have talent for it? My interest in painting is that there are people, places and events in my childhood that no longer exist that I want to paint myself and not hire anyone to do it. Also I would like to paint some fantasies that never happened.
Yes indeed, anyone can definitely learn to paint. However, painting is extremely difficult so it takes a long time. There is also such a thing is talent i.e. something innate that means some people learn faster than others, like there is with anything else. But what really makes the difference is years of practice. For instance, let's say you have two children's drawings one may be much more accomplished than the other, but neither will be anything like an old master drawing. In the same way, you may have a really strong child who starts gymnastics. How many years will it be before they can do a handstand? In the years I've spent teaching, I've seen quite a few students who didn't have any obvious talent when they started, surpass more talented students because they worked harder.
When I was training I was usually painting around 6 hours a day, 4-5 days a week. I did that for 3 or 4 years. Since then I usually paint around 10 to 20 hours a week. But more recently since starting my Patreon Channel with all the video editing I do, I vary rarely paint more than 10 hours a week. Unfortunately, some weeks I only paint once or twice! I really need to sort it out and get then video/teaching/painting balance more conducive to doing my own work.
Plenty of amazing artists have done it on their own. It just takes determination and practice. If you see any of the interviews I've done on this channel with other artists, each of them has been self taught. However, good teachers will help you improve faster. Particularly if they teach the kind of things, I teach on this channel. Which is the stuff taught in Art schools back in the day i.e. the craft of how to draw and paint from life, before modernism took over. Unfortunately, although more and more artists are rediscovering the methods taught in the past, it still isn't widespread. Not everywhere has access to teachers and schools who specialise in teaching people how to paint from life. And if they do, they may not be able to afford them. As art courses with good teachers can be expensive. Which is why I started this channel.
Thank you sooo much for sharing your journey! Been going through that same learning path for the last many years, and yes I struggle and find it sometimes discouraging. Where I live there are no good art schools, no good painter/teacher. So now I travel once a week 200 kms away (400 kms return trip) to take a good class. In fact, it's harder to become a good painter than becoming a doctor, whether good or bad. Plus you probably had to deal with the criticism or your peers and non-peers, rolling with the punches, and staying the course. I so appreciate your vids and love your work. Thank you again. You made my day. Cheers.
Wow 200km! That's real dedication. What school is this, if you don't mind my asking?
@@SIMPLIFYDrawingandPainting It was in Ottawa, the Drawing Room Studio. it has since been closed down because the place is to become condos, and commercial rentals is horrendously expensive. The teacher & founder is Sarah Lacy who graduated from Studio Escalier in France. You can check her out on line, a fantastic young woman with great spirit !
@@borealiswan2363 She sounds great. I hope she finds a new space and gets something back up and running when all this is over.
@@SIMPLIFYDrawingandPainting Take into account that my initial comment was 1 year ago, things have changed today, maybe for the worse as far as the world is concerned, but for the better for me as an artist. Live your life to the fullest, don't endure it. Embrace hardship, nothing worth having is riskfree and easy. The hard work is rewarding. Cheers, you have a great channel !
I have been painting for 7 months. I'm 53 years old and have never painted or drawn anything so I am really starting from the beginning. Knowing this allows me to be kinder to myself, in fact, I am doing really well considering.
You've inspired me to have another go. Excellent work!
Do it!
You are such a positive tutor. Would love you to publish a book.
Great video. Nice to see all the incremental improvements. I'm a digital designer/illustrator mainly, and have a long way to go to where I want to be. With social media and the internet showing us endless examples of amazing artwork, it often feels like a race to be the best. It's refreshing and encouraging to see someone step back and show how it really is the marathon, not the sprint that makes all the difference. Cheers
Mate !! Even your first portrait is fantastic ! I'm finding your videos to be very helpful. Thank you for sharing. Best wishes from New Zealand.
Thank you. Very glad you find them useful
Same here; thank you for such a superb video from New Zealand!
