The 1-Page Painting Checklist
42 questions to guide you through the painting process Preface A great artist knows the right questions to ask.
This checklist is designed to give you an idea of the things you should be asking yourself throughout the painting process.
Keep in mind that this is not an all exhaustive list, nor is it something to strictly run through for every painting. Feel free to print it out and refer to it next time you are lacking direction.
Planning Questions
●What am I going to paint?
●Am I going to paint from life or a photo?
●Is the photo high-quality?
●Do I need to make changes to the photo?
●Do I have all the necessary art supplies?
●Are there any special supplies I need just for this painting (colors or brushes)?
●What is my big idea?
●What is my focal point and where will I position it?
●Are there any other key points of interest?
●What is my color strategy?
●Do I need to prepare with sketches or color studies?
●What style will I paint in?
●Will perspective be difficult to render?
●Will I need to place a grid on the painting to help with the initial drawing?
●Will I be staining the canvas and if so, in what color?
●What areas are prone to mistakes?
●What is my general strategy?
●Where will I start?
●What is the purpose of this painting (do I want to sell it, enter it in a competition, provide it as a gift, etc)?
Painting Questions
●Are my values correct?
●Are my colors (hue and saturation) correct?
●Is my drawing correct?
●Are my edges correct?
●Are the major shapes where they should be?
●Does anything appear too large or too small?
●Is there a sense of depth (atmospheric perspective)?
●Is there enough variance throughout the painting?
●Does anything feel out of place?
Finishing Questions
●Will my next stroke add to the painting or detract from it?
●Does the painting say what I wanted to say?
●Is the painting finished?
●Am I going to frame the painting?
●Does the painting need to be varnished?
●Where and how will I sign the painting?
●Have I taken a high-quality photo of the painting?
●Have I documented the painting (name, dimensions, date, etc)?
●Is the painting drying in a safe place?
●Will I list the painting for sale?
●Will I gift the painting to friends or family?
●Have I shared my painting on social media, website, newsletter, etc?
●What went well in the painting and what could I improve for next time?
●What will I paint next?
Thanks for reading and I hope you found this useful!
If you are unsure what any of these questions mean, draw paint academy suggests you check out the Painting Academy course.
Dan Scott
Draw Paint Academy Pty Ltd
drawpaintacademy.com