Why Beginners Should Paint the Same Object Repeatedly

While painting the same object multiple times can seem repetitive and uninspiring, it is also the very foundation of how the Old Masters painted. In the beginning, you will be focused on completing a painting as fast as possible, which does not allow you to reflect on what happened. Painting the same object, whether it be a small plaster cast, a cup, or an apple, means you are not focused on the end result, but on how much you have improved. You start to notice new things each time you paint, like how changing the position of a light source affects the edge of a shadow, or how tilting a drawing slightly can throw off an entire structure.

The first time through you will likely feel like you are in way over your head. Your line work will be sloppy, your proportions may be off, and your light may not seem to match up. Resist the temptation to try and fix everything right now. Instead, just try to finish the painting and be aware of the general forms. When you come back to paint the object again, set the object up in roughly the same position and try again. What you’ll notice the second time through is that your hand is moving much more confidently because your eye already knows what the basic shape of the object is. You’re not trying to guess where the shadow starts or where the object curves.

One of the biggest pitfalls I see when painting an object multiple times is the temptation to try and correct all your mistakes at once. This will only lead to overthinking and stiff brushstrokes. Instead try to focus on fixing only one thing at a time. If you struggled with proportions the first time through, try to focus more on measuring the width and height of the object this time. If you struggled with muddy shadows, try to focus on trying to get a better transition from light to dark. By narrowing down what you’re trying to accomplish each time, you avoid getting overwhelmed.

You don’t need to dedicate a whole day to painting in order to make this technique effective. Simply spend 5 minutes observing the object and blocking in the outside shape of it. Then spend 10 minutes painting the largest shadow mass and one middle value. The next day, come back and paint the same object again from scratch and compare it to your previous attempt. You will naturally start to see some changes and these changes will help you identify what areas you are improving in and what areas you still need to work on.

Eventually you will start to feel very comfortable painting the same object. You will start to feel like you know it so well you could paint it in your sleep. This is a good thing. It means you can stop worrying about the basics and can start to focus on more nuanced concepts, like value transitions, brushstrokes, and form. Over time you will see your paintings start to reflect more of what you know, rather than just what you’re guessing at, and the act of painting will start to become more meditative as you continue to paint the same simple subject over and over again.