I'm glad I found your channel. Thank you very much!
Everything you said was spot on mate! Great video!!!
You are a good teacher and a dilligent artist.ive been painting for 5years and still trying to paint more loosely.
Thank you very much. The key to painting more loosely is learning to recognise the larger underlying shapes or "masses" that make up your subject. Because oil paint is a liquid, you can control it more easily by adjusting theses larger shapes instead of working with outlines. You might want to consider checking out my introduction to Mass Drawing course, over on my Patreon channel? As it contains some really useful exercises that will help you see in this way.
Really great progress, and it’s inspiring to see this record of your growth. I think your current paintings are beautiful.
Thanks Kyle
I am 43 and i am an artist for 30 years now .Also I have title Master of Arts ( thats funny because I cant draw and paint like a Master ) . Most of your works makes me shine and i wish I could paint like you. Dont know how to say it better . Thanks for last tutorials about portraits and brushes . Appreciate your try to give us, as much info as you can .Wish you happiness :)
Thank you Aleksandar!
I’m 52 now. Drawing is one way I try to understand the world.. I have wanted to paint all my life - took a course at Uni, during the pandemic lockdown here. I learn more by watching your videos than I did in all my art classes at Uni. I paint nearly every day now, with whatever supplies I have. You’re an excellent teacher. I’m grateful for the time you take to make these. Thanks for helping me to dive in to painting with confidence.
Thank you very much Jeffrey. I'm so glad my videos have been helpful. Good luck with your painting!
Thank you for your honesty Alex, very motivational. There's no easy way! Just practice!
Indeed, and it never gets any easier.
Lovely to see your progression\improvement, I think you are a true professional now! Gorgeous work.
Thank you! But believe me I still have plenty of off days. As I say in the is video, painting never gets any easier.
Alex thanks for the honesty. Your graphical display of how much better you gotten actually is quite inspiring nothing comes easy. I got pretty good at wood working but it took me 30 years I’ve been painting about 2years paining now for a couple years and I just love it. I think the little bitty parts and the big parts and knowing which one is which is the key to any good craftsmanship. Getting good at the small and getting good at the big and knowing where they belong along withPatience and endurance my friend which you seem to pound and pound.... thank you for that. You’re a good painter and so few people are willing to be this honest as to how they got there, thank you again.
Thanks Randy. I agree, a lot of artists are guarded about their knowledge. But the stuff I teach isn't my knowledge, it is what was commonly taught in art schools 100 years or so ago. The technology of drawing and painting from life, which enabled me to paint the way I do today. And I believe this knowledge needs to be preserved.
Well done Alex thanks for showing your progress
Very encouraging I so needed that! I'm hoping your Patreon channel has many instructional videos...I'm headed there NOW (will join after midnight- Patreon has an INSANE billing process of 1st of month) thank you Alex - see you soon
Thank you! Yes, I don't see why Patreon can't just bill you for the month from the day you sign up? They bill everyone on the first of the month.
I’m so glad I found you
Thank you so much for showing your progress throughout the years. This has helped tremendously for me since I am now in the stage of frustration. I had been painting for awhile but for some reason I'm at the stage where I feel like I don't know how to paint.
What I appreciate about your video is that you explained at each stage what you realized that brought your work to the next level. Your persistent in painting clearly shows that practice painting and keep learning is the only way to progress.
Thank you again!!!
Wow fantastic!! Those paintings are beautiful! And 🙏 thanks so much for showing progression!!
Thank you very much Joann!
This is a wonderful video, thank you.
Superb film Alex. Thanks for the honest post.
Excellent insight! Bravo!
Thanks you!
Very encouraging... thank you
Fascinating. Wonderful to see how your work progressed and a good reminder for me that it won't come to me overnight. Thank you.
Thank you Robert. Yes it takes time but if it didn't, it wouldn't be so satisfying on those occasions when we do make progress.
