did or made a painting

Hi,

I’ve just read in a book:

‘He did a lot of paintings and posters.’

Could you tell me why ‘did’ is used and not ‘made’?

Thanks

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That is the usual collocation; there is no other reason than I can think of offhand. Did and make (along with other common verbs) have various idiomatic uses.
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You can also use “made” in that sentence and say, “He made a lot of paintings and posters.” It’s also possible to say, “He created a lot of paintings and posters.” “Did” in that sentence sounds just on the edge of slang to me, but not quite slang. I don’t think I’d use “did paintings and posters” in a formal article about art (and I have a painting degree and used to write for art magazines).

Hi, Jamie & MM,

But in the sentence “I did a lot of painting” (i.e. I painted a lot), “did” cannot be superseded by “made”, can it ?

Right. That’s because “painting” there does not refer to an art object. It is a gerund referring to the activity. You can also say, “I did a lot of programming,” “I did a lot of thinking,” etc.

Why didn’t you respond to my requests regarding the feedback on my painting? :cry: :cry:

Tom