Finding Inspiration From Black & White Speed Paintings

For many painters, there are two basic ways to create an abstract. The first is through the use of a reference image and second is by creating it from scratch on an empty canvas, simply letting the painting suggest a way forward, step by step.

The first method naturally takes time because you have to search for images that inspire you, then sketch them out into compositions and finally paint them. Meanwhile, the second way can also be very tricky, especially if the painting is non-objective (no subject matter) and you are feeling your way to an end result, one brush stroke at a time. It can be a little like trying to piece together a jigsaw puzzle.

In this exercise, I am going to show you another method – creating your own unique and intriguing abstract mini compositions by using only black and white paint and some affordable matt board offcuts. With this black and white speed painting technique you will have no preconceived idea of what it will become, and can create beautiful abstract compositions in just minutes without having to use any references at all! This can then be used as your reference to paint with by choosing the composition you love the most for a larger artwork. 

METHODOLOGY

To get started, you will need some black and white paint, a handful of different sized brushes (large, medium and small), some matt board off-cuts or a pad of watercolour paper around A4 in size or a full sheet of watercolour paper divided up into squares. You might also use a black water colour pencil/crayons or mark painting implements such as; cotton tips, sticks or chinese dip pens for some additional details with a little black ink or high flow paint. 

Firstly, I make sure I have some black, white and grey on my pallet (with a brush for each colour). This enables me to have lights, mediums and darks ready to grab. The reason I use black and white is to keep things simple. This is an exercise in tonal variation and contrast (playing with lights, mediums and darks) and making lots of interesting marks and brush strokes. 

Once I have these materials, I spread out 10 sheets in close proximity to each other or set up my sheet of watercolour paper, set the timer for 5 minutes and turn up the music really loud then paint like crazy! Your mission in those 5 minutes (and please make sure that you stick to that time, so that you don't overthink this exercise or fuss around too much), is about using your instinct to slap the paint around and have some fun! It doesn’t matter if some pieces turn into a mess – you can always cover these with white and start again. You are after a variety of shapes, sizes, tones and marks. Your paint should be infused with lots of spontaneous energy and your marks should be random and unique. Let your inner artist shine through!

I usually start by painting my blacks on each substrate. Then I place my whites and add the mid tone greys after that. Keep adding lights and darks until you feel a sense of balance start to emerge. I then add my marks with a pencil, crayon or other mark making implements. Make sure you have a play with lots of different mark making objects as mentioned earlier with Black FW Ink or High Flow Paint.

It really doesn't matter if you don't love the overall mini designs that you end up with, as you can use a homemade viewfinder (a piece of A4 paper with a square cut in the middle of it) and move this around each composition, until you find more compositions you love! Take some pictures of these as references to use down the track. You'll be surprised at just how many little mini designs you can find.

EXAMPLES

As with anything abstract, there is no right or wrong way to do this. Just make sure you enjoy the process and play! I have included some photos of my finished pieces so that you can see how you might turn these into larger abstract compositions.

Full sheet of watercolour paper broken into 35 squares. I had landscapes in mind when I created this. 

Speed paintings on matt board off cuts.

Here are two of my favourite black and white compositions.

And with the magic of Photoshop for the purpose of demonstrating this exercise , I have added a little colour and detail showing just how easy it is to use these speed paintings as a reference for the building blocks for a larger artwork. Your art is only limited by your imagination and willingness to learn a bag full of tricks (techniques) along the way.

I know from my own experience that when you have a few hours to spare to devote to painting, it's much more fun and productive if you have some inspiration ready at hand. So why not put today's black and white speed painting project into practice? I would love to see your mini designs once completed, so please drop me an email with a little pic. Happy painting!

Please feel free to contact me if you have any questions and/or thoughts on this subject matter. 

See you next time, with more Abstract Art ideas!

Until then...

Stay Creative! :)

xo Sharon