Artist Daily : How To Paint

Draw on Tradition to Create Lasting Art

Courtney Jordan — Wed, 12 Jun 2013 03:16:00 GMT

I'm always surprised—and, okay, a little peeved—when my mention of an arts background is often met with a puzzled look followed by the somewhat skeptical question, "What do you do with that?" The truth is there's a lot to do with that, especially now—at a time when images are all around us, where a website can so easily turn into an artist's own gallery and exhibition space, and because collectors, gallerists, publishers, and fans can easily find and follow artists whose work they respond to and respect.


Distlefink Girl by Christina Hess, digital.

This sense of opportunity can be especially true for artists with a strong foundation in illustration and drawing. When I recently spoke with Richard Harrington, the chair of the Phillustration, The Philadelphia Sketch Club's annual juried illustration exhibition, he pointed out that those who submit to the show work in a variety of creative fields. "We get a lot of children's book illustrators, artists working in the fantasy realm, ones doing concept work for video games, magazine cover illustrators, those who do album cover designs, cartoonists, comic artists, accomplished painters," he said. "People cross over and work on many different projects—children's books to postage stamps to calendars." Harrington also mentioned that his former illustration students from Moore College of Art and Design, in Pennsylvania, have worked in as diverse fields as the film industry and prop houses, to the advertising and branding departments of companies such as Target.

What seems to be a common denominator for such successful draftsmen and illustrators is a strong grounding in the traditional arts. "Our students want to understand how to paint in oils; how to do life drawings, compositions; understand negative and positive space, and value structures," Harrington explained. If students are working with modern technology, time-honored artistic practices still hold a lot of appeal. "Even in the digital realm there's crossover to a lot of different mediums, which probably was not done so readily 10 or 15 years ago," Harrington said.


	1027 by Dominic Saponaro, digital.

Another change that was also not so apparent with illustration a decade or two ago is the changing status of the field. "There's a new respect for illustration and a renewed interest level," Harrington explained. "Not because of any kind of nostalgia, but because with illustrations, people know what it is about and because illustrations give viewers information they need, and no one needs to explain to them what it means. There's a certain comfort level there—not a 'fuzzy bunny' comfort, but a comfort in being entertained and stimulated."


Man Sleeping in the Temple by John Thompson, acrylic on wood panel.

That stimulation isn't always easy to evoke. As a society, we are pretty savvy viewers, inundated by images all day long. Most don't make any kind of lasting impression, but, obviously, some images stick with us. They evoke a response and we enjoy seeing them. Think of the last book you picked up from the shelf for no other reason than the cover appealed to you, or a billboard advertisement that made you pause mid-stride or slow down as you drove by.

"I was once told that the best painters are former illustrators," Harrington quipped. By that, he meant that an inherent part of an illustrator's training is learning to harness the communicative possibilities of visual media. Knowing that you can tell a story, create a mood, and make people react with images. All artists should be so lucky to have this kind of awareness. Coupled with honed traditional artistic abilities, this understanding allows art of any kind—created in oil paints or acrylics, mixed media or watercolor, sculpture or comic-book storyboards—to stay relevant and memorable.

To put your work well on the road to being relevant and memorable, a solid foundation in drawing is crucial. Drawing Nature for the Absolute Beginner is like taking a fundamental drawing class that leaves nothing out. You'll come away knowing how to create images of nature that capture the attention and stimulate the imagination of your viewer. Developing this skill set can allow you to communicate effectively with your work, sending out your own message for the world to see.

Accessing Universal Emotions Makes a Successful Portrait

Courtney Jordan — Mon, 03 Jun 2013 03:26:00 GMT

When I went away to college I took a token from each of my loved ones. There was a Frankie Laine CD from my dad, a grungy Pearl Jam T-shirt from my brother, and a charcoal portrait of my mom that was made on the boardwalk of Virginia Beach when she was 14 years old. I lost the CD, and the T-shirt was relegated to the rag bin, but I still have the portrait.


Models With Japanese Screen by Malcolm T. Liepke, 1986, oil painting, 26 x 20. Courtesy Arcadia Fine Arts, New York, New York

The power of a portrait painting often lies in the emotional connection it forges with the viewer. It can be a visceral, close connection shared by the few who know the subject, or the likeness can have universal appeal. Artist Malcolm T. Liepke is a leader in the genre of contemporary figure painting. When painting portraits, he works to establish a connection with viewers by letting his emotional response guide his painting process. “Everyone goes through life with their own problems, but we live in a pretty universal world,” he says. “I’ve found that the more personal the piece, the more people connect with it.”

