Free Art Lessons

How to Draw a Butterfly in Crayon Step by Step

2012-01-04T18:20:00.000-08:00

Author of Amazing Crayon Drawing with Lee Hammond: Create Lifelike Portraits, Pets, Landscapes, and More
For over a century, crayons have been children’s first method of graphic communication, a way of visually representing their world. Given a box of crayons, all children seem to innately know what to do with them.

Many people find it odd that I teach crayon drawing in my studio. Naturally, they assume I am teaching small children. But I am not. I use crayons as a quality fine art medium. They have high-quality pigments and use high-quality wax as a binder. Most of the colors have the same lightfast qualities as your more expensive colored pencils, but I love the hallmark look that is not achieved with anything but crayons.

The first thing to remember when working with crayons is that you are not going “backwards.” Yes, they are inexpensive to buy, but they are not cheap. However, I do suggest using the original brand, Crayola. While there are many other brands out there, I find that crayola is the best for professional use due to its richly pigmented colors. The bargain brands are a bit heavier on the wax, which is fine for kids, but the colors are not as rich...

View the rest of this lesson drawing a butterfly with crayon here.

Oil Portrait Painting Tutorial

2011-12-15T14:49:00.000-08:00

Oil Painting Demonstration of a Pilot

by Jeff Haynie

The first thing I did was to transfer the pencil drawing to the canvas. Then I started with acrylic paint and blocked the darkest shadow shapes to have a strong values structure to glaze oil paint on top of. Sometimes I use brown as an underpainting and sometimes I use a bluegrey. I choose the darkest area of the painting to put down as an underpainting and the areas of detail that I want to maintain. In this case it is the shadow of the hair, the details on the face, the shadow s of the jacket and a few on the background....

View the rest of this oil portrait painting tutorial here.

Pen Drawing Techniques - How to Draw Bark on a Tree

2011-11-13T09:08:00.000-08:00

Thank you for viewing my work and taking the time to look deeper into the way I go about doing my drawing work. Each artist will have their own methods of working but, they don’t all share them. It is my hope that by sharing my techniques that more people will become happier with their work and in turn will want to share what they enjoy with the people they come in contact with and promote my theme “Keep On Creating”!!

I have wanted to do this tutorial for a very long time now. I have had many opportunities to choose from in the past, but none quite like this. The tutorial I will do here is based mainly on trees from the “Gilbert Home” portrait that I completed in November 2006....

View the rest of this lesson on pen drawing techniques - how to draw bark here

Atmospheric Perspective Lesson by Richard Robinson

2011-11-06T17:06:00.000-08:00

Welcome to Teal Bay, Northland, New Zealand! My name is Richard Robinson. I’m going to take you through a lesson about atmospheric perspective. Here’s the perfect place to do it. Let’s get started.

It’s very easy to be inspired to paint in a place like this, but to express any place well, we need to have some basic painting knowledge. This lesson covers a crucial part of landscape painting and one which is often misunderstood. I’m often asked, how do you make those hills seem so far away, and how do you make your painting look so soft, like it’s got light in it? Well, here’s the key, understanding atmospheric perspective. Let’s get into it....

View the rest of this lesson on Atmospheric Perspective Here

Blick Presents: Grumbacher Max Paint

2011-10-03T17:50:00.000-07:00

Grumbacher Max oil paints are a water miscible (also known as “water soluble” or “water mixable”) paint invented in 1983, that were the first water miscible oil paints sold on the market. It is hard to believe that any kind of oil paint could be mixed with water. It seems to defy physics and go against that popular saying “Water and oil don’t mix”. But in this case, they really do. I can attest to this claim as I have personally tried Grumbacher Max oil paints and they really do live up to their reputation.

These paints can be mixed and applied just like traditional oil paints but with one huge advantage: They can be removed from brushes with ordinary soap and water. This is such a huge breakthrough for those of us who are unable to work with harsh solvents like turpentine.
There are other manufacturers that produce water soluble oil paints, but in my opinion, they don’t have the same quality and similarity to traditional oils, that Grumbacher does...

View the rest of this post on Grumbacher Max Paint

How To Draw Flowers in Pastel

2011-09-25T16:13:00.000-07:00

In the following step by step pastel drawing demonstration, Margaret Evans demonstrates, in easy to follow steps, how to draw flowers. This is more of an impressionist style drawing than anything else, as Margaret is not interested in capturing every detail. Just a very colorful and loose impression of her subject.

She uses a bouquet of flowers for her subject. Her goal is to create a colorful and fleeting impression of the flowers instead of an accurate reproduction. The results are something quite beautiful and well worth watching. This is a 3 part pastel drawing demo, so you will need to set apart some time to finish watching these videos. I do hope you enjoy and learn a great deal about still life drawing using pastels...

View the rest of this pastel drawing demonstration here.

Grisaille Underpainting Demonstration – “Sarge”

2011-09-21T11:49:00.000-07:00

By Karin Wells

There are many methods and techniques that I use to paint a painting. Here is a quickie lesson in an Old Master technique method I sometimes use called Grisaille (or underpainting).

This is a completed underpainting (but not a finished painting) of my pooch, “John Singer Sargent, aka Sarge.”
I chose this subject as a demo because it shows how to handle a full range of value from black (the lab) to white (his blanket). The “darks” are not very dark and the “lights” are not very light in an underpainting. Because Sarge refuses to sit for hours and hours, I used my camera and a single source of light to capture him in a typical pose...

View the rest of this lesson on the Grisaille Underpainting Technique

Acrylic Painting Demo by Artist Karrie Evenson

2011-09-07T07:56:00.000-07:00

Here is a full episode of the program “Karrie on Canvas” with artist Karrie Evenson. In this episode, Karrie demonstrates how you can use music to inspire your creativity. Karrie also shows you how to create a painting without any real planning, to let go and just “Wing It” as she puts it.
Karrie uses musicians as her subject in this demonstration, but you do not have to paint the same subject. Pick any subject you want. It is the process that she uses to complete this painting that she would like you to try...

View this acrylic painting demonstration here.

Oil Painting Landscape Demonstration

2011-08-21T07:21:00.000-07:00

Here is a fantastic oil painting landscape demo by Artist Jon Houglum. This is a five part video demonstration that is approximately 1 hour in length, so make certain to free up enough time to watch the whole thing.

Landscape Oil Painting Demonstration Part 1

In part 1 of this tutorial, Jon starts with a toned canvas. He then takes some Burnt Sienna that has been thinned down with paint thinner and begins to lay out his composition. He divides his composition into thirds. The rule of thirds is a popular compositional guideline that artists follow to ensure they have an interesting composition. It ensures that your composition will not be divided in half, which is a big no no in painting. Jon then begins to block in the sky. He starts at the horizon with a mixture of Burnt Sienna, Blue and a touch of red.

This color mixture is to be greyed as to represent the sky in the distance. He adds more blue as he approaches the top of the canvas and blocks in the rest of the sky. He is not concerned with any details like clouds at this point. The main objective here is to block in a convincing sky, a transition from a lighter warmer horizon color to a slightly darker cooler and bluer sky that is closest to the viewer.....

View the rest of this landscape oil painting video demo here.

Learn How to Draw the Human Eye with these 30 free Lessons

2011-08-11T17:53:00.000-07:00

The human eye is probably one of the most difficult parts of the anatomy for an artist to draw. It doesn’t have to be that way though. Below are over 30 free tutorials and demonstrations that show you how to draw this challenging body part. These lessons include both videos as well as text based articles with pictures. You are sure to find something below that will help. I hope you enjoy!

View the rest of this post on how to draw the human eye here.

Acrylic Painting Techniques – Glazing With Acrylic Paint

2011-07-31T10:35:00.000-07:00

When we hear the word Glazing in fine art, many of us will automatically think of Oil Paints. While oil paint is an excellent medium for glazing techniques, they are not the only painting medium that can be used. Acrylic paint can also be used with great effect.

Acrylic paints have come a long way since they were made commercially available back in the 1950′s. Water isn’t the only medium you can add to alter acrylic paints. There are now mediums available that you can add to acrylic paint to make them more transparent and transparency is what we are after in order to accomplish glazing with acrylics.

Listed below are various videos and articles that I discovered around the Web that talk about and demonstrate the acrylic glazing technique...

View the rest of this acrylic painting techniques lesson on glazing with acrylic paint

Oil Painting Video Lesson – Alla Prima Oil Painting Technique

2011-03-24T18:04:00.000-07:00

Here is a wonderful oil painting video lesson by artist Larry Seiler that demonstrates the All Prima Oil Painting Technique.

Alla Prima is an Italian word that literally means “At Once”. Its a painting that is completed in one session. This is a direct painting method that produces a fresh and spontaneous look to your work. I love this style of painting because it allows me to get loose and just let go and have fun, which is exactly what Larry does in the following video tutorial.

He begins his Alla Prima painting session by mixing his colors ahead of time on his palette. He says this eliminates a lot of his decisions in advance and allows him to establish a color harmony that will work for his painting. Another advantage of pre-mixing his colors is that his focus is on the subject that he is painting and not on color mixing.

After his colors are prepared, he then creates a basic sketch using some vine charcoal.
He then begins to block in his colors. Larry makes an excellent point in this video with regards to applying the paint. He says that he makes no more than three strokes after loading his brush. He says that any more than three will actually remove paint.

Many more great tips and instruction in the this excellent oil painting demo. Learn more by watching the free video below!

Enjoy!

Follow this link to watch this video on the alla prima oil painting technique

Blick Lessons : Mini Monets – Pastel Drawing Technique Using Shrink Wrap

2011-02-28T11:55:00.000-08:00

This is a great lesson from Blick Art Materials called “Mini Monets”. The instructor in the pastel drawing video on the following page , teaches us how to create mini impressionist paintings using a material that you normally would not use with fine art work. This technique involves pastels, shrink wrap and baking. I told you it was unconventional, but the results are very interesting.

The artist begins with a reference image. Using masking tape, she secures the shrink wrap over the reference image. Using her pastels, she then draws over the reference image onto the shrink wrap using an optical blending technique. She then bakes the shrink wrap, which will then obviously shrink the image to create the desired effect that you can learn more about by watching the video on the page that follow....

View this pastel drawing technique from Blick Art Materials Here.

Step By Step Pastel Portrait Drawing Demonstration

2011-02-26T18:47:00.000-08:00

Here is a step by step portrait drawing demonstration done with pastels. This is a time lapsed video narrated by the artist. This was originally a 2 hour session. This particular pastel painting was done in the “Alla Prima” method which simply means that this painting was completed in one session as opposed to the artists normal way of working in glazes.

The artist begins by laying in a light simple sketch. At this stage, he is just getting the measurements and proportions correct.

He then lays in a light flesh color on the entire face, giving him an overall ground to work from.
He then lays in a dark red color for the shadow planes, followed by a midtone color that is in between the light and the dark….

Watch this pastel portrait drawing video here...

Watercolor Painting Video Demonstration – Village Landscape

2011-02-21T17:48:00.000-08:00

Watch Roy The Artist paint a nice little village landscape scene with this free step by step watercolor painting video tutorial. There is no talking with this lesson as it’s accompanied by music, but there are helpful little messages that popup throughout the demo that let you know exactly how the artist painted this scene.

Roy starts this painting with a simple sketch using a cool little gadget called a SimmTrace. Follow this link for a video that explains what the SimmTrace is and how to use it. It is essentially a modern camera lucida. Very interesting..

Follow this link to watch this watercolor video tutorial

Landscape Painting Video Demonstration in 4 Parts

2011-02-09T12:42:00.000-08:00

Here is a 4 part step by step landscape painting video demo done with oil paints by artist Jon Houglum. This is a landscape painting done in the style of the Old Master Impressionists with a focus on how to paint fluffy clouds with oil paint.

This is one of the best free landscape painting video demonstrations I have seen online and believe me, I watch a lot of these!

Jon is an excellent instructor and really breaks the landscape painting process down into steps that are easy to follow so that you can paint along. He covers everything from how he composes the painting, to the color mixtures that he uses.

I learned a great deal from watching this video tutorial and I know you will too. Grab your favorite beverage , relax and enjoy!

Follow this link to watch this video lesson on how to paint fluffy clouds

Karrie on Canvas – Abstract Floral Painting Demonstration

2011-01-12T13:04:00.000-08:00

Here is another full episode of the program “Karrie on Canvas” with artist Karrie Evenson. In this episode, Karrie demonstrates her loose and spontaneous techniques by creating an abstract floral piece in acrylics. I really enjoy Karrie’s style as she teaches you to just let go and enjoy yourself...

View this abstract floral painting demonstration here.

Pastel Drawing Tutorial - Painting Skin Tones

2011-01-03T12:56:00.000-08:00

Here is a two part pastel drawing video by artist Colin Bradley. In this video tutorial, Colin demonstrates his process for creating flesh tones in his portraits.

Its important to note that every artist has his or her own way of doing things. This process is by no means the only way to draw a portrait with pastels. This is just Colin’s method.

Colin begins by adding a generous amount of white to his sketch. Using a circular motion with his finger, he blends the white pastel right into the paper.

He then begins to lay in his other colors in layers, blending along the way and creating his lights and darks. He continues this process, using nearly a dozen different colors, until the drawing is complete. The end result is a beautiful pastel portrait. Draw this portrait along with Colin and see what you can come up with. Enjoy!

Watch this Pastel Portrait Drawing Tutorial Here

Soft Focus Watercolor Painting Technique

2010-12-24T07:46:00.000-08:00

Here is a very interesting Watercolor Painting Technique video by artist Elizabeth Fluehr. This is a technique that you don’t see often and a somewhat unconventional usage of the Watercolor painting medium. Most of the water that she uses with this technique is for the purpose of wetting the paper and not added to the paint itself. She only uses a small amount of water to lightly dampen her brush.

The name of this technique is called the “Soft Focus” technique and you will understand why it was given this name after watching the video.

Elizabeth begins by saturating a piece of 140lb Arches Watercolor Paper with water. The paper is then allowed to sit for some time until it loses its shiny appearance.

She uses freshly squeezed paint that has not been diluted with water and a flat brush that has a lot of spring to it, to apply the paint.

Watch her demonstrate her technique by watching the video demonstration below… I hope you enjoy...

Follow this link to watch this watercolor painting technique video.

Painting Lesson – The Spotlight Effect by Richard Robinson

2010-12-13T04:42:00.000-08:00

Ever visit a museum and notice how some paintings just seem to capture your attention and draw you in more than others?

One of the true challenges of painting is learning how to create a compelling center of interest. There are a number of things that work together in a painting to accomplish this strong center of interest, but one in particular that works very well is a painting technique known as “The Spotlight Effect”.

In the free video below, Richard Robinson talks about this technique and how you can use it to give your painting a powerful center of interest....

View the rest of this painting lesson here.

Wet on Wet Oil Painting Technique – Bill Alexander Paints Fall River

2010-11-16T20:45:00.000-08:00

The wet on wet oil painting technique is a direct painting technique where you complete a painting usually in one sitting. Wet oil paint is applied on top of another layer of wet paint.

