Painting subjects

Grandma

How many of you paint a subject that is entirely in your head? Not in a photo, not in real life, just one that exists in your mind. Just totally create the painting between your head, your hands and the canvas. And of course, the sketches, drawings, etc. that you do before you start on the canvas.

LizONeal

I do some leaves and things just to add to a bare spot from my head but never an entire painting.

sue_deutscher

I did that a couple of months ago and it was just a big waste of time and paint, it looked so bad.

mavis_swt

I can only doodle and just doodle.

Never tried painting without a reference

studioania

I'm developing another process ... imagine the finished painting and then what I want see on the canvas!
Not easy, I make a lot of mistakes due at not perfect mastery of color, tone, saturation and temperature, but is part of the artistic process in evolution!
Maria

AZPainter

I have made up several "fantasy landscapes, but in doing so I had a composition worked out in pencil with my light areas, dark areas and half tones, in other words a design and value study. I also had a plein aire piece I used for color only and maybe half a dozen good photos for reference of details. The painting was basically a composite of a particular are in the Rocky Mountains of southwestern , Colorado in the San Juan range. Think Telluride, Durango, etc. It turned out rather successful I think and it sold with several Intent To Purchase slips in it's box at the Cheyenne Frontier Days Art Show and Sale at the Old West Museum. It was a 24x36 or a 24x30. I would have to look it up to be sure as this was in early2004.

This is not something I would recommend unless one has very good reference material in photos, accurate color studies of the area and a good design already laid out before ever picking up a brush, and most importantly a lot of experience painting landscapes in both plein aire and studio. I did this mainly because I was still recuperating from open heart surgery. I already had all the materials and only needed to make a design on paper and then draw it out on the canvas with a large bristle filbert and very thinned with mineral spirits, Transparent Red Oxide, my usual drawing color on a transparent Red Oxide and Ultramarine Blue mixed wash I has let dry before drawing so I could wipe off drawing mistakes.

LiamRainsford

I'm a memory and imagination painter. This I find is a problem as I stray too far from reality and so I do regular exercises at painting the 'real world'.

Grandma

Painting from your imagination was a frequent assignment in art school centuries ago when I went. I guess it isn't used much anymore. I always thought it freed up the creative juices somewhat. It was pretty hard to have a credible painting and not just color on a canvas.

tjs

Grandma said:

Painting from your imagination was a frequent assignment in art school centuries ago when I went. I guess it isn't used much anymore. I always thought it freed up the creative juices somewhat. It was pretty hard to have a credible painting and not just color on a canvas.

We did that too in class! I always made up people

maugie

Does anybody know or heard of savant artist?

Grandma

Are taking about Steven Wiltshire?

AZPainter

Grandma, Take a look at what digital artists are doing. They may use a model for a particularly complicated pose, say from an unusual perspective, but the painting is all imagination and comes from the mind of the artist, since often what they are painting does not exist. Then there are the Science fiction illustrators and the illustrators like the late, great Frank Frazetta and others.
Here are three fantasy/ movie/ video game artists in order
Craig Mullins.......Digital art for movies and video games
Frank Frazetta......Oils& watercolors for Book illustration and movie posters and many other uses.

Boris Vallejo...... Book illustrator a bit of a knock off of Frazetta, but working in his own style and very popular.