Liepke attests that the power of his portrait paintings is largely due to the way in which he works. He allows his natural inclinations free reign and never takes on a subject that doesn’t hold his attention. He also has upwards of 30 paintings in progress at once, which not only prevents him from overworking a piece but also allows him to paint spontaneously, moving from one canvas to another at his own pace.

When executing a likeness, Liepke strives to retain a few distinctive features of a model, even if variables like hair and clothing change during the painting process. “You can’t make up features because the people will look cartoonish,” he says. This picking and choosing also applies to the settings in which he places his figures, as they often lack visual cues that would attach the subject to a specific time period or location. This gives the resulting painting a sense of being timeless, but there are enough details to unify the composition and evoke a response from the viewer.

Executing a successful portrait is often a matter of finding the right balance between literal and general. Liepke does this by seeking out intriguing subjects and capturing moments of universal human emotion. You can find more information on the unique art practices of some of the best artist-instructors out there in the latest art resource DVDs available at the North Light Shop. Take a look for the valuable instruction you are after and enjoy!

Hybrid Method of Painting and Drawing

Courtney Jordan — Fri, 31 May 2013 03:52:00 GMT

When I'm hiking or walking on the beach, my attention span is really short. I flit from activity to activity, sight to sight, just trying to take it all in. That's why pastel painting is a perfect fit for me when I want to create art outdoors. I can work quickly and see results equally fast, creating a pastel landscape painting in a short span of time. And I'm by no means an expert in pastel drawing, but it is great for painting outdoors, and I have a few tips for getting the most out of the medium and the experience if you decide to sketch outside with them too.


Magnificent Malibu by Gerald Rahm, 2005, pastel painting, 16 x 20.

Pastel painting is sort of a hybrid, blending methods of drawing and painting. One of the drawing aspects of pastels that I have really glommed on to is using all the available surface edges of the stick, just as if it was charcoal. I start with the broad side, covering the expanse of my surface with broad shapes and adding definition with the sharp edge or blunt tip of the pastel.

When making a pastel drawing, I want to give myself options when I'm in the midst of working. Techniques, like dusting, are best done with my drawing surface in a horizontal position, so before I plant myself down to work I try to think ahead about how I'll manage that if I decide I want to do it. Though sometimes dusting is an effort in futility on a breezy day out by the water!


	Hazy Sunset by Peter Adams, pastel painting, 12 x 16.

The most important of all the pastel painting lessons I've learned or, let's face it, stumbled upon after much trial and error, is to use a testing strip. What I do to keep values true on any work is to start with a larger piece of paper than I intend to use and mark off an area on one edge to test my pastels before I use them. This is crucial because you don't use a palette with pastels, so the testing strip is the only place you can play around before putting color and marks down right on your final surface. The rule with the testing strip is to put colors side by side—if there is a distinct edge, you've got colors of different value, so try again. It's a rule of thumb I've found has helped me a lot. Later on, I just cut the testing strip away.

Really thinking on it, I realize that I enjoy pastels so much because they combine vivid color and drawing—two of my favorite things when I am creating art outdoors. They will always be what I reach for first, and that's why I've tried so hard to work on my compositional skills and pastel techniques of late. The Pastel Journal has helped me on that road. It is beautifully illustrated with tons of examples and the artists featured are ones I respect and hope to learn from in person eventually. That's how much I've grown from their instruction. I hope you decide to do the same with a subscription to The Pastel Journal. Enjoy!

Telling a Story on Canvas

Courtney Jordan — Wed, 29 May 2013 03:26:00 GMT




Works by J.P. Peer.

Storytelling often comes naturally to artists. Sometimes the story starts on a single canvas or sheet of paper and doesn’t end until there is a gallery full of paintings, a suite of drawings, a set of illustrations, a series of fantasy art comic strips, or an entire graphic novel. Certain subject matters compel an artist to revisit them again and again, building on a concept or pushing it in different directions. The narrative can be a visible part of the artwork, in the form of a written story, but oftentimes it acts as an invisible framework that guides an artist through the creative process.

“Narrative is like an infrastructure that you can come back to and get more and more out of it each time. Each work turns out rich by itself, but there’s also something to reach for,” says artist David Sandlin, who is also an adviser for second-year graduate students in the Illustration as Visual Essay program at the School of Visual Arts, in New York City. Students in the program work toward discovering what is integral for all artists to discover—the kind of artists they want to be and what form their work will take, whether fantasy pictures of other worlds or realistic views of the places and people around them. Along their journey they also develop an understanding of the possible uses of narrative in their work.

“Telling a story visually seems poignant and resonates strongly with me,” says Laura Peyton, an artist, bookmaker, and illustrator who is graduating from the program this year. “There is something about communicating visually that is incredibly powerful, but sometimes the words seem overwhelming. I often start with images, building the story from the images I create. That way, the viewer can have their own personal interpretation.”




