Contemporary Impressionist Art: The Basics of How To Paint Like The Masters

Let me start off by saying that I’m not really sure why anyone would specifically try and paint in any particular style except for the one that comes most naturally. Then once a painting is complete, that would be a better time to look for a categorization. Still, I know there is a lot to learn by replicating a style and those studying art in school are often required to paint in the style of an artist being studied. So, at a purely practical level and if your chosen artist is an impressionist, here are some top level pointers to get you going.

As with any painting, it’s still a good idea to sketch out the main lines of your chosen subject. I generally use a long handle brush (so I can stand away from the canvas as much as possible) with some brown paint and mark out the main lines. I use brown since it dries quickly (oils only) and concentrate on the main verticals, perspective lines and horizon. I personally like the fundamentals of my paintings to be accurate. So perspectives, vanishing points, ellipses and relative sizing are all set out on the first sketch. A pretty good and informative approach to perspective is here (http://www.khulsey.com/perspective_basics.htm) and worth a read if you’re not sure about that. I have nothing to do with this site but it should be of interest. However, if you prefer abstract forms or you want to exaggerate some part of the painting, go with it, there are no points for copying a photo here.

After the initial sketch, I usually leave the picture a day or two, a) to dry, b) with fresh eyes to spot mistakes in my draft, but most importantly to map out the picture in my mind. Impressionist paintings are better if they appear more impulsive and preverbal flow from the hip. So, spending a little time before starting allows your sub-conscious to help out once you’ve started. Look at the draft on the canvas, start mapping out the colours in your mind, where the most distant points are, what the focal features will be and very significantly with an impressionist painting – what form and direction the brush or knife strokes will take. Since they are visible, their thickness, length, direction and shape are critical and can give the painting very different atmospheres purely on this one choice. You can go with dots or dashes, wavy lines, straight lines, hash marks and or anything else you can think up plus a combination of the above.

To start with however, I would advise not going crazy with different brush stroke types in any one painting. Pick 1 or 2 and stay with those. Otherwise, you run the risk of making a mess. As a guide, loose curving skies can give the impression of stormy weather or majestic cloud formations, while ridged boxed strokes impose a formality and structure that you may wish to develop for buildings and other manmade objects. It’s worth thinking these things through, but remember, if halfway through the painting you find yourself following a completely different route, don’t worry, go with it – your painting is now reflecting your feelings about the scene and your picture is becoming a work of art.

As mentioned above and it’s worth while repeating, a key indicator of what makes a painting an impressionist painting, is visible brush strokes. This is good if you’re not great at blending colours. So, first off pick out bigger brushes than you normally would use (I like filberts because of the variations you can get from the different surfaces on the brush) or if you’re up for the challenge, grab a pallet knife. In addition to this, I would hesitate to say, pick out a bigger canvas. The point here is that if you have focused on realism in the past, it’s time to become bolder.

If you’re struggling to get in the swing of it, another thing to try is to mix your paints on the canvas. This can give an unpredictable and impulsive feel to your paintings as well as enhance the feeling of movement and emotion.

We’re ready to really start painting. I always paint with music on and I choose an album or playlist that either suits the mood I am in or reflects the mood in the painting. Because you’ve been thinking about the painting for a few days already and the outline is set, you can work away and to an extent without even thinking about what you are doing. In this way you will put yourself into the painting, which frankly is the most important thing you can do. You’re creating a work of art, an impression of something you have seen, not a photographic reproduction. Let it flow.

However, in order to offer up a little more guidance, my suggestion is to start with the most distant point in your picture and come forward. With the impressionist style, a blurring of the edges is fine and in fact will add a lot to the painting. So, although you can paint hard edges on objects that sit over the background, try not to be tempted. This idea is put to good use in this abstract impressionist painting. Allow the colours and objects to mix with each other. What might look rather messy close up will all make sense when you stand back from the painting. The interesting thing is, what just looked messy is now intriguing since you know it makes sense when you’re away from the picture – and now it’s a blur. This is one of the beauties of impressionist artwork.

As with many other styles of painting, don’t be drawn down the path that impressionism is just realism with more funky colours. If you are representing a person or tree, especially if they are in the distance, a single brush stroke may be all that is necessary to create the impression of a person or tree. The human mind is amazing at filling in the gaps so look for a highlight and shadow on the main features that make the object what it is, apply the paint in 2 or 3 strokes and stop. Don’t overwork your picture, for a start the colours will become muddy, but more importantly you’ll lose that movement in the picture that comes with impulsive painting.

Good luck and don’t forget to have fun. That’s what it’s really all about.