In the following video demonstration, artist Bill Alexander paints a beautiful autumn scene using the wet on wet technique. Bill is a modern pioneer being one of the first artists to popularize the wet on wet oil painting technique through his Emmy award winning Magic of Oil painting television show...

View the rest of this oil painting technique video lesson here.

Painting Lesson – How To Mix an Endless Amount of Greens

2010-11-07T19:44:00.000-08:00

You can learn how to mix an almost endless amount of greens with just a handful of tube colors that you may already have on hand.

You may be asking yourself: “Why would I want or need to mix my own greens when I can just buy tubes of green paint and use those?”

It’s true, there are some very nice tubed greens on the market today. Thalo Green and Thalo Yellow Green for instance, are two of my favorites. I use these two greens if I am outdoors painting and I don’t have the time to mix my own greens from scratch and believe me, they come in very handy sometimes. Apart from those two, I have no other greens on my palette. Everything else I mix from various blues, yellows and other colors.

If you aren’t a landscape painter however, then you can probably get away with using tubed greens, but even tubed greens may have to be modified depending on your particular subject matter. Using colors straight from the tube can be too intense sometimes.

If you do a lot of landscape painting however, then you should really learn how to mix your own greens....

View the rest of this painting lesson on mixing greens here.

Mastering Color – Simple Exercise To Help You Become a Better Painter Overnight

2010-10-18T21:28:00.000-07:00

Are you an artist who struggles with color? Do you find yourself unable to achieve color harmony in your artwork? Well you are not alone. Did you know that over 70% of artists admit that color is one of their biggest obstacles? Chances are that you are amongst those 70% or you would not be reading this article right now.

If you take the time to work on the exercise below, you will have a new appreciation and understanding of color, and it won’t take years of practice either. You can become more knowledgeable about color after only one session.

What exactly am I talking about?

I am talking about an exercise that will greatly increase your understanding of the properties and interactivity of the colors on your palette. I am talking about creating color charts and lots of them.

You see, the problem with many artists, myself included at one time, is that we tend to just jump right into our work haphazardly without learning proper foundational skills. This will only create frustration and waste lots of your time and materials....

View the rest of this post on Mastering Color Here.

Painting Skin Tones – One Layer at a Time

2010-10-06T19:34:00.000-07:00

There’s a Zen to painting in layers.

You have got to enjoy the process or this isn’t the method for you….(but don’t worry, there are lots of ways to paint a portrait & get a similar result). Personally I like any way that is easy. And this is pretty easy – but alas, it isn’t fast ’cause you just have to wait for those layers to dry before moving on.

“It is good to have an end to journey toward, but it is the journey that matters, in the end.”

-Ursula K. LeGuin

View the rest of this painting lesson on skin tones by Karin Wells

Mastering Color With Richard Robinson

2010-09-22T21:40:00.000-07:00

What is one of the most challenging aspects of creating original art? It doesn’t matter if you work with oils, acrylics, watercolor or pastels. Every artist in every medium has at one point during their artistic journey, struggled with color.

Color is one of the most difficult things to master as an artist. In fact, 72% of Artists say that color is the biggest obstacle to overcome. Its terribly frustrating because all you want to do is create art, yet you can’t seem to get over this confusing mountain of color! As Artists we shouldn’t be afraid of color. It should be something that we embrace with open arms.

You can master color and become the artist you have always dreamed of. You can learn how to think about color in a whole new way, a way that you never thought was possible. This is not hype!

View the rest of this post on Mastering Color With Richard Robinson

Landscape Painting Lesson - Learn How To Paint Clouds

2010-09-17T17:49:00.000-07:00

One of the most challenging aspects of landscape painting is learning how to paint believable clouds. When you ask a beginner to paint a cloud, they will automatically reach for white, when in actuality, a cloud is not white. Clouds are made of water and reflect surrounding colors. This is most apparent during a sunrise or sunset when clouds turn various shades of red, orange, violet, etc...

View the rest of this post on how to paint clouds here.

Learn How To Mix Flesh Tones

2010-09-14T21:34:00.000-07:00

One of the most difficult and challenging aspects of figure and portrait painting is learning how to mix realistic and believable flesh tones. There really is no set formula to recording flesh tones. The color you use to paint flesh really depends on the rest of the colors in your painting. Its the relationship of colors in your painting that is most important. That being said however, it is always helpful to have a starting point or to see how other artists record human skin on canvas. The following post contains resources to help you. I have done my best to include information on a variety of mediums including oil painting, acrylic painting, watercolor and pastels....

View the rest of this lesson on how to paint flesh tones

Plein Air Painting Demonstration with Roger Bansemer – “Wupatki Pueblo”

2010-09-06T22:56:00.000-07:00

In this Plein Air Painting Demonstration done with acrylics, Roger Bansemer takes us on a journey to Arizona’s Wupatki National Monument, located near Flagstaff. This site is a collection of very old ruins that spreads across many miles of desert. All of the pueblos within this area were built by the Anasazi and Sinagua Indians over 800 yrs ago. This site is wonderfully preserved and an excellent subject for painting. Included in this video is an interesting interview done by Roger’s Wife Sarah with a member of the Hopi nation about his heritage. Enjoy..

View this plein air painting demonstration video here.

Karrie on Canvas – Acrylic Painting Lesson – Women Love Shopping

2010-08-30T14:54:00.000-07:00

Here is another great episode of Karrie on Canvas presented to you by “Jones Television -- Channel 22″. Jones Television-Channel 22 is a twenty-four hour, non-profit, commercial-free station cable-cast in Northwest Arkansas. Established by the Harvey and Bernice Jones Trust in 1996, the station broadcasts community and educational information with a reach of more than 150,000 households in Benton and Washington counties. Through generous support from Cox Communications, Inc., Jones Television is uniquely positioned to offer niche programming featuring the people, places and events that make up the rich tapestry of Northwest Arkansas. You can learn more about them by either visiting their YouTube Page or their Website.

Back to the video. This is an acrylic painting demonstration by artist Karrie Evenson. If you are a fan of acrylic painting and trying something new and different, then this video is for you. Karrie has a very unique style of painting that you are sure to find refreshing and enjoyable.

If you only learn one thing from Karrie, it would be to just let go and don’t be afraid to try new things. One of the biggest problems beginners face is the fear of wasting paint or of producing an ugly painting. If you are constantly fearful and holding back with your painting, you will never get any better....

View this acrylic painting video lesson here.

Oil Painting Demonstration – Florida Landscape

2010-08-26T18:39:00.000-07:00

Below is an excellent step by step oil painting video lesson by the very talented Debra Bryant. I found the following oil painting demonstration on the video sharing site Ustream.tv. This is a very long demo with over 3 hours of footage. So grab your favorite beverage or snack, sit back relax and be prepared to learn something new.

In this oil painting lesson, Debra shares her oil painting techniques for creating a beautiful landscape painting from a photo. She begins her painting by first toning her canvas with purple so that this color will show through the final painting in spots.

She demonstrates her techniques for creating a convincing sky and clouds. One key technique that she points out in the video for doing this is to make the sky more green near the horizon. To make realistic looking clouds, she mixes reds and yellows into white. Also, when clouds near the horizon, they become narrower and more gray. These are just some of the awesome techniques you will learn in this video. Enjoy!

Watch this oil painting demonstration video here.

Jacaranda Trees – Acrylic Painting Demonstration

2010-08-07T22:18:00.000-07:00

By Don Jusko

This is two hours from the start. Using a 3/4″ sable filbert. I wet the whole support and washed in the sky. While the sky was drying I captured the grass, I went with the big areas blocking in the foliage, big branches background trees and the road. I see the tree as having a foreground, middle ground including the trunk and branches and inside background.
To get ready for tomorrow I cleaned up the posts with two coats of white....

View the rest of this acrylic painting demonstration here.

How To Stretch Your Own Canvas

2010-07-30T22:53:00.000-07:00

Learn how to stretch your own canvas with this free art lesson. In the following 20+ minute video, Artist Joe DiGiulio demonstrates how he stretches a double primed linen canvas. Joe shares all of his tips on how to create the perfect surface for your next painting. He explains all of the supplies and tools that will you need to do everything on your own. I know stretching your own canvas seems intimidating, but it really isn’t that difficult and you will save money in the long run. I hope you find this video art lesson helpful...

View the rest of this video lesson on how to stretch your own canvas

Amazing Acrylic Painting Demonstration Video

2010-07-20T21:34:00.000-07:00

I often browse around YouTube and other video sharing websites in search of new talent to post here on my blog. Today I hit the motherload! The following is a two part video demonstration of a landscape by the amazingly talented artist Maxim Grunin. I was in absolute awe when I watched Maxim create this work of art in what seems like a matter of hours. When you see the finished product you will be amazed as well. The finished painting looks as though it took months or even years to create. It looks so complicated but Maxim makes it look so easy. I think we can all learn a thing or two from this artist. I do hope you enjoy this demonstration as much as I did and I hope this inspires you to create something as equally amazing as this...

View the rest of this acrylic painting demonstration video here.

Plein Air Painting Video Tutorial

2010-07-11T09:49:00.000-07:00

Here is a wonderful step by step plein air painting demo by the very talented artist, Cyndra Bradford. Cyndra will demonstrate how she creates a beautiful impressionist style painting of two horses in a farm setting.

To master plein air painting takes lots of time and practice. It is definitely a very challenging form of painting as you must work very quickly because the light is constantly changing. Painting outdoors is a a balancing act. If you paint too quickly, you will wind up with mud, if you paint too slowly, you will lose the scene. Hopefully this video will help you in your quest to becoming a better plein air painter...

View this plein air painting video tutorial here.

Abstract Landscape Painting Tutorial

2010-07-07T19:04:00.000-07:00

This is a painting lesson in spontaneity. Its about just letting go of all inhibitions and painting from your imaginiation and heart without the aid of a reference photo or plan. This will teach you how to develop your own unique painting style and most of all, how to truly enjoy painting...

Watch the abstract landscape painting tutorial here.

Two Great Acrylic Paints For Beginners on a Budget

2010-06-25T08:54:00.000-07:00

Do you love to work with acrylic paint but you just can’t afford professional supplies? Keep reading, because this post if for you.

Not all artists realize this, but you don’t have to spend a fortune to find good quality acrylic paint these days. You can find some great deals on quality acrylic paint supplies without leaving your home.

Some artist feel that because a paint has a low price tag, it must be of poor quality. This is simply not the case. Two examples of this are acrylic paints by DALER-ROWNEY Known as System 3.

I have listed them both on the following page along with descriptions and links to where you can purchase them from Dick Blick, one of my favorite online Art Suppliers.

Just below that, you will also find a video from Blick Art Materials which talks more about these wonderful acrylic paints and also demonstrates how to use them. Enjoy!

View these great acrylic paints for beginners here.

Oil Paint Supplies - The Top 3 Best Oil Paint Brands For Beginners

2010-05-19T13:00:00.000-07:00

So you are ready to take your fabulous journey into the wonderful world of oil painting when you realize just how expensive supplies can be! I know personally how frustrating it can be when you are not able to afford good quality supplies, but have no fear… This post is going to talk about three great quality oil paint brands that will fit any budget.

I am sure you have heard of the saying “You Get What you Pay For”. Well this is not always the case, especially when it comes to oil paint. Today’s oil paint manufacturers have made awesome quality oil paints available for every artist, no matter what budget or skill level....

View the rest of this post on the best oil paint brands here.

Gourd Craft Project – Pyroengraved Clock By Bernadette Fox

2010-04-27T14:27:00.000-07:00

Pyroengraved Gourd Clock By Bernadette Fox

I discovered the art of gourd crafting a little over ten years ago and was captivated by how many wonderfully creative things I could make out of gourds.

As I continued to work with gourds I learned another fascinating thing about them. I am able to use pretty much any artistic technique on them from painting, to carving, to wood burning (often called pyroengraving), to beading, to weaving, and so on. I like to refer to gourds as nature’s pottery with endless possibilities!

I like to introduce you to the art of gourd crafting by showing you how to make a gourd clock with a wood burnt design. I think leaves complement the browns, yellows and golds of a dried gourd so I decided to put some leaf designs on the clock.

After collecting various leaves from outside I drew a picture with them. You can make your own leaf picture this way or use the one I made. The leaf picture will be our wood burning pattern...

Please view the rest of this Gourd Craft Project Here.

Watercolor Lesson - How to Paint Trees

2010-04-21T16:18:00.001-07:00

These quick exercises from world renowned architectural illustrator and fine art watercolorist Frank M. Costantino demonstrate different watercolor techniques for painting trees. Learn more about Frank and his seminars at www.fmcostantino.com

Many beginner watercolor artists have a great deal of trouble with painting believable trees in their landscape paintings. The following videos should help you a great deal as Frank really breaks things down in an easy to understand manner with the following watercolor painting technique videos...

View these watercolor techniques on painting trees here.

2010-03-16T15:09:00.000-07:00

Watercolor and Pastel Painting Demonstration – Let’s Paint Winter Woods!

About three years ago I went hiking at Bull Frog Lake, right before evening in January. I came upon a scene that made me pause for a moment and fall in love. Winter’s intense setting sun was casting long shadows from the trees in the woods. Right on que it seemed, three crows in the distance began to caw. I almost wanted to cry. Call me a fool for nature, but West Nile almost eliminated all the crows in my area and I haven’t heard that beautiful, “CAW, CAW, CAW”, in a very long time. They are my 2nd favorite bird in the world.

So here we go! Let’s remember that moment forever by painting the winter woods…

Please follow this link to view the rest of this watercolor painting lesson

Watercolor Painting Techniques - How to Paint Skies and Clouds

2010-03-02T22:58:00.000-08:00

Watercolor painting is difficult enough all on its own, but there are some objects that people find particularly difficult to paint. This post will hope to remedy that by showing you several videos that teach you how to paint believable clouds and skies with watercolors. I found the videos on the following page while searching this topic on YouTube and believe these to be the very best videos there on this topic ...

Watch these watercolor landscape techniques here.

2010-02-21T06:44:00.000-08:00

Tuscan Landscape – Acrylic Painting Tutorial By Julie Shoemaker

Use whichever brush you feel comfortable with. I usually use a flat bristle brush for most of my work. And remember there is no right or wrong way to paint! If your painting doesn’t turn out like mine – then congratulations! You created a unique one of a kind painting.

Sky – First wet the sky area or top half of canvas with white gesso.

Then with a little yellow and a touch of orange added to the same brush, start at bottom of the sky area and work your way up. Use long horizontal strokes. Take the strokes right off the canvas while blending the yellows and orange into the white gesso as you work upward. Gently blend right up towards the top of canvas. Wipe the brush off with a paper towel.

Now add a touch of ultramarine blue and purple to the brush and start at the top of the canvas and work your way downward in the same fashion as you did the yellows.

The bottom part of the painting is under painted with any earth tone colors. Nothing fancy here!

