Sacred words, Ian. Plan what you want to do afore. Once you are in the middle of the paints, and don't understand what's wrong, you'll panic.

Thank you for your time & commitment to these Ian. Much appreciated.

Just found your channel and have been binge watching all the videos.....you are doing a great job Ian.....thanks for all the information and tips ...very helpful indeed....thumbs up.....

@IanRobertsMasteringComposition

3 жыл бұрын

Delighted you found the videos Parul. Best wishes.

I have watched almost all the videos of sir Lan Robert, first of all, i would say that he is so generous and kind to us to share the tips and techniques that he might have mastered through practice and hard work after years. On the second hand, i want to say that all the videos are particularly emphasizing some important points, each video seems a ring of the whole chain of learning (sorry for my bad English, love from Pakistan)

@IanRobertsMasteringComposition

3 жыл бұрын

Well I am honored with your "bad" english from Pakistan Shehzad. I very much appreciate that you let me know that you are enjoying the videos. Best wishes from LA.

I like that you shared your analysis of the finished painting and how you change it and why.

@IanRobertsMasteringComposition

3 жыл бұрын

Hi Robin, I think it's important to show the behind the scenes stuff that actually happens both during and after in trying to finish a painting. Glad you liked it.

Hey Ian, another great week, I enjoy hearing how you work through the painting, the thought process - the adjustments you make and why. Also wanted to let you know that I prefer the posts you've had lately vs the longer painting demos with the pallet showing. More interested in how the piece comes together with composition and value. Looking forward to the still life ones when you get to them. Rock on!!

@IanRobertsMasteringComposition

3 жыл бұрын

Hi Janet, glad you liked the video this week. For the time being I think those longer demo videos are just too time consuming. This week I'm thinking to do a second video of a drawing I'm doing but it is just a pencil on paper and no need for editing. Still life soon. All the best.

Ian, You’ve made me such a believer in the value of a sketch as a roadmap - actually a safety net for me! It’s been a real confidence builder:) Love the demo! Very helpful.

@IanRobertsMasteringComposition

3 жыл бұрын

Hi Deb, safety net is a good expression for it. I find the same thing, with the sketch I'm pretty confident I can make it all work. Sure some paintings will be better than others but in the end I can pull it off. When I just blunder in I can mush around trying to dig my way out of some mess I've created and my joy and confidence go down. All the best.

I appreciate how much time this takes, Ian! I would be enthusiastically interested in a series on still life and/or interiors. 😊

@IanRobertsMasteringComposition

3 жыл бұрын

Hi Annie, you are not the first person to ask. I do have a few weeks of videos already planned out but will get to still lifes, and later interiors. Glad you are enjoying the videos. Best wishes.

@anniehalvorsen2469

3 жыл бұрын

@@IanRobertsMasteringComposition I never miss your videos. I am a novice pastellist-but your teaching transcends medium. I’m grateful for your generosity!

Thanks once again Ian, I really appreciate the work that goes into making the KZread videos!

@IanRobertsMasteringComposition

3 жыл бұрын

Hi Scott. Well so far so good. I'm enjoying making them. Glad you are enjoying them. With best wishes.

Having a wonderful time listening to you! You are a class act

@IanRobertsMasteringComposition

3 жыл бұрын

Hi Judy, thanks so much. Hope you are enjoying life post Westmount. My very best wishes to you.

after you took the tower out, and softened the roof and structure in back, I saw the Pole on the left, feels like the whole thing is more balanced. Good Job :)

@IanRobertsMasteringComposition

3 жыл бұрын

Hi Greg, it became less punchy but more integrated I thought. So glad you agree. All the best to you.

So interesting the see the difference modulating the colours of the barn etc made. Great! Thanks Ian, Amanda

@IanRobertsMasteringComposition

3 жыл бұрын

Hi Amanda, glad you found that helpful. All the best.

Extremely helpful. I’m really enjoying these. Many Thanks

Interiors, yes please. Some great paintings have been made of interiors with windows looking out on the nature world, so it becomes a painting within a painting.

@IanRobertsMasteringComposition

3 жыл бұрын

As I mentioned I have a few weeks of videos lined up already. But I will get to still lifes and then do something on interiors. Best wishes Diane.

Thank you Ian, I love these short videos

Thank you, Ian. I so enjoy watching you paint. Take good care.

@IanRobertsMasteringComposition

3 жыл бұрын

All the best to you as well Gayle.

Another very helpful couple of videos Ian. I appreciate the time you take to share so generously. Thank you!

@IanRobertsMasteringComposition

3 жыл бұрын

Hi Pat, you are most welcome. Glad you find them helpful.

Hi Ian, what was really helpful was hearing about the color mixing, to change things up for the larger masses. Tuesday Painting Lab!

@IanRobertsMasteringComposition

3 жыл бұрын

Yes, exactly. The Tuesday Painting Lab.

So as a participant in the laboratory of the painting process, which did you prefer? The first version (stronger shapes )or the second one (less grip on the center of interest)?

