I will, thank you, but my school reports always said ‘could do better if he tried’ and I am sooooooooooo lazy! It’s that word perseverance that’s the problem! Procrastition too!
Life relies, in my opinion, on decision making. Every brush stroke in a painting for example, the tiniest thinnest line, one cat whisker, and the direction it goes in, its colour, is one decision made, of many thousands of decisions before a painting is finished.
The same goes for any pursuit in life – decision making takes you on its journey and to where you eventually arrive.
Or is that obvious? Another thread maybe. Just a thought.
I agree but if you were to do the same thing over and over again it becomes force of habit and you stop thinking about it. If you were to live your life just repeating the same things without a change or challenge, your brain would die very quickly.
If I were to paint the cat the exact same way again and again, eventually there would be no conscious decisions to be made.
Meeting challenges can be invigorating, especially when they are considered as leisurely like arts and crafts, sports etc… Other challenges not so much!
I’ve critiqued thousands of paintings in nearly half a century as art student and art prof, but never crit any painting that I’ve seen online, not least because one can’t really see what’s there.
However, I’m happy to offer a few general bits of technical advice.
You’ve become technically competent at copying photographs with paint (is it oil or acrylic), but are you able to competently draw from life ? If that seems a bit challenging, try a simple still-life composition, for instance of a couple of pots that can be left set up in the same place without any need to move them. This is a fundamental skill to acquire if you want to do anything beyond simply copying images.
I’d also recommend trying to further develop your technical skills in a particular area of figurative painting, whether that be landscape, still life or portraiture.
Photographs are great as an aide memoire, but most artists don’t copy them exactly, instead, they use photos as information that one can build on.
Paintings of animals copied from photographs look like animals copied from photographs. Real animal portraiture in painting is exceptionally rare because compared to humans, animals are seldom co-operative sitters. Real animal portaiture is fascinating (was wife’s PhD subject) but best avoided if one wants to produce anything more than a copy of a photograph.
Lastly, several people above have used the term ‘photorealism’ but in the art world this is actually a lot more than just copying from snaps. There’s lots of different reasons for different painters working in this way, but most have some theory behind them, In other words, they’re more than just ‘exact’ copies’ of some pre-existing image.
You’ve done very well in developing your skills, but the big challenge now is to be able to move beyond copying from photographs and instead working from what you see directly, rather than what a camera has recorded!
I hope you’ll continue to further develop your painting - it’s a lifetime’s work
Yes, obviously 
(and btw ‘copying from snaps’ was not the sense in which I used it. 
)
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Actually, I don’t think it is that 'obvious these days because what was a specialised term fifty (yes, fifty!) years ago has long since entered gerneral discourse.
[quote=“vero, post:25, topic:39702”]
btw ‘copying from snaps’
I used the term ‘several people’ and wasn’t quoting you specifically.
Oh, and btw I’ve just finished The 7th Function of Language - thanks for your recommendation 
Now, back to the football - will Ronaldo get another international hat trick?
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Oh good! Did you enjoy la 7eme f du l? 
It was hilarious, though occasionally I felt that the author was trying a bit too hard.
OTOH, I read very lttle fiction, so am far from being an authority, however, my pg education included one in fine art editioning and bookbinding ;and I noticed that my (s/h) English hardback (edition was beautifully bound.
All in all, a good book, well bound and more importantly, a fun read. The subject’s too esoteric for a mainstream movie, but I feel the book was written as a sort of film script and I could imagine the gpvernment financing a movie version. Though I don’t think that would be very popular in places like Tennessee
Please; SF readers, the above is not general a recommendation - not being elitest, but if you don’t know about late C20thFrench critical theory and theorists, it’ll be largely incomprehensible - so don’t waste your money!
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Yes, but the hilariousness I thought saved it, and actually even the try hard side of it was appropriate
@Beanybag As a definitely non-expert I think your paintings are breathtaking. If you are painting from a photo you are still painting what you see, it seems to me, and that is a real talent.
I too am a fan of Bob Ross and find his programmes both calming and frustrating in equal measure. Calming because of what I am seeing developing on the screen, but also his voice which is almost sleep inducing. But the way he paints is counter intuitive to me. I would paint the main elements, a cabin for instance, or your rocks, first and then fill in the background. He does the opposite, the background, the sky or a distant peak, and then introduces more as he brings the picture forward towards us. Frequently, when I see what is to me a perfect work of art, I find myself shouting at the screen ‘no leave it it’s done it’s done’ and then he makes it even better and puts another tree right in the foreground.
I don’t paint, but wierdly I did pass ‘O’ Level art. Given a choice of one word subjects I chose ‘Heat’, and splashed yellow and blue onto the paper then added in a few bleached white bones and animal skulls before taking a clean brush dipped in water and wiggled it all the way down from the top of the picture, sygnifying shimmer. I was astounded to pass. And have done nothing at all in the ensuing 63 years.
‘I know what I like’ is a much maligned phrase, but I do like yours. 
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Thank you Spardo.
Some may disagree with me but the wonderful thing about art whether it’s painting, drawing, music, dance … is that you can’t put it in a box or define it in any particular way.
There is a British artist here in France who has a Youtube channel and also teaches oil painting a couple of times a year, and his style is much like Bob Ross’ in that you never know where’s he’s going or what he’s creating until the very last few minutes. It’s too messy for my taste but fascinating to watch.
I think most painters start from the back and work towards the front - sky, background trees, water, plants, rocks with more and more detail as you come closer to the front. I think it’s easier and also you don’t want to rest your hand on wet paint at the front of the painting while trying to paint something behind it.
I don’t suppose you’ve still got your O’Level masterpiece?
Thanks for the advice, it’s greatly appreciated.
At the moment I don’t feel I have developed my skills in this area enough to give me the confidence to try a life drawing or painting, and to be honest I’m not sure I want to … yet!
With trying to renovate the hovel and maintain the garden coupled with rheumatoid arthritis, I don’t paint every day or even every week, so when I do I feel I’ve lost some of the muscle memory I’d built up previously.
Some artists say the ability to draw is integral to the ability to paint. What are your thoughts?
Would you mind posting one or two pieces of your own work? I’d love to see them.
Nooooo, it was awful, couldn’t believe they took it seriously. But when you’ve only got 4 GCEs it counts massively. 
BTW I like the way you describe my masterpiece as Irish - O’Level
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Sorry! I always do Os and As with one apostrophe.
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no probs… we all have a little ways…
Exquisite. Being a cat lover and having a multitude of cats I would buy your cat paintings all day long.
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Thank you David.
It was my first attempt at doing animals, the challenge being eyes and fur.
Beanybag.
I have owned many cats over the past 70 years and naturally have many photographs. However,
your painting of the tabby with the bright eyes is as nice as any possible photograph.
Good luck with your painting and long may you continue
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Oh thank you prefect38.
Surely you mean ‘Many cats have owned me …’?
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