I occasionally talk with beginner painters, some students who cannot seem to start a painting. How to start a painting is in my view an actual process. There is the inevitable fear of getting a good start which some students cannot deny. It may also be the lack of legitimate idea or concept. Following a particular process can be very helpful.
In almost every case I first prepare the canvas or panel before there is even an idea in mind. Because I used primed panel this is a fairly tedious process of buying, cutting, priming and then installing struts but regardless of the material, prepare your surface. Have it fully ready. This would include your brushes, the oil paints, the thinner or medium, rags, the pallette. Have it mounted on an easel. In other words, be completely ready. This is the first step in the process.
As they say, ‘sleep on it’. Think about that white canvas and imagine what might be painted. It is not unusual to dream about the painting. One time I had a painting in mind and I had it fairly worked in conceptually. I even had made some drawings. I was going to start it the very next morning. That night I had a dream and woke up with a completely different idea. While it was still fresh in my mind I went immediately out to the studio and began to paint from my memory of the dream’s image. I painted solid for six hours to get it down accurately. If the panel or canvas had not been prepared I would have missed the opportunity – that spontaneous burst of insight which artists so desire to experience.
Once the panel or canvas is ready, when all the mateials are ready I often suggest preliminary sketches. The beauty of sketches on paper is that they are only sketches – you are not locked in. Keep sketching until something really resonates for you. When it does I will often transfer this loosely on the canvas with graphite pencil or even with a small brush dipped in thinned umber. It is remarkable how drawing with a small brush can bring the idea alive on the canvas. Keep looking at it. Come back to it the next day…keep studying it and eventually the moment to begin painting will arrive.