Article: Study the color, shape, texture, and size of random things you encounter throughout your day. Look at the face of the person you're talking to. Notice how light affects the shadows and the shape of their features. Pay special attention to how light looks on certain textures like clothing and skin. Noticing these things will help you gain a better understanding of how real objects look with different types of light hitting them. As a fun exercise, try to describe objects without using their names to help you visualize and capture shapes. For example, if you're looking at a tree, you might describe the trunk as a sloping cylinder and the leaves as tiny lemon shapes. When you're looking at something, notice any color variations and how that causes your eyes to want to linger or move to another area. Note the subtle hues within a certain color (like all the different shades of red on an apple). For instance, if you're looking at a brightly colored tulip, note how the hot pink petals contrast with the soft green hue of the stem and how your eyes are drawn to the lighter tips of the petals. Take time to squint your eyes at a particular thing, landscape, or scene. Squinting minimizes your eyes ability to see color and detail and blurs the distinctions between things. This is especially helpful if you want to paint a mass of individual things that are far away like a landscape or a forest full of trees. Squinting will also help you distinguish between shadows and light. When you're looking at a particular object or scene, notice the background space (like a wall, table, or backdrop). Allowing negative space in your paintings will give it a sense of balance or tension depending on the scene and overall esthetic. For example, take note of the colors, shadows, and textures of objects behind the central objects you'd like to paint. For instance, a burnt orange wall with a diagonal shadow can make the candles and flowers in the foreground stand out more. Notice how certain objects are put together to create shapes or lines. The geometry of a particular scene or collection of objects draws the spectator's in a particular pattern. For example, imagine a still scene of a bookstore. The aisle on the left creates a line that moves the eye vertically, a string twinkle lights between shelves might move the eye across the top, and another shelf encourages the eye to move up or down. The vertical eye movements on each side of the painting might act as a sort of frame for the still-life piece.

What is a summary?
Take time to express curiosity in your surroundings. Identify variations in color so you can accurately recreate them. Squint at objects to see their composition of shape and color. Use negative space to create balance or tension. Study the composition of a particular scene or object.