		Works by Laura Peyton.

Even if they are not aware of it, visual artists often develop some sort of narrative in their work. Storytelling takes many forms and at its root is about communicating and connecting with the viewer, which many artists aspire to do. “Michelangelo is one of the greatest artists in history, and every work he produced was informed by a story. Working in an unclear manner with no effort to reach your audience can be problematic,” says J.P. Peer, an oil and acrylic painting artist and draftsman who is also a recent graduate of the Illustration as Visual Narrative program and the creator of many fantasy images that speak to the worlds available to an artist with an open mind. “I used to think of each piece I did as a standalone work, but stepping up to a blank canvas can be intimidating. But if you have a story—or a world of stories—in mind, it’s like painting an entire world, one that’s created in your own style and by your own hand. It’s liberating, and if you do it correctly, people respond and they escape thoroughly into your work.”

There seems to be an undeniable affinity between figurative and representational artwork and the presence of a narrative, whether it be one where fantasy images come to the forefront or steeped in representational realism. How do you find yourself using narrative and storytelling in your work? Is it in the forefront of your process or a more like a well of inspiration? Let us know by leaving a comment.

If you'd like to explore the process of painting and the accompanying techniques of a visual artist that can communicate your story, consider Linda Kemp's Negative Painting Techniques - Acrylic, a unique and highly useful resource-and possible source of inspiration as well. Enjoy!

Go For Awesome

Courtney Jordan — Fri, 24 May 2013 04:38:00 GMT


Looks Like Heaven by John Budicin, 2002, oil painting, 32 x 40.

Almost any artist will tell you that there's a certain appeal to working outdoors that can't be found anywhere else. With spring in full swing, many of us have left our studios for our porches, backyards, and beyond. To celebrate the season and all of the landscape art being made, here are 10 ways you can make the most of your next outdoor painting session.

Start with a good, long look. Painting landscapes lets you create work that can take the viewer on a journey into a new environment. To create a truly expressive work of art, it helps to take more than a cursory look around and quickly set up shop. Walk around, sit a spell, and really soak in the landscape around you.

Focus your eye. Whether's it a rocky cliff or a busy urban street, outdoor settings can offer a myriad of potential subjects. Sometimes, however, it can be too much to take in, leading to a painting that feels busy, cluttered, and lacking a center of interest. Massachusetts-based artist Nancy Colella starts every composition based on what she's visually drawn to. She makes those elements the focal point of her painting, and tones down everything else so that they come to the fore.

It's all about the light. Light changes throughout the day, which makes accurately capturing it one of the biggest challenges of painting outdoors. The flip side, of course, is that when one is able to do this correctly, a painting is instantly elevated. Observe the quality of light, aiming for a spontaneous interpretation that still takes observation skills into consideration.


	Birds Wading by Stephanie Sanchez, 1989, oil on panel, 32 x 46, private collection.


	Marble Cascades by Jane Bertram Miluski, 2003, watercolor, 14 x 21.

Don't paint a blue sky. They rarely exist! California watercolorist Dick Cole acknowledges that landscape painting has enhanced his skills as a colorist and helped him to realize that the sky, along with many elements in nature, are made up of a variety of colors and not just one pure hue.

Strike a balance. Spend as much time observing as you do painting. For artist Glenn Rudderow, this is a crucial part of his plein air practice. "Nothing can take the place of direct observation—of being there, seeing, communicating, and expressing the spirit of one's subject," he says.

Go for awesome. Albert Bierstadt and Thomas Moran of the Hudson River School produced paintings of the American landscape that were technically masterful, but most of all they were awe-inspiring. They created luminous paintings that seemed too bright to be true. They amplified the elements of the landscape that inspired them most, leaving the viewer with the same sentiments.

Don't bring your studio outdoors. The thrill of working en plein air is that you can shake up your routine and work differently than you might usually. Use the change in location to try new techniques, such as working on a smaller scale or focusing predominantly on light and other atmospheric qualities.

Colors contribute to a sense of space. When creating her landscape paintings, Kansas artist Kim Casebeer adjusts her palette in order to accurately render atmospheric changes and a sense of space. For example, there is usually more red, orange, and yellow running through objects in the foreground, and blue, indigo, and violet for shapes that recede in the distance.

Go with the flow—of air. Air moves objects. It ripples water, curls leaves, and sways limbs of trees. Use brush strokes and shading to create movement in your work.

Perfection isn't everything. You can spend all day looking for a "perfect" composition that just doesn't exist. Embrace the reality around you—smog, power lines, even debris—and open yourself up to telling interesting stories with new subjects.

