Artist Daily : Oil Painting

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!

How to Avoid the Pitfalls of Painting from Photographs

Courtney Jordan — Wed, 22 May 2013 03:18:00 GMT

I’ve spent way too much time in murky classrooms looking at slides, slides, and more slides. I’m convinced that the entire academic field of art history would grind to a halt without projectors, carousels, and slides. But what is weird about looking at so many images is that I find myself thinking that I know exactly what a sculpture or a painting really looks like because I’ve seen a photograph of it. Photographs can never tell you the full story of an object, landscape, or person’s face, but they are convenient references for artists. The reality is that most artists use source photos in some capacity when they work, whether to jog their memory of a particular place and time or to record specific visual details to incorporate in later pieces.


El Mercado by Mark Haworth, 2006, oil painting, 16 x 20.

But to produce a successful piece of art, an artist has to be wary and attentive to what he or she is seeing—and not seeing—in a photograph. That starts with understanding the limitations of reference photos. Artist Mark Haworth puts it this way: “The camera cannot see like the eye can when it comes to color accuracy, depth of field, and the warms and cools of highlights and shadows. There’s a lot of distortion that comes along with photographs.”

Pastel artist and instructor Denise LaRue Mahlke agrees. “Following a photo to a ‘T’ is a big mistake, because the camera lies,” she says. “Photos can be indispensible as a jumping off point, but even if the photo is an excellent one, you want to reinvent the scene for a painting to work.”

Haworth, for one, puts decidedly less emphasis on reference photos than on preliminary sketches made on-site or notes written in the field. “When I’m traveling through an area, I write what I am seeing,” he says. “My notes often give me what I can’t get in a picture. Photos don’t give the subtleties I look for to capture the look and feel of a place.”

When Mahlke is on-site and doesn’t have time to paint, she’ll often do the same—sketch and take notes. But she acknowledges that sometimes she takes as many photos as she can. “Having that multitude of photos can give you a lot to work with,” she says. “When I’m ready to start a piece, I’ll pull from many different photos for inspiration and do thumbnail sketches to familiarize myself with the subject and composition I’m working toward.”

I asked Haworth and Mahlke if constantly referring back to photos can lead to overworking or to a painting filled with a bunch of little details instead of a cohesive composition. Both artists knew just what I meant. “It can go from painting to documenting,” says Haworth. “You can take in all the details and go crazy.”


	Winter Stream by Denise LaRue Mahlke, 2008, pastel, 14 x 18.

Another point both artists stressed is the importance of working from photos they’ve taken themselves. “When using someone else’s photos, you aren’t painting your own concepts, just copying,” says Mahlke. “I tell my students, ‘Work from your own photos—your ideas are there.’”

What’s more, a reference photo, no matter who clicked the shutter, shouldn’t lead to a sense of obligation to show exactly what is depicted in the shot. Instead, an artist should feel free and inspired to manipulate or leave behind a reference any way he or she chooses. That assures there’s vitality in a piece of art and means you won’t miss seeing—and hopefully recapturing—the moments that will make a painting great.

With the Photo Reference for Artists: Landscapes, you'll be able to hone your skill with using reference photos, coming away with creative and technical food for thought on the advantages and potential pitfalls of working with photographs. Enjoy!

Paint Every Figure With the Power of a Portrait

Courtney Jordan — Mon, 20 May 2013 03:26:00 GMT


First Bite, 17 x 16, 2009, oil painting. All works by Michael de Brito. Courtesy Eleanor Ettinger Gallery.

Painting the people and places one sees every day can be either a mind-numbing trial or an impetus for creativity that just happens to be homeward bound. For New Jersey-based artist Michael de Brito—who has spent the last several years painting family members and friends in familiar surroundings, such as his grandmother's kitchen—it is the latter.

In De Brito's work, domesticity is not the stuff of clichéd gender roles or snapshot tedium. Instead, his scenes show the family matriarch caught in moments of arrested action or sitters sinking into introspection in the midst of a chattering group. Meals are readied or consumed, and conversations meander over a bottle of wine. The occasions are simple, but De Brito's portrayals linger in the viewer's mind as if they are our own memories, producing a rapport between us and the figures.

The artist's ability to invest his paintings with such immediacy comes from his deep-seated connection to the figures he depicts. "The paintings are almost like a diary," he says. "Each day is different—people age, and the place ages, too. I'm capturing them in the moment, so I won't forget how they are. In some ways this allows me to know them better." This personal connection also dovetails with the artist's relish for the technical aspects of painting—drawing, composition, and the materiality of oil paint.


	Sunday Guests, 17 x 21, 2009, oil painting.


	The Gathering, 29 x 39, 2006, oil painting.

