My Best Painting Tips!
From over 20 years of teaching painting and 8 years teaching full painting workshops in Europe, I have distilled important concepts and meaningful painting tips to share with my painting students and workshop participants! - Discussing and practicing these concepts ‘one-on-one’ in my workshops help to clarify and ‘import’ these tools and More into your ‘own painting toolbox’!
How to Use ‘Color Contrasts’ to Communicate Your Best Ideas:
Color Tip #1 - The First Method: ‘Color Value Contrast’ is described below…
Examples - My Oil Paintings & Watercolor Studies that primarily use Color Value Contrast to direct the viewers eye toward the focal point.
Compose your best paintings as opposed to just ‘painting what you see’. By learning to direct the viewers eye to your ‘star’ or ‘focal area’ you’ll greatly improve the drama and Beauty of your ‘idea’!
(ie: Your star or focal point is what delighted you about this particular view to make you want to paint it! And best of all, it’s uniquely Your idea!)
Composing the elements in your painting -
Some areas will need less attention, while some areas need more attention, requiring a ‘push and pull’ orchestration.
The more you consciously see and use these methods, the better you will get!
Not everything in your painting gets to be the ‘star’.
-Think in terms of Music: Paintings work best when you have a background chorus and a lead singer. The ‘star’ in your painting is that lead singer.
1. Color Value Contrast - Place your lightest light next to your darkest dark near your focal point to ‘pull’ the viewer’s eye here. Others areas will want to have lower ‘value contrast’ to ‘push’ them into the background ‘chorus’. Or in a primarily darker painting, your lightest areas will stand out most with the use of Value Contrast. (This ‘Value Contrast’ is a method noticeably used by many ‘Realism’ painters. But anyone can use this tool! )
-For anyone interested in sharing the Joys of painting in California and Europe: while learning and practicing these and many other painting secrets…I am leading three painting Workshops in Europe for 2026 and one in California!
- They will be FULL up soon! So Don’t wait!
-Let’s Paint the FRENCH ALPS, FRANCE! - JUNE 2nd-9th, 2026 (Only 1 spot left!)
https://frenchescapade.com/maggie-hellmann-painting-alps/
-Let’s Paint Rural Tuscany, Italy! - MAY 23rd-30th, 2026
https://watermill.net/holiday-programme/maggie-renner-hellmann-26/
Early-bird Discounts available until Dec. 31st.
-Let’s Paint Sorolla’s Spain! - OCTOBER 25-31st, 2026
https://www.walkeurope.com/spain-andalusia-paint-europe-trip
-Let’s Paint Santa Cruz- Monterey Bay Areas CALIFORNIA! - March 18th-19th, 2026
https://maggiehellmann.com/workshop/40439/california-santa-cruz-plein-air-workshop-march-18-19-2026
Join Me and Bring a Painter friend!! - You’ll Both be Blessed and Glad you came!
How to ‘Dream’?
Dream Tip - How to Dream: Stage #1 - Discovering Your Dreams…described below…
Examples - My Oil Paintings & Watercolor Studies that started with a Dream…
Some don’t know where to start, or how to start dreaming. For whatever reason, they’ve been conditioned not to dream. Here’s a way to start…
“It’s like looking across a bay covered in fog: You can just glimpse something on the other side that captures your attention and makes you want to experience it.’
And The first stage of a Dream is this: You have to make a commitment.
If you don’t make that commitment, there is ‘no chance’ of that dream coming true.
From a painter’s point of view, it’s Kind of like painting with a bad composition…there is ‘no way’ that it’s going to work…
As for 'The Power of a Dream...'I can't share it enough, how important it has been in my life to Dream...
'Tell me, what is it you plan to do with your one wild and precious Life?' –Mary Oliver
Dreams are the first step in visualizing...your future...your Joys ahead. They are not dead until you stop Dreaming...or You put limits on your Dreams...Dreams thrive when you make plans and ...Take that first step...
It's my hope that you'll Dream with me. - Make some Joyful Memories to last a Lifetime!
BTW: There are Nine Stages to Dreaming…stay tuned. - From Lou Renner & Maggie Hellmann’s conversations…
From my sweet poet, Lou’s perspective…
Chasing a Dream
Some dreams are so distant that we cannot even begin to know how to take that first courageous step toward its existence.
I like to think that some dreams are like looking across a bay of still blue waters. Just beyond the bay and at its furtherest edge is a fog bank, thick and mysterious. Standing in the haze is a long set of mountains. This range of compelling peaks awakens something deep in my soul. I cannot and may never be able to know what is the true source of such a stirring. It’s like a small stone that has found its way into my shoe, better yet, a stone that has lodged itself right in the center of my heart.
To find a mountain top, a far away land, a deep forest, a village that pulls me towards its source creates that first chasing of a dream.
I long to see what is beyond the waters so blue, the fog bank that teases like the wave of a hand… I long to paint that mountain, to walk it flanks, or better yet to allow my soul to meet it’s mysterious soul.
- From Lou Renner & Maggie Hellmann’s many conversations…
Painting Student’s Comments…
(Maggie) “I enjoyed you and your style of teaching very much. You allow your students space but are always available to help if requested. That’s what it is all about. You helped me with my nemesis “perspective” and explained values very well.”
–Maureen A. - Europe Plein Air Painting Workshop - artist/participant
"Participating in a workshop with Maggie is a delight! She is one of the rare artists who likes sharing her knowledge nearly as much as she likes to paint. Her demos are a delightful opportunity to be a fly on the wall as she goes through the various steps in the process while simultaneously explaining each step: composition, sketching, laying in the colors, developing a completed painting, and demonstrating and explaining her courageous use of color. Her critiques are equally helpful to the novice and the experienced artist. They are honest, very helpful, and still kind. It was great to see the improvement in each artist's paintings though out the week. These things, along with her availability to help and answer questions throughout the day are reasons I would be happy to take another workshop with her when the opportunity arises!
–Linda N., U.S.A.- Europe Plein-air Workshop - artist/participant
"I went to explore painting and I did! Your demos were a great learning experience for me. The end-of-day critique made me see more.
–Maha, Saudi Arabia, Italy Plein-air Workshop - artist/participant
"It exceeded all my Dreams! It was perfect!"
–Deone K., - Europe Plein-air Workshop - artist/participant
Read More on my ‘Student’s Comments’ webpage…
https://maggiehellmann.com/page/42289/students-comments
