The Artist's Guide to Living a Magical Life
Thierry Lafontaine
- Hall:
- Art Track
What the talk is about
Thierry Lafontaine talks about how an artist can live a "magical" life by doing everything from the heart, and how that philosophy works in painting. His main technical principle is unity and variety: he doesn't copy details but reproduces their balance, so loose scribbles look messy up close and realistic from a distance. He applies the same idea to textures, color (value, saturation, temperature) and composition in studies from photos and old masters. Second, skill grows from love, attention and gratitude toward a subject, much like friendship; he uses studying a cube and one's own hands as examples. Third, follow your heart, play for no reason and learn from nature. Useful for artists and anyone learning to draw who is looking for their own voice.