Learning how to finish a painting can be confusing for a new artist. Finishing a painting isn't just slapping some paint onto a canvas. It's a series of steps that can be done little by little or all in one painting session.
Breaking down the painting process into manageable steps can help to overcome a new artist's fear of having a blank canvas because you will have an actionable game plan before you even find your painting subject.
How to Finish a Painting Step One: Sketch
A good sketch is the foundation for any painting, no matter what medium you use. You can sketch directly onto your canvas or paper, or transfer your sketch to your support using tracing paper or a light box.
How to Finish a Painting Step Two: Underpainting
An underpainting is a thin layer of paint that is meant to peek through subsequent layers. This creates a mood using color. An underpainting can be done by thinning your paint and using a large brush. If you are using a dry painting medium, use a light touch when applying color.
How to Finish a Painting Step Three: Shadows
Once you are done with your underpainting, you can start adding your darkest colors. These will be shadows and your areas without much light. Once again, use the largest brush possible when painting shadows and darks. This will keep you from focusing on any details.
How to Finish a Painting Step Four: Mid-Tones
Once the darks are added, keep using your big brush and start painting your mid-tones. These won't be the brightest or the lightest of your colors. They're are the colors that are in-between your brightest and your darkest.
How to Finish a Painting Step Five: Light Tones and Highlights
At this point you can start using smaller brushes. Your light tones and highlights are more than likely be your smallest area to cover, meaning you'll need a more detailed approach. Remember to save your whitest white for highlights only.
How to Finish a Painting Step Six: Details
After all this groundwork has been laid you can finally dive into the detail work. You may find that your painting is almost done already. Detail work is just to clean up and define edges.
How to Finish a Painting Step Seven: Fixative
The last step to finishing a painting is to protect it. If you paint in pastel, this could mean using a fixative for pastel paintings. If it is an oil painting, this could mean adding a layer of varnish. Many artists don't use any protective coating because they feel that it dims the vividness of the paint's colors. You can simply finish and protect your painting by using a pane of glass when framing it.
When using these steps you may find that you worry less about what to do next and more about composition, color and tones, which will make your painting skills better in the long run.
Alina Bradford - Alina Bradford is an artist with around 20 years of experience and 12 years experience as a professional writer.
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