3 Things A Painting Can't Live Without

In Vermeer's Woman with a Scale, the focal point
of the painting is accentuated with nothing more

than a glance and delicate hand position.

In Picasso's portrait of Gertrude Stein,
the colors are muted but quite varied
and establish an introspective mood.

Good painters don’t merely re-create what is in front of them. An experienced artist knows how to create a successful painting no matter what situation or model he or she is presented with. Of course, this often comes after years of practice and experimentation—as well as the development of a unique artistic voice—but there are some basic characteristics that all good paintings have in common.

1. A strong focal point. A focal point is not like the big bold ‘X’ that marks the spot on a treasure map. It can take on any shape and size. It can be bold but it can also be subtle. A dappling of light, a pop of color, an expression or emphatic gesture—any of these can become a focal point in a composition. Regardless of how it is created, its purpose should be to engage the viewer or act as the culmination of the momentum built in the work.

2. Layers of color. Color makes a painting tranquil or vibrant, dramatic or stark, and this comes about not only in color choices, but how you build passages of color over one another or side by side. Warm and cool colors in a sky create a sense of atmosphere and space more than any one swath of color, no matter how perfectly matched it is to the sky above.

3. Changes in direction. In many great paintings the image is realistically rendered, but brushstrokes are clearly visible; you are aware of how the painting is painted. Think about how the paint application of Jan van Eyck versus Vincent van Gogh perfectly reflects or resonates with what the artists painted. The way a brush moves paint around makes a statement that should be taken advantage of. You can start by being mindful to changes in the direction of your brush, literally working on a painting with different strokes and from various angles.
When you look at works of art that you respond to, always ask yourself why. Keep those characteristics in mind as you develop your own pieces, too. That awareness is what drives the instruction that American Artist delivers. Whether it’s a calendar featuring intriguing and unique works of art that make you think; DVDs such as Mastering Portrait Drawing, that delve into the details of how to draw a person’s likeness; or magazines like Studios, where you get a peek into how to adapt your art space for performance and comfort, American Artist always couples artistic inspiration with instruction so that you can come away with a better sense of where to go on your own path as an artist.

Cotton or Linen

Canvas COTTON or LINEN?

Linen is by far the better-quality because of its strength and resistance to decay. Woven from flax, the weave can show throughout many layers of paint.

Primed with an oil primer this is the classical standard for oil paintings. An acrylic primer which is less expensive than oil primer, can be used with either acrylic or oil paints. Linen is difficult to prime and stretch properly, but it offers the smoothest and stiffest painting surface, one with proven longevity.

Linen, while expensive, is the traditional choice. Some of the qualities linen has that makes it so attractive to painters are:

• Linen is the most durable fabric to put paint on. Linen's warp and weft threads are equal in weight so less susceptible to the expanding/contracting problems created by moisture.

• Linen is very receptive to sizing and priming applications.

• Linen retains its natural oils which preserve the fiber's flexibility and keeps the canvas from becoming brittle.

• Linen has a more “natural” weaved finish than cotton and is available in a variety of textures, weights and smooth or rough finish.


Cotton is desirable because of its affordable price and its ease of stretching.

Cotton duck: Much less expensive than linen, it has become the most popular support for oil and acrylic painting, especially for students. A properly prepared cotton canvas has longevity similar to linen, and is more flexible and easier to stretch properly. However, cotton is considered too flexible for very large paintings.

It is possible to stretch cotton tighter than linen, without straining the wooden support, because cotton fibers stretch more easily than linen fibers. Although not as strong as linen, a heavy grade cotton can make up for its lack of strength with its weight.

For both oil and acrylic painting, an acrylic gesso primer is generally used