"I have my sketchbook with me all the time," De Brito explains. "A good painting comes from a good drawing, so I make a small drawing to get a grasp of the composition before I do the actual painting." From there, the artist creates a full-size charcoal sketch of the painting directly on the canvas. Once he's satisfied with it, he sprays it with fixative. "Then I can focus on applying the paint as opposed to dealing with a figure's hand that doesn't look quite right," he says.

Delving into the feel and look of the paint is an integral part of the painting process for De Brito. "The application of the paint and the way it feels is a major part of my process-and definitely the most appealing part," he says. "I just love the lusciousness of the paint on the canvas." The artist works wet-in-wet and doesn't use glazes: "With wet-in-wet, you can create soft edges almost by accident, and subtle mistakes can still be used to create what you want. For me, glazing takes too long. I want to see it done quickly, and working wet-in-wet helps get me there."


Conversation After Lunch, 12 x 16, 2005, oil painting.

The immediacy and "in the moment" atmosphere of De Brito's works can also be attributed to the fact that each figure is depicted with a level of detail that is usually reserved for a painted portrait. A grimace, searching glance, or slouching stance individualizes each figure and gives the viewer an inkling of who these people are. The depictions are not idealized, but they are honest, and there's a dignity to them that makes the viewer feel like another guest instead of an intruder or voyeur.

De Brito doesn't describe himself as a portraitist, but the figures in his paintings possess the poise and individuality that mark successfully painted portraits. To enhance your ability to capture a likeness and better understand the nuances of painting figures realistically, consider any and all art resources on sale now at the North Light Shop. 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!

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!

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!

Love Them Extra Because They're Weird

Courtney Jordan — Wed, 03 Apr 2013 03:12:00 GMT

I own up to the fact that I am drawn to the portraits artist Jenny Morgan creates because they are unconventional. Yet they capture qualities of the human face and our other human qualities in ways that read very true and lifelike. I like them because they are different, but not just because they are different.


	Merging the Phantom by Jenny Morgan, oil on canvas, 42 x 32, 2012.

When learning how to draw faces, there is a lot of rote visual information to take care of--two eyes, one nose, one mouth. Yes, each face is different, but the nuts and bolts of the work are the same. This can sometimes standardize the way we work. Maybe you've seen this. Taking a portrait class, everyone's works can look the same. And this makes absolute sense in a class setting. But individual artists need to discover their own way of drawing faces and painting the human figure that is theirs and theirs alone. Morgan has, and she doesn't let the baseline of similarity implicit in all portraits (two eyes, one nose, one mouth) prevent her from articulating things through the human face in new ways.


Bunny by Jenny Morgan, oil on canvas, 37 x 32, 2012.

She uses color, shadows, angles and a collage effect of images (a profile versus a frontal portrait, for example) to create moments that are psychologically intense and visually stunning. To do this in a genre of painting that has been around for centuries, such as portrait drawing, I consider to be even more impressive.

If you've found the person or model who makes you want to start drawing faces but you want to make sure you do your subject justice with strong skills and sensitivity, Expressive Portraits: Watercolor and Mixed Media Techniques will give you the instruction you need with demonstrations in watercolor, pencil, pastel, and more, including information on using brushwork techniques and layering to give each face you draw liveliness and spirit. Enjoy!

With Instincts Like Vermeer & Vuillard

Courtney Jordan — Wed, 27 Mar 2013 03:15:00 GMT

Continuing the long line of intimists from Vermeer to Vuillard, Mark Karnes makes an alluring world out of the quietest aspects of his domestic life. Like all great painters of the near-at-hand, Karnes' work reminds us that beauty is to be found everywhere, at both expected and unexpected moments, and with every turn of the head.

Interior With Sailboat by Mark Karnes, oil painting, 2005. 24 x 36.
Adapted from an article by Ephraim Rubenstein.

Karnes' acrylic-painting sketches are generally painted alla prima, in one sitting, whereas his more finished paintings develop slower. For those, he usually starts out with a surface toned with a neutral raw-umber wash. Even with the most complicated pieces, such as Interior With Sailboat, the artist starts out with almost no preparatory drawing. What is of interest to him at the beginning is the large division of light and dark. He then starts to introduce temperature changes, thinking about what parts of the light are warm and what parts cool.

At any given point, he does only as much drawing as he needs to help him place the color. Only toward the end does he pin down the specifics of the drawing. This ensures that his paintings are primarily about tone, color, and light, rather than their ostensible subject.

The particular voyage of Interior With Sailboat is taken in midwinter, when the toy sailboat generally sits in dry dock on the table. The cold winter light, rendered so beautifully in the painting, bathes the attic room that Karnes uses as a studio. The model sailboat--the subtle centerpiece of the whole painting--suggests that all is quiet, while the beam of direct light, momentarily hitting the far wall, reminds us that time is passing and that the winds will change.