How have you been taking advantage of spring in your work? Leave a comment and let us know. If you want to learn more about painting landscapes—including how to paint mountainous vistas accurately, avoid compositions that lack cohesion, and more—Donna Dewberry's Essential Guide to Flower and Landscape Painting gives you all the one-on-one instruction you'll want to successfully paint landscapes and all the elements you'll find there. Enjoy!

New Free eBook on the Color Wheel and Color Schemes!

Courtney Jordan — Fri, 17 May 2013 03:35:00 GMT

It feels right to talk about color and art during this time of the year, when flowers are blooming, trees are budding, and skies are (mostly) blue. After months of dull-colored scenery, everything seems to be flourishing wherever I look, which makes me want to do whatever I can to capture that beauty and vibrancy in my art.


Cafe Terrace at Night by Vincent van Gogh, oil on canvas, 1888.

In our latest Artist Daily eBook, The Color Wheel and Beyond: Color Theory, Mixing Colors, and How to Create Complementary Color Schemes, the groundwork is set so that you can focus on color whether you are painting an indoor still life, an outdoor painting, or hoping to spend studio sessions looking at masterworks by famous artists and being able to visually understand what you see and why it evokes certain reactions in you.

To start, you'll find an introduction to color theory and the basic tenets behind how we interpret the spectrum of colors in The Color Wheel and Beyond: Color Theory, Mixing Colors, and How to Create Complementary Color Schemes. Then there is a whole chapter focused on color mixing and how to create and use a complementary color palette, a foundational part of any color-mixing lessons.

There is also a chapter devoted entirely to color mixing for the landscape painter or plein air artist, including how to mix colors with correct values and how to create harmonious color relationships in your work.

Whether we are viewing or creating works of art, understanding the basics of color-from color schemes and contrasts to basic color theory and mixing color for varied effects-means giving yourself the opportunity to see how artworks are created stroke by stroke, layer by layer. With this information you can start to explore your subject matter in new ways and articulate your own ideas about color. So download your free copy of The Color Wheel and Beyond: Color Theory, Mixing Colors, and How to Create Complementary Color Schemes now, and enjoy!

And if you know a fellow artist who would appreciate The Color Wheel and Beyond: Color Theory, Mixing Colors, and How to Create Complementary Color Schemes, feel free to forward this to them!

An All-Or-Nothing Proposition?

Courtney Jordan — Mon, 13 May 2013 03:15:00 GMT

One of the best conversations I’ve had about art wasn’t with an artist. It wasn’t with an art historian, curator, or gallery owner, either. It was with a mechanical engineer. We went from discussing his latest design project to the artfulness of historical blueprints to Leonardo’s notebooks—and I think we may have even touched on Umberto Boccioni and Futurism.

The City Rises by Umberto Boccioni, oil painting, 1910.

Looking back on it, I’m not too surprised that someone with a scientific mind would be so knowledgeable about art. It’s become quite clear that art and technology share quite a few commonalities. Both are driven by innovation, experimentation, and observation. Trial-and-error is a cornerstone in both fields. Neither stands still for long; they are both ever-changing frontiers. So it seems natural that technology can lead artists in interesting directions, whether by making what they already do a little easier or by introducing new tools that help transform their process.


Artist Jove Wang uses a source photo to transfer his composition to canvas.

For example, digital photography means no more lugging around film, having the ability to see photos as they are shot, and being able to make adjustments in the moment. Computer programs of 3-D human poses allow artists to practice the fundamentals of rendering even if they don’t have a mannequin or aren’t yet ready to work from a live model. Software such as Photoshop allows one to manipulate photos, make color corrections, and play around with compositions.

It seems that technology, from the first metal oil painting tubes to climate-controlled studios, has a useful place in the art world, regardless of your medium or style. Allowing technology to play a part in your process is not an all-or-nothing proposition. Regardless of the source, artistic innovation always comes back to the artist—after all, a tool is only as useful as the hand that wields it. Taking advantage of technological innovations doesn’t elevate or delegitimize an artist, or make his or her execution more or less skillful. It is just another example of how an artist chooses how to paint or draw, and that choice is a deeply individual and creative right.

Building on solid technique allows artists to take their work in any direction they choose. Capturing the gesture and form of the human body is one such essential technique and if you are looking for resources in acrylic painting, drawing and sketching, or colored pencil, Lee Hammond's DVDs can help you, whether you are just starting out or want to enhance your skills.

What Artists Reveal with Self-Portraits

Courtney Jordan — Fri, 10 May 2013 03:25:00 GMT

When I walk through a museum or gallery, there are certain paintings that I breeze past and others that always draw me in. Self-portraits definitely fall into the latter category. I’m always intrigued by how artists choose to represent themselves and perpetuate their own personal mythologies.


