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Wet-in-Wet

A painting technique in which wet color is applied into or on top of paint that is still wet.

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  • Classic, Commercial, and an Art World Constant
    You don't have to think terribly hard to figure out that the painting genre that has all of these characteristics in common is floral painting . It is a practice that has inspired artists to create beautiful, graceful paintings for centuries, but
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  • The Right Stuff
    I work with knitters, and a student recently told me, "I don't like the way my stuff turns out." When I asked her what kind of yarn she used, she replied, "Oh, I just picked up something cheap. I didn't want to spend money on something
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  • Sharing Tea and Portraits with Natalie Italiano
    Recently the students at Studio Incamminati went to New York. I chose not to go, instead wandering around the school looking at the drawings and paintings on the student walls. Natalie Italiano , an instructor in the core program as well as a Fellow there
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  • What Do Painters Really Do?
    Do you know how frustrating it is to love something, but not necessarily know everything about it? That's sometimes the way I feel about color. I have such a visual lust for color--learning new colors, discovering new paint mixes, figuring out how
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  • Grandpa Is Wearing His Batman Costume Again
    Earlier this week I was lucky enough to attend the opening of Jason Bard Yarmosky's solo show "Elder Kinder" at Lyons Wier Gallery, in New York City. It's a terrific painting exhibition, and it got me thinking about how an artist can
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  • Painting on Autopilot
    I can't think of a single parent who lolls in the passenger seat of the car, detached while observing their teenaged driver's inaugural foray into the city streets. Sometimes we rest, relax and dream--not, however, when we are actively painting
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  • Artist Mother, Artist Son
    My mom is an artist, but she's nothing like me. For all that, we're both artists. If you want to know where I got my artist genes, I got most of them from her. Genes alone don't make an artist, though. Making art is kind of a stupid career
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  • It's Not What You Know--It's Who You Know
    I've come to realize that that old saying "It's not always what you know, but who you know," is spot on. Even at American Artist magazine . Luckily, "we" know a lot of people, and as a result we have remarkable access to some
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  • Getting Trashed
    I've heard of painting for yourself, for school, for work, but painting for the trash can?! Artist and watercolor painting instructor Jean Haines explains why working this way isn't rubbish at all. Enjoy! The aim of being an artist is to create
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  • Variation By Subject
    Emma Twice , 2009, oil on canvas, 48 x 48. All works by Daniel Maidman. Over the past few posts, we've been discussing shocks to the system as a way of avoiding growing complacent and thoughtless in your art. I shared two of my own tricks— varying
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  • Not Painting
    The Norwegian Artist and I have a friend who specializes in painting small pet animals...that is, when he paints. While to paint regularly, you don't need a huge space, you'll find yourself happiest with a designated one. On the Horizon by Steve
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  • Words of Wisdom From Antonio López García
    I'm sure many of you are aware of the Spanish living legend Antonio López García, but I'm ashamed to say I was not familiar with his artwork until recently. And as with any new discovery, once you become aware of a new person, place
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  • 4 Ways to Paint Without Preconceptions
    Short of lobotomy, we will always have the equivalent of mental trails that our brains follow when we are painting. Artists develop these based on painting techniques that they've learned along the way, or they can be expressions of inherent ideas
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  • Silver Bullets and Miracle Pills
    Different people attend painting workshops with varying expectations, but the ones who get the most out of the experience are those who recognize that workshops are not: A workshop gives you the opportunity to start at one point in your artistic journey
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  • Lucian Freud Had Great Skin
    I started off seeing skin tones in a closed off way, not really pushing to find the dimension and depth right in front of me. I almost felt I was still pulling a Crayon out of the box to color a figure's form from head to toe like I did in childhood
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  • Now Everyone Squeeze Together
    It's funny how I have gotten so immersed in art that I tend to project very human emotions or ideas to inanimate objects in paintings and drawings. Still life painting objects that don't spatial connect in some way most often won't connect
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  • Toning Your Canvas
    A few weeks ago I had a studio session with Lea Colie Wight , a great painter who had a really lovely tone to her oil painting surface that many of us loved and wanted to know more about. I wanted to share that info with you! Canvas Toning Process The
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  • Get Your Work Seen By 100 People a Day
    Yep, it is a pretty lofty goal. I know it. But there are so many incredible artists out there who are doing incredible work and deserve more visibility! Here are a few ways that you can elevate your artistic profile in the wider world. By no means are
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  • Painting Into the Light
    One of the major challenges of painting outdoors is the need to gather enough visual information about our subject in a brief moment of perfect light. In rushing to capture the light in nature, it is easy to lose those subtle details and tonal changes
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  • How Do You Pick the Right Workshop?
