The 5 Most Important Ideas of Painting

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Hi, I am the son of two artists and began painting in my hometown of Richmond, Virginia before I could walk. I was a rare combination of artist and athlete so I moved to Los Angeles in 2008 to play football for USC. I left the team my sophomore year to focus on painting and filmmaking, applying the same focus and discipline from my football career to my art. I primarily work in oils, and spend most free days painting "en plein air" in my new home of Sarasota Florida.
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[marriedaprince]

I like that you schedule your posts Monday mornings.

[DannySabraArt]

Very great point about not just creating contrast with to al values but also contrast between chroma. Nice video Chris!

[mrsnrub]

Perhaps one or two minor discrepancies, but on the whole, the student actually didn't do too much wrong. I'd gladly hang either painting on my wall. The edge on the right is soft enough, not lost, but ultimately, fair enough.

[Morgothslair]

Just learning a little bit here and a tiny bit there with every video. But its so hard to focus on the right technique at the right time when the brush is loaded with paint and ready to go.

But with every brushstroke, with every painting and even with every failure it seems to be so much clearer what I'm doing there. Thank you so much for your support!
I've just written the key-topics (Fat over lean, thick over thin, ...) on a dismissed canvas, so I HAVE to keep them in mind while painting. Now I have a lot more controll to my paint.

Next step to archiev: values values values values and a little bit of shapes :D

[theeyeofday]

I'm so glad I found your channel! Thank you for sharing your gift with us!

[ddbdbubbles]

Edges are very important, and I learned this when a smal 8"X10" painting I did of three pears won grand champion at a show because my goal in the painting was to have no real discernable edges in the pears against the background, yet the pears came off great. I heard the judge was impressed. I did the painting as an exercise in "no edges."

[sweetysmart]

Ooh, I'd also love to hear what areas of painting you are personally working on; like, you explain a weakness you have, then share steps you are taking to improve.

[claires]

Another informative video, You are so generous with your knowledge. Thanks for sharing your tips!

[pamelasaralliartista]

Scusami se ti scrivo in italiano, ma non conosco la tua lingua. YouTube dando la possibilità di tradurre in automatico i sottotitoli, mi permette di capire il contenuto del tuo video, anche se non parlo la tua lingua🙂 Spero non ti dispiaccia 🙂

Alla fine lo studente ha sbagliato veramente poco e di questo sono veramente felice! È sempre una soddisfazione per me quando vedo un mio allievo che indovina gran parte del dipinto e gli errori si possono correggere facilmente. Penso che sia una grande soddisfazione anche per te. Vuol dire che stai facendo bene il tuo lavoro e questo è bellissimo 😊🤗
Grazie per gli spunti di riflessione che proponi, sono sempre bellissimi🙂

[reginafromrio]

That's an incredible painting you did! Love watching your videos and keep up the good work and thank you so much.

[sonalisarkar]

Just awesome. These fundamentals are really important. Thanks for this video. ❤️❤️❤️

[Parkpulsend]

Hey Chris, love how your teaching style. Just had a thought, had you put a shot glass with a small amount of liquor, in with the beer mug and bottle, then it would not only make the composition but it would tell a small story of a boiler maker. Just giving you a thought! The video is great!

[PAGC]

Are you allowing people to paint this and sell it or would you be against that?

[sweetysmart]

I would love to watch comparison between yours and a student's work where you point out things they could improve on and point out things they did well at or even did better than you - from my amateur perspective, that student's painting was pretty great and even had small areas where I thought theirs was better.

[sannefab]

In this picture I think there are 6 important things to consider… !
Number 6 is resisting getting VERY thirsty ☺️😉

[Temparusy]

Can you go over your thoughts on murals in a video one day xd
Also keep up the good work oh my gawd wish I painted like you

[TheArtsyGardener]

Thanks for your informative videos, Very helpful.
I clicked the link for your brushes and it’s not working. I also went directly to Rosemary & Co and couldn’t find your set. Just wanted to let you know.

[russellpotgieter]

What software are you using to determine the scale of values. Nice clip

[smasica]

I've watched quite a few different videos from various instructors over the past couple years. Most talk about some of the fundamentals, but they have their own philosophy and method they teach. This is fine for those who want to learn their particular method, whatever it may be.

Your videos are a definite cut above those approaches, in my opinion. Why? Because you clearly teach the fundamentals of good painting, not the 'Fornataro Method'. Yes, you show examples from your own work to illustrate your points on value, edges, etc., but it's not promoting your 'method' like some sort of Bob Ross or Bill Alexander. To me, it's refreshing to get clear-cut information with a practical example instead of 'if you want to paint like me, do this-or-that'. My goal in seeking to further my painting is to learn what I need to know to create a successful piece, not learn how imitate your style or method. Everyone will eventually develop their own style, like they did with handwriting growing up.

I learn more useful information in one of your videos than hours of many other teachers, Thank you; seriously.

[novosaddw]

Great YouTube tutorials. Your instructions are easy to understand. What computer program do you use to check your colours and illustrate different areas of the painting? I am a watercolour artists but I am trying to learn oil painting technics and your instructions are very helpful. Thanks