Things I have learned so far

I want to do a quick post to cover the things I have learned so far.  These are all things an experienced painter will take for granted but newbies like me must learn by doing.

1. Don't over mix the paint - Don't mix paints so thoroughly that they make a solid, uniform color.  Leave them partially unmixed to get the subtle shading, depth and character to your subject.  If mixed to thoroughly, the painting becomes flat and lifeless.
2. Don't mix different temperature paints together - What I mean by this is if you are trying to mix a green by using a yellow and a blue, use both warm colors or cool colors.  Don't mix a warm blue with a cool green or vice versa.  The result is a muddy color rather than a vibrant one.
3. Don't be afraid to see the brush strokes.  This is probably more of a personal preference than a general rule.  But to me, coming from a photography background, I want to see the brush strokes.  I want to know it is a painting and not a photograph.
4. Use a generous amount of thinner to clean the brush.  I started with just a little thinner to be conservative but I quickly dirtied the thinner by cleaning the brush which then started contaminating my colors.
5. Use a complementary color to darken a color, especially for shadows.  This is basic color theory but after you see it for yourself you realize how well it works.
6. Don't mix too many colors or the result will be a muddy brown.  I found this out quickly.  By the time you mix a few colors together the paint becomes brown.  This is due to the subtractive nature of reflected light.   The more colors you mix, the darker the result.
7. Don't over work the painting or it will become flat and lifeless.
8. Add a small amount of a dark color to the lighter color to darken the lighter color.  If you use even amounts of both, you end up with the secondary color or even a brown color depending on the paints being mixed.  It takes very little of the darker color to darken the lighter color so start slowly.
9. Don't mash down on the brush when you paint.  Use the last one third of the tip of the bristles.  When you mash down you push out other colors from the bristles that contaminate the color you are currently using.  I got this tip from Daniel Edmondson's YouTube channel.
10. Pay close attention to what you do that works and especially what doesn't work.  When you end up with a result that you like or don't like, take a minute to examine how you arrived at that spot.  This way you can repeat the things the work and learn from the things that don't.  I learned the above items by actually doing them even though I had read about them or watched them in videos on YouTube.  So even though I may know it before I do it, doing it is the best way to actually learn it and let it sink in.  There is nothing like actually mixing paint on a pallet or putting paint on a canvas.