    Whether or not you like to be around a lot of people is one thought to consider when you choose the right workshop for you. Descent into Bryce by Steve Henderson, 18 x 18, oil painting, also available as a limited edition signed print . Let's assume
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  • He's So Sketchy
    But in the very best way! When I was trolling for artists who draw like they paint and vice versa, Giovanni Boldini immediately came to mind. His mark making is a tour de force, no matter if he is working in oils, pastels, or when charcoal painting. Spanish
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  • Not Just For Ink Blots Anymore
    Drawing with ink takes the precision of a master draftsman and the skill of a watercolorist handling a fluid medium. When I was in school I was completely captivated by the silky dark lines of one of the most famous pen and ink artists, Aubrey Beardsley
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  • Should You Take a Workshop?
    I deliberately entitled this post using a word that I have eliminated from my vocabulary: Should. Like sunrise to a new day, the right workshop can lead you to fresh new beginnings in your art pursuits. Awakening by Steve Henderson, 24 x 40, oil painting
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  • Your New Free eBook: Step by Step Painting Techniques
    Painting is a deep and vast ocean. It is a world full of possibilities. And while I am deeply drawn to that wide-open aspect of it, I'm also super intimidated by it too! I feel like there is no limit to what I can learn, and while I'm thirsty
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  • Art For Thought: Great Artists, Great Paintings
    A Summer Night by Winslow Homer, 1890, oil on canvas, 30 3/16 x 40 3/16. The word "great" (or "greatest") can be pretty subjective, and lately I've been thinking about how to better qualify the term. To celebrate our 75 th Anniversary
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  • Licking the Dog's Nose
    A friend mentioned to me that someone challenged her to read, within one year, a particularly long and demanding book. "I didn't really want to do it," she confessed. "But he's knowledgeable and he was insistent, so I did."
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  • Behind Every Good Painting Is a Good Still Life
    The Sensorium by Walton Ford, 2003, watercolor, gouache, pencil and ink on paper, 152.9 x 302.3 cm. Yes, that is a complete exaggeration. But my point is that a lot of times in the art world people tend to silo or separate genres of painting to such an
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  • Pick Up a Few Pointers from This Dutch Master
    A willingness to experiment with perspective and style is often the determining factor between a competent artist and a master. A new exhibition at the Philadelphia Museum of Art , "Van Gogh Up Close," takes a compelling look at the choices
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  • How I Built an Art Network in My Hometown
    Patricia Watwood is a skilled oil painter and incredibly deserving of a lot of praise for the art career she has built for herself. She's also quite willing to share her approach to building a network for her art, as she attests below. Enjoy! The
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  • Afraid of the Dark?
    Carnations flowing in a loose watercolor with exciting watermarks and color effects evident within the composition. I have just taken a week of watercolor painting workshops and I came across a problem that many watercolor artists have in common. Many
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  • It Means Never Having to Say ‘No’
    One of my first self-assigned duties at Artist Daily was to get out in the local American art community and see the kind of work that is being made all over the country, what kind of art techniques are gaining in popularity, and how artists are communicating
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  • The Complete Painter's Handbook
    In our new special issue, American Artist guides you through the most important aspects of the painting process, from selecting your materials to preparing a canvas to advanced techniques for accurately depicting landscapes and figures.
