A painter should begin every canvas with a wash of black, because all things in nature are dark except where exposed by the light.
Leonardo da VinciAffective gestures pointing to things near either in time or space should be made with the hand not very far from the body of the person pointing; and if these things are distant, the hand of the painter should be more extended and the face turned toward the person to whom he is addressing the demonstration.
Leonardo da Vinci