In my beginner and intermediate classes I teach a "taste" of negative painting.  I think it is important to understand  negative space and use it to make a more interesting piece of art.  Not everyone would choose to specialize in this type of painting like I do, however, using the technique in small places can add a touch of mystery to any composition. 

The following pictures will demonstrate the painting I am teaching this week.  The drawing is in the upper left hand corner. I have created two seperate spaces. The fish in the circle will be painted positively, however, the area outside the circle will be entirely painted in a negative way.  This is a good way to introduce new painters to the technique.

On the right you can see  that the positive space in the circle  is being developed.  The colors are permanent rose, orange, and Indian yellow.

On the left you can see the negative space around the fish is being painted. I have used  yellow-green, green, blue, and blue-green in the border.  These opposite cool colors are in direct contrast to the hot colors in the center.  The design is built up layer by layer. When teaching beginners, limit the layers to one or two. In my own work I can manage 4-6 layers by carefully beginning very light and gradually getting into the darkest values. The  greater the number of layers, the more depth in the painting. 

 Here is the finished painting. I added a little white gouche ont he light blue surrounding the fish.  This is a great little painting teaching color control and  showcasing the difference between direct and indirect painting.

I will  be continuing these types of articles and posing a video in the near future.

  I consider myself a negative painter.  Because I am trained as a textile designer it was a natural form of painting for me. Watch this blog for tips and advice on this type of painting. In the near future I will post a short video to show the step by step process.

I will be posting instructional material on this blog.

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• An Introduction to Negative Painting
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