My World by Daniel Graves oil on linen, 59 x 49 3/8, 2010. Images courtesy Eleanor Ettinger Gallery.


Homage to Gretchen Rogers by Gabriela Gonzalez Dellosso, oil on linen, 16 x 12, 2010.

True, a self-portrait at its most basic is a simple likeness. Historically, in fact, artists used self-portraits as a kind of calling card, attesting to their ability to capture a likeness and giving a sense of their capabilities. And, yes, self-portraits are convenient exercises because the model is always available and works for free. But a self-portrait can evoke and reveal much more when taken beyond the bounds of straightforward exercise.


	Mertz Self-Portrait by John Morra oil on canvas, 28 x 40, 2010.

In many self-portraits, the artist’s status can come into play. Centuries ago, Diego Velázquez famously depicted himself as an accomplished, courtly, and knighted painter situated among royalty in Las Meninas, raising both his status and the status of the practice of art. Contemporary artist Daniel Graves riffs on the theme in a more subdued way in his self-portrait titled My World. Graves stares confidently out at the viewer, gesturing emphatically with brush in hand. His surroundings are presumably his personal studio, where objects seem to signify the artist’s interest in classicism and his focus on the study of the human form and anatomy.


	My Father's Son by Frank Arcuri, oil on linen, 14 x 12, 2010.

John Morra’s Mertz Self-Portrait shows the artist as something of a humble tinkerer. The artist, dressed in a worn pullover sweatshirt, stands in the center of the composition, the ostensible focus of the painting. But on further study, it is the quirky objects surrounding Morra (many of which often appear in the artist’s signature still life paintings) that steal the show—quite possibly the artist’s intention.

Then there are those artists who use self-portraiture as a chance to take on a silly, somewhat self-deprecating persona, as Frank Arcuri does in his painting, My Father’s Son, in which the artist plays a bit of a class clown by pinching a paintbrush between his nose and upper lip. Or the artist can use the self-portrait as a way to honor and acknowledge a fellow artist. Gabriela Gonzalez Dellosso’s Homage to Gretchen Rogers, the early-20th-century American artist, does just that.

In Hunter Eddy’s Self-Portrait, a darker set of emotions is explored. The artist positions himself directly in the foreground of the painting, bare-chested and starkly gazing out at the viewer. Self-doubt, uncertainty, and stoicism all seem to reside in his gaze. In much the same way, Dana Levin’s Max and Me shows Levin holding a small child (her firstborn) so close to her face that his head partially blocks our view of the artist, though her distant, somewhat vacant expression is still apparent.


Self-Portrait by Hunter Eddy oil on linen, 19 3/4 x 15 3/4, 2010.

Max and Me by Dana Levin,
oil on panel, 10 x 8, 2010.

Obviously, self-portraiture is an expressive outlet that can lead an artist down many different roads. But a successful self-portrait, like any other piece of art, starts with a meaningful, sincere idea from the artist. Self-expression isn’t any one thing. It can be geared toward a realistic depiction of your face and physicality, or less so. Most of all, artists need to push to design and imagine without limits, strengthening their own creative points of view.

For inspiration and portrait painting tips from contemporary and past masters alike, take a look at the 2012 CD Collection of The Artist's Magazine. Enjoy!

Dark Tidings

Courtney Jordan — Wed, 01 May 2013 03:24:00 GMT

Sounds mysterious and threatening, right? No worries! It's just that when Liz Haywood-Sullivan began to create pastel drawings, she was dismayed with the range of dark colors available. "Rich, dark pastels were hard to find," she says. "Most of the time the darks just weren't dark enough. Now, fortunately, times have changed and colorful, dark pastels are easier to come by."

Fanfare by Liz Haywood-Sullivan, pastel painting, 24 x 24.

But Haywood-Sullivan also uses two approaches for painting pastels that achieve powerful and intriguing dark effects--working on black paper and layering colors with alcohol washes. The result is that the dark areas in her pastel paintings command attention and enhance the glow of the highlights and give the paintings a solid, grounded appearance where the eye can rest. Here's a rundown of these two valuable pastel-painting techniques.

Pastel Painting Using Black Paper


Roadtrip by Liz Haywood-Sullivan, pastel painting, 36 x 24. Adapted from an article by Christopher Willard.

Although Haywood-Sullivan never uses pure-black pastel, she does not shy away from using black paper for her ground. "This allows me to get more light into a work," she says. "If I took a light-yellow pastel and put it onto a white paper, the yellow and white would look very similar. I would therefore try to compensate and make the yellow stand out by using a more highly pigmented yellow. On black paper, however, the difference is clearer, and I end up using more color. Such a dark ground also keeps me honest as an artist: It's more challenging to work on, it's not as forgiving, and it won't take unlimited layers. I have to think and plan more in advance."

