Artist Daily : plein air

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!

A Sucker for Architecture

Courtney Jordan — Mon, 01 Apr 2013 03:08:00 GMT

Arches, towers, bridges, and vaulted ceilings--I love all aspects of architecture and engineering, and it was through these things that I first started to appreciate plein air painting. Before, when I was trying to understand what plein air was all about, I was sort of "meh" about the idea of going out of the studio to paint. But then I saw Thomas W. Schaller's watercolor paintings and came to the realization that plein air isn't just about finding beautiful mountain vistas and cascading waterfalls and rivers. There is also room for capturing a little bit of the awe you feel when walking through a Parisian city square or encountering the quaint loveliness of a garden bungalow or cottage.

North Broadway Bridge - Los Angeles by Thomas Schaller, watercolor on paper, 18 x 24.

Another artist, Seth Camm, calls his outdoor paintings of houses "house portraits," and I think that there's a lot to this. Plein air artists, at their best, capture both the likeness of the landscape they are painting and the spirit of the place. Architecture and houses and homes are manmade structures that--hopefully--fit into their landscape and tell stories of their own. We can find immediate human connections to them, which makes them great artistic subjects. Camm's paintings take advantage of these connections, telling the story of the place and the feel of it through the houses and nearby environs.

One of Seth Camm's house portraits.

A city street filled with skyscrapers and cars whizzing by gives quite a different feel than a white clapboard house surrounded by shady trees. But what is exciting, no matter what environment you prefer, is that you can inject personality and verve into a plein air painting if you choose your subject with the idea of painting the "portrait" of the place foremost in your mind.

After looking at landscape and seascape "portraits," have you started to wonder, "What is plein air painting able to do for me that, maybe, my studio practice can't?" I certainly wonder a bit too, and I want to know what is on the other side of that question. In the Plein Air Painting Premium Palette and Deluxe Palette, there are resources that can get you started with your plein air foray to help you figure out how to capture the feel of the places you paint, and if you are already comfortable outdoor painting, these can give you the insights you need to take your work up a notch. Enjoy!

It's Not Magic, It's a Free eBook on How to Paint With Acrylics

Courtney Jordan — Fri, 15 Mar 2013 03:11:00 GMT

Interest in acrylic painting is skyrocketing. There is less and less of a bias against this medium as a newcomer, and more and more of an interest in the healthful qualities and vibrant colors acrylics have to offer.

In our free eBook, Acrylic Painting Techniques: Methods on How to Paint With Acrylics for Acrylic Landscape Painting and Interiors, you'll see what all the fuss is about concerning painting with acrylics. To start, Jeanette Chupack offers her unique point of view on how to compose and paint varied acrylic landscape paintings. Her biggest inspiration is the land, sea, and wildlife around her home. Chupack shows how she translates these images to canvas and troubleshoots along the way, including how she corrects mistakes and treats her surface for a high-gloss finish.

Rounding the Bend by Jeanette Chupack, acrylic painting, 2009, 20 x 30.

Then there is an acrylic painting tutorial devoted to interiors, so you as an artist can understand how acrylics work both indoors and out. You'll find acrylic painting techniques on how to use retarder to slow down the drying process so that you can blend colors seamlessly, plus a step-by-step demonstration by artist Ronald Lewis.

In Acrylic Painting Techniques: Methods on How to Paint With Acrylics for Acrylic Landscape Painting and Interiors, you'll also find five acrylic artists sharing their methods, materials, and techniques. It's a smorgasbord of information valuable to any artist who wants to get the most out of their acrylics. Download your copy of Acrylic Painting Techniques: Methods on How to Paint With Acrylics for Acrylic Landscape Painting and Interiors now and enjoy!

And if you have an artist-friend who would love to have access to this free eBook, feel free to forward this email onto them as well!

You Have to Lie to Get What You Want

Courtney Jordan — Fri, 08 Feb 2013 04:25:00 GMT

I may have grabbed your attention at the risk of making you think I'm a big fat fibber, but I do think that when it comes to landscape painting, you sometimes have to lie--or at least exaggerate--to get what you want. This is based on personal experience--maybe I'm unlucky, but I do not step into a landscape of wonder and majesty every time I go outside. Finding a place worthy of being documented in a landscape oil painting doesn't happen to me regularly.


		Rocky Landscape by Hercules Seghers, 1600s, oil painting.

