Charles Reid quotes
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Charles Reid Quotes



Quotes by Charles Reid - (20 quotes)

Charles Reid - From the Advice category:

Simplify, know what you want to say, stand back once in a while, and look at your picture upside down and see if it works. (Charles Reid)

Charles Reid - From the Colour category:

Partially mixed colors, mixed on the paper, are more interesting than thoroughly mixed colors from the palette's mixing area. (Charles Reid)

Charles Reid - From the Colour category:

I use the same palette of colors in oil and watercolor, and I've never worried about transparent or opaque pigments, since I'm not glazing. (Charles Reid)

Charles Reid - From the Drawing category:

Contour drawing helps you see that the things you are drawing aren't things but rather shapes that intertwine and connect. (Charles Reid)

Charles Reid - From the Drawing category:

Drawing on the spot is the easiest way to learn to draw the figure. It's not contour drawing in the traditional sense of not looking at the drawing, but to look and draw on the spot is very helpful. (Charles Reid)

Charles Reid - From the Expression category:

-on writing instructional books...
I love writing the books. It's problem solving: How do I express myself more succinctly? (Charles Reid)

Charles Reid - From the Illusion category:

I work very slowly, which may come as a surprise because most people think I paint loosely. That's an illusion. Each stroke counts. Fewer strokes with more thought is better. (Charles Reid)

Charles Reid - From the Improvisation category:

The more you know, the more you can improvise. You do have to know what you are doing, but once you have the skills, you can make it up as you go along. (Charles Reid)

Charles Reid - From the Mistakes category:

I don't want my paintings to look too practiced or repetitive. I'm not happy with mistakes, but they are essential to retain a sense of freshness. I want to paint things that are alive. (Charles Reid)

Charles Reid - From the Models category:

My early training was in figure painting. Capturing the personality and gesture of a model fascinates me... The model takes a pose that is natural and comfortable, and I adjust it if necessary to make it pleasing. (Charles Reid)

Charles Reid - From the Painting category:

Let the painting tell you what it needs. (Charles Reid)

Charles Reid - From the Painting category:

Painting, like other forms of art such as jazz, is a 'happening.' The more you know, the better it is. (Charles Reid)

Charles Reid - From the Planning category:

I don't plan pictures per se. I just start drawing and painting. I find that small preliminary sketches don't work. They don't translate well to a larger format. And it's more fun not to have a plan. (Charles Reid)

Charles Reid - From the Renewal category:

I try to pretend I don't know how to paint, so the experience is new each time. (Charles Reid)

Charles Reid - From the Seeing category:

When I look at my subject, if I squint and lose an edge, I lose it in the painting immediately. I also lose the edges in the shadows or those that are receding. I keep the harder edges, those in the light. You want a half-and-half rule, where half of the boundaries are lost and half are found. But all of these are done carefully and with great thought. (Charles Reid)

Charles Reid - From the Simplicity category:

-on writing instructional books...
I don't think the books have affected my painting, but they do show me how important brevity is. Brevity is important in writing and in painting. The two cross over, and I try to keep them both as simple as possible. (Charles Reid)

Charles Reid - From the Spontaneity category:

People think I'm spontaneous, but I'm not. (Charles Reid)

Charles Reid - From the Subject category:

I've painted so long that I don't want to keep painting the same old things. (Charles Reid)

Charles Reid - From the Teaching category:

Wonderful things can happen if you put your brush down and let your painting be your teacher. (Charles Reid)

Charles Reid - From the Watercolours category:

I always connect the figure to the background. Drawing is critical for the figure in watercolor. (Charles Reid)