Use sky colors (a mixture of white blue and purple) and paint in furthest hills – mountains. Notice how these hills show very little detail and are very soft looking.

Darken the mountain (sky) color and paint in next layer of hills. You want to make sure that you let some of the previous mountains show. Keep the tops interesting with some variations.

Add some earth tone to the very distant hills. You can use browns, tan, etc. Keep it dull though. Just add white to dull paint color. These are in the center of painting.

Add some hunter green and start dabbing or scrubbing in the bushes. This should be a dull green....

Please view the rest of this landscape painting lesson here.

Advanced Shading Techniques – How to Shade a Drawing Using Pointillism

2010-02-17T16:24:00.000-08:00

Pointillism is a technique using a series of dots to create an image. It takes time, and loads of patience, but the results can be incredibly impressive!

For pointillism, you’re going to need some special pens. The best are fine tip pens with free-flowing ink. Ball point pens don’t work well because they need to be moving for the ink to flow. My favourites are Staedtler Pigment Liners. You’ll also want a range of sizes as well, from very fine to a wider tip. Something like a 01, a 03, and a 05 would work well.

Throughout the drawing, you’ll use each size of pen. Make sure you blend the dots together when you switch pen size. You don’t want to see the border where you switched pens. Also, don’t rush your mark-making. If you get careless, some of your points might get little tails. You want nice clean dots to create an even pattern across the whole of your drawing.

As with any drawing, you want to start out with a good line drawing. Outline the contours of your subjects, as well as the shapes of the major shadows and highlights. You want to have good guidelines for when it comes to filling in the values.

When using pointillism to shade, you need to think about values just like you do when shading with a pencil. It’s important to have a range of values to give your drawing enough contrast....

View the rest of this lesson on Advanced Pencil Shading Techniques Here.

Mixed Media Tutorial - Acrylic Painting & Collage

2010-02-12T22:28:00.000-08:00

Acrylic Collage Demonstration

Step One

I am using Multimedia Artboard for this piece. I started out finding some pictures and papers that I wanted to use. The diamond pattern, the stripes, and the snake pattern came from tissue paper that I found. I added some musical notes from a music book with a copyright from the early 1900’s. The pictures were from some I found in the public domain. I cut what I wanted and “glued” them onto my 18 x 24 Artboard. I also use watercolor paper and canvas at times. Any of them will work. I glue the papers on with matte medium if they are very lightweight (like the tissue) or with soft gel gloss if they are heavier (like the paper with grass in it ). Then you need to let your paper dry. I usually dry mine over night so as to be sure it is very dry!

Step Two

After coming back to my painting, I first put on some acrylic glazes over the whole page. ( here I used Sap Green Hue, Quinacridone Crimson, and Quinacridone / Nickel Azo Gold) When the glazes were dry (you can dry them with a hair dryer), I added some thicker paint with a large piece of cork with the green (the cork is about 3 1/2 in. in diameter. I also used a small wine cork for the smaller circles. I applied Violet Oxide with a pallet knife on top of a piece of gridded plastic. and removed the plastic right away. Be sure to wash the plastic immediately after using it on one spot, and before you put it in another spot. You can use other found objects to stamp paint or use as a stencil. I often use things such as card board, bubble wrap, plastic wrap, gauze, etc. At this point, I decided to put some found objects on the papers to add more texture. I used gauze, skeleton leaves, and eyelash yarn. Again I let it dry over night

Please view the rest of this tutorial on Mixed Media Collage Techniques Here

Oil Pastel Techniques – Painting on a Photo

2010-02-06T08:31:00.000-08:00

Oil pastels are quite versatile and can be worked using a variety of different techniques. You can thin them down with a paint thinner just like oil paints to create washes or you can apply them thickly as an Impasto. Like any other medium however, they can be a bit tricky to work with in the beginning. It is often helpful to observe other artists using oil pastels to help inspire you to develop your own unique style.

I found some really interesting videos today during a Google Video search. In the following two videos, the artists demonstrates a really cool technique that I never thought to try myself. She takes a regular digital photograph printed on paper and instead of using the photograph as a reference, she draws directly on the photograph, sort of using it as a guide.

It really is an excellent way to gain immediate experience handling and using oil pastels. Enjoy!

View these oil pastel techniques here.

How To Draw Realistic Hair – Video Tutorials

2010-02-02T22:26:00.000-08:00

I found a couple of excellent videos today on how to draw realistic hair by artist Darrel Tank. Darrel is an amazing artist and author of the website: http://www.fivepencilmethod.com/. Darrel has perfected a unique technique for drawing amazingly realistic portraits and I invite you to visit his website above to learn more about him and his portrait drawing techniques.

Below are two videos Darrel created that demonstrate his technique on how to draw realistic hair in your portraits. I know his techniques are going to be a huge help for beginners who are struggling with portrait drawing, especially with drawing hair. Enjoy !

View these videos on how to draw realistic hair

Watercolor Drybrush Technique by Ottorino de Lucchi

2010-01-26T13:49:00.000-08:00

Watercolor drybrush is an unconventional artistic technique. It creates unique painting effects that are not produced by other methods. It requires practice and skill and a good deal of patience, perseverance and inclination to experiment .

I will explain the drybrush techniques that I developed by studying the works of Andrew Wyeth, a master of drybrush methods, that I had the opportunity to see in the original. Hence, what I am presenting is a kind of personal technique that may not be approved by academicians or other artists.

In essence, watercolor drybrush uses an oil brush technique with watercolor paints. The painter works with amounts of paint comparable to that used with the oil technique and proceeds to build up the painting the way oil painters do. I deem drybrush paintings to have superior brilliance: they appear with more vivid colors, higher color saturation and overall a better contrast of light and dark.

Watercolor paint offers several significant advantages over acrylic or oil paint. The watercolor vehicle does not polymerize when it dries, so the paint can be rewetted and reused. This allows the painter to reuse paint left on the palette and permits easier cleaning, a longer life of brushes and removal of adventitious spots and losses. Furthermore, water is the most easily available solvent, safe, non odorous and non flammable.

Drybrush paintings are even more durable than oil paintings as the binder (gum arabic) dries with no chemical transformations while the oil binder (linseed oil) undergoes polymerisation while drying promoted by oxygen and light. Such reaction basically never stops leading to a slow deterioration....

View the rest of this watercolor drybrush technique lesson here.

Charcoal Drawing Basics & Techniques For Beginners

2010-01-23T07:55:00.000-08:00

Just starting out with charcoal drawing? Looking for some good tips to help you get started? The following is a series of videos collected from YouTube that covers some of the basics, techniques and other great tips for beginners interested in getting started in the charcoal drawing medium. Enjoy!

View these videos on Charcoal Drawing Basics here.

Acrylic Painting Demonstration by Faith Puleston

2010-01-15T10:55:00.000-08:00

“Geometrics” painted in acrylics over collage in August 2009

This is my first attempt at recording how a painting came to life! It wasn’t really difficult, but by next week l might have forgotten! I have lots of paintings which I must have painted in some kind of trance state since do not remember what I did and when! No I wasn’t drugged or drunk! Another omission means that I do not always know exactly when I painted something or how long it took, but mainly because I paint a lot in oils and the drying processes are fairly long. This painting was done in 5 days between 19th and 23rd August. I don’t claim either that this is a guide to abstract painting or that this painting is a work of art! But it was fun and someone might like to read about the “journey”.

After being consigned to recycling and given a good scouring, the canvas (60×80cm) was first painted all over with a thin lemon wash (no photo).

A sheet of tissue paper was painted with the three main colours chosen for the painting: lemon yellow (primary), bordeaux red (secondary) and olive green (tertiary) , then the paper was cut freely into squares and other geometric forms. The pieces of coloured paper were stuck onto the canvas. Since canvas is flexible, you can’t stick too much heavy stuff on it. Cement will eventually crumble! A thin wash of bordeaux and green was added. Sorry I forgot to switch the flash off. It was too late to rephotograph by the time I realized that....

View the rest of this acrylic painting demonstration here.

Pastel Drawing Techniques - Pink Orchids

2009-12-31T12:25:00.000-08:00

By George Max

THE SUBJECT

For this second pastel drawing demo, I used the picture of two pink orchids highly sunlit from the top left. The two orchid flowers protrude from the background which is composed of elongated leaves rising from the ground. The lower background is shadowed and makes the orchids stand out even more with color and shape contrast.

THE MATERIALS

Again, for this demonstration I used a 64-color set of Mungyo soft pastels (27 mm x 8 mm) and a sheet of Strathmore Pastel paper (11” x 14”) of somehow pale yellow color. This type of paper requires at least 5 mm sticks or pastel pencils to be able to fill the texture more efficiently and render details in realistic drawings....

View the rest of this pastel drawing tutorial here.

How To Paint Roses : Tackling a Beautiful Yet Complicated Flower

2009-12-20T15:59:00.000-08:00

Do you find the thought of learning how to paint roses a bit daunting? All those petals and subtle shades of color! On this page I’ll use a step-by-step oil painting demonstration to show you that the process of how to paint roses is very doable. The same procedure work with acrylics, too.

I took this picture of some roses on a beautiful summer day in my kitchen. I like the soft glow of the roses and the variety of colors. The focal point is obviously the deep red rose in the middle.

My intention here is to create a quick oil study that will convey a sense of spontaneity and freshness. I want to give the viewer an impression, but avoid overworking the canvas,

Let’s started to learn how to paint roses together.

First, I prepare two copies of the main image. In one, I used image processing software to blur the picture. Squinting at a subject is a great way to spot the main shapes and tones, but it gets tiring.

A blurredimage allows me to do the same thing without getting a headache. Once I have the painting blocked in correctly, I find that details are either easier to paint or not necessary...

Read the rest of this oil painting rose lesson here.

Drawing Lesson – How to Shade Pencil Drawings By Miranda Aschenbrenner

2009-12-12T19:37:00.000-08:00

How to Shade Pencil Drawings

Understanding Light

In your drawings, you will generally have one light source, which determines the location of highlights and the direction of shadows. The spot where the light hits your subject directly is called the highlight, and is usually pure white. The side facing away from the light source will be in shadow. The midtones refer to the gradation of tones between the shadow and the highlight. Most objects will also have an area of reflected light. This reflection happens when light hits the surface next to your object and bounces back. You will notice that these values blend into each other smoothly, which communicates to us the shape of the object. The only time you will see a hard edge is when there is a cast shadow, otherwise the tones change gradually. The closer the cast shadow is to the object, the darker it will be, fading as it moves farther away....

View the rest of this lesson on how to shade a sphere here

Interview with Artist Miranda Aschenbrenner

2009-12-09T22:54:00.000-08:00

Artist Statement

My work fits into two very different and unrelated categories: realism and abstract. Each style allows me to challenge different parts of my personality. Drawing realistically indulges the side of me that loves detail and is a perfectionist. It challenges me technically and I am always pushing to create more accurate drawings. The abstract works reflect my interest in color and form. I am able to work loosely and fluidly, reacting to the painting as I go. It is sometimes a relief to shift from the tight discipline of realistic drawing to this type of work, but it can be equally relieving to go from these open-ended paintings to getting lost in the details of a drawing.

Q: What medium or mediums do you work with?

A: I love working with traditional drawing media: graphite and charcoal. Graphite is great for tight, accurate drawing, but nothing beats charcoal for loose, gestural sketching!

For my paintings, I use mostly acrylics, but have been experimenting with oils lately as well. Each has its strengths and weaknesses. I enjoy the wonderful texture of oils and its ability to blend, but I love the immediacy of acrylics. In my paintings, I also incorporate other materials like pastels and oil sticks....

Please read the rest of this artist interview here.

Watercolor Pencil Techniques by Tim Fisher

2009-12-05T08:35:00.000-08:00

This is a very informative watercolor pencil video lesson by artist Tim Fisher explaining the variety of techniques you can utilize while working with watercolor pencils. In this video, the artist demonstrates techniques like cross hatching, burnishing, how to create highlights using and electric eraser, how to create washes using water or turpentine, and more. Enjoy!

Watch this watercolor pencil techniques video here.

Beginners Guide to Acrylic Painting

2009-12-01T23:14:00.000-08:00

The acrylic painting medium is fairly new and has only been around since the 1950’s. Since then, it has continually been under development and refinement. Acrylic paint is highly favored amongst artists because of its versatility. It can be applied in a thick fashion as an impasto having rich texture or in washes mimicking the characteristics of watercolor. Another likable characteristic of acrylic paint is its permanence. Unlike oil paints, acrylic paint is not susceptible to yellowing or hardening with age. With acrylic paint, the artist does not need to be concerned with the order the paint is applied or other special techniques that ensure the paint film remains free from cracking.

So now that you know a bit more about the acrylic painting medium, I am sure you want to get started. This beginners guide to acrylic painting will provide you with all of the information and resources that you need to get started and improve your painting skills...

Read the rest of this beginners guide to acrylic painting here

Oil Painting Instructions - A Beginners Guide

2009-11-12T15:41:00.000-08:00

So you are beginning your journey into the wonderful world of oil painting? It can be a confusing process for beginners if you do not have someone to help guide you through the first steps. This article will provide you with all the necessary information that you need to get started.

OIL PAINTING SUPPLIES

The first thing you are going to need are your supplies. This first step may seem simple, but many beginners are lost when they first step foot into an art supply store. There are so many different materials to choose from and if you are not familiar with what you need, you may spend too much on supplies you don't need or wind up not buying enough.

Paints

If you ask five different artists about the colors they have on their palette, you will more than likely get five different answers. The truth of the matter is, there are no right or wrong answers when it comes to the colors on your palette, it really is a matter of preference. You will definitely develop those preferences over time. In the mean time, I can share with you the colors that I often use:

Alizarin Crimson
Cadmium Red Light
Cadmium Yellow Light
Yellow Ochre
Burnt Umber
Raw Umber
Cadmium Orange
Burnt Sienna
Thalo Blue
Cerulean Blue
Thalo Green
Thalo Yellow Green
Ivory Black
Titanium White

TIP: Whatever paint you decide to buy, try to stay away from paints that have the word "hue" on the label. These paints may be more economical, but they are of very low quality when compared to the real color. Hue paints are artificial pigments and they do not behave the same as the real pigment.

Palette

If you are not already familiar with a palette, it is basically the surface that you will use to lay out and mix your colors on. There are a variety of different palettes available. Everything from wood to glass are possible surfaces to use. My favorite surface to use as a palette is wood, but the surface is porous, so it will need to be sealed before you can use it. It is quite easy. All you need to do is coat the surface of the palette with mineral or linseed oil and wipe the excess off. It is then ready for your oil paints.

Brushes

Just like paints, an artists brush selection may differ from person to person. I personally use flats and filberts of varying sizes, but you may develop a preference for other shapes and sizes. My brush selection consists of #2, #5, and #10 Filberts, #2, #5, and #10 Flats - - all hog hair brushes. Hog hair brushes are strong, flexible and are great for use with oils.