Instead, when I walk out of the house, usually I'm struck by how ordinary everything is. But that doesn't mean painting landscapes is an endeavor that should grind to screeching halt. Artists just need to learn the rule of pushing it.

Suppose you've settled on a subject for your next landscape oil painting, but no unicorn has trotted in to make an otherwise normal scene truly exceptional. If you are second guessing yourself about what you've chosen to paint and are considering something drastic like starting over, don't! Instead, you have to start to push it--and everything is fair game. From the angles of a cluster of trees, to the colors in the sky, to the patterns made by the wind in a grassy field, everything can be enhanced or firmed up to give you a stronger composition than what you started with.


Landscape by Camille Corot, 1800s, oil painting.

I don't know if this strikes some committed landscape artists as insincere or wrong, but it works for me, mostly because I don't believe your subject should have ownership over you as an artist. You get to make the decisions, and that means changing, moving, and pushing things to get your message across--and that is the most important aspect of painting landscapes, cityscapes, people, still lifes, or anything else.

For more landscape painting techniques, check out landscape ebook title TK. It is a solid resource for artists interested in firming up their technical abilities, and it just might give us all the inspirational nudge we need to get out there and paint what we see in front of us--as well as what we want to see in front of us. Enjoy!

A Painting Just Waiting to Happen

Courtney Jordan — Wed, 16 Jan 2013 04:06:00 GMT

I was in Florida a few weeks ago and felt so lucky to be in such a warm, sunny place that I don't think I spent a minute indoors. I was kayaking, mountain biking, walking on the beach, and swimming in the ocean. And again and again I would look around and think, "That's a landscape painting waiting to happen."

Pebble Beach, California I by Keiko Tanabe, watercolor on paper, 14 1/4 x 21 1/2.

Now, as I sit here bundled up in a sweater and scarf, I'm trying to really think about what made those scenes that I saw worthy of a landscape artwork. First, what comes to mind is the color. When I was kayaking in the mangroves, I was struck by the bold but simple colors I saw--rich, deep blue water; lush green vegetation and tree leaves; and pale taupe-gray tree limbs. In terms of a color map, this would make for a pretty simple fine art landscape painting, and yet I can't think of anything that could truly enhance that natural beauty.

Next, I remember how lovely the light was. I was mesmerized by the dappled reflections of sunshine on the water or when the sun would make a crashing wave seem to glow transparently. Those light effects that stick in my mind are the same qualities that the best landscape paintings have to offer too.

I would also have to add a bit of the unexpected to this hypothetical landscape artwork that I'm painting in my head. The dim but at the same time really rich light that would settle on the landscape in the evenings wasn't something I expected to see, and that's what made it so appealing.

Light at Sunset by Joseph McGurl, oil on canvas, 24 x 36.

In my mind's eye I also see an incredible amount of texture or pattern. Whether it was leaves in trees, reflections on the ocean's surface, or the pattern on a bird's wing--the landscape was alive with repeated lines, colors, and forms.

Thinking of the landscape this way, it's clear to me why I thought these scenes were landscape paintings waiting to happen--it's because they were! I pinpointed the elements that made the views noteworthy in my memory, and those are the same elements that would go into great landscape artwork. But in order to really fulfill my vision, I need more landscape painting know-how, which is why I've turned my attention to Johannes Vloothuis's downloadable videos. There are lessons on painting water, trees, skies, and more. See for yourself what Vloothuis might have to offer you and enjoy!

In Living Color

Courtney Jordan — Wed, 02 Jan 2013 04:53:00 GMT

It's a brand new year and I want to start it off with a bang! And the one thing that I can't get enough of is color. The color wheel holds such simple beauty and complex mysteries, from saturated primary colors to more involved color mixes, that I don't see how I could ever feel like I've learned everything about it.

Female figure, turquoise pillow by Peter Van Dyck, 20 x 17,
oil painting on illustration board, 2011.

But while I may revere all that the color wheel is capable of giving us, creating sublime and impactful color schemes for actual paintings can be a bit unnerving. I often get so involved with a color that I forget how to paint the necessary value and tonal changes that I need to make so that the color isn't just an independent and abstract stroke on the canvas but a part of how I will add dimension and atmosphere to my subject.

Camper by Peter Van Dyck, 22.5 x 32, oil painting on linen, 2008.

