The concensus is in – Thomas Kinkade is a talentless hack. Or, by some accounts, he is a very talented painter who sold out and is now producing shlock that appeals only to Midwestern trailor park grannies with no taste. And to some, he’s pretty good.
But many of us look at his “art” and say “Damn, I could do much better.” I say that sometimes, and sometimes I think there is no way I could ever achieve that level of brushwork.
Where do you rate? I propose a little contest. Let’s see who can not only replicate the hack’s most famous painting Cottage by the Sea, but improve on it. The subject matter is set in stone, but nothing else is. Choose your own medium (oil, acrylic, watercolor, pen and ink, charcoal, sculpture, peeps and shoebox, poetry, song, interpretive dance, poo-flinging), pallette, composition, etc. Post your results here, and let other Dopers judge your success.
Who’s in? I am.
The only question is a timeframe. A week? Six months? Ten years? For me, I’d need maybe a month.
Good Lord, Jim; I’m an artist, not a miracle worker!
I’m not at all averse to a competition - it sounds like fun! I’ve only done about 12 little paintings in the past 3 years (since my twins were born), this would be excellent motivation!
However, I’m a “plein-air” painter, meaning that I only work from reality. Not photographs. And I don’t happen to live near an ocean.
Would you accept an interpretation of “sea”, with cornfields in place of actual water?
Competing against Thomas Kinkade at landscape painting sounds sort of like arguing theology with L. Ron Hubbard.
Coincidentally, I have been thinking about teaching myself to paint, and just recently bought some el cheapo acrylics and canvas panels for that purpose… but starting out by trying to outdo Thomas Kinkade seems like a classic no-win situation. If I fail, that means I’m not as good at painting as Thomas Kinkade… but if I succeed, all it proves is that I’m better at painting than Thomas Kinkade. Tell me, where is the joy in either outcome?
Painting with acrylics is hard. They’re too unforgiving. So if it doesn’t look as good as Kinkade’s, you can just say “well, I was using acrylic…” and nod knowingly
Personally, I don’t find waves of grain to be as fun to frolic in as waves of salt water, but if you can make it work, then work it, girl! In fact, if you can sufficiently mock Kinkade with your Cottage by the Corn, then you might just earn your place in art history books.
Lose-lose? Hell no! I see it as win-win. For one thing, the subject is a solid one. “Cottage by the Sea” is a pretty basic foundation for a composition. For another, forcing ourselves to imitate yet improve can only make ourselves stonger artists. Nothing wrong with that. Third, this could be a great exercise in thinking strongly about composition and color. Those are areas in which I need vast improvement.
For you, it’s a tall order, but it will force you to ramp up pretty quickly. You’ll have to learn the basics first, of course, and you shouldn’t skip them. But a forced challenge is a great way to learn.
As for a time frame, take whatever time you need. As a soft target, I’d suggest mid-summer. Late July-ish, maybe. We all have other projects that need doing. This is just a lark.
I don’t suppose anyone could recommend some good books on acrylic painting technique? I observe that the medium ranks a distant third behind watercolor and oil in its representation at the local library, though it is marginally more popular than scrimshaw. The few available books offer advice of dubious quality, such as blending paint by washing one’s brush between every single stroke (if this is truly the best way to achieve color gradation, no wonder acrylic is so popular). A basic nuts-and-bolts guide would be much appreciated, so long as it doesn’t include mention of “happy trees.”
Terrifel, what’s your previous experience with drawing and/or painting? Do you just need a few tips or are you at the beginning of your creative journey?
The book I always recommend is Betty Edwards’ Drawing on the Right Side of the Brain. She has a chapter on color work in there that should give you a good start. And she’s published a newer book that deals exclusively with color.
I don’t even have a TripTik for my creative journey yet. I draw when I want to relax, but I never actually get around to finishing any of it unless people actively threaten me. I’ve played around with acrylics before, years ago, but I feel comfortable saying that I don’t have any real idea what I’m doing. I’ll feel vindicated if I reach a stage where the paint starts to resemble recognizable objects (other than muddy blobs of paint) after I push it around on the canvas. I understand that oils are easier to manage, but I know myself well enough to prefer the less poisonous medium.