@@SIMPLIFYDrawingandPainting Good point, Alex. It's really about the process. Your teaching is inspiring me to learn and make art again. Cheers, Bob
Thanks so much for sharing ! Great motivation !
These are gorgeous, Alex. Wonderful subjects and 'theatre'.
Your explanations and demonstrations are great. I don’t have an art degree , so many tutorials are either too simple or so far above my head that I am completely lost. Thank you So Much.
Most art tutorials are over my head. It took me about 5 years of painting before I understood what they were all on about.
Absolutely spot on, Alex. Thank you for sharing
I enjoy seeing other artists progress, it makes me feel that all my failures still have purpose and we’re not a waste of time or money..I was lucky enough to meet and paint with Chris Guest whose style of painting is similar but much more refined to my own and although I do want to emulate his working process, I know he has also spent many, many hours and years refining his skills and eye. I just hope that I can find the time to paint more and progress, I am not able to spend 3 days a week training so I think it’ll take me a very long time, I just have to learn to persevere which I’m too impatient with at times. In the last year I have seen going to weekly life drawing to try to improve my observation skills and I am daily drawing which I have never done in the past I can see improvements, so I’m motivated and I just need that to transfer into paint before I run out of money! 😂
Wow, many, many thanks; it's very inspiring.
I wish there hadn't been 4 haters for this video - I guess we can't please everyone.
It was really interesting to watch this video. Started to paint a bit over a year ago, at the age of 43. Never ever thought before that that I have any kind of talent to do it, it just happened all of a sudden.
Now I'm working on becoming a pro visual artist.
Thanks for sharing your views and techniques on painting.
It takes time, bit if you want it enough you will get there. Best of luck!
Thank you so much! Such an inspiring journey.
When I started to get back into painting back in 2005 (before then I was mainly pencil and graphite) I tried different painting mediums and was always had a love for the look of oil paint...let's say my first entry into Oil Paint was bad, didn't know what to do the books were complicated and very abstract (this was before there was loads of info on the internet and then that was rather poor or elititist). So after a few months I gave up and settled with Acrylics. Flash forward to 2016 the hunger and passion to learn oils came back and times had changed, now Oil paint my main meduim and totally love it, it's as if I'm always learning new techniques or new approaches to using it - this aspect I love. I've never tried using a limited palette, as I tend to make my own black and use Burnt umber. I do some portraits - in fact I love doing them.....but I still have issues with lips and hair (getting it to look natural) and I've seen some videos and articles online and they either skip parts or go way over my head by over complicating things. Loving the content.
Watch Yupari. He does both indirect and direct oil,painting step by step. All his videos are free on UA-cam. Hope this helps.
Thanks for sharing your journey! It’s very encouraging and helpful to see one’s transformation
Glad it was helpful!
What an inspiring video! Thank you very much!
Thx for showing us your early work. You're right about doing away with the under drawing because it get painted over anyway. This is true and was something painful for me being the draftsman I am. I find the economy of your technique very helpful and makes sense because we don't get a fixed likeness till we're near the end anyway. I guess it's up to the artist because people like Alpay on UA-cam is my go to guy when it comes to not losing the painting , but it's a different style and technique. Like you he is someone I have learned alot from as well as Santos and many others.
Thank you very much Duan.
Yessss. I really needed this!! I’ve only been painting for 4 months doing an online programme and was wondering why I continue to ruin every piece I create hahahahaha I thought maybe I’m not made for this but it’s all I can think about so I can’t get away from it. I set out in search of someone else’s progress so I can see it takes time! This was perfect thank you 🥹
Wow, amazing progress!!!
Thank you!
Beautiful paintings.. wonderful..!
Thank you for sharing your journey thru to your success. We tend to think that success comes overnight, without sacrifice.
Thank you Ramiro. Yes, it definitely takes time and effort to get good at anything. I wanted to make this video to show people how much more of an important part they play than talent.