Peter Van Dyck is an artist who features sumptuous and often surprising color mixes in his artwork without letting the pigments take over his compositions. Teals, ambers, and pearlescent whites appear on Van Dyck's surfaces but they always serve to perpetuate what the artist is depicting, whether it's a camper van parked at dusk or a dim studio with nary a soul in sight. When I look at one of his paintings I fall a little bit more in love with the colors every time I look at them, but I don't ever forget what I am looking at. Instead, I just shift from color to object and back again, mesmerized and taking lots of mental notes.

Alabama studio interior by Peter Van Dyck, 24 x 22,
oil painting on board, 2009.

If you want to enhance or change the way you see color so you can improve your art, see if The Cape School Method DVD is right for you. Taught by Camille Przewodek, an award-winning plein air painter, this instructional DVD is all about color theory, and will show you how to get the tones and values you are looking for when you mix color. You'll also gain a richer understanding of light effects as well as how to spot all those tricky colors that hide in the shadows. Enjoy!

What You Really Want in a Winter Landscape Painting

Courtney Jordan — Fri, 07 Dec 2012 04:48:00 GMT

Around this time of year we are inundated with wintry scenes and beautiful snowy landscapes--on greeting cards, products, advertisements, calendars and more. But these winter landscapes aren't necessarily all created equal, and the same goes for the fine art paintings of the same subject. One of the most important elements that separates works of quality from those that are less appealing often comes down to color schemes.

Late Winter Afternoon by Birge Harrison, 1908, oil on canvas.

Landscape paintings of winter can get boring really fast because artists sometimes make the big mistake of stopping at "white." I put it in quotes because, as many of us know, it's never really just white. Just like the darks in a painting, the lights or whites must be created through dynamic color mixing to grab a viewer's attention.


Sunrise in Winter by Birge Harrison.

I remind myself that an artist should take every opportunity to mix colors and emphasize them, especially in a winter landscape where a blah whitewash effect is so easy to create. One artist that is worth considering when it comes to mixing colors for winter landscapes is the late nineteenth-century painter Birge Harrison. Just look at any one of his winter scenes and you'll see incredible color usage: shadows on snow are richly colored in blue and gray-violet, and the winter skies that can often seem one-dimensional are subtly prismatic. Harrison pulls in pinks and greens and yellows, but combines his colors so deftly that you really have to spend time looking closely to see all of the undertones.

Mixing colors is all about pulling off our blinders and looking closely at the subject before us--and this is especially true when landscape painting in winter and any other season of the year. In the Step by Step Landscape Painting Instruction and Strong Design: The Key to Dynamic Painting eBooks, you'll find strategies for color choices, mixing colors, and ways to improve your knowledge of color in the landscape. And right now all of our eBooks are 50% off! So see what resources you gravitate toward that just may help you take the next step in your art. Enjoy!

Holiday Sweepstakes--Nuff Said!

Courtney Jordan — Thu, 29 Nov 2012 16:43:00 GMT

Uh, I think I may have stumbled into an artist's dream! The Artist's Network Annual Holiday Sweepstakes is going on right now, offering awesome art prizes from the best painting and drawing product makers and service providers around. Rosemary & Co. brushes? Yes! Strathmore surfaces? Yes! And so many more! It's like a who's who of the top resources and materials that we love so much.

So here's the scoop: Check out the prizes below and mark your calendar for their corresponding days. Then all you have to do is go to the Sweepstakes homepage during that day and enter for the chance to win the prize. That's it! That's it? That's it! Plus you can try for as many prizes as you want--there's no limit.

There are prizes to be won until December 17, and on December 19 a Grand Prize Winner will be chosen. Good luck and happy holidays!!

November 23: 3 Handcrafted New Wave® Artist Palettes

3 Handcrafted New Wave® Artist Palettes: 2 Studio Palettes (Grand View Confidant^TM and Expressionist Confidant^TM) & 1 Plein Air Palette (Highland^TM). Available for right handed or left handed artists.

Value: $154.85

New Wave® brings an iconic tool to life that will assist in your advancement. Experience improved color gauging, enhanced mobility and strengthened focus, while painting in total comfort. The palette's unique patent pending 3 point design (hand, arm, torso) evenly distributes the palette weight, allowing you to paint with ease. In addition, the palettes are handcrafted by the Amish in Lancaster County, Pa., providing an unmatched level of quality.

