[Peer Review][Skill] Painting

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[Peer Review][Skill] Painting

Postby Vanessa Lawson on February 27th, 2015, 4:41 pm

I was finally able to get this done. I'm not really sure about the skill progression, because I don't think I have enough information in it. Thanks in advance everyone!
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[Definition]
Painting is the art of using paint or oils to create images of various objects. More so used with brushes, painting can be also be done with certain materials such as Felt, Leather, and whole cloth. Some Artisans are even able to mix and colors to produce new ones. In more ways than one, Painting is an advanced form of Drawing were Paper is not required. With Drawing requires paper, Painting requires any usable object or surface. Painting is a complicated art that despite how nice it looks, requires patience and skill.

[Overview]
[Related Skills]
Drawing can often be used as a stepping stone for painting. Painting is the art of creating images or designs on any object, while drawing is more simple and but requires paper. Organization goes hand in hand with painting, mainly because colors must be layered correctly so that color ‘a’ is in the first layer is not darker than color ‘b’ in the second. It tasks the artisan with ordering the colors when making larger more detailed pictures. Meditation is a useful skill when attempting to focus. Clearing one's thoughts can help the painter get a clear visual and ignore distractions.

[Painting Tools]
-Substrates: Substrates are also known as surfaces. Be it paper or wood, there is always a surface needed to paint. Some common Substrates are listed below.

Parchment/Paper - A smooth thin surface that is often used for Painting and Drawing, it is easily the best surface for creating images. It can be used for oil and water based paints and it absorbs quickly, drying the paints faster.

Masonry/Stone - A more difficult surface to paint on, it is often rough and bumpy. Though it can be smooth depending on the type of surface. Some are often with dents or small holes. It is hard to keep water based paints from running around the surface, as it is not as absorbent as Paper and Parchment. It is recommended that oil based paints are used.

Wood - A somewhat sturdy substrate that is absorbent and can be used for both types of paint. Wood can have a rough or smooth surface depending on the type.

Canvas - A surface often found with a four-sided wood - or uncommonly steel - frame that is always wrapped with Silk, Ramie, Linen, Felt and other types of cloth. Canvases come in many shapes and sizes, but most prefer to make there own as opposed to purchasing them for more control over the surface quality and size. The paint is applied to the cloth used to cover the frame.

-Brushes, Materials, & Uses
Different brushes and materials have different effects on substrates. Below lists effects of commonly used painting material.

Detail Brush - A thin, tiny brush used just as the name suggests. Details. It is mainly used to put the finishing touches on an image, such as the eyes, creases in clothing, etc. However because of it’s size it can also be used to make thin lines, outlines for shapes or objects in the painting, etc. Though it isn’t used as often.

Small/Medium/Large Brush - Often used for the main portions of the artwork, the brushes typically get used a lot more than others. They are best used to fill in color of large areas.

Felt - A soft, durable material that can make for an interesting pattern in paintings. Though it’s not recommended since it can only be dipped in one color unless multiple pieces are available. It is similar to putting a sponge in paint, and it allows for a smooth layer of wave-like patterns on the surface.

Whole Cloth - A common cloth used for clothing, it can be used similar to a brush. The quick to absorb fabric leaves a fade to white pattern on objects, often shifting to a lighter shade as you stroke the material.

[Color Creation]
-Gathering colors Gathering colors is a simple process as long as the painter knows what to look for. There are many plants, herbs, foods, and objects that can be dried and/or ground down into paint pigment. Certain nuts such as hazelnuts and almonds can be ground into pigment to create shades of brown. Dry grass, leaves, or plant stalks can be ground down for shades of green. Bones of all kinds can be ground into whites, etc. Many painters experiment with different colors.

-Mixing Colors A simple form of making new color palettes, color mixing is a basic skill that every painter needs. It is a very basic skill that requires two or more color pigments, oil, and mixing equipment. While most use bowls, it is also possible to use solid and nonabsorbent surfaces to mix on as well.

