Amazing! Is this how most artist start a portrait? (painters, paint, make)

[no kudzu]

I'm fascinating with how the paintbrush is held.

https://www.facebook.com/tuvaldekiis...3416912447944/

[banjomike]

The answer is sometimes. It all depends on a particular artist's way of working out the preliminaries, the medium being used, and many other factors. The approach he uses is one many oil painters use, but it's only one of an enormous variety. In the video, the actual paint used could be oil, or it could be opaque tempuras, acrylics, or a bunch of others including house paints. Opaque paint allows every stroke to re-define the one made before. If transparent water colors were being used, you would have seen a completely a completely different way of working. Watercolor has less room for correction. All transparent mediums require different ways of working with them than opaque mediums. Opaque paints tend to become transparent when thinned down, but transparent paint only becomes opaque with lots and lots of paint layers applied one on top the the other.

All art is always conceptional at first. What follows all depends on whatever happens early, but the real work was undoubtedly done at a more measured pace than the video shows.

Be aware that the video was very sped up. What it didn't show was how long that particular artist took before he made some of his strokes. He may have spent several minutes at a time considering how to make one efficient stroke, or no time at all, or anywhere between the two extremes.

Also be aware that this artist has had a lot of practice with his approach. The thing that amazes you is his surety of hand. That is only an indicator the person worked out his way of getting what he wants from the work. Another artist could as easily choose a much more laborious method, requiring many more steps from start to finish, and if you were to watch them all, the process won't be nearly as mysterious to you. We didn't get to see how much time was spent in conditioning his paint, his choice of colors, or his pallet method. He may have prepared daubs of the colors he used, or he could have prepared pints of the same colors. We just don't know, but for sure, they both take up lots of time spent diddling and stirring.

It wouldn't be mysterious if you were hanging around the artist either, and got to watch how it all comes together. The practice sessions aren't mysterious. It's the concert that's mysterious, especially when it's sped up. How can anyone paint that fast?
The answer is- they can't. The mechanics of the enterprise simply don't allow that kind of ridiculous speed. Just enjoy the vid for what it is. Watching the real deal can be just as fascinating, but would require a lot more time and patience to see it all.

There's nothing unusual about how he's holding his brush. Artist's brushes come in a lot of variations that all evolved from the differences artists have in using them. The particular brush seen in the video is a very common and very useful brush that can be used in lots of different ways. It's called a bright, and they come in a bunch of varieties. It's one of the oldest of all brush designs.

I enjoyed watching it as much as you did. It's always fun to watch the rabbit pop out of the hat, even if you know how the trick works.

[no kudzu]

Thanks so much for your comments. I can't paint worth a hoot but I love watching an artist do their magic. Same with music and dance and well...any art.

[banjomike]

Originally Posted by no kudzu

Thanks so much for your comments. I can't paint worth a hoot but I love watching an artist do their magic. Same with music and dance and well...any art.

For sure! The magic has the same power for those who can do it a bit as for those who can't.

By most accounts from the folks I run around with, I'm a pretty good banjo player, but whenever I hear someone a lot better than me, I'm always thrilled and inspired. The arts enrich everyone's lives.