For more insights on the power and mutability of acrylic painting, consider Acrylic Solutions. You'll find new and challenging acrylic-painting lessons and tips on how to create art pieces that look and feel contemporary. Enjoy!

A Color Vortex

Courtney Jordan — Mon, 25 Mar 2013 03:48:00 GMT

Looking at Mark Messersmith's artwork is like being sucked into a kaleidoscope. The colors are bold, varied, and everywhere. It seems odd to say this. I mean, of course, there is color everywhere--it's a painting. But what stands out about Messersmith's work is that the colors, more than anything else, lead you through the painting. A certain color will appear in the sky, then on a bird's wing, then in the sheen of light reflected off a bear's fur. As a result, your eye follows the path and, in many cases, reads the work through the interwoven color schemes.

Wayfarers by Mark Messersmith, 2005, oil on canvas with
carved wooden top parts and mixed media predella box,
72 x 75.

It's an interesting approach and one that must have taken a great deal of trial and error when it comes to color mixing in order for the artist to get the right color against the right background. If he hadn't honed his color skills through extensive practice, the colors mixing around and swirling across his fine art oil paintings just wouldn't be effective.


May Blooming by Mark Messersmith, 2009, oil on canvas with carved wooden top parts and mixed media predella box, 65 x 82.

Messersmith's works are incredibly busy and filled edge to edge with visual content and very little negative space. He obviously chooses his colors--bright hues foremost-with care so that they can stand up to such busy compositions. In other situations the colors might be considered garish, but the way Messersmith uses them works. The colors seem the perfect complement to their busy surroundings.

If you are interested in plumbing the depths of basic color theory and learning how to mix colors in a ridiculously large quantity, then 600 Watercolor Mixes and 500 Acrylic Mixes are the resources you may want to start with. With literally hundreds of color-mixing formulas and easy-to-understand tables, you'll be ready to take on any color combination you can think of for your next painting. Enjoy!

To the Aggressor Go the Spoils

Courtney Jordan — Wed, 13 Mar 2013 03:36:00 GMT

I went to an artist's talk the other day and was a bit taken aback when the artist admitted that she went door to door looking for a gallery, taking images to every venue she knew of and talking her way past many annoyed assistants to get a few minutes of time with a gallery owner. She once cornered one such director and got him to promise to come to her studio. When he didn't, she brought her work to him. This was the gallerist that ended up taking her work.


Moon and Tide by Inka Essenhigh, 2010, oil on canvas, 70 x 76.

Now, I don't know if I recommend these tactics, but there is a bit of truth to the idea that getting a little aggressive--in a polite way--can do a bit of good for your art business. If you don't take it too far, you can gain a lot by being aggressive because it means you are putting your art out there in the world and that you are earnest about it. You are willing to be told no, no, NO, on the off-chance that one of those people will say, "yes!"

In the end, I think it all comes down to confidence. It takes a strong belief in what you are doing to paint when you could just do something else, or put up a website and sell art online when you could just as easily stack painting after painting in your studio and never let anyone look at them.

We often make choices based on our fears and insecurities, so I encourage you to be aggressive about being confident in your work. In the end, you'll get honest feedback, which is never a bad thing, and you just might make the right impression on the right person so that your artistic star starts to rise.


		Minor Sea Gods of Maine by Inka Essenhigh, 2009, oil on canvas, 74 x 68.

To help with this, the special-issue publication, Professional Practices, is available. It is a relevant and in-depth resource on what it means to promote, sell, and manage your art like a professional. You'll find direct feedback from artists who are in the position you are in about their approaches to selling art, marketing art, and more. Hearing words of wisdom straight from the sources makes all the difference, so you can see what approach works right for you and go for it!

How Strong Are They?

Courtney Jordan — Mon, 04 Mar 2013 04:59:00 GMT

I was always taught that effective color mixing starts with discovering the tinting strength of each color on your palette. For me, that is the basis of understanding how to mix colors, because it tells me how they will react when combined.

A Breath Away by Joseph McGurl, oil on canvas, 24 x 36.

I'm a bit embarrassed to say that until a professor pointed this out to me in school, I was oblivious to it. I assumed all colors would tint similarly when lightened with the same amount of white. But, as I am sure many of you know, that couldn't be further from the truth. For example, Prussian blue and alizarin crimson have very strong tinting strengths—just a small amount of either color added to white makes a vivid tint. On the other hand, terre verte and raw umber have weaker tinting strength and turn pale when mixed with just a little bit of white.

