The method of painting once learned applies to every kind of subject; it is not necessary to have a different method for each thing one wishes to paint. Beginning with a good foundation in drawing, which is indispensable, and having learned the use of the colors and mastered the general principles of art, the student is prepared to paint any object that is put before him. To do this well, however, requires time, constant practice, and patient study from nature.
The most difficult thing to paint is the human face and figure. For this reason the art students in Europe are always trained to draw thoroughly from life, no matter what special direction their talents may afterward assume. Landscape painters, flower painters, and those who have devoted themselves to still-life subjects, have all the same rigid preliminary training. The student therefore can not be too careful or thorough in studying drawing before beginning to paint. Do not depend upon copying any more than is absolutely necessary. In attempting to paint, when one has no teacher, it is well to copy at first a few good things that will help to teach the use of the colors and manner of using the brush. After this, begin to study at once from nature. The simplest arrangement of a flower or two, a vase, or a piece of drapery is worth more than all the copies in the world. It is your own.
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