Establishing a Strong Focal Point 

You are an exceptional teacher, not only of art, but of anything. You have mastered the art of offering criticism of a work while not destroying the ego of the producer. Not an easy thing to learn or implement. Especially in a field where people are in effect baring their soul if they hope to progress or produce exemplary work.

I continue, because I hit post before I finished my comment. As I was trying to say, I too have been watching every spare moment! Stefan is everything one could hope for in an instructor - passionate, encouraging, patient, and funny. Everyone who experiences his instruction first hand is truly fortunate. Being "there" via video is very exciting. Thank you so much for being so generous with your time and talent.

Oh you are a breath of fresh air and information ! I struggled with trees and flowers and portraits, and took some classes and decided - forget it - that was in the 80s and 90s. I am now 82 and feel like a first grade student. Thank you so much for distilling down all your learning and teaching me at this late stage. I am inspired. Choose a focal point, and work from there. What wisdom.... its opened all sorts of doors for me.. I’m working in pastels and not oils, but I am going though all the videos I can find. Please come to Austin Texas. Ann

You are such a captivating teacher Mr.Baumann. I enjoy being in your class via Utube. I have become your enthusiastic student. Greetings from Zambia.

Another wonderful tutorial! Thank you Stefan Baumann.

Your videos are so useful because so few teachers really talk in depth about composition. I think the composition really makes the painting.

These videos are so intriguing.... I binge watch them. I can see these ideas slowly making a difference in my paintings.. Thank you so much Stefan. I am always amazed at the incredible knowledge people share on the internet. In a way we are spoiled with the knowledge that generous people freely share. so amazing...

more than just the best pleas never stop teaching

Judy's artwork is beautiful!! I love the lights and shadows.

Thanks for emphasizing on CFP. It is going to make my life a lot easier. Thanks again for pushing me out of my room and paint outdoors. There is nothing like it.

I especially appreciated the tips on eyes. My faces all had the eyes done last.

I just cannot believe you just shed light on why I am in art school and not learning a darn thing! My painting instructor was in college in the 60s! In fact he said this was how they learned AND they were usually high! I have had to live on RU-vid just to survive and grow a tiny bit. I have learned more watching you critique and talk about theory in a few videos than I have in the last 2 years. After I graduate (ArtEd) and have a job, I am going to hire you as my coach! So for now, thankyou sooooo much for making this generous information available. I will be so thrilled to pay YOU as a coach rather than throw all my money at this university. I want to teach like you once I am a teacher.

I could listen to you for hours...keep em coming!

I am a photography lover do in it, but after I started learning oil painting my concept of photography as an art has changed a lot. Now days I completely agree with Mr Stefan. I see it as a technical skill but not as art. Great video, thanks.

I really appreciate this video. It gave me lots to think about. It clarified what I want to paint.

i LOVE your videos, because them bring light to my artist life! Thanks for being!

Thank you 😊 so much. I think u was the first one I watched before 4 years when I decided to try oil painting.

Thank you for sharing these videos. You are an amazing painter and teacher. PS: For me you already am the best art teacher.

You have just said exactly what I experienced. I was a teacher of English and I had to figure it all out too. You are a great teacher.

Stefan, great to find your channel. I was also trained the seventies. Still learning 40 years later...

Great video! Thank you for sharing your wisdom.❤️

mitt største ønske er å få oppleve 1 dag med Stefan Baumann.

Really like your teaching, Stefan! Very clear and concise. Thank you.

Thank you for the great advice on focal point !

Thank you for an amazing lesson, I will use this lesson when I go outside to paint this week. And I know this lesson will make a huge difference!

Thank you, thank you, thank you! Most teaching says to work dark to light. Thank you for talking about getting the focal point in at the beginning. This point seems more 'natural' for me. I have always liked working more light to dark, just somewhat intuitive. I thought there was something wrong with doing this. Thank you, thank you, thank you.

This is just so helpful! You're just an incredible teacher.

Love your lessons. Love how you teach.

