Matt Smith's Working Process

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Matt Smith has always said a good working process for painting is to work “large to small, dark to light, and thin to thick.” Truth is, for every artist out there, there is a unique method of working. Generally speaking though, this is a good base approach. In other words, the subtle variations from painter to painter generally fit within this line of thinking.

“It is tough for us to discount detail at the start, but we’re creating paintings, not documents. Celebrate your subjects, don’t document them. ”

Let’s talk about the “large to small” idea. What that means is we start with the larger shapes and work down to the fine detail. Working the other way around oftentimes leads to harmony issues because one tends to consider things out of relationship to everything else. Get those large shapes down and make sure the value and color harmonize from one shape to the next. Once that’s done, you’re ready to lay in as much detail as you’d like.

Painting this way will also allow you to work more quickly and accurately. Yes, it’s tough for us to discount detail at the start, but we’re creating paintings, not documents. Celebrate your subjects, don’t document them.

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