Supports

There are a variety of painting surfaces, or "supports", that you can use to paint on. Stretched canvas, canvas panels, canvas paper and even wood are all possibilities. I use canvas panels and paper for studies or practice and stretched canvas for my finished paintings. Again, this is just my preference and you are free to explore on your own.

Other Supplies

Some other supplies you will need are rags for wiping and cleaning, a palette knife for mixing your paints, a medium for thinning your paint and an easel.

Caring For Brushes

Learning how to properly care for your brushes is one of the most important aspects of oil painting. One popular approach is to use solvents like turpentine, but for some of us, this is not an attractive option as solvents can be dangerous to your health. I personally use mineral oil followed by a brush cleaner. I first wipe the brush as clean as possible with a rag. I then swish the brush around in mineral oil until most of the paint is removed. I then wash the brush with a product called MASTERS Brush Cleaner and Preserver.

TIP: Always clean your brushes immediately after you have finished a painting session and never leave your brushes soaking in anything! It will destroy them.

ORGANIZING YOUR STUDIO

I know not everyone has the luxury of a professional studio, but try and do your best to create a productive environment for painting. Try and find a space in your home that is free from noise and distraction.

Lighting

If at all possible, use a room or space that has plenty of natural sunlight. If natural sunlight is not possible, you will have to use artificial light. There are special lights or bulbs called "Full Spectrum", that are made to emulate natural sunlight. They do a descent job, but nothing compares to natural sunlight.

Organizing Your Palette

It is important to have a clean and organized palette during your painting sessions. This is done by laying your paints out the same way each time you paint. Lay your paint out on the edges of your palette leaving enough empty space in the center for mixing. Be sure to squeeze out a good amount of each of your colors before you start to paint. You will be more productive if you do not have to stop frequently to squeeze out more paint. When you are finished painting, be sure and clean the mixing area of your palette well, but do not fully clean the spots on your palette where you placed your colors. This way, you will be able to tell where to squeeze them out during future painting sessions.

YOUR FIRST PAINTING

So now that you have a general understanding of the supplies you will need as well as how to organize your studio, it's time to starting thinking about your first painting.

Painting Ideas

Coming up with an idea for a painting can be a frustrating task and in order to find your painting "voice", you need to find out what you are passionate about or what things in life influence you. Every artist has an influence, whether it be another artist, a place or thing. For instance, if you love nature and wildlife, spend time outdoors at the places that inspire you. Bring along a sketchpad or digital camera and record the scenes that catch your eye. If you have a particular artist that you admire, spend time studying his or her artwork. Try and reproduce their paintings.

Ralph Serpe is an artist and Founder of ArtInstructionBlog.com, which offers free lessons and resources on a variety of different mediums. For more information on how you can learn and master oil painting, visit us today!

Interview With Artist David Hunt

2009-11-07T22:49:00.000-08:00

Artist Statement

The focus of my work is synonymously related to nature and landscape. It is an investigation of nature, its forms, its sublimate captivation and the paradigm of how we align our position, perceptions and reactions to them.

Predominantly my subjects derive from arboreal environments, which I record with photography, sketch making, and through the internalisation of personal experience. Hence, when we find ourselves in an environment where the realisation of aloneness becomes internalised, there can be various responses. Angst, vulnerability, fear, adrenaline, but paradoxically, these feelings can also be interpreted as vision, freedom, liberation, and excitement. They can be either comforting or discomforting and this to me is a reflection of our individuality…

Q: What medium or mediums do you work with?

A: Currently I am working with various mediums which include but are not limited to: ink, PVA, oil paint, digital imagery on paper, on canvas.

I feel that restricting oneself to a single particular medium denies the artist a degree of creativity which cannot exist without the unpredictable nature of mixing mediums. It is at those times when the medium seems to take over that the artists sense of loosing control is in fact the artist at the height of his creativity.

Q: How long have you been an artist? How did you get started?

A: My first response to your question is; always. I think that everyone in their early life is an artist, but only a few of these artists learn how to continue being an artist. For me, I knew that I was an artist during my school years and enrolled on as many arts related classes as possible. I finished school at the age of sixteen in 1984, but was discouraged from pursuing a career in art. I became distracted by money and work and became an electronics engineer.

After about six years I felt empty and tired. I tried to fill this emptiness by enrolling on an evening course for advanced level fine art painting in 1990. This helped me but financial commitments meant that I had to continue working in electronics. Another eight years later and I had had enough. I became too disenchanted to continue in electronics.
I knew then that I must explore my potential as an artist, and so 1998 was a turning point in becoming the artist that I am now....

Read the rest of this artist interview here.

Landscape Drawing Tutorial - Drawing Skies and Clouds

2009-11-05T21:20:00.000-08:00

Start by just looking up.

Ever since a fellow artist challenged me to include a sky in one of my drawings, I have been keeping my mind in the clouds. I am continually amazed at the beauty of just looking up in the sky! Over the past couple of years, I have been learning the importance of toning the sky and adding clouds as part of overall compositional improvement in my landscapes. I think I could spend hours and hours fiddling with each puff of white!

Start looking up to the sky and observe cloud formations. Take photos of clouds and you will be amazed at what you will start to “see”!

View the rest of this landscape drawing tutorial here.

10 Watercolor Painting Demonstrations to Get your Creative Juices Flowing

2009-10-27T08:34:00.000-07:00

Over the years, we have accumulated a number of exceptional watercolor painting demonstrations both here at artinstructionblog.com and creativespotlite.com. I thought it would be a good idea to create a post that highlights some of the best demonstrations that have been submitted in the event you have not already viewed these during your stay here...

View these watercolor painting demonstrations here.

Learn and Master Painting Review

2009-10-21T14:46:00.001-07:00

There is a brand new home instruction course entitled Learn and Master Painting which is quite easily the best home instruction course available in teaching you how to paint with oils and acrylics.

Unlike most of the people promoting this course online, I am an artist and actually own this course, so rest assured you are getting an honest review..

The Learn and Master Painting course comes jam packed with 20 professionally produced DVD’s, 3 Music CD’s (you can listen to these while you are painting), a detailed lesson book with extra information, and a free support website.

Instructor Gaylee Levee will take you step by step through the process of becoming an accomplished painter. You will learn about perspective, how to organize your studio, how to care for your art materials, how to develop compositions….all of the foundational skills needed to become the artist you have always aspired to be.

I like to refer to Learn and Master Painting as an "Art School in a Box", because it is quite literally like attending a professional Art School within the comfort of your own home, but at the fraction of the price. The folks over at Learn and Master Painting have made this course extremely affordable for any budget.

Not only is the course professional and affordable, but unlike attending an art school, you have the ability to watch these courses over and over again. So if something does not sink in right away, you can play the DVD's again and practice something until it does. But the benefits do not stop there. Along with the 20 DVD's and course book, you also have access to an entire community of artists who have also purchased the Learn and Master Painting Course. Here you will find support and encouragement from instructor Gaylee Levee as well as from other students from all over the world.

I recommend this course wholeheartedly to anyone wishing to learn how to become an accomplished artist. There is no other home study course in existence today of this caliber.

One last thing. Do not buy this course if you are not serious about devoting the time and energy into learning how to paint or if you do not have patience. Without patience and hard work, this course will do you no good.

Click here to Learn and Master Painting!

Color Mixing Tutorials & Resources For Oil Painters

2009-10-14T12:22:00.000-07:00

One of the biggest challenges for artists just starting out with oil painting is mixing colors. Color is a powerful tool. If handled improperly, things can become quite messy. Improperly mixed colors lead to muddy or unbalanced paintings. The good news is, with practice, you will become more skilled at mastering color in your oil paintings. I have collected a number of color mixing tutorials below including links to articles, videos and books. I hope you find these oil painting color mixing resources helpful....

Read the rest of these oil painting color mixing tutorials here.

Tips for Creating Strong Compositions in your Paintings

2009-10-09T13:29:00.000-07:00

Composition is one of the most important aspects of painting. A pleasing composition is one where shapes and colors in a painting are organized in such a way that there is a sense of balance. Creating a balanced and interesting composition is more challenging that it may appear. If something is out of place or wrong, the viewer is left confused or uninterested. The following tips should help steer you in the right direction....

Read the rest of this focal point painting article here.

Rock Drawing Lesson By Diane Wright

2009-09-26T22:34:00.000-07:00

By Diane Wright

While I haven’t had the opportunity to draw many rocks in my landscapes (yet), they can certainly add interest to any landscape. I consider them just one more opportunity to add a different texture to the scene.

as you sketch the rocks. Pick out the sections that interest you and just sketch.

There are different kinds of rock formations. From sandstone, shale, limestone, volcanic to boulders. Each one will hold different textures and ‘feel’ to them.

This lesson will be very specific and we are going to study the drawing of a close-up view of rocks. Our goal is two fold. 1) To understand the how to create the shape and depth of rocks, and 2) to learn how to create textured, realistic looking rocks...

Read the rest of this drawing lesson here.

Learn to Paint Like Monet - Free Oil Painting Lesson

2009-09-23T13:30:00.000-07:00

You Can Learn How to Paint Like Monet: His Techniques and Color Mixing Approach

Have you ever wondered how to paint like Monet or wanted to paint like he does?

When you see his works, like the huge water lily paintings in the Orangerie Museum in Paris, you know that he was truly a master colorist.

Those paintings made such an impression on me that to this day I’m still inspired to follow in his footsteps. I want to venture outdoors, see the natural world around me, and paint it the way that he did. It is an invigorating change from the studio painting approach I normally use.

Learning how to paint like Monet is easy. There are three aspects to keep in mind: how he mixed his colors, his technique of applying the paint, and his process for creating paintings...

Read the rest of this oil painting lesson here.

Old Master Oil Painting Techniques - Free Demonstration

2009-09-15T08:56:00.000-07:00

In this video, Artists Chris Smith and Paul Thomas recreate a painting by an old master on a very large scale. This is a long video, over an hour, so grab your favorite beverage, sit back and enjoy this informative and interesting oil painting demonstration. You will learn a great deal about the old masters oil painting techniques in this demonstration. This is an excellent video and do hope you enjoy!

Follow this link to view this oil painting video demonstration.

Oil Painting Tips - Different Methods For Starting an Oil Painting

2009-09-04T09:28:00.000-07:00

Oil paint is an exciting medium to work with. One will never become bored while painting with oil paints. There are a variety of materials and other mediums at your fingertips and when you combine these materials and mediums with the versatility of oil paints, you have a variety of interesting ways to begin an oil painting. There are certain drawing and painting mediums that are compatible with oil paints and when utilized, will make your painting experience more interesting and enjoyable.

CHARCOAL

Charcoal works beautifully as a preliminary step to oil painting. There are three main forms of charcoal used most often by artist’s and they are compressed, willow and vine charcoal. Willow and Vine charcoal tend to be more highly favored for preliminary drawings as they leave a lighter mark and are easier to erase. Compressed charcoal, because it leaves a much darker line, is more difficult to remove and not as widely used to start an oil painting. Some helpful tools to use for working with charcoal are kneaded erasers, stiff bristle brushes, blenders and tortillions. Whatever type of charcoal drawing you create, make certain not to go overboard with your application. Charcoal is very forgiving with oil paints, but too much, and it can effect the paint in adverse ways....

Read the rest of this oil painting lesson here

Realistic Portrait Drawing Tutorial

2009-08-31T10:01:00.000-07:00

The human anatomy is a very complicated subject to draw. It has been said, that if one can master the human figure, one can draw anything. I believe there is definitely some truth to that.

So if you are passionate about learning how to draw the human body, specifically the face, then you are sure to find the following tutorial extremely helpful.

The following is a 6 part video lesson demonstrating step by step, the process of drawing a realistic portrait. It was created by the very talented portrait artist Ron Lemen.

Unfortunately, this drawing series has not been completed yet or the artist has not yet uploaded the final part. I wasn’t planning on posting this incomplete tutorial, but it is such a valuable lesson, that I just couldn’t pass it up. I hope you don’t mind. I promise to post the final part if and when it becomes available....

Read the rest of this portrait drawing tutorial here.

Landscape Painting Tutorial - How To Paint Clouds

2009-08-25T07:43:00.000-07:00

One of the more difficult things to accomplish in landscape painting is creating realistic clouds. If you learn the right techniques and apply them correctly, painting clouds is actually quite easy as the following landscape painting tutorial will demonstrate. Grab some fresh paint, a new canvas, some clean brushes and try out the following tutorial....

Please read the rest of this landscape painting tutorial here.

Acrylic Painting Tips & Techniques For Beginner Painters

2009-08-18T04:59:00.000-07:00

Acrylic paint, when compared with other mediums like oil paint, is a fairly new addition to the world of painting. It has only been around since the 1950's . It has been continually under development and refinement since that time. Just because acrylic paint has not been around as long as oils, does not make these paints less important or enjoyable.

Some of the wonderful benefits of using acrylic paints are their versatility, permanence and ease of use. These paints can be applied thickly as an impasto or in thin washes similar to watercolor. Acrylic paint does not yellow or harden with age like oils.

Another reason artists love to work with acrylics is their fast drying time. Since acrylic paint dries so quickly, colors can be applied and layered quicker than oil paints. But with this fast drying time comes a few disadvantages:

1) The paint will not remain workable for very long, so you have to work fast.

2) Brushes can be ruined if you do not clean them right away.

3) If you plan to paint outdoors, then acrylic paint is probably not the best medium to use, especially on a hot sunny day. When you lay out your colors on a palette or other surface, they will begin to dry quickly forming skins on the surface, making them quite difficult to work with.

ACRYLIC PAINTING TECHNIQUES

Watercolor Effects

Many artists like to use acrylics in a fluid state, similar to watercolor. There is a notable difference though. With acrylics, washes can be layered on top of one another without fear of disturbing the colors underneath. You must wait for one layer to dry completely before applying another of course. Once each layer dries it becomes insoluble in water. One disadvantage to using acrylics as a watercolor medium is the difficulty in modifying the color. Once acrylic paint begins to dry it becomes very difficult to modify and washes can sometime dry with unwanted hard edges. You can avoid this problem in one of two ways. You can either dampen the paper before the paint is applied or you can use an additional brush dampened with water. Use one brush to apply the paint and immediately soften the edge with the other brush that has been dampened with the water.

Pouring & Dripping Technique

This technique was made popular by the master painter Jackson Pollock in the late 1940's and early 1950's. You use a very fluid acrylic paint for this technique. You can pour it directly on the canvas or dip a brush into the paint and let it drip down onto the canvas. You can create some very interesting effects with this technique. Check out Jackson Pollocks work to see this technique in action.

Sgraffito Technique

Sgraffito is a scratching technique. It got its name from the Italian word graffiare which literally means to scratch. Just as the name implies it involves scratching into the surface of the wet paint which reveals either the ground or layer of dry color underneath. There are a number of different tools that can be used for this technique. Tools like screwdrivers or the sharpened end of an old paintbrush handle can work.