I have gained so so much knowledge. I have watched video after video and have learned so much!!! Thank you

Great video, nice evolution of the painting also. I would like to see the final piece. I would also add the cast shadow of a wire with hanging clothes ( or something) to show human interaction in the painting and to help to give interest to the light side. Thanks for sharing Stefan.

This guy rocks!

Thanks I love the way you teach.

the technique is very cool and useful . Thanks for showing us the light

love these videos

Thank you . . . Happy holidays.

Stefan I've been having a blast painting while I listen to you instruction. Your instruction, critiques, and insights are so incredibly helpful, more than all the other junk out there lol. I just finished a painting based on the instructions I've been absorbing and I would love to share it with you. I will try to find a way to send it. Email maybe? It uses the principles that you speak of: focal point, magical play of light, eye magnet, drama, and I think it came out quite well. I would love to hear your reactions to the painting. Thank you for your very important instructions, In just a few days, I think my paintings have leapt forward from what would have taken me years otherwise. Thank you, thank you, thank you! Blessings to you!

amazing stuff... thank you so much

Great video!

This is going to make such a difference in my paintings . I always do the focal point last. I spend way to much time on all the details in the background and spend weeks looking at a painting without the focal point

Amazing!

Always a balancing act. Great video.

I am gonna use this for Pantings/Illustrations and Comicwork!

I have enjoyed your teachings very much but was amazed at your casual attitude on the toxicity of the paints. Yes, I do know artists that have died and also many artists who have become allergic. I speak from personal experience as someone who painted with oils and am severely allergic to petroleum based products now. Headaches, nausea, burning eyes and throat and breathing problems practically immediately being around oils/petroleum products. Cadmium colors are not used by the automotive industry due to their toxicity. Liquitex paints have now came out with a paint that that gives the artist what we love in the cadmium colors but is not cadmium based.

Steven Baumann you are amazing. I am learning so much from your videos....just discovered you a few months ago. Have been wanting to find someone who teaches like you for a few years. Looking fwd to hiring you for coaching. Thank you for your wonderful UTube teachings.

Another awesome video :D I have to say the landscape painting in the intro is soooo lovely, almost mystical, belonging to a fantasy world! As for the painting in the video. I love the lighting and the composition of the staircase. Really adds a story in there. I read colour and light by James Gurney and it's truly amazing and complicated how light works but it's definitely what differentiates a normal painting to an extraordinary painting. I also enjoy photography and I've watched documentaries how the pro's take them and it truly is hard work and they also need to know about central focal points a lot too :) And also thanks so much for the tip for painting the eyes first. I usually paint them last. GUILTY! My next painting is a portrait of an orangutan and luckily I watched your video because it's going to be greyscale (except for the eyes. It's my first time doing black and white so outside my comfort zone hehe) so I want it loose, which fur will be be visible whilst the shadows will mostly disappear into the black. Thanks again for sharing your priceless knowledge :D

In my opinion, it wouldn't matter what medium you are using in painting. Know the price of your materials and form a ratio to determine the cost per inch. Not always easy, yet it helps price my work.

Like this!!!!!

Mr. Baumann, do you have a Grand View video that shows that you are painting in the snow? If there is, would it be possible for your team to upload at least a few snippets of it?

Great passion, subd!

HI, from Greece!!!😀

Cool

Thanks

I would like to know whether the golden mean grids can be used on any canvas not necessarily golden mean canvas... If so how?

Useful advice . Know your central focal point. I think it is more about design,composition and balancing every element including light,shadow,colour. I liked when he said you need 2 ppl to paint,one to paint,the other one to say,' hey,stop. You have finished. There is nothing more to do. New joke for me. Painters have beautiful assistants,especially girls as the men get older, to get chuckles before the girls stand or sit as models than the painting itself. Male assistants simply wash brushes,arrange colours. The 'master' simply came in,mixed colours and start his painting while the asst simply watching work to learn from it. The same as happens with cinematographer or these days DOP.