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  • Is It Better to Learn From One Artist or From Many?
    While I was working recently on American Artist's new special issue, The Complete Painter's Handbook ( order now! ), I had a little debate with myself. The question at hand: If you are working to learn how to paint, is it better to focus on following
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  • Here Comes a Video Series on Portrait Painting
    Portrait artist and painter David McLeod is amidst an exciting project: creating a 10-part video series on portraiture . McLeod takes viewers through the steps that all portrait artists go through to create a compelling, visually appealing portrait, but
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  • Spare Me All the Dirty Details
    Moonrise, La Giudecca, Venice by JMW Turner, 1829, watercolor painting, 8 7/8 x 11 1/4. Delicacy, luminousness, light, and color--these are what you can expect when you look at a watercolor painting . But details? Heck no--or at least, not much. With
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  • Why Can't You Be Blue Over Me?
    Where would painting be without the color blue? It is so easy to obtain artist paints of any hue these days that we forget that in the time of both Michelangelo and Titian, a pure, vibrant blue pigment could only be made by laboriously cooking and hand
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  • If This Sounds Harsh, Forgive Me...
    Below you'll find artist and blogger Jennifer King's discussion of when a plein air painting can be too real. I don't think she's being harsh at all, but you'll have to decide for yourself. Enjoy! ***** I think it's time for some
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  • Art for Thought: My Eye It Is A-Changin’
    There was a time in the not-so-distant past when my interest in art history stopped at Post-Impressionism. When I read art books and visited museums, I was instinctually drawn to artwork from the Italian Renaissance through Impressionism and curious to
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  • Man's Best Friend Is Art's Best Friend Too?
    We have always felt that as plein air painters we are observers of the landscape—recording moments and places that can rapidly transform with fleeting changes of light. In a pure landscape, figures and animals are rendered small and insignificant
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  • Want to Show Painting Improvement Now?
    Portraiture is, in my humble opinion, the domain of artistic masters. All the greats, such as Velazquez, Rembrandt, Goya, and Sargent, can be counted as incredibly skilled and innovative portrait artists in addition to being pretty brilliant at everything
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  • The Truth About Drawing Faces in One Free eBook!
    Woman with a Hat (detail) by Henri Matisse, 1905, oil on canvas. Archimedes (detail) by Jose de Ribera, 1630, oil painting. Self-portrait by Vincent van Gogh, 1888, oil painting. A few days ago I was hanging out with a mixed bag of artists. And by mixed
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  • The Lasting Influence of Illustration
    I love that my job allows me to learn something new every day—and the fact that the majority of those discoveries are art-related make them all the more inspiring. Lately I've been in art-historian mode, and I've have been trying to better
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  • Putting the Air in Plein Air
    I don't care how many times I see Monet's paintings, they never cease to inspire me. I just had the great pleasure of seeing the new Monet show at the Cincinnati Art Museum with my art buddies, and especially for those of us plein-air artists
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  • Solving the Mystery of Monet
    The Water Lily Pond by Claude Monet, oil painting, 1899. Mitchell Albala is an inspiring art instructor in the field of landscape painting , and it turns out he's an awesome detective as well. Recently, he did some sleuthing on a rare video clip of
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  • He’s So Freakin’ Formal!
    Yellow Pen by Nat Meade, oil on linen, 24 x 20, 2011. Focusing on formal concerns in art does not make an artist uptight or unimaginative. Quite the opposite actually—pursuing matters of pattern, line, space, and color can prove to jumpstart free
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  • Painters Who Made the Biggest Splash
    Sometimes the question shouldn't be what to paint as much as how to paint. There are centuries' worth of artists who fill art history textbooks, but those who stand heads and shoulders above the rest do so because they turned their painting art
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  • Is White Really a Color?