-3 point design providing maximum balance and comfort
-Universal fit for all body types
-Handcrafted by the Amish in Lancaster County, Pa., USA
-Made with hard white maple
-Extremely lightweight
-Durable satin finish resistant to water and standard artist solvents and mediums
-Easily cleaned
-Crack and chip resistant
-Freezer safe

November 25: Richeson Classic Santa Fe II Easel

The Santa Fe II Easel by BEST is proudly made by Wisconsin craftsmen using American-grown red oak. Its marine style winch raises and lowers easily allowing works weighing up to 300lbs. The double-masted H-frame offers extra stability; front locking casters offer mobility. With a lifetime warranty, BEST Easels are a symbol of American Quality.

-Max. canvas height: 106"
-Base width/depth: 24" x 30"
-Compact easel height: 78"
-Extended easel height: 129"
-Shipping weight: 98 lbs.
-Box dimensions: 77" x 30" x 10"
-Ships partially assembled by truck

Entering to win this prize will also enter you for the $1,000 Gift Certificate Grand Prize from Blick Art Materials.

NOVEMBER 26: REMBRANDT PASTEL SETS

Luxurious 2 drawer soft pastel set with 15 full sticks and 30 half sticks of the leading soft pastel on the market. Perfect for travel, plein air or studio work with a rigid keepsake box.

Individual components have a retail value of $136, but this set is a special value at $100 suggested retail price. Crafted with pride in the Netherlands by the masters at Royal Talens. Make sure to sign up for our "talking colors" and "create your color" campaigns at Rembrandt.

November 27: PAINT FIT FOR MASTERS

A colorful road, 3 generations long, has led Da Vinci Artists' Colors to become a work of art of their own. Still prepared in small batches with trusted craftsmanship quality, Da Vinci Colors are consistently those that artists love to discover.

At Da Vinci, they go beyond merely dabbling with the world's finest raw materials. Mixing and milling colors that truly perform is in their DNA. The colors represent who they are and what they do. They immerse themselves in preparing perfect batches of color every day so you can have FULL freedom of artistic expression without compromise.
Win Da Vinci's Color Set and select your favorite medium; Oil, Acrylic or Watercolor.

November 29: Rosemary & Co. $250 Brush Set Giveaway

$250 worth of our beautiful handmade oil brushes consisting of ‘ The Masters Choice' our popular design for painting wet on wet thus not taking off the paint.

‘Ivory' a range for firm strokes with spring and precision together with ‘Classic' for the traditional strokes which leave a grainy mark and a few brush surprises for you to experiment with - This is a bounty pack to assist you with creating another masterpiece!!!

As the founder and CEO of Rosemary & Co I have been making brushes for over 30 years. As an oil artist (many moons ago) I understand what a painter demands from a brush in quality, shape & price. I work hard with my team to ensure all our handmade brushes meet the highest standard possible. - Rosemary

December 1: LED 300 Digital Art Projector

Hottest new product on the market! Imagine being able to project images from virtually any digital source onto any surface - the ultimate easy-to-use tool for designing, painting, drawing and simply being amazingly creative! Project grids onto your photos for easy, exact composition and design. MSRP - $749.99

Features:

-300 lumen maintenance-free LED lamps that last 30,000 hours
-1 280 x 800 (WXGA) resolution for sharp, detailed images
-Exclusive LAG Twin XD image processors for vivid true-to-life color
-Compatible with smart phones, tablets and pads for maximum image control and flexibility
-Full suite of innovative image and color controls including rotation and reversal
-Multiple inputs connect to virtually any digital source
-Compact design for easy transport

December 4: RayMar Belgian Linen Panels

The RayMar Portrait Panel is museum quality painting panel made with Claessens' finest weave #13 double oil primed Belgian linen exclusively for oil paint. It is the choice of professional artists for portrait and figure work.

Claessens' #13 linen is woven to exacting standards with 57.9 TPI warp and 58.4 TPI weft at 10.47 ounces per square yard. The priming consists of a double layer of synthetic glue, which is less sensitive to humidity than hide glue. It is sized with two layers of zinc white primer bound with linseed oil and one top coating of titanium white oil paint. With 4 layers of priming and a finish coat the result is museum quality linen without equal.

The linen is then mounted on 1/8 inch MDF with a pH neutral adhesive through RayMar's in-house process. The fabric is bound to the panel in a uniform way to ensure the consistent quality of every panel. The reverse side is finished with RayMar's exclusive melamine finish. This creates an acid-free archival support that resists warping and provides a permanent barrier against deterioration from moisture or mold.

Conservators strongly recommend painting on a rigid surface so start every painting with a RayMar Panel. Fine art belongs on RayMar.