@clevepage

3 жыл бұрын

Either satisfied me as a viewer, but the finished painting without the tower created a calming experience. It made me relax into the painting. A small change made a big impact on the mood of the piece. Thanks Ian.

@ghvideodotnet

3 жыл бұрын

Hi Ian, I understand your reason for softening the two dark lines and roof for the final painting. That aside, I liked the way the red roof was painted before you changed it. (colors)

@annmarielopiccolo-carlsen7263

3 жыл бұрын

I agree with your changes, too, preferring the second version. In the first, the roof was too strongly colored. Softening, as you stated, allowed your eye to move throughout the piece. I also like how you edited out the tower, and changed the tone of the green grass on the horizon, the focal point. Both were too distracting; the tower unnecessary. Although I did like the arch created by the original tree, drawing your eye to the focal point, it was not missed once removed. Your editing was very helpful to illustrate how your thumbnail sketch is only a guide. Items can be removed or changed, if necessary. That effort is much easier accomplished, removing distractions or unneeded information, than trying to ‘fill’ in a piece because you don’t know the direction you wish to go to complete a painting. As always, I look forward to next week’s demonstration. Thank you!

@paintlady2268

3 жыл бұрын

I prefer the second one. I appreciate when artists give me, the viewer, enough credit to visually wander around, explore and find my way through their painting. Compositions can be very strong without all manner of implied traffic cones and signage demanding 'look here,' 'look here'!

So interesting to see the sketch as the foundation with the shapes. I'm going to start doing this. Personally, I don't care to see your pallet, but really loved seeing you tie this together with the painting portion - it really helped me get it, being a visual learner :-) Thanks so much.

@IanRobertsMasteringComposition

3 жыл бұрын

Glad you found it helpful. All the best.

Thanks again for another terrific video lesson! I appreciate it so very much!

@IanRobertsMasteringComposition

3 жыл бұрын

You are welcome Debra. All the best.

Amazing videos lots of great information. Thank you for taking your time to teach!

@IanRobertsMasteringComposition

3 жыл бұрын

You are welcome Jean

Your videos are always really interesting. Thanks so much!

@IanRobertsMasteringComposition

3 жыл бұрын

Glad you like them Natalie.

Another very enjoyable and informative demonstration! I like how you communicate and explain your thought process in editing and modifying your sketches....thank you for sharing your experience and knowledge!

@IanRobertsMasteringComposition

3 жыл бұрын

I'm glad you are finding them helpful and for letting me know. All the best.

Great video. So helpful and filled with great information!

@IanRobertsMasteringComposition

3 жыл бұрын

Glad you liked it Joanne.

Thank you so much! So helpful.

@IanRobertsMasteringComposition

3 жыл бұрын

You are most welcome. I am glad you are finding the videos helpful.

Thank you.

@IanRobertsMasteringComposition

3 жыл бұрын

You are welcome Hannah.

Lovely painting Ian. Enjoyed your demo.

@IanRobertsMasteringComposition

3 жыл бұрын

Thanks Phee. I appreciate your letting me know.

Thank you Ian again for such an instructive video. I saw online a painting by Gilbert Spencer called Blackmore Vale from Compton Abbas. It is at the Tate in London and he might have taken instruction from you, except it was painted in 1942! Something about his landscapes are really striking.

@IanRobertsMasteringComposition

3 жыл бұрын

Hi Tim, I just looked up Gilbert Spence and discovered he was Stanley Spenser's brother. Stanley I've known about forever and have a big book of his work. I had no idea he had a brother that was also a painter. I really like Gilbert's painting. I didn't find the Blackmore Vale one. But lots I did like. Thank you for that lead. Glad you liked the video.

Thank you!

@IanRobertsMasteringComposition

3 жыл бұрын

You are welcome Dawn.

Fantastic! Do you, like Sargent prefer to start every shape in mid value? So different from what I have been taught!

Great timing for me to reinforce the importance of the thumbnail. I am about to embark on a new series and need to slow down rather than jumping in too quickly. thanks

@IanRobertsMasteringComposition

3 жыл бұрын

Hi Philippa. That old mantra, "slow down". Good luck with your new series and nice to hear from you. All the best.

Wow, Ian, another wonderful example! What I realized was that even though in the preparation you did the map first followed by a value sketch with hatching (shown in an earlier video), you went back to the "map" when actually putting the sketch on the canvas, which is really a great idea, because that would help to keep shapes abstract longer rather than using your value sketch with more organic shapes. Also, I would think doing it this way would help to preserve the magic when you do the actual piece. Does that make sense?

@IanRobertsMasteringComposition

3 жыл бұрын

Hi Joani, I think the most important point you make is that of keeping the shapes abstract longer. It is so easy to start going into detail before the shapes are working. Then of course you don't want to paint the details out so you leave them, and then it is just downhill after that. And as you say the thumbnail does not have much information. Just a structure really. The armature. The scaffold. So there's lots of room for interpretation. I like to do the drawings, the more finished one, just in themselves. For themselves. But they really do help to understand the image well before starting to paint.

@joanistotler8804

3 жыл бұрын

@@IanRobertsMasteringComposition Thanks for taking the time to expand on the method - it's just given me a whole to way of thinking about things!