Wise words and lovely paintings. I haven't quite got up the confidence to paint yet - but I do a lot of drawing. One annoying thing is that when I occasionally produce something that I really like - it's next to impossible to do it again. I think it's often because I was working sort of subconsciously - not really thinking about what I was doing. Another reason may be that as I learn more, it's quite hard to switch back to an earlier way of doing things. Presumably there's still an element of surprise for you too - when painting? Or do you know exactly how a painting will turn out?
Painting never get's any easier. That feeling of not being able to repeat a success never goes away. And while we're actually in front of the subject most of what we do is instinctive and subconscious, because we haven't got time to think. But you have to force yourself to stop and think about what you're supposed to be doing. Usually making mistakes forces you to do this. Then with enough practice, what you're supposed to be doing eventually becomes ingrained in you subconscious
@@SIMPLIFYDrawingandPainting Phew - I'm glad it's not just me :)
Thank you so much for sharing! Very inspiring :)
Love your work 👍
Thanks Alex
Beautiful work! Thanks for sharing
Thanks!
Thanks for sharing your work - cheers
YEAH! your videos are really helpful. Please, show your drawing progress
Thanks Alex, very interesting and motivating
Very inspirational, thank you! I keep getting put off when I've spent an hour or two on a painting and it looks like it was drawn by a child. Also working in acrylic does seem harder. Love watching your videos though, very helpful.
Thank you. Glad you think so.
Thank you for that great video.
thank u - very reassuring
Thank you Neelu.
I love all your videos. I love watching them. They make so much sense, you know how to teach. I have often wondered about what you have just answered in this video. I do have a question if you have a moment to answer. Do you feel it's possible to get to a level of painting skill that you are today, just from watching videos online and/or reading books?
Thanks Ryan! Very glad you like my videos. That's a good question. I can't honestly say I'd have gotten to where I am today with books and videos alone, because I've had teachers who've taught me some very valuable things. But I have also learned a hell of a lot from books and videos and I can also think of artists who are more skilled than I am who are supposedly entirely self taught. So I guess it is entirely possible to learn from books and videos. These day's we're lucky in that it's a lot easier to find out about good books and videos. The main thing is lots of practice, if you paint 10 to 15 hours a week you will definitely improve.
@@SIMPLIFYDrawingandPainting Thank you for taking the time to respond. I will certainly support your Patreon and get going on the practicing then.
Well I guess it's time I post something on my channel, noice,
also man like thank you for your amazing words. It inspired me.
What training course were you doing, please? This video is so inspiring. Thank you for all the information and encouragement!😃😃👍
Maravilhoso.... adorei... obrigada por partilhar!
obrigado
That was amazing 🙏🏼
Great artwork.
Thank you!
Great work man. 10 years of training should get most people to a top level in any subject. Shame school doesn't teach the old methods of basic draftmanship to kids nowadays, gives a bit more appreciation to skill.
Great journey! Thanks for sharing. WhAt is the lifetime of a painting Alla Prima, the direct method compared to the indirect method, painting in layers? Thanks so much for your videos with great information.
I don't think whether how a painting was made, Alla Prima or indirect will affect its longevity as much as the archival quality of the actual materials used i.e. the pigments, mediums the surface etc. Does that make sense?
Thanks Alex, I really enjoy your videos and they are usually the first thing I search for. This one in particular is very inspirational. Can you tell me , for the commissioned portraits do you use photography as a tool ? Im wondering how long you spend with the client sitting? I know alot great artists use photography and I am hoping you do too , as it would make the task seem more achievable for the likes of me , although I am still a very long way off of it, even with photos as an aid.
Hi Nicky,
I do sometimes use photos. Tho I only use photos for charcoal commissions of very young children. For the rest of my commissions I prefer to work from life. I find its the best way to get the right expression. When you take a photo you're stuck with the same expression. When you work from life your sisters expression will change often and you're more likely to pick up on something that represents your sitter more accurately. You'll also want to interact with them in order to capture a more interesting expression and so they don't look bored. Therefore painting 1 on 1 in your studio is a slower process, I usually spend 6 -10 hours on a head and shoulders portrait commission, sometimes more. If I'm painting a model in a class who's sitting reasonably still I finish a painting in a single session, like my demo's on here.
