Directions for Folk Art Painting

Folk art is a genre of art that encompasses a range of working-class art in direct contrast to fine art. Historically, folk art is indigenous to a particular area done by working-class as opposed to famous artists. Folk art is meant to be decorative and very often serves other purposes as well, furthering the working-class label. A folk-art painting might have a country or city theme, depending upon where it's created, and will often depict its surroundings in a historical context.

Things You'll Need

• Canvas
• Pencils
• Sketch pad
• Acrylic or oil paint
• Paintbrushes

Instructions

1. Sketch your idea in pencil before you begin. You can do this directly on your canvas or use an artist's sketch pad. Get the basic elements of your painting down. Try to capture something specific about the area in which you live. Mountain ranges or trains may be at the forefront of your particular area. Make those the forefront of your painting.

2. Paint with realism as opposed to the abstract. Paint something that people will see and recognize. Try to tell a visual story with your painting. Folk art is typically not hard to understand and often takes a what-you-see-is-what-you-get approach. Don't go overboard on symbolic elements.

3. Stay away from overly bright colors. Use a lot of natural earth tones and darker tones. That isn't to say that you should never have bright colors in your folk-art paintings, but stay away from the hot neon colors. Folk art should have a very warm, comforting appeal. Don't worry about perfection or too many details. Folk art often has a primitive appeal.

4. Take advantage of live settings whenever possible. Paint what you see in your surroundings, not simply what is there. Part of folk art is putting yourself into the painting. What's actually there is only half the picture. The other half will be made up of your setting and the way you see it. This is the part of the painting that will make it folk art more than anything, as well as a personal artistic interpretation.

References

• All Free Crafts: How to Paint Folk Art