I follow your demonstrations with great joy - and this one with the barn reminded me of the well known Danish painter Oluf Høst who painted his barn so many rimes at different times of the year and Day - and I will ask you this question. Do you work with soft lines in contrast to your normally very sharp lines? I am very attracted to the mystery of soft edges -

Great videos! I started doing roadmaps and it has helped a great deal. The problem I seem to face over and over again as I learn to paint, is that my initial idea is good, but as the painting progresses, I end up making lots of changes or I find the initial composition wasn't so good and I can see ways to improve upon it. Is there something I can do to more finalize the composition before I begin to paint? Thanks!

@IanRobertsMasteringComposition

3 жыл бұрын

I use the road map when I do plein air paintings. It is a fast way to think about the structure before I begin. But if you are doing a studio painting you might want to draw the scene more carefully beforehand. What is so clear to me when I do a drawing is how much I learn about the image. And all those changes you say you make you confront and solve for a lot of them in advance of painting. May seem like a lot of effort when all you want to do is get brush to canvas but I'd say it is time well invested.

Thanks for clarifying the use of thumbnail vs. sketch. Also you mute the bright red so it doesn't pull your eye as much. That makes sense. I perceive, however, that you are a colorist rather than a tonalist. :-) Have a wonderful week. Great video!

@IanRobertsMasteringComposition

3 жыл бұрын

Hi Ralph, I'm sure you've heard, from me if no one else, that color gets all the attention but value does all the work. I think the foundation is always value. Once that is in place, then we can talk tonalist or colorist. I am glad you enjoyed the video. And you didn't mention the sound so I put the cushions around this week so I guess it helped. Thanks. Best wishes.

@BibleStudyPastor

3 жыл бұрын

@@IanRobertsMasteringComposition Yes, value first. Agreed. But I love color! :-) Sound seemed fine.

Ian, I always mention you in art groups I am associated with.

@IanRobertsMasteringComposition

3 жыл бұрын

Thank you fro that Diane.

Great again ! all the elements of the landscape works very well between themselves . How would that be if you paint the same landscape in black aand white with its differents values of colours ? Thank you so much !

@IanRobertsMasteringComposition

3 жыл бұрын

Hi Christine, it is always an interesting exercise to paint something in black and white before doing it in color. Not as a regular practice, but as an exercise. It helps you see the value masses that in the end are carrying the painting. Hope all is well.

Do you choose the point of interest while blocking in the major shapes?

Thank you! I’m a committed thumbnailer and admire your beautiful sketches! As I paint with soft pastels I don’t find a need for the palette.

@IanRobertsMasteringComposition

3 жыл бұрын

Hi Helen, when I teach workshops and there is a pastel artist I always find it so fascinating looking through the box of pastels for the right color. It is so different from mixing. But there is a real satisfaction when you have the right color in hand and lay in that mark. It feels so right.

@helenstephenson1948

3 жыл бұрын

@@IanRobertsMasteringComposition yes! And I’m becoming better at choosing and and limiting my choices and mixing/layering to get that ‘right’ colour. So I get a lot out of your insights into colour choices, I just go there in a different way!

@helenstephenson1948

3 жыл бұрын

Your video about value was very helpful for that as it really trumps colour.

What is the white pencil that you have used in your thumb nail sketch please Ian ?

@IanRobertsMasteringComposition

2 жыл бұрын

It's a General's white chalk

Do u look at a portrait in same way? Just forms ?

Can you do a tutorial on Notan? Forget about thumbnails and sketching... I need notan first. I have trouble with combining shapes mid tones. So glad you are doing interiors.. love them. Figurative maybe someday? Also do you have a painting of page 31 of your book? Can you do a painting similar to this with an undulating road? That line across to show one hill in front of another is problematic for me.

@IanRobertsMasteringComposition

3 жыл бұрын

Hi Lisa, so that's a lot of points in your short note. I just did that drawing on page 31 to demonstrate the idea of overlaps. Never thought of it as a possibility for a painting. As far as that line across the landscape you can solve that by going somewhere, even in the city, where there is a line like that from the land dropping away and draw that. Just draw that and try and solve that one specific problem. And I am happy to do something on notan sometime, and interiors and figures. But I'm just doing 5 minutes or so a week, so it takes a while to get around to some ideas. Notan technically is just black and white. It has got reintrepreted in the US as may 3 or 4 value sketches which I think is more useful. But yes I will do something on that. I've got several weeks lined up already but will get to it. And interiors. And figures. All the best.

No need to put up the palette on screen. Often ppl want to see it because they think if they mix the exact same colours as the painters, they'll have a successful image in the end. But painting is not like cooking, there are no recipes, just tons of practice learning the properties of our colours. Many roads lead to Rome. That said, thank you for the simple, easy to follow and understand demoes.

@IanRobertsMasteringComposition

3 жыл бұрын

That is well said about seeing the palette. The lot of the color mixing thing is really just experience of seeing what works next to what. Visually. Adjusting to what is before your eyes. So I'm glad you mentioned it actually. Glad you are enjoying the videos. All the best.