Using a Squeegee

A regular squeegee that you can buy at any hardware or auto store has the ability to create some interesting effects. First squeeze out some paint blobs directly along one edge of your support. You can layout whatever colors you wish. Then with one fluid motion drag the paint across the surface with your squeegee smearing and mixing the paint as you go....

Read the rest of these acrylic painting tips & techniques here.

New Video Lesson - Using Alcohol with Acrylic Paints

2009-08-13T08:15:00.001-07:00

I found this really cool video on YouTube today from artist Howard L. Cowdrick. He demonstrates a fascinating acrylic painting technique using alcohol. It is a very interesting way to work with acrylics. I know many artists get somewhat bored sometimes and are looking for ideas to breathe new life into their work and I hope this video helps inspire you!

Please follow this link to view this acrylic painting technique video

Oil Painting Tips For Beginners - How to Keep your Colors Pure

2009-07-30T13:59:00.000-07:00

One of the biggest hurdles for beginner oil painters is learning how to keep colors pure. How many times have you started an oil painting only to quit from frustration because things just didn't look right. Your colors were muddy or they just lacked brilliance. This is a very common problem for artists just starting out with oil paints. Hopefully after reading this article, you will no longer have to put up with this frustration any longer and will finally be able to enjoy oil painting.

BE CLEAN AND ORGANIZED

I know for some of us, it can be very difficult to maintain a clean and organized painting environment. Sometimes we can get very caught up in our work and things can get sloppy. The last thing you want is to become a sloppy painter as your work will suffer. Break the habit early and try your hardest to develop clean and organized painting habits.

Your Palette

First, you should get into the habit of laying out your colors the same way every time you paint. This is just good practice and keeps the painting process flowing nicely. Arrange your colors along the edges of your palette leaving a lot of room in the center for mixing.

Don't be afraid to squeeze out a good amount of paint, especially your whites. You will be more productive if you aren't continuously stopping to squeeze out more paint.

Make certain to include all of the colors you think you will need to complete that session of painting. Again, this will make you more productive.

When adding paint to the palette, I have found that squeezing the paint out in long lines, as opposed to puddles, keeps my colors cleaner. When you have puddles of paint, they tend to get soiled by other colors when mixing. With a long line of paint, you can just take paint from the end as needed and not dirty the rest. Keep some rags or paper towels handy for wiping your palette knife clean.

It's a good idea to continuously wipe your palette clean during the painting process. There is nothing more frustrating then trying to remove dried up oil paint. Keep some alcohol handy so that you can keep the mixing area of your palette clean.

If you don't want to fuss around with a regular palette, why not try a disposable one? They are basically paper with a plastic coating that prevents the paper from absorbing the oil. The beauty of the disposable palette, is that you can simply throw it in the trash when you are done. Using a disposable palette will definitely help keep your colors clean as you will be starting with a clean surface every time you start a new painting session.

When mixing your colors, use your palette knife and not your brush. A palette knife can be wiped completely clean so there is no chance of your colors becoming contaminated. Your brush is made for painting and not mixing and you can shorten the life span of your brush if you are continually mixing with it.

Brushes

I like to have a handful of clean brushes near by when I am painting. This way, I do not need to stop and clean my brushes when I am working with a different color and there is less risk of the wrong colors getting into the mix...

Please follow this link to view the rest of these oil painting tips

Understanding Color Theory For Painters

2009-07-20T07:29:00.000-07:00

Color is a very broad topic. Entire books have been written on color and it would be quite difficult to cover every aspect of it within the confines of this article. My hopes with this introduction to color theory is to peek your interest and hopefully cause you to study this topic further on your own. Understanding color theory is perhaps one of the most important aspects of becoming a good painter. When you understand the elements of color and how colors interact with one another, you have unlocked one of the biggest puzzles of painting.

WHERE DOES COLOR COME FROM?

Our beautiful world of color is only possible because of the solar spectrum. You can certainly do your best to mimic natural sunlight with today’s technology and they have done a pretty fine job of that with full spectrum lighting. But even full spectrum lighting is not as true as sunlight. One only needs to spend a day painting outdoors to see how your color pops out at you under natural sunlight when compared to indoor lighting.

So what exactly makes a rose appear “red” or grass appear “green”. In the green grass, you are only seeing green because the grass has pigments in it that absorb all colors of the solar spectrum except green. So green is the color that is reflected back to your eyes. The same holds true for the red rose, only the rose absorbs all colors of the spectrum besides red....

Follow this link for the rest of this post on color theory

Free Watercolor Painting Tutorial - Fluffy Duckling

2009-07-09T16:05:00.000-07:00

Fluffy Young Duckling Demo By Dawn McLeod Heim

Learn how to paint a cute little duckling in watercolor with this free step by step demonstration from artist Dawn McLeod Heim... To learn more about Dawn and to view the rest of this watercolor painting demonstration please click here.

About the Artist

My name is Dawn McLeod Heim, author of the book “Step-by-Step Guide to Painting Realistic Watercolors“.

Over the years I have had numerous inquiries and requests to create a website not only geared towards learning how to paint watercolor in a realistic manner, but also a place that fellow watercolor enthusiasts can have the opportunity to purchase and paint the class projects that I have taught my students.

My Website: http://www.watercolorpaintingandprojects.com/

Top 10 Tips To Improve Your Oil Painting

2009-06-16T12:44:00.000-07:00

LEARN HOW TO DRAW

You will be amazed at how much learning how to draw will help improve your oil paintings. In fact, years ago art students were not permitted to paint until they learned the fundamentals of drawing. Drawing gets you more in touch with value, line and form without the distraction of color. Find a good book on drawing fundamentals and start there.

LEARN ABOUT COLOR

Nothing can confuse a beginner more than color. You need to have a good understanding of color theory if you intend on producing high quality paintings. Concepts like color temperature, hue and intensity are very important and should be studied. Once you have a good understanding of color theory, you must then learn how to mix your colors. There is much more to color mixing then meets the eye. For instance, you cannot mix any old blue with any old yellow and get the perfect green. Certain blues and yellows behave differently than others, so you must learn about the properties of each color.

PERSPECTIVE

Perspective in painting is one of the biggest hurdles for beginners. Sometimes a painting just looks "wrong", and often it is because the perspective in the painting is off. Learning about perspective will teach you how to properly translate a 3-dimensional world onto a 2-dimensional canvas or other support. Learning perspective is a necessary ingredient toward producing convincing oil paintings. There is of course an exception to this, if you are producing an abstract work and your intentions are to warp the perspective.

MATERIALS

Materials to an oil painter are like what a guitar is to a guitarist. A guitarist cannot play without his instrument nor can he play without understanding how his instrument works. Your painting materials are your instruments. They are what enable you to express yourself, so learning more about them is an absolute must. Learn about the different kinds of brushes and what they do. Know your paints. Not all colors behave the same. Some are more transparent or opaque than others. Know your supports and the difference between them. The list goes on.

TECHNIQUES

There are a plethora of oil painting techniques that you can learn to create your paintings. Techniques like wet on wet, glazing, alla prima, knife painting, etc. should all be explored. Working with various techniques will help you develop your own unique style and help you to produce more interesting paintings.

START WITH A CONCEPT

I remember not too long ago, what a frustrated painter I was. I had 10 or so incomplete paintings collecting dust in the corner of my small studio. I would attempt to complete these paintings over and over again, until finally I had to take a step back and try and understand what I was doing wrong. The reason I lost interest and was unable to complete these paintings, was because I did not have a concept in mind before I started. I would start haphazardly without a clear vision of what I really wanted to accomplish. Concepts are methods for solving problems in a painting. What do you want your painting to be about? When you have a blueprint or roadmap in mind before you start painting, there is no room for diversion. You must stick to your plan.

MASTER YOUR BRUSH

A very important part of oil painting is having control over your brush. Without good brush control , your effectiveness as a painter is limited. Make sure you have the best possible brushes you can afford. One of the biggest mistakes artists make, myself included, is not reloading the brush enough. Make certain you always have enough paint on your brush so that there is always a layer of paint between your brush and the canvas. Do not try and scrub the paint into the canvas. Paint your strokes and leave them be. Don't over work your brushstrokes.

FAT OVER LEAN

Follow this rule and you will reduce the chance of your paint cracking. Each layer of your oil painting should have a higher oil content then the one below it.

ORGANIZED PALETTE

Having a clean organized palette is an essential part of good painting. Get into the habit of laying out your colors the same way every time you paint. Arrange your colors along the edges of your palette leaving a lot of room in the center for mixing. Don't be afraid to squeeze out a good amount of paint, especially your whites. You will be more productive if you aren't continuously stopping to squeeze out more paint. Make certain to include all of the colors you think you will need to complete that session of painting. It's a good idea to continuously wipe your palette clean during the painting process. Keep some alcohol handy so that you can keep the mixing area of your palette clean.

INSPIRATION

If you are ever feeling uninspired don't get discouraged. Try taking a walk outside, breath in the air, look around at the beautiful earth God created. Try playing music while you are painting. You will be surprised how music can affect your painting. Visit a museum or local gallery. Viewing other works of art can really get your creative juices flowing.

Ralph Serpe is the Webmaster and Founder of two popular communities for artists: CreativeSpotlite.com - Visit today for more free art lessons on a variety of different mediums. ArtInstructionBlog.com - Visit today for more free art instruction on a variety of different mediums.

Guide to Acrylic Painting by Stephanie Pui-Mun Law

2009-06-14T17:24:00.000-07:00

Introduction

To cover all the techniques available to an acrylic painter in a short article would be next to impossible, but I can cover how to get yourself started, what tools you need, and talk a bit about various methods, styles, and techniques. Of course, the best teacher for any kind of art and any medium of art is practice. Only by actually working with a medium will you learn the little quirks of that medium, and learn to use those quirks as part of your art. That is what makes any medium special, and why an artist would choose pastels over colored pencils for one piece, and acrylics over oils in some other.

The methods I will outline are not the only ways to utilize acrylic paints. My own style is rather controlled, and so I am slightly biased towards the more traditional techniques. I will try to cover as much as I can. Although for basic drawing skills you will have to look to the sketching section of FARP. This is about acrylics and the techniques specific to that medium.

What are acrylics?

Acrylics are similar to oil paints in many ways, and in others, the farthest thing from oils that you can get. As a fellow Elfwood artist once said, "The major advantage of acrylics is that they dry really fast. The major disadvantage of acrylics is that they dry really fast!" Acrylic paints are water based, and though they may not smell as much as oil paints and there are no messy solvents, note that acrylics still are slightly toxic. So just don’t do anything stupid like eating your paints and lick your brushes (Really, I knew idiots who would do this). Having a ventilated workspace is always advisable.

Tools of the Trade

The Paints!

What you have to keep in mind when selecting your colors, is to not become overwhelmed too many colors. If you have worked with color or paint before, you know this. If this is your first foray out from the world of black and white, don’t fret. Usually paints are ~$4 (US) per tube. Don’t panic if your wallet is rather thin. You only need a few colors, and by mixing colors, you can create any hue you want.

Recommended colors would be: Burnt Umber , Ultramarine Blue Titanium White Alizirean Crimson or Cadmium Red , Cadmium Yellow (or some approximate color…Cadmium pigments are expensive but very beautiful and toxic as well), and Lamp Black

And if you want additional colors, here are a few more pigments that I have found to be extremely useful, and very good for mixing: Naples Yellow Payne's Gray Burnt Sienna Pthalo Blue, some kind of Green (Just to round out your palatte) and anything else that catches your fancy....

Please follow this link to read this guide to acrylic painting in its entirety

Step by Step Landscape Painting Demo by Dan Schultz

2009-06-11T07:31:00.000-07:00

Step 1: Prepare to Paint

For this 18″ x 24″ studio painting I used Claessens double-oil-primed linen canvas, #15 (my usual painting surface), mounted on 1/2″ Gator Board. I applied an initial wash to the canvas with a color that I hoped would end up being pretty close to my final color for the creek bed in the foreground. I don’t use any medium with my paint, just mineral spirits (Gamsol made by Gamblin) that I sometimes use to thin the paint (which I did for the initial wash, then lightly wiped it with a paper towel). I also laid out all my palette colors (listed below).

Brushes:

Holbein Killington bristle flats and Utrecht bristle flats, sizes 2 - 12

Royal Langnickel sable flats (series 5590), sizes 2 - 12

Assorted palette knives for painting, mixing paint and cleaning my palette

Paint:

(Starting from the bottom left on my palette and working upwards and to the right.)

Titanium White (Utrecht)

Cadmium Lemon (Winsor & Newton)

Cadmium Yellow (M. Graham & Co.)

Cadmium Yellow Deep (Utrecht)

Yellow Ochre (Winsor & Newton)

Cadmium Red (M. Graham & Co.)

Venetian Red (Gamblin)

Permanent Alizarin Crimson (Gamblin)

Transparent Oxide Red (Rembrandt)

Viridian (Gamblin)

Cobalt Blue (Winsor & Newton)

Ultramarine Deep (Rembrandt)

Ivory Black (M. Graham & Co.)

The last pile is a gray mixture made from mixing the leftover paint on my palette from my last painting.

Step 2: Draw the Scene on the Canvas

Using a #4 Holbein Killington bristle flat brush, I used some of the gray mixture on my palette to draw my scene. (It really doesn’t matter much what color is used for the drawing since it will eventually be covered up anyway. I usually just try to use a color that isn’t too intense and that is dark enough in value for me to see it over the initial wash.) I thinned the paint with some mineral spirits so that it would flow off my brush easily and tried to keep the drawing simple and accurate.

Please follow this link to view the rest of this landscape painting tutorial

Watercolor Techniques - Learn How To Paint with Watercolors

2009-06-08T08:00:00.000-07:00

Watercolor painting is a very exciting medium. It’s easy to get started. All you really need is some paint, a few brushes, some water and paper and you are good to go. It is one of the most convenient painting mediums in existence to day. It is no wonder why it is such a popular option for beginners. Of course, you are going to need some advice and direction in order to get started, so I put together this post that covers some of the more basic watercolor techniques.

I have also included several excellent videos that demonstration watercolor painting techniques below. Enjoy!

Basic Watercolor Techniques

Flat Wash Technique - The flat wash painting method is a common one. This technique is usually used when large areas of your support need to be covered. It is important to lay out the watercolor wash evenly and uniformly. First, you dampen the area of your paper where you will be applying the wash. Be sure to have an adequate amount of water and pigment available before your begin. If you should have to stop for any reason, it will be rather difficult to match your layers. It is better to have more than less available. The angle at which you apply the watercolor wash is important. If the angle is too steep your wash will run down the paper. If the angle is too level, then there won’t have enough movement. Use a large brush for this technique and start your first stroke at the top of the paper. Continue applying the watercolor wash going down the paper, but alternate sides as you move down.

Glazing - Glazing in watercolor is when you apply a thin transparent color over a completed dry layer of color. This technique creates unique and interesting blends of new color. You will need to use a non-staining, transparent color for this watercolor technique. You will need to use a soft brush and try not too apply that much pressure.

