How Much Does Brush Work Matter?

It really is a yes and no answer. Yes it does matter if you are at a level in your paintings where you have the fundamentals down fairly well. This means getting down drawing, design, value, and color. Then, you can move into the calligraphy of paint. You should have the fundamentals down first before you worry about brushwork. This is something to think about because I have students asking me about brushwork, or asking our TAAO instructors about it. Sometimes, when I look at the students work, they really should be working on more of the foundational principles (drawing, design, value, and color). With oil paints, the physical paint is where you can actually build up paint itself and maneuver. If you are at that level, you should be consciously thinking about brush work.

Generally, things are more quiet in the distance and busier in certain areas of the foreground with landscape paintings. If you are painting figurative or still life, you are not dealing with distance as much. But, paint quality and brushwork are just as important. Brushwork is the calligraphy of paint. Thin, thick, and these passages are important to convey the message. Again, it is a yes and no answer because it depends on the level you are at in your painting journey. This is why I am giving you a virtual red or green light not to worry about brushwork if you aren’t quite past those fundamentals yet. All of these topics I discuss come from my own struggles and successes that I have built upon.

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