Package includes a total of 9 panels. 3 panels of each size: 9" x 12", 11" x 14" and 12" x 16". Valued at $200.

December 5: $200 Gift Certificate from Art Gallery Frames

Art Gallery Frames is giving away a $200 Gift Certificate! One lucky winner will be able to choose from hundreds of beautiful frames from a company known for their superior quality and selection.

Art Gallery Frames features a wide variety of art frames including:

-Ready and Custom Made Frames
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-Traditional and Contemporary Styles

December 6: Col-Art Liquitex Basket!

Get all of the Liquitex best sellers all in one basket! A wide range of acrylic paints, mediums and tools so you can let your creativity go wild!

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Liquitex Best of Basket Includes:

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-6 NEW Professional Spray Paints

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-7 Freestyle Brushes ( 3 large format / 4 classic)

-The Acrylic Book

-Color Charts

-1 Value Finder

-Technique Cards

-1 Liquitex Metal Notebook and Water bottle

December 13: Win an Assortment of Fine Art Surfaces

Strathmore has been supplying high-quality fine art surfaces to artist of all levels for over 120 year. One lucky winner will receive an assortment of fine art surfaces valued at $150!

Package includes:

Fine art pads for sketching, drawing, watercolor and mixed media.
Strathmore's latest new products - Toned Sketch Papers, Hardbound Art Journals and 500 Series Mixed Media Board

Essentials for artists of any level.

December 15: Win a Special Gift this Year of Luxurious Premium Oil Paints by Michael Harding

Win $200 of Michael Harding Oil Paints

Gift includes a fine assortment of buttery, rich pigment colour handmade oil paints.
A combination of series 1- 6 oil paints designed for the discerning artist. Pure luxury
for you, your brush and your canvas! find us at www.michaelharding.co.uk

.

December 17: Win a DUO Aqua Oil combo set!

Holbein Artist Materials is giving one lucky painter a Holbein DUO Aqua Oil combo set valued at $984.00! Included in this INCREDIBLE package of Holbein's water soluble oil color are:

-18 hand selected DUO Aqua Oil colors (40ml ea.)
-3 DUO Aqua Oil whites (50ml ea.)
-3 DUO Aqua Oil mediums (200ml ea.)
-5 Holbein Resable synthetic nylon DUO Aqua Oil brushes
-2 Holbein MX hand-forged stainless steel painting knives
-DUO Aqua Oil hand-painted chip chart and printed literature
-Samples sets of Holbein Artist Oil Color and Holbein's brand new Vernet Superior Artist Oil Color

December 19: GRAND PRIZE DRAWING - $1,000 Gift Certificate from Blick Art Materials

All giveaway entries up to this point will count toward the $1,000 Gift Certificate Grand Prize Drawing from Blick Art Materials.

Enter any of the 13 Holiday Sweepstakes giveaways above to qualify for the $1,000 Blick Art Materials Gift Certificate Grand Prize!

Taking That Leap of Faith

Courtney Jordan — Wed, 28 Nov 2012 04:33:00 GMT

Artists who step outside their studios take a leap of faith. When you determine that you are ready to create a plein air painting, you take a chance with lighting, composition, color, and time. All of these are variables that you need to contend with to get your outdoor painting right.

Artist Robin Purcell takes that leap of faith and has been richly rewarded with her plein air watercolor art. Painting outside, she doesn't shoehorn what she finds into what she wants to paint. Instead, she makes magic with what she finds, and this is key to an enjoyable and rewarding plein air painting experience.

Summer Oak by Robin Purcell, watercolor painting, 10 x 12.

For example, in Purcell's plein air painting Summer Oak, the artist observes a scorching hot afternoon when the sun is at its highest, and she sees how the reflected light turns the top leaves of an oak tree deep orange, while its lower branches remain a verdant green. When she walks above a field of wildflowers that still have lush color to them but are surrounded by woody purples and browns of nearby scrub trees, she jumps right in and makes the most of it.

Wild at Heart by Robin Purcell, watercolor painting, 14 x 14.

Painting outdoors can be a panacea if you are feeling constricted and uninspired in the studio, but I remind myself that taking those steps outside means you are playing by Mother Nature's rules. That's more than OK with me, but you have to be open and not take those small and simple gifts of beauty that you see around you for granted. They're the ones that need painting most!