    There are differing opinions among color theory purists whether white should be considered a color at all, since it represents the absence of hue or chroma, and cannot be made from the three primaries, as black theoretically can be. It's not usually
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  • Artistic Keys to the Kingdom: Flexibility and Discipline
    Artist Daily Member Spotlight: Steve Henderson Summer Breeze by Steve Henderson, oil on canvas, 24 x 24. Artist Daily: Tell me about your oil painting process . Are there rules you adhere to or just the opposite? Steve Henderson: Although I do follow
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  • Reflections on Creating an Artistic Body of Work
    Inkhead , 2009, oil on canvas, 29 x 16. Dorothy , 2010, oil on canvas, 14 x 14. Anakin Padawan , 2009, oil on canvas, 44 x 28. I have been blogging this past year about preparing for my exhibit, "Myths and Individuals." Now, it's time for
    Read More >>
  • 3 Techniques Moved Me to the Head of the Class
    At least I feel that way. I set myself a goal this week—I wanted to learn a few new watercolor painting techniques because I feel like when I contemplate working in watercolor, I only know the "first gear" approaches. I feel like Tim Saternow
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  • Art Dieting: Skip Dinner and Paint It Instead
    When I was young and taking art classes, I was always stumped when my teachers would let us decide individually what to paint. There were just too many creative options and I would simply shut down. One time I went home in a funk, stressed out about what
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  • Painting for the (Trash) Bin
    The aim of being an artist is the ability to create. But with this desire of wishing to constantly achieve wonderful paintings that can be framed or exhibited comes an enormous amount of pressure on our shoulders. We expect to always succeed in our goal
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  • If You’ve Been House Hunting, You Know What I Mean
    Have you ever been looking for a new place to live, visiting different apartments or houses, and every time you experience a new reaction to a place and its spaces? It always happens to me. Either I love the architecture and light in this one, or the
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  • Fish, Lemons & Glass Bowls
    Dutch still life painting set the standard for out-of-this-world virtuosity in the 17th century, and I'll never get over the unusual mix of objects artists chose to depict: food of all kinds, polished silverware and gleaming glass, embroidered and
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  • What's the Wisp?!
    Elton , 11 x 14, mixed media on gesso board, 2011. Yesterday was an interesting day for me. I thought I was near finished with a painting I had been working on for over three months, but when I sent it over to my agent in New York, who I call my third
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  • I Heart Contemporary Painters Who Use Classical Methods
    Artists working today that I admire most all usually have one thing in common—they have developed their own unique contemporary practice while still utilizing classical methods. I've come to realize that I have a bias for artwork that has a
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  • Only As Good As the Hand Wielding It
    A painting brush isn't animate. It isn't going to teach me how to paint or go about painting art when no one is looking. It needs the hand of the artist to do its job. Penitent Mary Magdalene by Titian, 1560s, oil on canvas. But one thing a brush—by
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  • Educate + Inspire + Equip
    Old Cedar by Bill Guffey, oil, 18 x 24. Peasant by Joan Langdon, watercolor painting, 10.5 x 11.5. Tomiko by Adriana Guidi, oil on canvas panel, 14 x 18. That's Brian Neher's mantra for his upcoming free art contest , and it is one that I can
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  • Are Your Colors Going to Be "In" This Spring?
    I know it is only January, but I'm already thinking spring! And so is the Pantone Color Institute . The organization has just released their seasonal color report, and while this is specifically written for the fashion and design industry, we art
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  • Color Wars
    When I asked friends and colleagues about landscape painting artists with the best use of color, the conversation got downright heated. Mostly because there's so much to consider when you look at each individual artist's color "theory"
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  • The Cosmic Dance en Plein Air
    Spring in the Hills II by John Hulsey, 5 x 7, oil painting. Whenever we get to feeling that there is nothing really new to be discovered in art or the world, we have to keep in mind that the "undiscovered country" often lies in our own backyards
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  • Why Collect Art?