Also, whenever you work from photos try to get a small colour study done from life. The colours come out quite a lot different, photos make the darks darker and the lights lighter. At some point I'll do a video on how to use photos.
@@SIMPLIFYDrawingandPainting Thanks Alex, I seen how quick you are when you work from life in your videos, hopefully the speed will come for me too with more experience, im gonna try the colour study thing, and try to do 1 life painting attempt for every one I do from a photo, i think my life drawings will have to be still lifes though,thanks for the reply,look forward to your next video :)
Hi Alex, thank you for you videos. I am trying to break away from the slow layered process of portrait painting. All my paintings suffer from over-modelling. They also take many weeks to complete. Do you think the “tiling” process is a good way into a more alla prima style of painting? I find it quite hard to just lay down paint without the reassurance of some kind of underpainting.
Just out of interest was the lovely double portrait of the couple sitting together done from life or from a photographic reference?
Yes the double portrait was done from life in 8 sittings. Yes, tiling will give your work a more Alla prima, painterly appearance but I find I exaggerate the variance in value between each of the different shapes I put down. In order to prevent over modelling I like to establish larger areas of colour, e.g. a general flesh to fro the front plane of the head if its in the light and a shadow colour for the side plane. The when I start defining smaller shapes, they are slight variations of of this original colour. Does this explanation make sense?
However there is a draw back to working this way too. It's easy to end up making your colours a bit muted (not always a bad thing) So now I'm trying to push the colour a bit more in a places. I'm always learning, as I hope this video shows.
Thank you. Yes that does make sense. I just need to concentrate on not getting too detailed too soon. I think it's probably about confidence and not being afraid to fail.
I would recommend to continue with the layering processing. Take your time and work one area at a time. Please don’t take it wrong. These videos are excellent and very educational. You can also get Neo Megilp, a fast drier medium. Just last week while visiting my son in Vegas, I did an indirect landscape in less than one week using the Neo Megilp. Works wonders. Try it and see if you like it. You will be surprised.
your previous paintings are still absolutely beautiful. i started painting last year and i still can't pass by the 'cartoony' look when i try to paint realistic portraits, any tips? thank you so much 💗
Thank you! I think the key to getting your work to appear more lifelike and not graphical like a cartoon, is to understand edges i.e. the soft and hard transitions between different shapes. You may find this video useful:
ua-cam.com/video/Sm9hCGY6k6k/v-deo.html
@@SIMPLIFYDrawingandPainting Thank you so much for taking the time to reply, it means a lot. i will keep that in mind, thanks! 💗
I mostly teach myself and use online classes now I'm looking at oils and trying them soon out. I have no problem I could get classes but they expensive or not geared to.what I.want in my area
I draw for 2 years and your 'first' portrait is insanely good. How long were you drawing before that?
I used to draw all the time when I was growing up. Tho hardly ever from life, I used to mainly copy comic books or draw from my imagination. I did used to do caricatures of people, friends and teachers etc. so maybe I developed a bit of a knack for portraiture that way. However after I left Art school in 1994, I started working in front of a screen and for the next 10 years I reckon I can count the number of times I actually did any drawing on 1 hand. But in 2004 I really started getting back into it and was going to life drawing classes again on a weekly basis. I'd probably been drawing regularly for about 6 months when I attempted my first ever portrait in oils from life. Whether or not it's any good, I hope you think I've improved since then?
@@SIMPLIFYDrawingandPainting or course, your understanding of form, value and color is improved a lot.
Its just a bit misleading to call that a first portrait with that huge story behind that.