But before I get too ahead of myself on the beauty of the plein air approach, I remind myself that painting is not only a leap of faith; it is also a skill-based enterprise. One of the best places to get foundational painting techniques--as well as to learn more advanced methods for plein air watercolor painting--is in the pages of Watercolor Artist magazine. It is a stellar resource for whatever you want to do with watercolor and will open your eyes to even greater possibilities with the medium. Enjoy your subscription to Watercolor Artist!

He Is Stealing My Heart

Courtney Jordan — Wed, 21 Nov 2012 04:03:00 GMT

I'm a water person. I love boating, swimming, scuba diving, and just looking at the ever-changing surface of nearby waterways. And I'm not alone. American artists--and those abroad--have been enamored with so many beautiful bodies of water over the centuries. But the watery artist who is stealing my heart right now is Jonas Lie.

Old Wharves, Camden, Maine by Jonas Lie, ca. 1925-40, oil painting.

Lie was born in Norway, but he spent a large part of his career painting the coastal areas of New England. When I started searching for his art online, I was blown away with what I found. In every seascape of Lie's that I look at, I feel transported. He made the light reflecting on the water look so real. But it was the way he crafted the light in the atmosphere, as it bounced off the water or filtered down from the rays of the sun or the moon, that really astonishes me.

The art techniques Lie employed are not overly complicated. He used color and texture to do what he did. It's so simple, I tell myself. But looking at a painting like Old Wharves, Camden, Maine, with its blues and whites and greens and yellows, tells me I have so much to learn about creating atmospheric effects in painting.

From the Rockport Shore, Maine by Jonas Lie, ca. 1926-27, oil painting.

I already know it will take a good deal of persevering, because I've never done a seascape painting before. But with Lie as my guide, at least I know I am fired up and inspired enough to try. One of my upcoming goals is to get out on the water and start sketching. But before I do, I'm going to delve into the essentials of plein air painting and work on my watercolor skills with a few of the resources I've had my eye on at the Artist Daily Shop. I'm going to download a few workshops because learning art techniques online this way is convenient for me--I can do it on my own time and that's a perk I really like. Plus we get an extra 15% off now through Sunday when we enter EXTRA15 at checkout. Sweetness!

So see what will help you in your next painting project at the Artist Daily Shop! And if you glean any ideas or tips from looking at Jonas Lie's work that could help me out, leave a comment and let me know. You know I can use the help!

No Crisis Here, Look Elsewhere

Courtney Jordan — Wed, 17 Oct 2012 03:28:00 GMT

I roll my eyes every time I hear about representational art and realism being "imperiled," because there are so many important representational artists painting right now. It's almost offensive how people think legitimacy comes with the passage of time. History can be a great equalizer, but art that is meaningful will always have--and never lose--its power.



	J.F.H. with Four Doors  by Alex Kanevsky, oil on wood, 36 x 58, 2011.

Established artists who are perpetuating representational practice abound. Alex Kanevsky, Lisa Yuskavage, Stuart Shils, and Julie Heffernan all work in highly individualized ways. They have signature styles, and their work would never be mistaken for anyone else's. What unites them is that they all have a technically interesting approach and consistently come up with compelling narratives.

There are plenty of young artists working right now who are getting significant lifts in their careers as they become known to more people. Jennifer Presant's figurative realism is complicated by her use of unusual perspective and object-figure repetition. Ben Fenske doesn't settle for the conventional in his landscape paintings, I'm absolutely in love with his interiors, and his brushwork and color sensibility are also worth noting.


Bedroom II by Ben Fenske, oil painting, 35.4 x 43.

And I have to give a shout out to several amazing artists showing their work on Artist Daily. Fergus A. Ryan produces a wide range of work--landscape paintings, portraiture, still life--and every single piece shows a unique perspective and subtle color palette. Lee Stockdale's works always deliver a psychological impact, and her brushwork is visually interesting from a technical perspective. Mike Barr's cityscapes and seascapes both have an atmospheric quality that draws the eye, and he's found the perfect balance when it comes to the level of detail to include in his works.

And it will come as no shock that Daniel Greene contributes heavily to the reason why I am confident about art-making--and portrait art in particular--going forward. I was lucky to attend a Daniel Greene demonstration and workshop, and I was struck again and again by how articulate and quietly focused the artist is and how his students produce work that is heads and shoulders above the rest. In his Portrait Painting DVD series, I hope you'll find all that and more. Enjoy!