Wet In Wet - Wet in wet is simply applying a wet wash over a wet surface. You start by evenly wetting the paper with a brush or spray bottle. Have a sponge handy to absorb any excess water. You want your paper to be evenly saturated. Then apply your watercolor.

Dry Brush - With the dry brush technique, you begin with a dry piece of paper. Then pick up some dry pigment with just a touch of water and apply to your paper.

The dry brush method is only recommended when you want to draw focus or create texture in your painting. It’s always a good idea to use different brush techniques in a single painting. This results in a more interesting painting.

Lifting Off - Artists use this technique when they want to remove watercolor from a certain area of the panting. It is usually done by first wetting the area that needs to be removed with a clean sponge and then absorb the color with a tissue. If you find that the color does not come off right away, then let the water soak in a bit longer and try again. If you still are unable to remove the color, dampen a bristle brush and gently scrub the area. Use extreme care when utilizing this method as it is possible to damage your paper.....

Please follow this link to view the rest of this post on watercolor painting techniques

Pastel Drawing Mediums Explained

2009-06-02T07:08:00.000-07:00

Pastels are one of the easiest mediums to work with and therefore are a very popular choice amongst artists. Pastels combine the immediacy of a drawing medium while at the same time provide the artist with a color rich, paint like environment. With Pastel drawing, there is no need to prepare your drawing surface, as pastels can be applied directly to your support. There are no harsh chemicals or mediums to be concerned about and cleanup is a snap! It is no wonder why artists adore this medium so much.

Pastels are available in a wide range of exciting colors and materials from soft pastels and oil pastels, to pastel pencils and crayons. You could literally spend a lifetime exploring this versatile and exciting medium.

TYPE OF PASTELS

Pastels are available in a wide range of types and this is to accommodate the different tastes artists have. These various types of pastels are all created using similar pigments, only they are composed of different quantities or kinds of binding materials.

Soft Pastels

Soft pastels are the original form of this medium and probably the most popular. Soft pastels are composted of pure pigment, chalk and a gum solution. They produce rich colorful lines and are more often than not, looked upon as painting mediums more than drawing mediums. Soft pastels can produce subtle lines or can be built up into rich impastos. It provides the artist with the best of both worlds essentially. Of all the various types of pastels, soft pastels are available in the widest range of colors. They can be purchased individually or in sets.

Hard Pastels

Hard pastels, as the name implies, are hard and more suited for drawing and producing lines. Artists often use hard pastels and soft pastels together in the same drawing. The hard pastels are used to layout the drawing and the soft pastels are worked in over the hard. The hard pastels are then used again to finalize the drawing by adding in details. Hard pastels do not have the extensive range of color that soft pastels have. It is for this reason that you must utilize various optical color mixing techniques on your paper if you want to produce different colors.....

Please follow this link to view the rest of this post on pastel drawing & painting mediums

Introduction to Watercolor Painting Supplies For Beginners

2009-05-21T14:10:00.000-07:00

Watercolor painting is probably the most convenient of all the painting mediums. All you really need to get started is a box of paint, a few brushes, water and some paper. There are no toxic solvents or mediums to be concerned about and your brushes can be cleaned with a little soap and water. This convenience makes watercolor one of the most economical painting mediums as well. This article will provide an introduction to the more popular supplies that a beginner should consider investing in.

PAINT

Watercolor paint is made by mixing powdered pigments along with a water soluble binding medium. In the beginning you will do fine by using a cheaper brand of paint, but you will definitely enjoy a much better painting experience if you use artist quality paints. Artist quality paints use more high quality pigment and are noticeably richer and more vibrant. After you become more comfortable working with watercolors, you should then consider upgrading to artist quality paint. Paint is available in both pan and tube form. The main difference between the tube and pan paints is that the tubes have more glycerine and they tend to be more water soluble.

BRUSHES

There are generally two types of brushes that are available to artists: your soft hair brushes like natural sable and squirrel hair and your hard hair bristle brushes. Soft hair brushes are the most popular choice amongst artists and highly recommended. Bristle brushes are sometimes used with techniques that require you to scrub the paint into your paper or other support. Among the soft brushes used by artists, sable is the most popular. These soft hair brushes are resilient and effective at holding a lot of paint. Because of the high quality of these brushes, they also come with a high price tag. This of course leads artists to seek a cheaper alternative. This cheaper alternative comes in the form of synthetic soft hair brushes. As the name implies, these brushes are not made with animal hairs. They are made from man made materials and consequently, are not of the same quality as the sables. They are still a pretty good alternative and many artists use them.

BRUSH SHAPES

Now that you are a little more familiar with the types of hair brushes are made with, lets us cover the shapes brushes are available in.

Round Brushes

As the name implies, the hair of these brushes are round and can be shaped into an excellent point. Depending on the size of the round brushes, they can be used for detailed work or for applying washes.

Wash Brushes (or Mop Brushes)

This is a brush that forms a mop like shape and is used primarily for applying washes.

Flat Wash Brush

The flat wash brushes are square and flat in shape and closely resemble the brushes you use for house painting. These brushes are made for applying washes over large areas and can also be used for modifying existing washes.

Large Flat Wash Brushes

The large flat wash brush looks very similar to the regular flat wash brush only its a little larger, usually about 2 inches wide. This brush is also excellent for laying down washes over large areas.

Please follow this link to view the rest of this post on watercolor painting supplies

Drawing Lesson - An Introduction to Drawing Mediums and Accessories

2009-05-19T06:39:00.000-07:00

So you would like to learn how to draw eh? Drawing is one of the most economical forms of art and is very easy to get started. You really do not need much. For the absolute beginner, all that is really needed is a number 2 pencil and piece of cheap scrap paper. Eventually though, you will probably want to purchase quality supplies as you become more experiences and start producing finished drawings. This article will provide you with an introduction to some of the more popular drawing materials and accessories available to todays artists.

DRAWING MEDIUMS

Graphite Pencils: Graphite pencils, which are sometimes confused with "lead pencils", are nothing more than a mixture of clay and the mineral graphite. These pencils are usually in the form of a long rod which is encased in wood. Graphite pencils range in grade from very hard to very soft, although the harder grades are not used as often as the softer grades. The softer grade pencils will allow you to be more expressive with your work. You can easily find a high quality graphite pencil set online at a number of different art stores and they are usually quite affordable.

Graphite Sticks: Graphite is also available in stick forms that are sold as is or can be inserted into holders or encased in plastic. Graphite sticks are graded in the same fashion as regular pencils and are excellent for covering large areas.

Colored Pencils: If you prefer to draw in color, then colored pencils may be a good fit for you. Colored pencils are available in a variety of colors and can be purchased in sets as well. They are rather waxy in nature so if you like to work with mediums that can be blended, then this is not the right choice for you. They are best suited for techniques that utilize "optical blending" like "cross-hatching" for instance.

Water Soluble Pencils- These are a very interesting and a relatively new drawing medium. These are a wonderful alternative to watercolor paints if you prefer to work with pencil, but still want that "Watercolor" look to your work. You lay down your marks as you would with a colored pencil only when you apply water, your marks instantly dissolve creating colorful washes

Pens & Inks - Pen and ink has been around for centuries and at one point in time was one of the most common drawing mediums. Drawing in ink is rather challenging and intimidating to artists because of its permanence. Inks are impossible to erase bit this isn't necessarily a bad thing. Each line you put down adds to the expressive nature of this medium. There are many different pens available and the only way to know which one you are comfortable with is to test various pens and inks out. You have your Nib style pens which are essentially a holder which accepts various nibs of different sizes and shapes. Then there are technical pens which are available in various sizes. These pens provide the means to create consistent lines no matter the force of pressure. Other pens include felt tip, roller ball, sketching pens, fountain and reed pens.

Chalk - Chalk is one the oldest drawing mediums in existence today. Today chalks are created by mixing limestone, pigments, water and a binding medium. There are a variety of chalks available to today's artists. Conte crayons are a very popular type of chalk. Conte crayons are hard and less prone to breaking. Drawing chalks are also quite popular and are quite similar in appearance and texture to pastels.

Charcoal - Charcoal is made from charred willow and is a very versatile medium. Like chalk, it is also a very old medium that has been in existence for hundreds of years. Charcoal is a very expressive medium and produces rick, dark lines. Like graphite, charcoal is also sold in various grades from hard to soft and is available in different sizes.

Pastels - Pastels can sometimes be difficult to classify as certain pastels like soft and oil pastels, can be applied in an almost painterly fashion. However, because they cannot be mixed in the same way that paint can, and are therefore classified as drawing mediums. Pastels come in a variety of different formats. Some of the more popular are soft pastels and oil pastels but they also come in pencil, crayon and water soluble varieties.

DRAWING ACCESSORIES

Sharpeners - There are a variety of different ways to keep your pencils or drawing mediums sharpened. Always try to keep your pencils sharpened to a fine point. You will get a cleaner, more direct line that way. The best kind of sharpener is really a matter of personal preference. Manual sharpeners are believed to be a better choice as there is more control and less waste making them more economical. If not used properly, an electric sharpener can devour your pencils. A sharp craft knife is sometimes used and creates a longer point to work with.

Erasers - Erasers are available in a variety of different shapes and materials. One of the most widely used and most effective erasers is the kneaded eraser. A kneaded eraser is almost like silly putty and can be molded into any shape making it an excellent tool for erasing small areas of a drawing and a kneaded eraser does not leave marks or unwanted residue.

Fixatives - Fixatives are used to create a protective seal over the drawing surface to prevent the work from smudging. Fixatives can be used during the drawing process to protect each layer as you go or when a drawing is completed to create a permanent protective layer. Not all artists use fixatives as some feel they can ruin a drawing. It is really a personal preference that is always debated.

Tortillions - Tortillions are blending tools made of tightly rolled pointed paper. They are very similar in appearance to pencils. The paper can be peeled away as the surface of the tortillion becomes soiled by the drawing medium. Tortillions are used for blending purposes. �

Visit our main blog for more great drawing tips, techniques and lessons

Figurative Oil Painting Demonstration by Lacey Lewis

2009-05-08T16:03:00.000-07:00

About Lacey

Working mainly in oil, Lacey Lewis is an award winning contemporary realist figurative artist who paints in a classical style. Whether or not one is versed in the elusive language of visual design, Lacey’s paintings communicate to the viewer as she purposefully chooses recognizable aspects of reality to recreate on the canvas. It is vital to Lacey that her art at a minimum expresses the beauty that she observes in her subject. Often that expression of beauty is an end in and of itself. Other times, it is used as a lure to entice the viewer to look a little longer so that a deeper meaning or narrative may be revealed to them.

“I take it as an opportunity to learn about a person; their essence, where they’ve been, the image they project. I want to create a record of someone’s whole being, not just their physical likeness, through a beautiful and well composed work of art.”

Please follow this link to view Lacey's figurative oil painting lesson...

Graphite Pencil Drawing Tutorial: Female Eye by Faith Te

2009-04-24T06:42:00.000-07:00

Here is the first tutorial from Art Studio — a female eye. My method in graphite pencil drawing aims to render subjects as realistically as I can. The following is a step-by-step demonstration of how I draw eyes. While I very much hope that it helps you in drawing realistic eyes, do experiment and develop your own way of drawing. I myself sometimes do not follow some of the steps exactly as I like to experiment and try to find better ways of achieving a specific texture or effect. Before I begin, many thanks to Toni-Marie Hudson for the use of her picture. Toni-Marie does animal paintings in mixed media. Visit her web site to view her extremely realistic paintings.

Step 1:

The outline on Canson Grain. Since the outline was very light and will likely be smudged off when I start rendering or shading, I have carefully and lightly retraced the lines with a soft pencil. In this case, a Faber-Castell 0.5 mm 2B mechanical pencil....

Please follow this link to view the rest of this drawing tutorial of the female eye...

How to Get the Most Out of your Oil Painting

2009-03-19T08:42:00.000-07:00

Learning how to become a good oil painter is a difficult undertaking. In fact, it is more than likely one of the most difficult painting mediums to master. Things like color mixing & theory, perspective, techniques and materials can really intimidate a beginner artist.

So how do you get the most out of your oil painting and become a more accomplished artist?

You must make it a point to learn the fundamentals of oil painting, practice often and have an enormous amount of patience....

Please follow this link to view the rest of this article on oil painting tips and techniques..

Step by Step Pastel Portrait Drawing Tutorial

2009-02-25T15:11:00.000-08:00

ABOUT THE ARTIST

George Max is a Geologist, Fine Artist and Professional Translator from central Guatemala in Middle America. He was born in 1968 in a small town called of Cobán, 200 km north of Guatemala City. He traveled to the USA (Colorado State) in 1989 to study English under a one year scholarship program. He started getting acquainted with art since his first year in College in 1988. As an autodidact, he started his labor of art in 1992 making oil paintings on canvas. Nevertheless, it was until late 2004 when he began to produce formal artwork (oil paintings mainly) for exhibition and sale to date.

Artwork Website: http://www.georgemax.co.nr/

Translation Website: http://www.geodirect.co.nr/

Artist Email: georgemaxart@hotmail.com

Translator Email: geodirect07@hotmail.com

ABOUT THE SUBJECT

For this pastel drawing I used the portrait of a little fellow from the highlands of Western Guatemala. His skin is burnt brown because of the cold climate there. He is wearing typical clothes and a decorated hat from the region; Todos Santos Cuchumatan. Although I printed the picture in my Canon iP1300 the colors came out bright so I used the picture in my screen for better reference to the colors, hues and shades.

THE MATERIALS

For this demonstration I used a 64-color set of Mungyo soft pastels (27 mm x 8 mm) and a sheet of Strathmore Pastel paper (11” x 14”) of the clearest color. I found out that this paper requires at least 5 mm sticks or pastel pencils to be able to fill the texture more efficiently and render details in realistic drawings.

The Palette: To the lower left are the yellow ochre colors I used to do the face. In the middle, the brick or maroon tones for the cheeks and lips. To the lower right are the orange and pink colors for the “neck warmer” of the kid’s shirt. In the middle row are the brown and dark colors I used to define, draw and shade the eyes and hair. Grays were used for the shines in the hair and other shades in the eyes and else. To the middle right are the pale blue colors I used for the sweater. And to the top left are other random purple, dark reds, and reds I used to strengthen some values in the neck warmer. To the top right are the dark blues I used for the dark areas and shades of the sweater.

Please follow this link to view the rest of this pastel drawing tutorial..

Step by Step Oil Painting Lesson By Mike Callahan

2009-02-05T13:04:00.000-08:00

About Mike

Nationally recognized, award winning artist Mike Callahan is a fourth generation Nevada native who counts himself privileged to grow up in what he believes to be one of the most beautiful places on earth, the eastern Sierra Nevada mountains near Reno, Nevada where he still lives today. While he has been painting since childhood, he has only been painting in earnest for about the last 5 or 6 years.

Says Mike, “The topography of this area is simply phenomenal; one can go from the high desert to mountainous alpine settings in less than an hour. It is this beautiful and varied landscape that ends up being the subject for a vast majority of my paintings.”

