27. Simplifying Our Subject - Parrot

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There's nothing wrong with a bit of detail, but it can be so easy to get sucked into that detail at the cost of the whole painting. It can also be very easy to get sucked into tryi ng to make the painting exactly like the photo. In this tutorial, we focus a little more on what it means to simplify our subject and how we can do this. Where and how can we bring in a little refinement? Where and how can we let loose a little with some larger more brushy shapes? Ultimately we are looking at using our subject as a guide and a jumping-off point, but ultimately that we can step away from the reference and start "creating" a painting! Painting this colourful Macaw is also a chance to look at a few initial principles around working with different colours, and to continue the ideas of working with simple shapes and tones. Show more