Ask HN: How can I learn how to paint?

For someone coming from a programming background I think that a topic worthy of doing in paint is 'abstraction'. In code we 'abstract things out' into classes and what not but we don't have 'abstract coders', it is part of what code is.

With painting there is abstract done properly and understanding what it is about. Abstract painting is hard for people used to still life and landscape scenes to understand. Some people just don't get it.

Hence my suggestion is to learn through doing what abstract art is, good abstract art is not the same breed as bad abstract art. There is also a difference in knowing when a piece is finished, there is also an aspect of minimalism akin to neat code. Intellectually I think that it hits the high notes and if a coder with one idea of what 'abstract' means in code goes on a journey of learning what 'abstract' really means in art then they should be able to engage in a creative journey with a difference. Transferable skills and all.

I did that - studied on how to paint a design on a shirt. At some point you gotta just buy the stuff and start and experience how it works and what to do next.

Just like everyone will show you the "best way to build an app" there's a lot of books that will show you the "best way to paint". And like app development, ultimately you will need to just work it out for yourself and hone your own style.

I'd set your sights on whatever you want to see painted and how then do whatever it takes to achieve it. :-)

A real shame conceptart.org is dead...

edit: https://vimeo.com/29510470 here's a slideshow of his submitted works, a lot of the old hosting is gone

What is your current ability to draw? Before you start wrangling a craft-intensive media, develop the ability to get scale and proportion and line correct, and learn you some composition. A sketchbook of decent paper and some good art pencils will help you accomplish all of that. An old book that "worked for me" w.r.t. going from crap drawings to "ok, I can practice now and get better" is "Drawing on the Right Side of the Brain." I haven't seen that book in a while, so I don't know if it is still around. Start with a drawing class if you are not confident in your drawing ability.

But maybe you already draw well and understand composition and color, and want to tackle a painting media. Think about which media is right for you. My observations (I am not a painter):

Water color: My sister is a professional artist and art teacher, and does mostly water color. This media requires modest set-up and clean-up. The paper and tools are somewhat specialized. It rewards good use of negative space, and color blending using washes and layering. The ultimate "less is more" media. Color blending is reasonably logical.

Acrylic: My mother's media choice, after charcoal drawings. It acts somewhat like oil, and you can achieve oil-like effects. But it dries much, much faster, so wet-on-wet techniques are mostly not a thing. Set-up is a little less work that oil, clean-up is HUGELY easier than oil. Color blending is fairly logical.

Oil: My daughter's favorite media. Set aside space for it. Set aside painting clothes. (Well, actually, if you go into your your painting room, stains will leap onto whatever you are wearing, so those clothes will become oil painting clothes.) Set up is not bad, since you have a room permanently set up for oil painting. Clean-up is time consuming, so oils are really only practical if you have large blocks of time. Color blending is abstruse. (My daughter is now living in a college dorm room, so oils are not part of her life, and she is using it as an opportunity to learn water color and acrylic. She finds acrylic's rapid drying to be an annoyance.)

Again, for any of these media, find a class. There is a craft to each of them, and it will save you frustration.