Thumbnail for Start Bold: The #1 Thing I Teach at Every Art Retreat

Article · Art2Life

Start Bold: The #1 Thing I Teach at Every Art Retreat

By Nicholas Wilton

Type
Article
Level
Intermediate
Price
Free
Published
2025
Open on Art2Life(opens in a new tab)

About this lesson

Argues that abstract paintings stall when every early layer is a similar value. Recommends putting in the darkest darks and lightest lights from the start so the big shapes and structure show, and only then refining. Explains why this matters more on large canvases.