The first step would be to get a nice size of the color you want to start with on a nice surface such as a clay bowl. This will be your base color. Keep in mind that if the base color is cool and the painter uses a warm color, the new color will be light in saturation as well as vice versa. The second step would be to grab a second color, and add a small amount to the base. By adding small amounts the color changes slowly, and allows the painter more control of the color. Then is to mix the colors with a stick or spoon while adding a bit of oil. Next is to let it sit for a few chimes before using.

[Color Palettes]
-Warm Warm colors are often seen throughout spring and summer, and consists mainly of reds, oranges, and yellows. While there are other colors in the category, these are the three base colors used. Warm colors are often bright and vibrant, usually attracting attention.
-Cool Violet, Blue, and Green are considered Cool colors because they are are a bit darker. Mainly you see these colors in Winter and Fall seasons. They aren't very bright. They are attractive, but they're more calm colors.
-Neutral Neutral colors are usually dull, less attracting colors. Stemming from blacks, whites, browns, and greys neutral colors are commonplace, and as such they don’t particularly stand out. These colors are seen in all seasons.

[Skill Progression]
Novice: A novice painter is just starting the trade. They learn or practice basic shapes as well as how to create basic colors. In this stage the painter is not accustomed to making multiple layered pictures. They usually stick with firm and sturdy surfaces because of their lack of knowing how to use softer ones. They find it difficult to picture they're ideal picture and make many mistakes.

Competent: The competent painter is starting to recognize their earlier mistakes. At this stage the painter is making basic paintings, slowly expanding on details. They are using shapes of many kinds and are more effective at layering. The painter is now able to get a very basic visual of what they want and their color creation is more advanced. They are beginning to use other surfaces that are soft.

Expert: An expert painter has moved color creation and visual imagery to a simple task. At their current level of skill they can identify layers and expand details further. They are now to a point were shapes are advanced and lines are clean. They are patient and calm when painting, but they are still not perfect. They are now using different surfaces, but not all work well for them.

Master: The master painter no longer needs a visual to create great works. They have become in tune with their imagination and have endless ideas. They can use any and all shape with clean layers. At this point and object can be used for art, the possibilities for this level are endless. By now the painter has developed a unique style of painting.
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Vanessa Lawson
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[Peer Review][Skill] Painting

Postby Sedge on February 28th, 2015, 3:51 pm

Hi Vanessa,

I'm sorry to say this writeup is not ready for Peer Review as it currently stands. A skill writeup must be a comprehensive overview of the skill, such that a player who knows nothing about it starting out can begin to depict it in accurate detail. It must cover tools, methods and techniques, and any aspects which are unique to Mizahar. Particularly, it must provide enough depth and detail that it benefits characters of all skill levels, including experts and masters.

Please refer to the existing Calligraphy and Glassworking lores for examples of a sufficiently-detailed writeup.

In your current draft, you have a good foundation with respect to tools. However, you describe no techniques or methods for the execution of painting. No skill article is complete without at least an introduction to techniques. What does one do to paint? How does a painter create different effects? What can be done with water-based paints vs. oil-based paints? Indeed, you don't even really mention the two major categories of paint. You discuss elementary color classifications, but not about how color composition or color theory are incorporated into paintings (e.g. monochrome vs. polychrome art, contrasting and complementary colors, the uses of primary and secondary and tertiary colors).

You also give a very brief overview of processing raw pigments, but not enough detail for a player to really write about finding and preparing pigments. What are the hallmarks of something that can be made into a pigment? How are minerals, leaves, berries, nuts, all of these types of source materials treated in order to become paint? What, fundamentally, is a paint -- what elements make it up? Do methods differ for making a water-based as opposed to oil-based pigment? What about the fastness of pigments? Again, you have completely skipped over the methods of this aspect, and those must be addressed.

As far as the skill progression goes, I think once you start getting more into the techniques and methods, you'll find it easier to flesh out and itemize the levels. Also, I'd like to comment on your overview paragraph: First, your definition of Drawing is incorrect. Second, it is not appropriate to define a skill as "that which something else is not". Talk about what painting is, because that is the subject of this article.

If you are having difficulties with this writeup, with finding information or choosing what to include or putting it all together or anything at all, please don't hesitate to PM me. I am more than happy to help you get through any roadblocks.
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