It's High Time for Some Brutal Honesty

Courtney Jordan — Mon, 15 Oct 2012 03:49:00 GMT

Here it is: If you aren't going to really push it when you make a landscape painting, it is going to be completely forgettable. Having looked at thousands of landscape paintings, and made a few myself, I'll be honest and tell you that only the best of the best landscape art really sticks out in my mind.

Eis by Gerhard Richter, 1981, 70 x 100 cm, oil on canvas.

But this doesn't mean we should all give up on our landscape paintings. Instead, I'm going to refocus on creating impact with each work and seek out landscape artwork to "mimic" or learn from that is compositionally strong, employs unusual coloring, and isn't merely about recording the hills, valleys, and trees I see. There's got to be something more.

Stille by Isaac Levitan, 1898, 96 × 110 cm, oil on canvas.

And I know it can be done. Look at Gerhard Richter's snow paintings, which are amazing portrayals of light and have a murky, atmospheric quality that utterly mesmerizes me. Isaac Levitan's compositions and vantage points are always unusual, and the way he can so subtly vary the texture of the paint on the canvas to reinforce what he is painting is incredible. Emily Carr was fearless about color and about telling a story--not merely recording what she saw--with her landscape art.

Shoreline by Emily Carr, 1936.

Another landscape artist whose work is incredibly impactful is Don Demers. Every painting of his that I've seen has a "wow" factor, and Demers works tirelessly to evoke that lively sensation I'm talking about. In his newest DVD, Marine Painting: Art of the Wave, Demers shares just how he does this, from the decisions he makes to get a greater authenticity in his work to painting light sensitively.

Morning Shadows by Don Demers, 10 x 12, oil painting.

It's all there for us to learn--and right now you can get Art of the Wave and so many other great resources from the North Light Shop. I'm thrilled that all our Artist Daily offerings are available at the North Light Shop because it means bigger and better opportunities to find the art instruction and technical guides that are right for you. And here's $10 off to get you started--just enter NEWDIGS at checkout. Enjoy!

The Quest to Paint the Arctic

Courtney Jordan — Wed, 26 Sep 2012 03:14:00 GMT

Yes, you read that right! I've heard of extreme sports and extreme makeovers, but extreme outdoor painting? This is a first for me. But when plein air artist Cory Trepanier told me that he had made a trek to paint the far reaches of the Canadian Arctic--a land of icebergs and permafrost and tundra!--I wanted to know more.

Trepanier had an amazing view of Arctic--and chose to record those sights
in photos, film, and numerous plein air paintings.

Trepanier is an artist and filmmaker who has a keen passion for the wilderness. He has gone on three excursions to the Canadian Arctic and documented his expedition in two films and more than 1,000 photographs, but what's most intriguing is that he managed to create a collection of plein-air oil paintings while there. That's amazingly inspirational to me! To travel to the edge of the world into unknown territory and have enough presence of mind to take out his plein air easel and get to work? I'd be too busy shaking like a leaf from excitement (and cold!). Trepanier harnessed the energy of his environment and the power of this once-in-a-lifetime event into works of art that bring the Arctic--a place so awe-inspiring and, for most of us, out of reach--up close.

Trepanier based several large studio paintings on the plein air sketches he created while on his treks.
Above, Great Glacier, study by Cory Trepanier, 16 x 6, oil on linen, painted at Coronation Fiord,
Baff in Island, Nunavut, Eastern Canadian Arctic.


Trepanier plans to create a collection of 50 fine art oil paintings based on his Arctic plein air paintings.

Be sure to follow Cory's progress as he shares every step of his arctic painting journey on Artist Daily. Here's the first installment about how this plein air painting quest began! And whether you are ready to take on extreme outdoor painting, or you're like me and want to start with a nearby park or backyard, Plein Air Painting with Watercolor is a key resource for you. This eBook provides detailed information on mastering the medium in the great outdoors, and includes three step-by-step painting demonstrations, and tips on how to go from a painting sketch to finished work. Enjoy!

It's Not Like Eating Junk Food

Courtney Jordan — Mon, 17 Sep 2012 03:48:00 GMT

When it comes to putting additives into your paints, it just isn't the same as eating a Twinkie or bag of Doritos. Additives are necessary in some cases, especially for landscape artists who work with varying conditions when painting outdoors. They can open up whole new aspects of your paint if you are willing to experiment a little and--most of all--don't get too carried away with them.

Taos Mountain, Trail Home by Cordelia Wilson, oil painting,
undated, ca. 1915-1920s. Wilson obviously enjoyed the thickness
of her paint. For artists who want thinner paints, additives are available.

