The "stupid little questions that don't deserve their own thread" thread.

The Something Awful Forums > The Finer Arts > Creative Convention > The "stupid little questions that don't deserve their own thread" thread.

Seneschal: Nov 24, 2008

Sarah Barracuda posted:

Question about keeping proportion/perspective correct when working large, specifically with oil paints.

I haven't painted seriously in almost 5 years, but a coworker asked if she could display some old pieces for a random project and now I have 4 pieces commissioned. All of them will be (in terms of dimension) several times larger than the biggest finished piece I've ever done. The smallest is looking like it'll be 48"x60".

I took them because I'm certain I can do it, but I'm worried that my sense of perspective and size will get skewed when I'm working on something that's bigger than I am. The first thought is to draft everything small and then grid, but if someone else has a better way to do it or can talk about other techniques they use it'd be helpful.

Specifically I'm worried about a particular painting, which is a door opening inward and the scene behind it. The geometry of a half-open door seems like it'd be really easy to screw up, and with a canvas that large anything quirky about it will be really easily noticeable.

Make sure that you step back from your painting often, and try to get enough distance from it where you can see any errors. When I'm close to a painting I'll often get completely incorrect perspective lines that curve. An opaque projector can also cause distortion, I really do think that the grid method is best if you're wishing to achieve a workable copy of your sketch.
I've done paintings like this by freehand, and it ends up being more work than just gridding because of how much I need to fix it after.

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Seneschal: Nov 24, 2008

Galileo Fingers posted:

I want to start doing master copies of paintings and selling them, but I don't know what would be legally preventing me from doing so. If the artist is no longer alive and has been dead for 70+ years (say I'm doing an old baroque painting), would I be able to paint and sell the work on my own?

If you start with a master painting and crop to find a new composition, you might be better off than making a full copy of the entire piece. It would allow you to find an original perspective and hone your skills at the same time.

# ¿ Apr 9, 2013 23:00

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