Why should we lay the background as quickly as possible? I know that seems like a stupid question but I'm genuinely curious. I'm an oil painter specializing in portraits but I find myself creating the image as I work. Is there a downside to working the way I currently do that I can't seem to currently pin-point? Thanks in advance!

Hello Stefan, I'm writing to say thank you, and inquire into your interest in providing online training/mentoring. My thank you is for putting your lectures on RU-vid. I have been working my way through them, and decided to try and apply some of techniques you have spoken of, so I went out to my local river bank and took some pictures (yes I'm a photographer/digital artist which I know is not your favorite, but it is who I am for a variety of reasons which I would be happy to share with you at some point). When I took these pictures I was thinking about your lessons on the Golden Mean, Eye Magnets and Central Focal Point. The time of day was late morning and the natural lighting was less than dramatic, and the early spring colors were somewhat muted. When I got the picture home I did some extreme editing. First thing I did was make the image extremely dark, recalling your comment that lighting/light should only be 5% - 10%. Once I had the image dark, I then began to 'light' what was going to be the central focal point, in this case just a patch of grass. I also brought out the colors so the grass appeared much greener in the focal point. Once I had this done I attempted to highlight Eye Magnets in a circular pattern to bring people around and back to the CFP. I took this image and posted it on Fine Art America (a online printing and framing portal with community features etc) just to see what people’s reaction would be. Well in 3 days I have sold 2 prints (which is as fast as I have sold anything there) and have the image published in three groups. This indicated your information is excellent! THANK YOU! The only negative feedback was from a friend who mostly commented on my blithe description. I am looking forward to doing more work with these techniques. I know the 'painterly' effect used on the image is a cheap trick, but the image did not feel right as a 'photograph' to me, so this effect is what I went with. Here is a link to the image on FAA. fineartamerica.com/featured/springs-arrival-karl-fritz.html I’m not sure if you are interested in providing critiques of work I do because of the medium I am working in, if you do have interest let me know a good time to call and we can discuss it further. I am interested in both creative/craftsmanship (I thought perhaps still life similiar to some of your online classes) and business where applicable. Sincerely Karl Fritz

Stefan I love your videos, have watched 47 of your videos so far. Thank you so much. ♥¸¸.•*´¯`♥

I will be entering hopefully 2 paintings in Maryland Migratory Game Bird Stamp Design. Cost to enter is reasonable. Think this is their last time, and it is just for only two placements, First and second. No honorable mentions. The cost to enter, I had no excuse not to try at least. Many great artist. I have seen for years same names win. I just never had the money to enter. Hope I get some feed back, if I am good enough to try and enter in other shows. Money has always been my problem. I all ready keep heat set at 50 in Wisconsin winters, and do without stove & refrig, Too costly on energy. I do have a cat my only expense. Don't have a Car.

An artist creates❣️ Love of beauty is taste. The creation of beauty is art - Ralph Waldo Emerson

i don't have the auditive skill to translate it but, whats the name of the guy of the cementery photograph? excelent class btw, thanks for sharing!

I went to your site and your art is magnificent...but how do you price a watercolor? $2 a square inch? or $1?

i tookk a shot evertime he saidd ce tral focal ppoint and nowe i can nt type. haha jk Stefan. love your videos

Do you underpaint?

Moments, capturing, recreating them. Why, and how - this video touches on that. Brilliant. I will add, because Stefan himself says Ansel Adams took a picture, that he probably doesn’t realize (and I’m only vaguely aware of the details) the artistry Ansel took to present his “Moonrise, Hernandez, New Mexico” masterpiece. But I’m willing to guess it was very much what Stefan speaks to in this video. ( www.google.com/search?q=ansel+adams+moonrise+hernandez+new+mexico&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8&hl=en-us&client=safari ).

"Moonrise Over Hernandez" (New Mexico), AA (either Ansel Adams, or Anselholics Anonymous ;-)).

Ego in art.

I did that exact thing!!! To start my painting i smeared paint all over my naked boobs and belly and pressed into the canvas!

Mn Esss pol