Alcohol Washes for Painting Pastels

Haywood-Sullivan takes an entirely different approach when creating darks on lighter papers. She begins with a white pastel paper. "I block in the darks very roughly and then take out a flat 3/4" brush and rubbing alcohol," she says. "This is where the fun begins. I start washing down the dark pastels with the alcohol, delineating major shapes, such as tree trunks. I find it very much like working in watercolor, except that the alcohol dries more quickly. As I work, I'm careful to preserve any areas of light paper I want to shine through."

After Haywood-Sullivan is satisfied with the appearance and placement of the darks in her pastel drawings, she lets the work dry fully. "This takes about 15 minutes," she explains. "At this point I can actually rub my hand over the whole paper, and the pastel won't rub off. The other nice thing about the alcohol method is that it restores the grit to the sanded paper."

Two exciting possibilities for pastel painting that can give you eye-catching passages in your work. For more pastel instruction and pastel lessons that are keyed in to allowing you to grow exponentially in your skills and methods, consider the Essentials of Pastel Landscapes Premium and Deluxe Palettes that include six to eight book, DVD, and digital resources--so you can learn the way you want to. Enjoy!

Working Toward a Masterpiece

Courtney Jordan — Mon, 29 Apr 2013 03:09:00 GMT

The very idea of me creating a "masterpiece" is hilarious. I mean, I'm still trying to figure out how to paint! But the fact is that by learning oil-painting techniques and absorbing all of the information and advice from oil-painting artists that I can, with every stroke and every finished painting, I am getting better, so I guess a masterpiece could be in my future.

If you are a little bit farther ahead of the game than I am, you may have started copying works of other master artists. Pursuing your oil-painting instruction directly from the surfaces of the paintings of great artists is a savvy way to strengthen your observational abilities and paint in the footsteps of painters who have inspired generations.

View of Toledo by El Greco, 1596-1600, oil on canvas.

Here are a few tips about copying artworks so that as you paint other masterpieces, you get what you want out of the effort and can eventually turn your attention to a masterpiece of your very own:

Choose wisely. Of course, you should choose a painting to copy that you don't mind looking at...a lot. But also choose a work that is in line with the goals you have for yourself as an artist. Honestly assess where you need to improve and choose a master work that demonstrates strength in those areas.

Do many copies. What you want out of this endeavor is a feel for the way the great master painted it. Your work should be as bold as the original. The exercise is not about making an exact replica; it is about harnessing the skills that created the painting in the first place. So do a few copies, and do them with feeling!

Landscape with Factory Chimney by Wassily Kandinsky, 1910, oil on canvas.

Remember your palette. A copy can certainly be done with the exact palette the master used, but if you don't have that information at hand, don't give up. You can also create a copy using a limited palette or your own palette.

For additional key insights and approaches to the oil painting techniques you want to master, Oil Painter's Solutions is available. It is an oil-painting landscape workshop, cover to cover. Enjoy!

Watercolor Painting Pencils? Sure, Tell Me Another One!

Courtney Jordan — Fri, 26 Apr 2013 03:38:00 GMT

For just a few seconds, I thought that watercolor pencils were some kind of April Fool's come lately prank. I mean, everything I think of and know about watercolor painting is that it is fluid and kind of uncontrollable. In a pencil, how can watercolor art still have that same looseness? But then I thought about the reverse of this-watercolor pencils might mean no more watercolor paintings going off the rails. With a pencil, I would be able to guide the forms more and give them the overall shape that I want, right? Well, I was a little right and a little wrong. Watercolor painting pencils can give you a bit more control, but the fluidity of the medium is still there.

Farmers' Market Peonies by Kristy Ann Kutch,
watercolor painting, 2002, 15 x 20.


Step 1-2. Adapted from Drawing and Painting With Colored Pencils: Basic Techniques for Mastering Traditional and Watersoluble Colored Pencils (Watson-Guptill, New York, New York).

Here's a step-by-step watercolor tutorial on using the wet-in-wet watercolor-pencil technique to create a lovely peony painting from watercolor artist Kristy Ann Kutch, so you can see for yourself!

Step 1 & 2: Prepare a line drawing of a peony blossom using either a light blue, lavender, or HB pencil on hot-pressed watercolor paper. Save the central light-colored stamen area of the peony with masking fluid, and allow it to dry.

