Recent thoughts + the secrets of painting?

I feel a bit embarrassed to say things like this – I’m only a beginner – but I’ve surfed the Web a lot and read quite a few books – guess I’m allowed to have some paltry thoughts :

It’s honesty and passion that matter, not technique

Technique Checklist - the secrets of painting?

Technique for visual art is based on

1)       The study of light

2)       A little  knowledge of how the eye works (how vision perceives things)

And there’s some good checklists out there to help you keep your “work of art” on track. Here’s the five basic pillars I always try to keep in mind:

1)       Composition – what’s the centre of interest/focal point

2)       Drawing = proportions = measurement

3)       Values = a graduated (is it?) range of between 2 and 9

4)       Edges – mostly soft

5)       Colour = temperature (warmer or cooler) – depends on the light. Select a’ gamut/palette – dominant depends on the light