    Children on the Seashore by Joaquin Sorolla, oil on canvas, 1903 . I was once again reading through my copy of the catalog for the 1989 exhibition, The Painter Joaquin Sorolla , and came across this 1933 quote by John Paul Getty in an article called Creative
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  • Do It with a Stranger
    Eva Mullarky by Kristin Künc, oil on linen, 9 x 13, 2011. I can be a really hard sell when it comes to portraiture because from a beginner painter's perspective, I'm not always sure how to get the most out of a portrait painting session.
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  • Insane: They've Never Seen Contemporary American Paintings Before!
    Venus Awakes by Patricia Watwood, 2011, oil on canvas, 38 x 34. Karen in White by Paul McCormack, oil on canvas, 40 x 29. Enigma (Self-Portrait) by David Leffel, 2009, oil on canvas, 52 x 34. On Sunday, January 22 nd , the ACOPAL group will celebrate
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  • Painting with a Magical Medium
    Astor Place by Emily Falco, watercolor painting, 14 1/2 x 14 1/2, 2009. It warms my heart when I hear artists expressing excitement about their chosen painting medium because artists are the ones in the business of knowing all the ins and outs of their
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  • Photograph Your Art Like a Pro
    Our contributing bloggers John Hulsey and Ann Trusty of The Artist's Road wrote a really informative blog about how to get the most out of a photograph of your painting or drawing, and I wanted to share it with you. Enjoy! Film holder frame attached
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  • A Fresh Foray with New Artists
    I get excited and a bit chagrined whenever I discover oil painters of the past that I've never heard of. I realize that I'm no walking encyclopedia, yet I like to think I've got sound footing in oil painting . But the history of fine art oil
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  • Don't Let Your Plein-Air Skills Grow Cold
    Don't give up your plein air focus over the winter months. Try to paint from life indoors and keep sketching. ( Melting Snow by Ben Fenske, 60 x 75, oil on canvas.) For some of us, winter weather is just a bit too unpredictable and chilly to spend
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  • Paint the Body Parts That Turn You On!
    Back II (Joshua) by Martha Mayer Erlebacher, 2003, oil on canvas, 42 x 42. The human body is beautiful—as a whole and in its parts. Body drawings that accentuate the sensuous lines of the body and the power of the human form are steeped in a knowledge
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  • Why I Workshop
    We spent a lot of painting time along the cliffs outside San Juan. Painting can be a pretty isolating affair, and though I love the alone time spent with my muse, I miss the collective energy that working in a group of like-minded colleagues provides
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  • Come Winter, I Head to the Hothouse
    The botanical gardens in Washington, DC, near the Capitol. When I'm visiting family in Virginia during winter, I always make a point to walk through the botanical gardens near the Capitol in Washington, DC. It is one of my favorite places, and the
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  • Shrink Your Painting—Does It Still Work?
    Philadelphia Story II--Spires by Sarah Yeoman, watercolor painting, 14 x 20. I don't mean literally shrink it, but if you take a photo of your painting and reduce it to thumbnail size and it still holds together compositionally, you've got a good
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  • Skies Don’t Have Brushstrokes In Them
    Watercolor artist Thomas Schaller achieves convincing and dynamic effects in his skies ( Salisbury Cathedral , watercolor painting). I know it is a bias, but sometimes I can't help thinking that painting skies belongs to a particular realm of watercolor
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  • I Can’t Believe I’m About to Say This, But…
    I plan on spending quality time with the catalog published by the Whitney Museum on Lyonel Feininger ( Gaberndorf II , oil on canvas, 1924, 39 x 30.5). Take this time and don't draw or paint. Okay, I was kind of thinking the world would end if I said
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  • Ala Carte Your Art
    Grisaille copy of Jacques-Louis David's Patroclus , oil on linen, 48 x 78. At this time of year, we all travel so much that it can be a real challenge to figure out how to bring our painting supplies with us when we visit family and friends. Whether
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  • The Artist Watch List—Are You On It?
    In the December/January issue of American Artist magazine, the editors and staff put out feelers throughout the art community to find artists who are established or up and coming, and deserve recognition. They had limited space in the print issue, so
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  • Color That Can Be Saturated and Subtle—Who Knew?
