I need all the help I can get :)

[Paula Dariece Lawrence]

Hello, I have just started to paint. I have had no lessons, only what I can find on Youtube. I am living in Romania at present and would like to take some painting lessons when I return to the States. I just finished my very first and only painting and would like to upload it to get some helpful tips. So please remember when you see the pic that you understand that this is just a first time shot and I in no wish call myself an artist....yet. :)

I believe that I somehow  need to add some highlights to this painting but really don't know how or where.(the sun should be coming from the NorthWest when looking at it. So if anyone would like to give me some advice, I would be grateful. Thank you so much and can't wait to learn more!

Paula Dariece

www.lawrenceinromania.com

[Lyndon Baxter]

Paula, it won't be long before you will be justified in calling yourself an artist.

For a first time effort, I think you have done brilliantly!

But there is a lot going on without an obvious focal point, decide on what you want to emphasize and then make the rest of the painting sub-ordinate to that. Your aerial perspective is very good, there's lots of depth and detail on the mountains but the foreground is a bit flat. Was this painted from a photo? There is something odd about the rh side of the lake, it seems to be on a different plane to the rest of the lake. I'll leave the matter of highlighting to others, I hope this is some help.

Keep painting you've got the ability to go a long way.

[Paula Dariece Lawrence]

Thank you so much for your incouragement and help. No, it is not from a picture. The mountains and the lake are from another painters tutorial and the foreground is just something I did as I went along. I want it to represent a scripture in Isaiah about waiting on the Lord and  rising up with wings as an eagle. This painting is for my husband, who is a missionary.

 I agree the foreground is flat and that is why I thought that it needs highlighting...but I sure hope some others help me out on this as well.  Thank you so much!

 

[Nancy Wickman]

Paula, nice job on the mountains and your misty area is very nice.  The problem that jumped out at me is the whole foreground is all the same value and rather dark in relation to the sunny sky and the light mountains.  As a general rule, as objects recede they get cooler, lighter and less saturated.  The distant tree lines have a nice line but you could push them back by making them lighter and more lavender or blue.  I would try and lighten the whole foreground not so much by putting on highlights but think of the color you already have as the darker values and add lighter values to everything with a bigger brush.  It's hard but try not to think of a bush;  think of an interesting shape of colors that the eye will perceive as a bush.  We all fall into the trap of painting a pine tree as we think it looks but they will be much more interesting if you vary the shapes, and make them less symmetrical and less detailed.  The eye tires from looking at a lot of little zigzags and doesn't need that much information to register it as a pine tree.  Think interesting abstract shapes.  This might be more info than you wanted but you show great promise if this is your first effort.  

[Paula Dariece Lawrence]

Nancy, thank you very much for you input. I will try my best to take you advice...I hope I don't really mess it up to where it is not repairable :) but I guess that is part of the learning process. I think I should invest in some of the color studies that Richard has to offer.  Thanks for the incouragement. 

 

[Nancy Wickman]

That's the great thing about oil paints--it's always repairable.  Thin coat of Liquin on top and paint away.  

In addition to Richard's classes, two books that every artist should study, IMO, are Carlson's Guide to Landscape Painting and Your Artist's Brain.  Full of info about avoiding the traps that come with painting from photos, and our left brain.  

[robin lyons]

That is a very good first attempt! You are talented, just need to study a little to improve. I study as much as possible. Nancy Wickman has the right idea. I have a whole library full of art books. If possible try to take a few 3 or 4 day classes under a master. You won't believe what you can learn. With your talent you will learn easily.