For example, 2 years ago I was on a absolute zero level and couldn't draw anything at all, and even though I never used oil, I'm pretty confident that when that moment happens, it will be better than something I did in early 2018, simply because the construction of underdrawing will be solid
@@sawkapalkin1297 I don't think it is misleading. Its his first portrait in oil paint. Anyone who has studied art even a little knows that you need to learn to draw at least a little before you can paint a whole portrait. So when I saw the video I already presumed he knew how to draw.
That’s really good for a first portrait
The one from 2004
Thanks, but hopefully I've improved since then.
SIMPLIFY Drawing & Painting You have...
I’m having SUCH a difficult time understanding portraits with values and dimension...mine just come out cartoony
How long? That depends on your talent, and to improve your skills, time and patience is needed. Nice video.
Ah I wish if we were in the same place , I would join your class without even thinking 😭💛
Where are you, if you don't mind my asking? Just out of interest.
SIMPLIFY Drawing & Painting I’m from Saudi Arabia, Jeddah 🌻✌🏽
@@sarahhajri5p You never know, I might do a course in Dubai, if there's enough interest. I know a few other artists there.
SIMPLIFY Drawing & Painting oh really? How about Saudi Arabia have you thought about doing a course there?
the first one was 10x better than anything ive made
I'm watching this in full volume because my mother assumes that I can paint full sized potraits even though I started painting just last year.
Nice video, thanks for sharing.
How Long Does it Take to Learn to Paint?
I think, the issue is how long does it take to built mastery. If Art is like a professional career, like law, medicine, accounting, then it should take at least 3 to 4 years of studying in Artelier (NOT ART COLLEGE OR UNIVERSITY) plus hands on experience. So, it should take 7 to 10 years to built mastery at a professional level, e.g., professional artist, professional lawyer, professional architect, etc.
Unless, the artist becomes an expressionist and no mastery is required, just throw gesso on canvas (White on White (1918)) and you're ready
That sounds about right. 3 to 4 years learning how to draw and paint from life by doing the exercises your teachers set you. Then another 5 to 10 years, or even more figuring out for yourself what want to paint and solving all the problems you encounter on the way. With abstract painters and conceptual artists, although their formal training consists mainly of learning to talk about art, they should in theory be spending a similar amount of time and effort on the second part of their training. I reckon some clearly do, as I've seen some pretty spectacular stuff. But others appear to me to just be taking the piss. I don't really know much about it, so I'm not qualified comment. I only know about painting from life.
I have question. In learning progress, did you always enjoy painting? Or sometimes felt that it's not worth to paint some subject but you keep painting that subject?
nice
Tnx for sharing
fai ricordare Giovanni Boldini. Bravo
I Know I will make it and I know it will take me years.
Are you giving lessons online?
Yes indeed. Please check out my Patreon channel for more info www.patreon.com/simplifydrawingandpainting
Hi Alex
Love your working methods ,what’s your opinion of the working methods of a lot of the contestants on
Sky portrait artist of the year using iPads and grid method.
Do you think it is a valid way of painting? Ray
haha Sky portrait artist of the year. Don't get me started. They have had some really good painters on there, but they never win. The judges appear to prejudiced against people who can actually paint from life. And Tai Chan Sherenburg, whatever his name is, is a pussyhole for not saying anything about it, seeing as he actually paints.
As far as the iPads etc goes, it's not really painting from life. I have nothing against using photography, many great artists in the past have, like Anders Zorn and Thomas Eakins. The problem with photographs is that you CANNOT learn to paint from life from them. And if you don't know how to paint from life, you'll just be copying photos, which will be obvious to anyone looking at your work, who can actually paint from life. Photography does not capture everything the eye sees. So when you use photography you have to make a lot of stuff up, colour and value wise. I find it a lot easier if I have the thing in front of me. Unfortunately for some subjects, that's difficult logistically, which is when photographic reference becomes incredibly convenient.
I can't remember who, but a wise artist once said, you should paint from life for at least 10 years before you start using photography. That's a bit unrealistic, but it makes sense.