Once I understood this, I went a little crazy with my art colors to better understand how each color has its own quirks and personality. At the end of all my experiments, I came away with a color-mixing guide—more like a chart, really. I painted a dab of each color on my palette and mixed it with different colors to see the result. I started by adding the same amount of white to each color on my palette to see how each pigment was affected, and I went on from there.

Camelback Twilight by Joseph McGurl, oil on canvas, 22 x 34.

That chart now is more like a free-form color-mixing guide. It's more disorganized than a formal color wheel, but it works for me, and I refer back to it often when I can't remember quite how a color will mix with another. If you've made a similar "cheat sheet" marking your color schemes, you'll know how useful they can be—especially when you are trying to eke out the delicate nuances of color.

A great way to apply what you know about your own art colors and learn more from an expert is with Brian Keeler's new art instruction DVDs, Skies and Light. The artist shows you how to achieve clean color, adjust color values, and add dimension all in one sitting, which you'll be able to apply to every painting you create from here on out. Enjoy!

I Want to Be By His Side

Courtney Jordan — Fri, 01 Mar 2013 04:27:00 GMT

If I had a time machine and could travel back to learn how to oil paint from any artist in history, I would not spare a second thought setting the clock to circa 1895, smack dab in the middle of the era when Odilon Redon was refining his fine art oil-painting and pastel-painting skills.


		The Cyclops by Odilon Redon, c. 1914, oil on canvas, 64 x 51 cm.

In addition to learning exactly how he worked, I'd also get a chance to be by the artist's side and observe what went into Redon's color choices--so many of which combine and juxtapose improbable objects and colors together--as well as how he came to let his imagination run free. Redon was a wonder at incorporating basic things--landscape elements, flowers, figures--into paintings that appear at turns dreamlike and nightmarish. He seemed to paint what was in his heart and in his head more than merely allowing his perceptions and observations to rule.

Redon wrote, "I have often, as an exercise and as a sustenance, painted before an object down to the smallest accidents of its visual appearance; but the day left me sad and with an unsatiated thirst. The next day I let the other source run, that of imagination, through the recollection of the forms and I was then reassured and appeased."


Woman with a Yellow Bodice by Odilon Redon, c. 1899, pastel painting, 66 x 50 cm.

Reading this makes me equally sad at the idea of the artist coming away from his studio unfulfilled and somewhat lost. But it also sparks hope because he sought a way to make his paintings come alive and did so by being true to himself.

For oil-painting tips on color and composition that you don't have to travel back in time for, consider C. W. Mundy's Mastering the Dramatic Still Life video download. It gives insight on how to build visual interest with color, highlights, and compositional tools. And it's 20% off right now, so you are able to immediately access top oil-painting instruction from the convenience of your own home. Curl up and enjoy!

I Don't Need You Anymore

Courtney Jordan — Wed, 13 Feb 2013 04:12:00 GMT

In all the painting or drawing dabbling I've done, there is always a definitive moment that divides my experiences into "before" and "after." It's the moment I realize I don't have to worry about going back because every mistake is, in fact, a painting challenge that isn't dire or insurmountable. It just calls for a little creativity.


Rouen Cathedral: Setting Sun (Symphony in Grey and Pink) by Monet, 1892-1894, oil on canvas.

Sometimes it takes more time than I would like for this moment to arrive. But with acrylic painting, this occasion came a lot sooner than I expected--which makes sense considering how user-friendly acrylics are.

I remember I was trying to re-create a Monet painting of the Rouen Cathedral. This was at a time when I didn't have access to an easel, so I was painting on the floor. I reached across my painting and got a smear of unmixed color where it didn't belong. Breath gone, hopes dashed, on the verge...of...hysteria. But wait! Don't panic. Before I gave into my instincts to rush and fix the problem, and no doubt actually make it worse, I stepped back and waited. And waited just a bit longer. Eventually, I got what I wanted--the surface dried and I just started that section all over again. I lost some time but not much else.

This situation provided a good reminder not to lose my head, but more than anything it gave me a lot of appreciation for the fast drying rate of acrylics. And, in fact, after I learned this lesson the hard way I began loosening up and not being so fearful, because I knew that if I made a mistake, I could always reapply pigment after the surface had dried.

By painting with acrylics I learned that I didn't need my uptight fearfulness anymore. But what I did want and need was to better understand how other acrylic-painting artists work--and I'm still learning this. Finding out the perspectives of practicing artists is so helpful because I know they've really put their paint through a workout. I want to gain from that knowledge! Right now Chris Cozen's new DVD, Top 10 Acrylic Painting Techniques, is what I've set my sights on. It gives a lot of coverage and discussion to the finer points of acrylic painting that I want to know more about. Enjoy!