Step 3 & 4: Stroke on dry layers of these watercolor pencils, beginning with the lightest values and ending with the darkest: light magenta, pink madder lake, light purple pink, and mauve. Dissolve these layers by stroking from the lightest to the darkest areas with a damp, size 6 round brush. Wet only one petal at a time. The top petal in this illustration has been wetted and the pigment dissolved into a wash.


		Step 3-4.

Step 5: Touch a wet, size 2 rigger brush directly to the lead of a violet or pink carmine watercolor pencil so the entire brush is saturated with pigment. Lightly dab the brush's tip with a tissue. Touch this brush directly to the wet petal area, and drag it through the length of the petal in one continuous stroke. Only brush in one direction. The wetter the petal, the more the color will spread and flow. Repeat this process for each petal, but be sure to wait until adjacent petals are dry to keep each petal distinct.

Step 6: When the entire blossom is dry, peel away the making fluid, and apply strokes of cadmium yellow and cadmium orange to the stamens. Wet them with either the fine tip of a colorless blender marker or a wet size 2 round brush. If desired, enhance the colors with either traditional or watercolor pencils in the appropriate color. Use a Tuscan red Verithin pencil on the stamens and along the petal edges to refine these details.


Step 5-6.

Did this open your mind to the possibilities of how to paint with watercolor pencils? It certainly did with me! For more watercolor painting tips and watercolor lessons from professional artists and skilled watercolor instructors, consider a subscription to Watercolor Artist magazine. It will have all the inspiration and methods you need to keep your art going strong! Enjoy your subscription!

White Roses Dripping Red

Courtney Jordan — Fri, 19 Apr 2013 03:53:00 GMT

The Oil Paintings of Margaret Bowland

I was first introduced to the paintings of Margaret Bowland in 2009, when one of her portrait paintings won the People's Choice Award in the Outwin Boochever Portrait Competition at the Smithsonian National Portrait Gallery, in Washington, DC. I was uncomfortable and inspired all at once, and have followed her work ever since.

Painting the Roses Red by Margaret Bowland, 2012, oil on linen, 55 ½ x 51.

On one hand, Bowland's work is controversial. She took as her artistic muse a young African American girl and has painted her numerous times, often with white paint on her face and in situations that provoke questions about race, beauty, sexuality, gender roles, and power. The reactions to the work are positive for the most part, but critics do question the artist's intent and whether her work is somewhat opportunistic.

On the other hand, Bowland's imagery is incredibly stunning and unique. Her latest works play on the idea of the Red Queen from Alice in Wonderland among others, with white roses splattered red, and young African American girls adorned with tar, cotton, and diamonds. The end results are disturbing but incredibly compelling. Her chosen visual tropes are unlike any I've seen before. It's exciting to know that there are places painting can go that are still undiscovered country. That ideas and presentations are not all just rehashed references to paintings of the past.

White Fives by Margaret Bowland, 2012, oil on linen, 84 x 70.

Overall I think Bowland would be an excellent artist to learn painting from. She has such a strong sense of composition and has really plumbed the depths to discover a visual language that is hers alone. That, above all, is what draws me to her work and keeps me coming back.

For more painting lessons and resources about the painting techniques of your choice, look at all the offerings on sale at the North Light Shop. Beginners painting for the first time and advanced artists fine-tuning their efforts will all find the unique resource they need to advance their artistry. Enjoy!

Tie Your Hands Behind Your Back

Courtney Jordan — Wed, 17 Apr 2013 03:29:00 GMT

You can go the less extreme route, of course, but there is something to be said about a studio painting session in which you don't pick up a brush. You don't make any sketches. You just observe. I find myself doing this again and again when I discover a new artist or a body of work from a painter or draftsman that I thought I knew plenty about.

A watercolor painting by Ella Du Cane.

The work of Victorian-era watercolor artist Ella Du Cane came as a surprise to me when I came across it recently. These watercolor paintings allowed me to step back in time and see Japan and the West Indies through the eyes of someone who lived more than a century ago. When I sat in front of the images I was surprised and pleased at how I was able to give myself a watercolor tutorial in a sense.


A watercolor painting by Ella Du Cane.

By looking alone, I see how Du Cane put a lot of prominence on two or three major shapes in each painting; that the shape and color of cast shadows were a subtle but essential part of her works; and that the lines the artist used to map her scenes were created with deft perspective. And that was just what I observed in the first few minutes of looking.

When I continued studying Du Cane's watercolors, I found a delicate but relatively tight color palette and large though delicately tinted expanses of white. She was also able to situate figures in the landscapes without having them overwhelm or dominate the scene. About this time, I had an epiphany looking at the paintings--Du Cane was an observer just as I was now, studying the exotic (at least, to me) places she visited and making these beautiful visual memoirs of them.