However, if you look through the paintings on Mike’s website, you will quickly see that the Sierra landscape isn’t the only subject Mike typically paints. He also enjoys painting Western themes as well as figurative and portraits.

As you look at Mike’s work, you will notice a great color harmony throughout. While the colors in his paintings run the full spectrum of color seen in nature, harmony is maintained by Mike limiting himself to only three colors plus white on his palette. Instead of referring to this as a limited palette, Mike thinks of it as an unlimited palette as he has not found any color he desires to use that he can’t create from those primary colors.

Mike’s work has been featured in numerous solo, group, and juried shows including the 54th Juried Exhibition at the Haggin Museum in Stockton, California, the second 100 in PaintAmerica’s 2008 Paint the Parks competition, and in May of 2008, Mike received national honors at the Oil Painters of America’s National Juried Show of Traditional Oils winning a coveted Award of Excellence for his painting “Wild Mustangs.”

Mike’s work can currently be seen firsthand at the Artistic Viewpoints Gallery in Minden, Nevada and the Truckee River Gallery in Reno.

Please click here to visit Mike’s website to view more of his work.

“Secret Cove” - Step By Step Oil Painting Lesson By Mike Callahan

Above is a shot of the Secret Cove, Lake Tahoe, Nevada. I shot this photo early on Saturday, Mar. 10, 2007.

Below is my almost that I painted this scene on. The canvas measures 24″ x 38″. To begin with, I mixed up a burnt-orang-ish color and applied it in strokes to my canvas with my palette knife just to get going. Follow along and see the progress of the rest of this painting…

1.) After applying the paint with knife as shown in the initial shot, I wetted a paper towel with Turpenoid and spread it evenly over the whole canvas. At this point, I will wipe the paint down till it’s as thin as I want it.

Follow this link to view the rest of this oil painting tutorial...

Pastels Demonstration By Pauline Adair

2009-01-14T16:35:00.000-08:00

“Pastels for Life”

Author: Pauline Adair - Australian Artist

Note: This painting won the Pastel Award at the 2006 Gympie Gold Rush Annual Art Exhibition.

For this Soft Pastel Demonstration I am using a double sheet of Canson Mi Tientes pastel paper, in a warm grey colour. I prefer to work on the smooth side of this, but I know many pastelists who choose the textured side. The smooth side still has a good tooth which suits my application.

The model is Sophie…. a favourite of mine, and I am working from a photo as it will probably take me several days to complete this to my satisfaction.

Here is the reference photo, which I cropped to achieve a more close up and intimate feel in the
painting.

(The photograph below contains tasteful nudity. Click image to reveal)

Sophie’s Gallery

I’m starting with a willow charcoal drawing…. I like the willow because I can just manipulate it with the heel of my hand… wiping it off easily if I want to adjust the drawing. After each couple of strokes I step back to view it as a whole, trying not to get bogged down to much in the detail of any one area.

I’m happy with the start now, I can begin to add some colour.

I’m adding some shading here, using a deep purple….. I really want to just colour the paper at this stage and to mark where the accents will be…. bones beneath the skin, the darkest shadows, etc. This is still at the drawing stage…. not the painting stage.

Please follow this link to view the rest of this pastel drawing lesson....

Oil Painting Tutorial by Artist Donald Neff

2009-01-07T08:35:00.000-08:00

Artist Statement

“I paint the places I love to be. I paint the freshness of eternal nature, icy lucid streams, thunderous waterfalls, and soaring granite crests over silent lakes. I paint the descriptions of John Muir, the echoes of Ansel Adams, the American West of Albert Bierstadt and Thomas Moran. I paint luminosity filtering through the landscape, reaching to the foundation of a stream, bouncing off rocks, and illuminating the shadows.

Using oil and acrylic, painting realistically is merely my means to an end. I want the viewer to connect with the places I love to be. I hope the observer will want to walk right into my painting and maybe even drop a line in the water to catch a trout.

My published works include both “plein air” and studio paintings, which helps me translate the dynamic experience of the moment and communicate in a more personal way of what I am trying to say..”

- Donald Neff

Follow this link to learn more about Donald and to view more of his work.

Anatomy of a Commission

Oil Painting Demo

Although I don’t advertise the fact, I occasionally do commission work. I generally only accept work which is similar to what I normally paint, so if for some reason the commission agreement falls apart, I can sell the painting to another party.

In this instance, the commission came through one of my galleries, James Harold Gallery in Tahoe City, California. Commission terms were handled by the gallery, so I won’t go into that here. The collectors are a married couple from San Francisco, who had seen my work in the gallery. They liked my work of Lake Tahoe, but were avid Yosemite lovers (the husband is on the board of the Yosemite Fund) and wanted a fall scene of Yosemite Valley.

After sending various images back and forth in emails, plus a number of phone calls, we decided to do a composite of several scenes and colorations. The scene is fairly close to an actual place, but some of the colors and details were borrowed from elsewhere. One of the main concerns of the couple is that the painting complements, at least in color, another painting they have in the same room. The painting shown further below, I eventually learned is by Walter Bailey, a noted muralist and landscape painter of the early 1900’s and is somewhat of a tonalist quality. We also decided on a standard size of 30×40.

Below is a narrative of the development of the project. In some instances, I copied parts of the emails we traded as the process continued. Since the collectors initially worked with James Harold Gallery to arrange the commission, I did not actually met them in person until I hand delivered the painting. Although the collectors didn’t mind me using their names, I will use only her first name in the narrative.

I first did a small color study of the final scene. I chose 9×12 as it is the same aspect ration as the final 30×40 painting. Below is part of an email I sent with a jpg of the first small study which gives some though process of the composition...

Please follow this link to view the rest of this oil painting tutorial....

Interview With Portrait Artist Leslie Tribolet

2008-12-30T09:29:00.000-08:00

Leslie Tribolet lives on Kauai with her husband and her animals. She studied at Santa Barbara Art Institute back in the 70’s, but with pencil as her medium of choice. During her battle with both cervical and breast cancer, she decided to try to learn how to paint for something to do. She dabbled in watercolors and loved them, but seemed that everyone on Kauai was painting with watercolors, and that she found to be boring…..

She was introduced to the Genesis Heat Set Paints in 2007, and loved it because of the ease of finishing her work quickly, without having to wait for the paint to dry and it was “different”. These paints are dried with heat, (heat gun or an oven) which speeds up the process and it is great, especially with living in the humid air of Hawaii. She has always been drawn to ethnic faces, so she decided to try her hand at painting them with these paints, and it worked. She hopes that you enjoy looking at them as much as she enjoys painting them.

Visit Leslie’s Website Today…

Q: What medium or mediums do you work with?

A: I really only used the new Genesis Paints when I paint now. I will dabble with the watercolors when I get bored with same’ol, same’ol. But really like having the ability to paint really fast and Genesis Heat Set Paints allow me to do that.

Q: How long have you been an artist? How did you get started?

A: I have been involved with art in some form since I was a kid. I attended the Santa Barbara Art Institute when I was 19 for a year and loved it. I drew with pencil in figure and head drawing classes mostly, but did take a couple of sculpture classes where I really had a blast. Someday I hope to get back into sculpting.

Q: Do you have any formal training or are you self taught?

A: The only formal training I have had other than the drawing classes at the Institute, is a couple of classes from some local artists here on Kauai. I really am pretty much self taught, learning through trial and error….

Please follow this link to view the rest of this artist interview....

Free Step By Step Watercolor Instruction By Aileen McLeod

2008-12-29T07:26:00.000-08:00

About Aileen

Aileen is a multi-medium artist/tutor. Her portraits have been included in major portrait exhibtions and she has been commissioned to paint VIP. Aileen has been a guest on national TV pertaining to her art and appeared in various leading magazines. Portraits are a great love and she welcomes commissions in this and other subjects/mediums.

Visit Aileen’s Site by Clicking Here.

Aileen offers lessons in other mediums and subjects are available on CD /DVD. She also offers personal critique via email . Please contact her for more information.

Step By Step Watercolor Painting Lesson

I love to share this SPONTANEOUS EXPERIENCE in WATER COLOUR.

This sweet face belongs to Harmoni and I was drawn to paint her portrait for her first birthday. The paper used was Canson 33.gms. a lovely surface for detail and a good weight to prevent buckling. No. 12 and 4 sable brush was my choice.

STEP 1. Sketch the features with a Light Red aquarelle pencil.

STEP 2. A wash of Burnt Sienna was used to establish the shadows.

Please follow this link to view the rest of this watercolor painting lesson....

Top 10 Online Figure Drawing Resources For Beginner Artists

2008-12-20T12:11:00.000-08:00

So you are interested in becoming an expert at drawing and painting the human figure? You have certainly found the right place! I thought it would be a good idea to find the best resources and information on figure drawing and painting and put it all together for you in one easy location for easy reference. On the following page, are what I feel to be, some of the best resources for helping you learn how to draw the human body....

Please follow this link to view this post on figure drawing resources...

Watercolor Brushwork Lesson By Steve Fleming

2008-12-05T17:50:00.000-08:00

About Steve

I am an artist and teacher who primarily works in watercolor. I have been painting for nearly 35 years, and teaching for 14. I believe that the goal of art should be a creative interpretation of the world around us and not the perfect rendering of what we see. I also strongly hold that art is a process not just a product. We should spend more time involved in the making and experiencing our art and less time worrying about the successful marketing of the piece we are working on. Good art is the result of hard work and dedication, but it only happens when the artists finds their own story to tell.

Please click here to visit Steve’s website to learn more about him and to view his work.

Brushwork

Although it is sometimes not what we notice first about a great watercolor painting, expressive brushwork is one of the most important qualities of a good work. Due to the fact that watercolor is fairly hard to remove from the paper and is somewhat less workable than oils, pastels, graphite and to some extent acrylics through the use of overlaying opaque colors on top, it is critical that you begin and end the painting with solid and creative brushwork. It will be very difficult to correct sloppy and repetitive brushwork in those major areas of the painting. Think of the trees you have painted with brushwork that evoke the look of a broom, not an elm, or the water you
painted that has the feeling of a parking lot, not a tranquil pond or the light on the side of a model’s face that looks like an advertisement for a beard commercial and you will understand that your freedom with the brush is a critical factor is expressing your creative intent.

Now I must say that there are times when you apply paint in big washes or solid color forms without a major concern for the individual brushwork, but you still want the brushwork in these forms and pieces of color to be reflective of your intent for this area of the painting and not be cluttered movement, conflicting movement or unintentional texture. If brushwork is not an important consideration in your painting then your work will not have the finish or quality of a masterful painting. Learn to apply your paint with a purposeful and deliberate brush stroke and try to avoid continual rubbing onto the painted surface with a wet and soggy brush. Get in the habit of thinking about the brushwork before you touch the paper and then have a confident and direct approach when your brush is in contact with the paper. The brush is the extension of your creative intent — it is your partner in the process, not just a stick with hair on it. Until we get to the point of painting with our hands and feet, the brush is the major way that the paint will get on the paper and the painting will always record for the viewer the skills you possess in brushwork. Neglecting the improvement of your brush skills will always hold back your painting progress....

Follow this link to view the rest of this watercolor painting lesson...

Interview With Artist Nicole Roy

2008-11-15T07:18:00.000-08:00

About Nicole

I live in Ontario, Canada where the scenic views are just spectacular. Art is a very important factor in my life. I have a small studio/shop in my home where I love to spend most of my time right up to the early hours of the morning. I anticipate starting new projects and challenges… I thrive on deadlines & working under pressure sometimes…it’s a rush and I love it! I am always welcoming commissions from clients.

Q: What medium or mediums do you work with?

A: I work with a variety of mediums, with charcoal being my #1 for people/pet portraits. I do my landscapes with acrylic paints. I’ve recently started to dabble with soft pastels, which I find very enjoyable and relaxing.

Q: How long have you been an artist? How did you get started?

A: I have been drawing since childhood, but didn’t make a fuss over it…when you are young, you think it’s not a big deal and anyone can do this. I did my first pencil portrait at age 12, it was of Elton John, done from an 8 track tape cover… My parents were amazed by it and both encouraged me to do more, but I didn’t except for horse drawings, since they were my love at that age. Then in my late 20’s I got back into it slowly, and in my mid 30’s, decided to become a full time artist.

Please follow this link to view the rest of this artist interview....

Free Step By Step Oil Painting Lesson By Dan Schultz

2008-11-15T07:14:00.000-08:00

Demonstration of High-Key Painting Method - “Into the Light”

By Dan Scultz
Follow this link to visit Dan’s Website.

For this studio painting I used Claessens double oil primed linen canvas, #15 (my usual painting surface), mounted on 1/2″ Gator Board. This painting, as with most of my larger paintings, was completed using a photograph as my reference (shown below).

Step 1: Preparing the Photo

I first crop my photo so that it will be the same proportion as my canvas. This way I can more easily place all the elements correctly when painting the scene. While considering this photo as a painting source, I decided that it would be interesting to do the painting in a higher key than the photo. Painting in a higher key simply means that all the dark and middle-range values in the painting are lightened, while all the colors become more saturated. All the values still have to relate to each other properly, but the range of values to work with becomes more narrow. The darkest darks in the painting become mid-tone values, while the lightest lights remain about the same value as usual.

Please follow this link to view the rest of this free oil painting lesson...

How To Paint a Rose in Watercolor Step By Step

2008-10-27T08:58:00.000-07:00

About Doris Joa

My name is Doris Joa and I am an artist from Germany.

My mediums are watercolor and oil. One of my special favorite subjects are Roses and figurative work. I paint roses and also other flowers in oil and watercolor. Beside Pansies, Rhododendron, Peonies, Daisies and Tulips, there are a lot of roses in my gallery on my website like Heidi Klum Rose, Sangerhauser Jubiläumsrose, Rose “Mein schöner Garten”, Rose Golden Celebration from David Austin, Rose Innocencia, Rose New Dawn, Rose Clair Renaissance, Rose Queen Mother, Rose Bonita Renaissance and more.

My goal is to paint in romantic realism. I am also doing figurative work, portraits, still lifes and in 2005 I have started a new series of colourful Horse paintings in oil. I also have started with doing postcard paintings in 4?x6? and other small studies .

I have a great passion for nature and her beauty and try to capture this in my paintings. The sunshine, the shadows, the light and the glittering of a raindrop I find most captivating.

I love it when people tell me that when they view my paintings they can smell the flowers, feel the velvet of the rose-petals and have the feeling of standing in a garden.

Please be sure to visit Dori’s website to learn more about her and to view more of her work.

Her websites:

http://www.dorisjoa.com/

http://romanticrosesinwatercolor.blogspot.com/

How To Paint a Rose in Watercolor Step By Step

The Star of this painting and Demonstration will be the Rose painting “Open Arms”.
It is a beautiful climbing rose, which I bought new this year for my garden and I was lucky to see a lot of blooms.

I love the colours in this rose and I am looking forward to paint this rose.
Since I need time for doing a rose painting, I cannot paint from life, no rose would live such a long time.

