Painting tip of the day: A focal point is very important to any painting. It is usually the brightest, lightest area of a painting that draws the eye and first captures the attention of the viewer. It is what sparks interest in the painting.
Where is it? You decide! That’s right. Just pick the area that you want your viewer to see first and build the rest of the painting around that spot. For instance, if you are doing a seascape painting it might be the top to the biggest wave, or that area of the wave where the light is coming thru. But whatever spot you pick make sure it has the most highlight, the brightest color. And don’t forget…you have to have dark for light to show up, so don’t try to just pile on white…look at the colors around your focal point. Are they dark enough?