The Simplest Lesson
When I was just a kid, my family moved frequently, so I attended several different schools in various locations across America, including a few in the vibrant city of Phoenix, where I currently reside. At one of the schools during my formative years, I was fortunate to encounter a genuinely memorable teacher who inspired and motivated me at an early age. My fourth-grade teacher’s simple but profound gesture embedded a life-long lesson that has significantly shaped my focus on my art and creativity.
I’m unsure if his lesson was intentional or emerged as a happy discovery. It felt more like an organic realization that has stayed with me throughout my life. On one of the classroom walls was a small cartoon that my teacher, Mr. Hedgepath, had posted. In the cartoon, an artist is sitting at his easel, his face hidden by his long hair, and the painting was simply lines representing his hair. The caption read, “I paint what I see, Man. I paint what I see.“
That simple cartoon led to a life of understanding that all artists paint what they see. What they see varies, naturally, but the artist has to see it, if only in their mind, before they can create it.
I Paint What I See
Of all the things I paint, the question I get most is, “How do you paint chrome?“
Often, I reply with, “I paint what I see,” and leave it at that. For fellow artists, I share an article I wrote in late 2000 that was published in Airbrush Action magazine (April 2001), featuring my motorcycle painting, INDIAN SUMMER, titled A Study in Chrome and Reflected Surfaces. In my article I outline a step-by-step process to paint chrome with the airbrush.
For most non-artists, the “paint what I see” answer is enough. And the truth is, it’s as simple as that for almost anything I draw or paint. There is no unique mystery to painting chrome. In many ways, painting chrome is like painting anything else. The secret is in seeing…
Look Into The Chrome, Not At It
I love to draw. I take a drawing pad and my pens and pencils everywhere. Drawing helps me understand the world around me better. Sometimes, when I enjoy my alone time, I draw whatever is within my eyesight, or whatever falls out of my head.
Through a lifetime of drawing I’ve come to understand that seeing a thing and studying a thing are two different things. We all see things, lots of things, every day. But how often do we stop and look at something or, as in the case of shiny and reflective things, look into a thing?
I like my automotive and motorcycle artworks to be as accurate as possible. Because I enjoy painting in a realistic style, I rely on photo reference images that I take. My pics allow me to study my subject matter in more detail and see into them with more accuracy than painting live. Since my paintings take a lot of time, I often refer to my photos during the painting process, and it’s a good thing since, as I paint, details are revealed that I don’t always see at first glance. The more I progress with a painting, the more details I see and that drives me to include them in my art.
Beyond The Chrome
What I see in my reference pictures goes beyond just copying pictures as art. Regardless of what I am painting, chrome or otherwise, looking beyond the surface is essential. If I am creating figurative artwork, I try to see past the skin or fabric to understand better what I am painting. Naturally, a basic understanding of anatomy helps when painting people, but as with anything, studying your subject matter makes all the difference. As with everything in art, the deeper you look, the more you see. And the more you discover, the better you can express your ideas through art.
- Hero image AI generated via Adobe Photoshop prompt.
- All artworks by A.D. Cook. All rights reserved.
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A.D. is an artist who started drawing at a young age. Throughout his life, he has worked with different creative tools in traditional and digital art and design. His art and writings have been showcased in various publications such as Airbrush Action Magazine, Airbrush Magazine, American Art Collector, Art & Beyond, Dream To Launch, Easyriders, Las Vegas City Life, Las Vegas Weekly, L’Vegue, ModelsMania, Quick Throttle, and The Ultimate Airbrush Handbook.