Thanks for your comments
Ray
@@SIMPLIFYDrawingandPainting thanks for answering that so comprehensively, and good question too. I have always wondered about the artists on that program who use photos etc. It does my head in. Too many are encumbered by technology and frankly idiotic methods. Just paint ffs. It was good enough for Vincent and his mates, and they knew a thing or two. I like tai, but that Kate is a cow. I think she gets her way.
@@SIMPLIFYDrawingandPainting Christian Hook won it. He is now in art orbit. What do you think of his work? I think it's gimmicky and he uses photography a lot. Although his portraits are very good and he did classical painting but I have no idea who with.
Ok so I’m working 6 days a week full time, so by these calculations I should able to paint a decent portrait In about 45 years :D
Practice beats talent when talent cannot work hard.
Is that Mark Golding?
It is indeed! He sat for me back in 2013 in Lewes, after meeting him at Zu.
@@SIMPLIFYDrawingandPainting I thought I recognised him! And Magnus.. I messaged you on Instagram asking the same question so feel free to ignore me there! Thanks for all your content.. much appreciated :)
Heavens I could train to be a surgeon in that time.
I've spoken to one or two medical people about this, and surgery sounds quite a lot like painting. There appears to be more of an an "Art" to being surgeon. But It's certainly a lot easier to earn a living as a surgeon. But then you have to be quite clever before they let you into med school, anyone can be an artist.
@@SIMPLIFYDrawingandPainting Hm I think it's all about hard dedicated study either way. Obviously the stakes are higher with surgery but the intelligence part is required in both. But yeah med school is a better gamble for food and prestige.
One of the hardest activities? I have only nine days to learn how to paint a realistic bush and I’m literally crying.
Yes, it is one of the hardest activities, but that doesn't make it impossible. A lot of people give up because they think they haven't got what it takes to become good at painting. But with time and practice anyone can learn to paint properly.
Can anybody learn to paint or should you have talent for it?
My interest in painting is that there are people, places and events in my childhood that no longer exist that I want to paint myself and not hire anyone to do it. Also I would like to paint some fantasies that never happened.
Yes indeed, anyone can definitely learn to paint. However, painting is extremely difficult so it takes a long time. There is also such a thing is talent i.e. something innate that means some people learn faster than others, like there is with anything else. But what really makes the difference is years of practice. For instance, let's say you have two children's drawings one may be much more accomplished than the other, but neither will be anything like an old master drawing. In the same way, you may have a really strong child who starts gymnastics. How many years will it be before they can do a handstand? In the years I've spent teaching, I've seen quite a few students who didn't have any obvious talent when they started, surpass more talented students because they worked harder.
How many hours do you paint per day?
When I was training I was usually painting around 6 hours a day, 4-5 days a week. I did that for 3 or 4 years. Since then I usually paint around 10 to 20 hours a week. But more recently since starting my Patreon Channel with all the video editing I do, I vary rarely paint more than 10 hours a week. Unfortunately, some weeks I only paint once or twice! I really need to sort it out and get then video/teaching/painting balance more conducive to doing my own work.
@@SIMPLIFYDrawingandPainting thank you!!!
@@SIMPLIFYDrawingandPainting In those days, you certainly created a lot of paintings. What did you do with them?
How can one become better without being able to attend an academy?
Plenty of amazing artists have done it on their own. It just takes determination and practice. If you see any of the interviews I've done on this channel with other artists, each of them has been self taught.
However, good teachers will help you improve faster. Particularly if they teach the kind of things, I teach on this channel. Which is the stuff taught in Art schools back in the day i.e. the craft of how to draw and paint from life, before modernism took over.
Unfortunately, although more and more artists are rediscovering the methods taught in the past, it still isn't widespread. Not everywhere has access to teachers and schools who specialise in teaching people how to paint from life. And if they do, they may not be able to afford them. As art courses with good teachers can be expensive. Which is why I started this channel.
@@SIMPLIFYDrawingandPainting Yes it's very expensive.
?
absolutely love this video, thank you for sharing!