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	How much detail should you add to your paintings? by Nolan Clark In a painting detail is of minor importance, even if you do not think so in the beginning. What is of great importance, however, is the masses (colour and tones) in the painting, and the size and distribution of each. Let me show how you are able to quickly grasp the principle of masses. Look at a scene (or a painting) in front of you. What you see is all the colours and the detail. Now half close (squint) your eyes, and notice how the details disappear and change into blobs or masses of colour. You have just learned how to master your painting! NEVER get bogged down with details; learn to manipulate the masses first. Detail (finishing touches) can come later. Half closing your eyes during painting sessions is a very good habit to learn. If you find yourself saying "My painting looks terrible!" or "This area in my painting looks a mess!", use this technique to keep yourself focused on the masses. If you still aren't happy, then take the painting and put it into an "encourager" (an old frame) and stand back from the painting. The "encourager" pulls the scene together, and the distance reduces the details to masses and paradoxically, the "mess" into details! Always keep in mind the normal viewing distance of the painting is usually much farther back than the distance you are painting at, so it is pointless to add fine detail that dissapears when you view it at normal distance. This is a common problem among painters. If you forget to stand back or half close your eyes while painting you end up 'fiddling'. When you then stand back you can't see the detail and then you try and bolden it. In the end you just end up with an overworked painting. This is why smokers make better painters (not really, so please don't start ;-), they tend to stand up and take a smoke break every now and again giving themselves the chance relax and observe what they have painted. If you don't smoke, take a tea break every now and again and just sit back and enjoy what you have painted. By the time your tea is finished you will know where you need more detail and where you have enough. A general rule to remember with detail is that it is to be used as finishing touches only at the focal point in your painting. If you enjoyed these hints & tips, please don't forget to sign our guestbook. If you would like to ask us any questions on these hints & tips, you can post them HERE. We will be delighted to answer them. To ensure that you are notified when new hints & tips are added you can join our mailing list by clicking HERE.

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