    I adore color—deep ruby reds, bold blues, verdant greens, rich golden yellows...I could go on and on, but one thing that I often forget in my zeal is that color is not just a matter of hue. Saturation and subtle color layers also play a huge part
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  • How I Built an Art Network in My Hometown
    The Honorable Clarence Harmon, Mayor of St. Louis by Patricia Watwood, oil on canvas, 24 x 18, oval, 2002. Collection of St. Louis City Hall. Someone recently asked me what I did to get recognized and become part of the art scene in my hometown of St
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  • Your Free Portrait Painting eBook--But I Didn't Get a Chance to Gift Wrap It
    Ariadne by Janet Rogers, watercolor painting. Since coming to Artist Daily, my parents are both super supportive of me and our web community. My mom does her best to get everyone she knows to join us at Artist Daily, and my dad buys me art supplies in
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  • You Paint Them By Not Painting Them?
    T o Be Where There's Life by Ryan Coleman, oil on canvas, 30 x 40, 2010. The coolest thing I ever learned about painting flowers , specifically how to paint a rose, was when a painting teacher told me that you paint them by not painting them. Back
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  • Surviving the Trauma of an Art Breakdown
    I remind myself that even artistic legends like Michelangelo struggled. When he did the Sistine ceiling in fresco, a medium he wasn't familiar with, the first few sessions were stressful and trying for the artist. But he persevered and created one
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  • How I Restored Freshness to My Work
    We've been discussing shocking your system to keep your art practice from falling into routines. Another excellent means of accomplishing shock is to switch media. By and large, I work in two media: graphite and white pencil on toned paper, and oil
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  • It's an Excuse to Paint Umbrellas
    The Coming Storm by George Inness, 1879, oil on canvas, 27 1/4 x 41 3/4. Are you as bored of pretty outdoor painting scenes as I am? My eyes just seem to glaze over when I see a plein air painting scene with picture perfect sunlight over an idyllic landscape
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  • 3 Things I've Got to Have to Keep Going
    My family and I at my opening. Cute bunch, right? The show included works from the last 10 years. I know it's been a while since I've written. Let's see--the last time was just when I got back from my summer vacation. And now it's....November
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  • "Let's Get Physical. I Wanna Get Physical..."
    Ugh, after all the holiday eating I've been doing, I should probably go exercise or run laps. But as a warm up I thought I would talk about physicality, power, and movement in oil painting . Maybe this'll be the inspiration I need to get off my
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  • That Painting Just Said ‘Eat Me!’
    This being the day after Thanksgiving, we celebrate leftovers in my house—and pretty much all other activities that result in eating. So I thought, why mess with family tradition? I'm devoting today's column to one subject matter I rarely
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  • Photograph Your Art Like a Pro
    All the hard work and unique vision that we pour into our painting and drawing can result in artwork that we are proud of. The next step is to make an accurate photographic record of our art to share with friends, collectors, galleries and perhaps to
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  • Norman Rockwell in the House!!!
    The Gossips by Norman Rockwell, 1948. I think every one of us loves Norman Rockwell's illustrations, whether it is a little bit or a lot. They tell stories and always seem to capture expressions and reactions so perfectly. My favorite has always been
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  • I'm Scared--What If I Freeze Up When I Paint This Way?
    Faded Glory by Rose Frantzen, 36 x 48, oil painting. If there were daredevils of art, I certainly would not be one of them. I'm always hesitating and rethinking what I'm doing. (In my day-to-day life I'm not such a scaredy cat—I swear
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  • Can You Outgrow Your Art?
