Art Isn’t Just About Pretty People

re: Art Isn’t Just About Pretty People

Courtney Jordan — Thu, 07 Jul 2011 13:34:58 GMT

Another from FB: Art by Fahmi Khan (www.Fahmikhan.com) wrote: "Love Whyte's work!! How does she make "steam/smoke" in her paintings to look so real!!??

re: Art Isn’t Just About Pretty People

JenBartlett — Tue, 05 Jul 2011 00:18:12 GMT

Question for Mary,

I truly enjoyed your last DVD and will be in line to purchase this new one. I was also at the American Artist's Weekend with the Masters 2009 where I witnessed your great teaching skills and beautiful works of art. I am an amateur artist and I tend to make the scenes too busy. So, my question to you is how do you know how much visual information to paint in your composition to tell someone's story.

Jennifer Bartlett

Harrison, AR

re: Art Isn’t Just About Pretty People

flynntaylor — Sun, 03 Jul 2011 20:07:25 GMT

Question for Mary,

How do you decide when you are finished/through with a portrait?

re: Art Isn’t Just About Pretty People

Terry Gambill — Sun, 03 Jul 2011 13:31:33 GMT

My questions for Mary:

Could you do a DVD showing the entire process that you follow in a watercolor portrait so that beginners can follow with you and stop and start the DVD when executing particular parts that you have shown?

Is there any way to include a black-line drawing of your subject for the DVD so we can save time with the sketch? It could be packaged as a special unit and another one done the usual way, as a demo. Different prices, of course.

Can you show the entire painting done on the DVD? Others I have gotten have shown a couple of strokes of the background and left me to my own devices. Turned out horrible because I don't have the experience to know how to follow through.

re: Art Isn’t Just About Pretty People

Courtney Jordan — Sun, 03 Jul 2011 09:12:47 GMT

From our Artist Daily Facebook page:

Joanna Bearden also commented on Artist Daily's link.

Joanna wrote: "Read the article about her in The Art of Watercolour mag. I've seen her work before, but don't know if she went to art school or was self-taught. Just curious. Her colors are stunning and the color reproductions are gorgeous in the article. I've always liked doing paintings of people, but I do them in pastel."

re: Art Isn’t Just About Pretty People

Mary McCraw — Sat, 02 Jul 2011 12:50:04 GMT

Question for Mary:

Most of your subjects' poses are so natural. How do you get them to seem thoughtful and unaware of being 'posed' as if they are in their own little world? Your subjects' souls seem to be the first thing I'm aware of in your portraits, then I notice them, then their surrounding.

Thank you!

Mary Anne McCraw

re: Art Isn’t Just About Pretty People

Courtney Jordan — Sat, 02 Jul 2011 11:26:53 GMT

Steve, that is a really good point! And funny enough, I realize that I look at landscapes and seascapes in the same "not just pretty" sense too. I'm not easily inspired by a composition that is too conventional or idealized. There needs to be a bit of a twist to catch my eye. You know what I mean?

re: Art Isn’t Just About Pretty People

Penny Maday — Fri, 01 Jul 2011 20:52:18 GMT

My questions for Mary would be the following:

1. Do you start witha photograph?

2. Do you begin with the background or the figure first?

Penny Maday

IslandGirlArtStudio.blogspot.com

re: Art Isn’t Just About Pretty People

stevehenderson — Fri, 01 Jul 2011 17:08:16 GMT

Love the title of your piece -- grabbed me and dragged me down.

I would add this thought: Art isn't just about people. While I am glad for the increased exposure representational art is receiving, and the number of societies arising that are increasing that exposure, the figure and figurative work seems to be at the top of the evolutionary scale in shows, at the expense of landscape, and even more so, seascapes.

Figurative work does indeed take skill and talent to do well, and such skill should be honored and recognized. However, a well done landscape takes a similar skill, and I look forward to the day when landscapes -- and not just subway scenes and gritty urban reflections -- join their figurative siblings at the head of the table.

re: Art Isn’t Just About Pretty People

elliemaeharlan — Fri, 01 Jul 2011 12:25:09 GMT

I save my PDF of Learn how to draw...and then printed it out. the first three pages were fine but the rest were in some strange language i assume or just a mix up of letters that i can't read.