Here's a simple but oh-so fun challenge that could win you an Artist Daily apron. Below is a small cutout of a famous painting. Just name the artist and the painting ! Leave your answer in the comments section below and you'll be eligible to win...
Nature provides a constant source of creative inspiration to all of us. But to capture its spiritual essence, one must first discover one's own emotional connection to the subject. It's that special "something" that grows out of each...
Recently, we received a good question from a reader about how to paint one of our favorite landscape subjects--fog and mist. To understand how to paint light effects, it can be helpful to have a basic understanding of why things work the way they do....
Whenever I go to the doctor and get my finger pricked, I'm always surprised at how much it hurts--at how sensitive the tips of our fingers are. Yet at the same time, they are so utilitarian. Judith Ann Braun's work uses both these qualities of...
I don't think the failure or success of a drawing has to do with the drawing ideas that the artist starts with. He or she could choose pretty much anything and make a go of it, don't you think? It also doesn't depend on whether the artist...
In a recent article I wrote, a reader commented about the "pathetic efforts" she/he, and other artists, make sometimes in the process of creating art. I understand what the reader is saying, at the same time that I vehemently oppose the concept...
I have a painter-friend who is gearing up to do a major work with figures, but she feels a bit rusty about painting a model in all his or her glory. To help prepare herself, she's set up a series of life-drawing sessions so that she can spend a bit...
Here are 7 basic considerations to take into account when designing your composition for a drawing or painting, all having to do somewhat with the importance of shapes. 1. Be aware of static shapes; for example, the completely dark, opened doorway or...
"The sight of anything extremely beautiful, in nature or in art, brings back the memory of what one loves, with the speed of lightning." - Stendhal A peculiar syndrome related to the viewing of art has been documented as far back as 1817 and...
Working with artists is a lot of fun. Really, I would put nothing before it in terms of what I want to do with my life's work. But sometimes it can be a little like herding kittens, and it can get really frustrating if the artists aren't organized...
Sometimes I can forget how good it feels just practicing drawing techniques. Simple things, like working on proportion and scale and line weight can feel so rewarding if you give yourself the time to really savor them when learning to draw. Mostly this...
When is blue not blue? Ask any Indigo Bunting and they will tell you, "When it is black!" This is because the feathers of the diminutive Indigo Bunting are not actually blue, they are black, and only appear blue to us when they are in direct...
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...
I had no idea that flipping eggs was such a seriously difficult thing to do. Our third daughter, Tired of Being Youngest, is in culinary school, and this quarter's project involves creating egg dishes of all sorts, with a major emphasis on being able...
It's not typical that an oil painting can stir up lots of contradictory emotions, but when I look at certain works it seems like the artist is able to capture not just one or two feelings but the whole emotional spectrum. When you see one of these...
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