Another reason is that I have two small kids, so I usually only have time to paint in the evening when they are sleeping - so I work from photos. Since this rose is in my own garden, I had enough time to really observe it and understand more about the colors.

I work only from my own reference photos.

I used a digital camera, Olympus C -750 Ultra Zoom to take the photos in this demo. It’s a great camera. I am able to see the details on the wings of a bee. I can zoom up to 40 times.

Now let us get started:

What do I need for a watercolor painting?

I need:

watercolor paper
brushes
paints
paper towels
and of course water.

And I will show you later some helpfool tools.

I am using only hotpressed paper. Most of the time I use 300 g (140 Lb) Arches hotpressed watercolor paper, but I am also using Lanaquarelle, also 140 Lb (300 g) and also hotpressed.

I do not see a difference between both brands, only that one is more expensive than the other.
I like the surface of this paper, it is wonderful for describing the finest detail and it is possible to paint the whole spectrum of texture. Hotpressed paper allows you also to paint in layers without disturbing underlayers.

One thing: As you know, I am a german girl, so please be kind with me about my english. When I do not explain good enough or when you do not understand things, what I am saying, please let me know. Thank you.

Back to the first steps:

I always stretch my paper.

You will need: your paper, a board, stretching tape, jar of clear water and paper towels.

I wet my paper in the bath or shower , place it on the board and wet the measured pieces of tape by wetting them in the jar of clear water. I then place the tape around the sheet of paper (it is half over the paper and half over the board). With the paper towel I go along the stretching tape to absorb the moisture.

Do not worry if there are still some buckles in the paper. When the paper starts to dry they will disappear.

Please follow this link to view the rest of this tutorial on how to paint a rose...

Getting to Know Your Watercolor Palette By Angela Fehr

2008-10-17T14:00:00.000-07:00

Getting to Know Your Palette Part 1

These are the colors that are currently in my watercolor palette. I use mostly Winsor & Newton tube paints, and I squeeze them on to my palette and allow them to dry. This makes my palette portable, and shortens my prep time. I also find I waste less paint this way.

Click Image For Larger View

Some colors here look quite similar - for example, the cobalt blue and ultramarine. They are different, but similar enough that I could probably use one or the other. I use about 3x as much cobalt as ultramarine, but I keep ultramarine in my palette because it is a granulating color and so it has a different texture when dry than cobalt. But I use cobalt for mixing with burnt umber to obtain my favorite gray.

Speaking of burnt umber, I really don’t like Winsor & Newton’s burnt umber. It is lighter than I am used to (not sure what my previous brand was) and also more orangey. I bought a tube of sepia recently, in search of a darker brown, but I need to make space for it in my palette. Maybe I’ll get rid of the Winsor Yellow light - I rarely use yellow, and when I do I use Gamboge or Raw Sienna. Not sure if Raw Sienna counts as a yellow.

My quinacridone and permanent rose magenta are also very close in hue. I will remove one from my palette, but I’m not sure which yet. I’ll check the labels to see which one is most lightfast, and which one is most staining, and decide from there.

I’m planning a part two of this post, showing a sheet where I’ve mixed all the colors. And a part three comparing staining & non-staining, opaque and transparent might also be a good idea.

If you are starting out in watercolor and aren’t sure what to purchase, don’t feel like you need to copy my palette. Get some basic colors and familiarize yourself with them. Make some swatch charts, one of pure colors like the one above, one showing gradation of each color from dark to light, and one mixing each color with the other colors in the palette. Then paint a lot and get used to the colors you have.

The paint colors I would recommend for a beginning watercolorist are:

Raw Sienna

Gamboge Hue

Burnt Umber

Sap Green or Hooker’s Green

Cobalt Blue

Cadmium Red Med. or Dark

Quinacridone or Permanent Rose

From these you can mix nearly every other color you might desire.

Getting to Know Your Palette Part 2

Click Image For Larger View

Color Mixing Chart for Watercolor based on Angela Fehr’s palette

Part two of getting to know your palette is all about color mixing. In part one you used water and paint to lay down a block of each hue, and if you did as I recommended, you went a little further and varied the ratio of water to pigment to gradate each color from dark to light, and are now familiar with the pure colors in your palette.

However, in watercolor (and perhaps in all painting disciplines), the artist almost never uses pure color - at least not in representational art. While pure Hooker’s Green will look phony and plastic for foliage, when mixed with a little red or brown, it rings much truer and more natural.

In order to know what colors to mix to get the hues you desire you need to experiment and get familiar with the results of different color combinations. With only a few colors, the combinations are vast, and I have used only six colors from my palette for the sample color mixing chart above. Click on the image to enlarge it.

I painted each of the six colors twice, once along the left side of the paper, and once along the bottom. Then I mixed each color along the bottom with the colors along the left, stopping before I started repeating mixtures or mixed a color with itself.

As you can see, some of the hues are pretty predictable, or are not too visibly altered. Some colors (like cadmium red) are opaque and dominant their more transparent companions. The interest is in the colors that dramatically change - like the browns created by mixing hooker’s green with the two reds. Used in its most saturated form, cadmium red and hooker’s green would make a great black, don’t you think? Like many watercolorists, I prefer mixing my darkest (black) values from two opposite colors, making a richer, deeper, more “alive” hue than using black paint.

Also, look at the green created by mixing hooker’s green and new gamboge. Another example of a color brought alive by adding another hue. Hooker’s green is a gorgeous green anyhow, but when combined with other colors it just gets better.

My standard gray is also here on this chart - the combination of cobalt and burnt umber. I’m not overly enamored of my Winsor & Newton burnt umber - it’s too light and orange-y, in my opinion, but it still makes a rich grey shade that I use frequently. By varying the proportions of burnt umber to cobalt blue, I get a wealth of grays, and when I have a little purple in my palette, I throw that in, too!

You can expand this exercise by mixing your palette’s colors in a variety of saturations. Try increasing or decreasing the water in the mixture to see the resulting color when lightened or intensified. Increased familiarity with color mixing and what each color can do will increase your confidence as a painter.

Painting a Mural For a Church By Julie Lamons

2008-10-14T13:05:00.000-07:00

Artist Bio:

Julie Ann Crawford Lamons was born on March 25, 1953 in Newport Arkansas USA. She graduated from Bradford HS in 1971.Her interest in art began in her teens after drawing members of her church. She set aside her love of art for a few years after the birth of her twin daughters. Several years later she picked up her paintbrushes and began again a journey to bring her art to life in the world around her.

Julie graduated from a two-year art program with Penn Foster Schools in 2005, and is participated in workshops and working with the local artists. She enjoys working with acrylic and oil. She has a studio and small gallery located in Pleasant Plains, Arkansas. You will see a wide variety in her gallery from inspirational to landscape and still life.

In 2006 Julie was a member of the gallery walk committee of Heber Springs, Arkansas which worked to promote the arts in the area. She has been featured in Local Newspapers, and The Arkansas Newspaper magazine Three Rivers Edition. She is a member of the Arkansas Artist Registry and The Eureka Springs Artist Registry.

One of her paintings, Hay Bales was exhibited at the Clinton Presidential Library (July–August 2007, sponsored by the Clinton Foundation and the Thea Foundation), from where it moved to the El Dorado High School for the school year 2007/8 with Art Across Arkansas. She continues today to work with her local community to bring her love of art to others.

Visit Julie’s Website: http://www.jlamonspainting.net

Painting a Mural for a Church

The Commission

I was asked by the pastor of a local church if I would be interested in painting a mural. Despite some doubts (not least of which was the practicalities of working on scaffolding up to ceiling height), I said yes and before I knew it I was presenting a slide show of ideas at a church meeting.

My brief from this first meeting was to present three scenes in one: the cross, the tomb, and the ascension of Christ. I began evaluating the mural space – a 9×23 feet rectangle with a peak at the center — to find the appropriate style and approach to fulfill the church’s needs.

I sketched out my composition onto two sheets of paper I’d stuck together. (Later I gridded it up into inch squares to help me transfer the design to the wall.) I wanted to put some landscape (trees or shrubs) between each scene to make it look more natural. I did some research on the Internet to see what the landscape in the area in Israel actually looks like, then mixed in a little artistic license.

In order to place the emphasis of the mural the ascension, I deliberately placed dark clouds over the crosses, used medium tones over the tomb, and light tones over the ascension. The crowd looking up initially looked a little unnatural to me and I needed to make the figures feel as if they belonged. I feel I achieved this in the final mural through the placement of the tree and the landscape receding behind them....

Follow this link to view the rest of this mural painting demonstration...

Portrait Painting Lesson By Karin Wells

2008-10-03T12:41:00.000-07:00

"Gwyneth" - Portrait Painting Demo By Karin Wells

There are a LOT of ways to paint a portrait. I use several different methods (and sometimes combine them) depending on what I think is best at the time. Sometimes I even remember to take pictures of the process.

This portrait of Gwyneth (20″x24″, oil on linen) won the Certificate of Excellence at the Portrait Society of America’s International Portrait Competition in Philadelphia this year (2008).

Here’s how I did it:

This a drawing on Acetate. I use prepared acetate instead of tracing paper because I can see through it. Believe me, it comes in handy later in the painting if my lines begin to “wander” and I need to correct.

I use a “Sharpie” Permanent Marker as it makes a clean line and doesn’t smear.

I use a sheet of graphite paper and a ballpoint pen to transfer the drawing to the canvas. Acrylic paint will cover graphite (pencil). Oil paint will not cover graphite so if I were painting in oil, I’d need to erase my original lines and replace them with a Sharpie line.

I used acrylic paint for my first layer. In order to do this, I needed to use an acrylic primed linen - acrylic paint will not stick to oil primed linen and will not be archival.

I use Golden Matte colors. I try to stick to the dull halftone, neutral earth colors.

For the color “white” I choose a dull warmish neutral - about the value of a brown paper bag. Nothing will be lighter in value than this.

If my subject has light skin, I use the same paint and color for the skintones as my “white.” If my subject has darker skin, I deepen the value accordingly.

I may need to put on more than one layer of paint in order to cover the canvas and make it flat - like a poster. It is a good way to lay down my basic composition and make a definite statement of shape.

Two thin layers are much better than one thick layer. And I try not to leave ridges.

Posterizing is a good way to see if a composition works. This layer could be in oil but acrylics are a faster way to saturate the canvas.

I chose a medium value paint for all the objects and was thinking “halftone” (the space between light and shadow). Once the white of the canvas is covered up - it doesn’t look so dark.

I always establish black and white immediately in an underpainting. It will help all the other mid-range values fall into place.

Gwyneth Portrait Demonstration Part 2 >>

Interview With Artist Julie Blight

2008-09-26T15:27:00.000-07:00

Artist Statement

Today we are bombarded with so much ugliness in the world; through my art I try to portray the calming beauty I feel from nature. My passion is painting Realistic Animal Portraits, especially Dogs, Cattle and our vibrant Northern Territory Landscapes, Flora and Fauna.

My favourite medium is Matisse Acrylic Paint and also work in Inks, Wax, Rice Paper and Graphite Pencil.
I attained my Visual Arts Diploma many years ago and have continued my art education with the school of life, through trial and error. After years of exhibiting, travel teaching nationally and internationally I now enjoy the layback life style of the Territory. I paint under the Nom de Plume “Siani Walsh”.

The photo submitted is of my young Rottweiler Sharny and is called “Who Me”. To her the world is her play ground she is either going into mischief or coming out of it and has the most expressive face of any dog I have been guardian to. She is an absolute joy to share my life with.

Follow this link to view the entire artist interview...

Plein Air Painting Demonstration - City Of Rocks - By Jo Castillo

2008-09-18T11:29:00.000-07:00

Jo Knoblock Castillo has always had an interest in art and working with her hands. Whether it was cooking, sewing or making gifts, she was happy to be “doing”. While living in Bolivia, she finally rediscovered her love of painting. Her interest is in landscapes and paintings that have connections to her life.

Jo works in most media, but has discovered she really enjoys the special luminosity of pastels. They are tactile, immediate and long lasting. Other than smudging if touched (they should be framed under glass), they are very durable. The colors are clear and vibrant. “I enjoy painting from life and use my own reference photos just as a reminder of shape or lighting,” says the artist.

Winters find Jo and Gene, her husband, living in Bastrop, Texas. It is near family and offers a mild climate and plenty of golf courses and opportunities to paint. Jo looks forward to plein air painting in New Mexico each summer. “It is a challenge to set up an easel and paint a scene in just a couple of hours,” Jo says, “The light is very fleeting and you have to get down large sections of light and dark very quickly to establish your painting. Weather doesn’t always cooperate and uninvited visitors like mosquitos or snakes are not uncommon.”

Please take a moment to visit Jo’s websites to learn more about her and to view more of her work:

http://www.jocastilloart.com/

http://jocastilloartblog.blogspot.com/

Plein Air Painting Demonstration - City Of Rocks

My equipment for plein air:

1. A carrying bag I bought at Academy Sports for about $10.00. In it I put:

A box with two trays, (A box that originally held Rembrandt pastels) I filled those foam lined trays with an assortment of pastels, in color, value and hardness. (Rembrandts, Daler-Rowney, Art Spectrum, and others)
A set of Unison darks
Nupastels
Paintbrush
Watercolors and water
Apron
Towel
Paper towels
Liquid gloves
Handy wipes
Sketchbook

2. Camera

3. Surface for my painting. I tape the board or paper to foam core and cover with another piece of form core taped on one edge to make a folder. I just fold it back, paint and then close it and tape or clip it closed to avoid smearing in travel.

4. A lightweight folding easel and table for the pastels. (Sometimes I use a French easel and use the drawer as a partial table.)

5. A small folding stool

6. Sunscreen, hat, bug repellent

7. Snacks, water, etc.

When possible I use the tailgate of my pickup as my table. I recommend being as comfortable as possible when you are out. This puts you in a better mood to paint and make the session enjoyable.

I ventured to the City of Rocks State Park, near Silver City, New Mexico, for a plein air painting session. I knew I would find a picnic table in the shade so I did not need my table. I usually work standing up so that I can step back and evaluate my work as I go. I painted sitting down this session, knowing I would get up to take photos, allowing me to “step back” occasionally.

I found a table in the shade and set up my equipment. I took some photos and picked out my subject, using the camera to crop the view with good composition and light.

Please follow this link to view the rest of this plein air painting demonstration...

2008-09-09T16:05:00.001-07:00

Biography

Cindy Davis’ paintings have been exhibited and sold in Georgia, Florida, California, Colorado, Maryland and Tennessee. She frequently exhibits in Albany, Georgia as well as participating in art events in through the Deep South. Mrs. Davis is a member of the International Society of Acrylic Painters, the Southern Artists’ League, and the Georgia Artist’s Guild of Albany. She is best known for her large format, abstract acrylic paintings. She owns and manages an internet-based art business, Flint River Gallery, LLC, currently representing 9 southern artists.

Please click here to view the rest of this artist interview...