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Harlan's Easy Painting Course in Acrylics

Play #12: Paint the same subject or design with different color schemes.

Trees This exercise is a good one to explore various color combinations. It's best to paint a simple scene (or abstract design), so you don't get bored with repeating the same time-consuming painting. Feel free to use wild color schemes not according to nature. Mom Nature will probably grin at you.

Each painting shown here is 4" x 4".

Play #13: Fill in a black outline.

Fill in fun In Play 2 you drew a black outline. That little painting is begging for you to fill it up with color. Believe me, it told me that. So do it and yourself a favor and bring the painting to life by adding color. In this painting I used black, white, red, and yellow. No blue. The painting has a warm cast to it.

Outline paintings are fun. Kind of like filling in a coloring book. Again, if you find this method exciting, make more of them -- knock yourself out!

Play #14: Paint from your photos!

Beach walk Moonlit walk

I chose a simple (are you tired of that word yet?) photo with little detail for the first painting in this series. Start out with what's easy. Or simplify what you see in your photo. Getting bogged down in needless detail will show: if you're bored painting all that detail, your viewers will probably be bored as well.

I changed the foggy scene to more of a moonlight scene. That's called "artistic license." I have one in my wallet. Notice how the two figures are just two vertical blobs of paint.

No red or yellow in this painting. Just blue, white, and a touch of black to darken the foreground foliage.


Pacific sunset Pacific sunset

I noticed how far off my color matching is in these paintings. But that's okay. The painting still resembles an ocean. With more detail in the ocean highlights, this painting is more challenging than the first one.


Wild daisies Pacific sunset

This painting is yet more challenging. A larger view shows the brushwork.

Study your own photos or photos in magazines for what looks easy to paint. Mentally paint the scene before you start. Just think about how you would paint it. If it looks too complex, full of tired detail, look for another one.

A failed painting (I've had many of them) is still a learning experience. I can't stand some of my painting efforts and then it's a good time to use that leftover paint! Wipe it out with paint so you don't have to look at it anymore!

However it's wise to let a "loser" sit for a few days. A friend may sincerely like it. And you may like it better after you see it again with fresh eyes. Or you may get hit with a lightning bolt and perform painting surgery, expertly fixing the problem areas.

But sometimes the painting needs to be mercifully buried with a coat of leftover acrylics, and resurrected later as a fresh new painting.

Go to the next page for Play #15.

All art work Copyright © Harlan Simantel
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