Most often you use additives to change the way the paint will look at the end of the process or to adapt the paint to your painting environment--to deal with issues of environmental temperature and humidity. The latter is especially pertinent if you create landscape paintings. Out there in the elements, whether you are making quick sketches or full-on plein air landscape art, you may have used additives in the past to deal with the elements and get what you need out of the time you had to paint.

For oils, there are binders to lend transparency to the pigments, speed up drying times, or prevent color fading or changing--poppy or safflower oil is often added to white and light colors because they are less prone to yellowing. Plus thinners like turpentine (not the household kind!) and mineral spirits to, you guessed it, thin your paints down. Mediums also can improve the flow of paint, change its consistency, and give a matte or gloss finish to the paint. Some speed up the drying times, others slow it down.

For acrylic paints, there are fewer rules because unlike oils, acrylic additives don't need to be more flexible or "fat" than the layers beneath it. My favorite is gloss medium--it makes the paint thinner and slicker, and makes the colors more luminous. Matte medium, meanwhile, dries to a nonreflective finish, and you can also combine the two for a semi-gloss appearance. Gel medium is also useful if you combine collage techniques in your work. It thickens paint so you can build up the surface impasto-style, and increases the adhesion ability of the paint. There's also retarding mediums for reduced drying times, texture paste to build up the surface of the paint, and flow improvers for acrylics.

Watercolor painting by Hsuan-Chi Chen of a bulb of garlic, created using masking fluid.

Watercolor additives can increase color vibrancy and luminosity. Iridescent mediums can make a finished painting look glossy or leave a shimmer on the surface. There are additives that "thicken" the paint--slowing its flow--plus ones that leave a granular finish or make the paints more opaque. Masking fluid is also popular, although you don't apply that to your pigments, just the surface you'll be painting on.

I'm still new to all of the ways you can add things to your paints to make them do things that are new and novel and useful. Terry Harrison on the other hand is an old pro at it. Harrison is a sought-after workshop instructor and artist who has written a reference book--Terry's Greatest Tips for Acrylic and Watercolor Artists--filled with tips and techniques for watercolor and acrylic painters. It has a whole section on using additives but goes far beyond that, delving into all aspects of the painting process. It's perfect for taking with you when you are out there landscape painting or making quick watercolor sketches on the go. Enjoy!

May I Introduce Jeffrey Watts?

Courtney Jordan — Sat, 28 Jul 2012 19:25:00 GMT

Jeffrey Watts: Weekend with the Masters art instructor

Jeffrey R. Watts is a southern California native. Growing up in rural San Diego county with an artist father, Watts demonstrated an early aptitude for the visual arts. After an injury cut short his budding career in professional cycling, Watts turned his focus back to art and learning how to paint, and enrolled at the California Art Institute, in Calabasas. The artist was soon asked to teach at the institute and began to work as an illustrator in the movie industry. Watts' goal to become an easel painter eventually drew him back to San Diego, where he started a small life-drawing and painting studio called the Watts Atelier of the Arts.


	Charlotte by Jeffrey Watts, 2008, oil painting, 12 x 9.

His atelier allows him to work regularly from the live model, grounding his work in traditional principles. Watts' paintings are often compared to Nicolai Fechin's, an influence he is quick to acknowledge. "I never tire of looking at the work of Fechin," Watts says. "His work is the perfect combination of control and chaos." In 2008 The Taos Art Museum and Fechin House honored Watts with a solo exhibition in the original Taos home and studio of the famed Russian painter. Watts' work has won numerous awards including First Place Portrait category and Second Place Landscape category from The Artist's Magazine annual competition; two consecutive Second Place Awards at the Salon International Exhibition; an Honor Award and an Award of Exceptional Merit from the Portrait Society of America; three Awards of Excellence from Oil Painters of America; and three Top 100 Awards from Arts for the Parks among others.

Watts is a regular participant in the prestigious Prix de West Invitational held at the National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum, in Oklahoma City. His work has been featured in SouthwestArt, American Artist, Art of the West, Western Art Collector, American Art Collector, Drawing, and Workshop magazines. He is a Master Signature member of Oil Painters of America and a Signature Member of both the Laguna Plein Air Painters Association and the California Art Club, and he holds membership in the Portrait Society of America. For more information on Watts, visit his website.

Return to the Weekend with the Masters Meet & Greet.