All that, and I never did more than study the works with my eyes alone! If you are committed to enhancing your watercolor-painting techniques, not to mention your observational skills, the most one-of-a-kind resource that I can recommend is Mary Whyte's Essential Lessons in Watercolor Painting. Just looking at her watercolor-painting works is a workshop in itself. And hearing directly from the artist about her watercolor art is incredibly inspiring. Enjoy!

Paintings Fail or Succeed Because...

Courtney Jordan — Wed, 10 Apr 2013 03:11:00 GMT

Especially since the mid-1800s, many artists have stressed color over other elements in painting. The Impressionists are notable examples. Monet, for instance, explored how to paint light and its effects on the colorful scenes he saw in his mind's eye. Although many think of Monet as a painter of colors, he is perhaps more accurately described as the original "painter of light."


	Woman with a Parasol - Madame Monet and Her Son by Claude Monet, 1875, oil on canvas. Adapted from an article by Bob Bahr.

Paintings fail or succeed most often because of how accurate the values are in the work rather than because of poor color choices or color mixing. The viewer "reads" a painting through its values, and a composition relies on how light and dark values are arranged. The problem is that beginner painting artists often see a color's hue and chroma instead of its value. Painting a grisaille (a composition in shades of gray) before applying colors can help us in matching the correct values in a scene to a desired hue in the proper value. A few exercises juxtaposing values on a grayscale with various local colors also help in training our eyes.

"The best way to understand color is working with it," says Laura Antonow, who teaches a class on color theory in the art department at The University of Mississippi. "Learning how to mix paint, matching paints or fabrics, looking at colors in daylight and then under artificial light-all of these can help develop your color sensitivity."

Antonow also stresses that painting artists should be vigilant about one painting art misconception: that color exists in a vacuum. "When considering a certain color, people forget to take into consideration the surrounding colors, the lighting conditions, and even the cultural context, all of which are extremely important to the way a color appears," she says.

Beyond encouraging trial-and-error color experimentation, Antonow also suggests reading about color theory from authors such as Josef Albers, Albert H. Munsell, Johannes Itten, and Johann Wolfgang von Goethe. She also recommends paying close attention to the work of artists known for their dynamic use of color, such as Wassily Kandinsky and Mark Rothko. You can also discover more painting techniques and painting tips from trusted artists and instructors found in The Artist's Magazine. A subscription will give you the opportunity to learn how to paint a picture in new and exciting ways while brushing up on tried and true painting techniques. Enjoy your subscription!

White Paint on White Paper

Courtney Jordan — Mon, 08 Apr 2013 03:05:00 GMT

Let me first clarify that the watercolor painting technique of white-on-white isn't a highfalutin, conceptual idea of existentialism and the true meaning of art. No, it allows watercolor artists to achieve brilliant and bright shades of white and other light effects by applying white paint over and around the white of watercolor paper.


Palace of Fine Arts, San Fransisco by Michael Reardon, watercolor painting. Adapted from an article by Bob Bahr.

Watercolor artist Michael Reardon loves painting passages of white in watercolor because of the subtlety and beauty he is able to achieve through this one aspect of his watercolor art. Reardon discovered this approach while traveling. He would make quick sketches and, for the sake of expediency, he would keep parts of the painting unpainted. Essentially, highlights of the white of the paper would be left "unpainted" though surrounded by nuanced shades of painted or tinted washes of white. This need for speed turned into an asset for the artist, as he found that he could draw the viewer's eye with the use of the pure white of the unpainted paper, so he could complete a watercolor travel sketch to suit his on-the-go schedule, but still capture the light and atmospheric effects of the moment.

From here, Reardon began experimenting with a range of subtle shades of white that make the white of his paper seem even whiter, such as putting your darkest value next to the white of the paper for the greatest contrast. But the artist also discovered that a sense of searing whites can come when the watercolor artist puts number-two values next to the number-one value of the white of the paper.


	Blue Mosque by Michael Reardon, detail, watercolor painting.

"The beauty of painting shades of white goes to the heart of my approach to capturing the fleeting qualities of light," he says. "Light bouncing off a white object is the clearest example." So Reardon chases these delicate color influences, from the warm tones on the ground to the tints of blue in the sky to the greens of nearby plant life, opening his eye to all the ways that the brilliance of his whites are affected and replicating them in his watercolors.

For more watercolor painting techniques, consider the latest painting lessons from Johannes Vloothuis in his unique DVD, Paint Stunning Landscapes from Photos. Beginner watercolor artists will be put at ease with the straightforward and intuitive approach of this master artist, but the more advanced watercolor artist will be challenged and enlightened as well. This is a resource that can grow with you as a watercolor artist, giving you more insight as you become more advanced. Enjoy!