r/firelookouts • u/Apart-One4133 • 12d ago

Just started painting and..

Post image

I just started painting this season, This is my 3rd canvas after having sketched it a couple times. My wife say it's beautiful but I need some honest opinions here 😅.

Is this worth leaving at the site for the next one (although most likely that would be me, but who knows) or should I just being it back home instead ?

So.. Would YOU, as a Lookout, be happy to find this or would it go directly to the garbage on your first service ?

67 Upvotes

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4

u/MorningIndependent87 12d ago

Personally, I think anyone willing to throw away art of the lookout they are working, made by someone who worked there previously, is a bit of a dick. If they don’t like it, they can just tuck it behind something.

From what I can see, your canvas looks a little big, so I’m not too sure they would be inclined to keep it propped up somewhere, unless there’s already a good spot for it (like on the firefinder podium or whatever). Whenever I do a painting for a lookout, I usually do it as a postcard size or smaller. That way it can easily be tucked in a drawer (plus it makes getting the really fine details less of a concern).

2

u/Apart-One4133 12d ago

It is a big canvas yes. I wouldnt feel comfortable with smaller sizes because I feel like I wouldnt be good enough for them. Im just started out and even my pencil drawing is pretty bad. I went for a cupola today but my aim is to draw fields so I bought some larger sized canvas with that in mind. 

But there's a pretty big cabin at my Lookout, there's a bedroom and a main room so lots of places to hang stuff on. It wouldnt be hung in the tower itself. 

And yeah that's a good point on your first paragraph 😅. 

1

u/MorningIndependent87 12d ago

In that case, don’t even worry about it. It’s perfectly fine the way it is and I would hope that any future lookouts would really appreciate it. If it helps at all, I almost always do a painting with the reference image on my phone immediately next to it. Even painting a view that is right in front of me is hard to frame, so a screen can really help with that.

Additionally, try messing around with different mediums if you can, just to see what style you enjoy most. I bounce around between acrylic, watercolor, and pen sketches, and all of them have their perks and drawbacks. Just keep making stuff and you’ll see how your technique progresses

1

u/Apart-One4133 12d ago

Great, Ill stop overthinking it then ! 

Thanks for the advices. Will definitly try to use my phone for framing ! 

2

u/Sensitive_Implement 12d ago

There's no way to know what the next person will think. Will it make somebody happy? It certainly might.

1

u/Apart-One4133 12d ago

Noted, thanks ! 

1

u/pitamakan 12d ago

Of course there's no way of knowing ... but if I was that next lookout, it would make me happy.

I guess the real question is, do you have a place for it at home?

1

u/Apart-One4133 11d ago

 Glad to know you would enjoy it. I do have room at home for it. Do I have room for it in the car tho, that I don't know haha

1

u/redEPICSTAXISdit 10d ago

I wouldn't throw it away. I'd definitely leave it alone and let others enjoy it as well. Only thing I would work on is the angle of the underside in the bottom right. If the building is a true octagon and all the sides are equal then the right would look closer to the same angle as the left. Obviously the angle would be oblong due to perspective and could be slightly kiltered of viewing off center but as is that angle is the only thing throwing off the reality imo. Everything else is great, especially for only your 3rd time painting.

1

u/Apart-One4133 10d ago

You're right, and I can't unsee it now 😫. But anyway I decided to add a bit more details to it. Such as adding the ladder (which would be on the right side) so Ill be able to repair the part you mentioned and add stuff on top of it to make it look less obvious as well. 

Thanks !Â