    Train Tracks by Valerio D'Ospina, 2011, oil on melamined MDF, 30 x 24. Some artists such as Jackson Pollock discover and use their own visual language to communicate with the world, and this singular voice takes them through an entire career of putting
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  • Bringing Artists Together
    I want to share an inspiring story I just heard from one of our members, Mark Beale . Enjoy! Bryce Canyon by Bruce Stam, oil painting, 8 x 10. Backwater Twilight by Mark Beale, oil painting, 9 x 12. Bruce Stam and I are two landscape painters from opposite
    Read More >>
  • Wild But True: I Want to Paint Light
    Lee's Ranch - Sunny Day by Camille Przewodek, 9 x 12, oil on canvas. Even now it sounds like a beautiful, incredible, impossible thing to accomplish. I mean, paint light ? It seemed like magic to me at first. And I didn't understand what it all
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  • Art That Reminds Me of Home
    During this time of year I like to reflect upon and appreciate all the blessings in my life (...also eat a lot of carbs and watch TV marathons). But lately I've been dwelling on how lucky we are to have so much amazing art created and inspired by
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  • Breakfast of Champions: Free Still Life Painting eBook!
    The Remains by Joe Gyurcsak, 2007, oil painting, 24 x 24. If I start my morning with a bit of artistic inspiration, it really carries me through the whole day, just like a wholesome breakfast does! And today is a very good day because I was able to begin
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  • Can a Caricature Help My Portrait Painting? Plus Our Self-Portrait Contest!
    The Grimaces by Louis-Leopold Boilly, 1823, lithograph, 13 1/8 x 10. A few weeks ago I was in the Met and saw "Infinite Jest," an exhibition of drawings and prints that explore satire and caricature from the Italian Renaissance to the present
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  • Paint the Place You Call Home
    We plein-air artists seem to put a lot of emphasis on traveling to far off places to paint, don't we? The fields of Tuscany, the rugged California coast, the farmhouses of the Cotswolds all seem to beckon. And heeding that call can be fantastic. I
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  • Priceless: A Representational Artist Who Understands Abstraction
    Delphinium by Sherrie McGraw, oil painting, 8 x 10. Sherrie McGraw's work always surprises me because she doesn't allow the objects she is painting to dictate how she paints. Instead, McGraw paints to articulate form, masses, and her own ideas
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  • Will You Please Put Some Clothes On?
    Portrait of Queen Elizabeth I by Nicholas Hilliard (attributed), 1585. I can only imagine the excitement and thrill of sitting for any one of the great portrait painters in history such as Bronzino, Velazquez, and Sargent. But then my mind goes directly
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  • Don't Set Yourself Up for Failure from the Start
    Optimal Orientation of Subject and Artist in Plein Air Before the first daub of paint is squeezed out of the tube and brush is put to canvas, many plein air painters have already set themselves up for failure. How? By selecting a site that doesn't
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  • Take a Peek at Jamie Wyeth’s Watercolors
    This is one of the artist's more traditional pieces in terms of his painting process. ( Raspberry House by Jamie Wyeth, 1988, watercolor, 22 1/2 x 28 1/2.) Watercolor is one of those wondrous materials that can be manipulated in so many different
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  • Desperately Seeking Homer
    The Red Canoe by Winslow Homer, watercolor painting, 1889. Some years ago, Ann and I drove to New York to deliver a vanload of watercolor paintings to a gallery for a solo exhibition of my work. The exhibition was going up for a month, after which we
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  • He Was Rejected Over and Over
    Camille au métier by Claude Monet, 1875, oil painting. "My rejection at the Salon brought an end to my hesitation [to settle in Paris] since after this failure I can no longer claim to cope... alas, that fatal rejection has virtually taken
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  • The Bravest Painters I Know...
    ...are ones that paint self-portraits. As we all well know, artists have a lot of firepower at their disposal. It comes from being trained to look critically and creatively at the things you see. For an artist to turn that kind of acuity on him- or herself
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  • Capturing a Sense of Place--What Does It Mean To You?
    When discussing landscape painting , we often hear the phrase "capturing a sense of place." What does that mean to you? To me, it means so much more than just recording the physical attributes of the location. It goes way beyond suggesting the
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  • Are We Wired for Beauty?
    Flamenco by Ann Trusty, oil painting, 48 x 60. The science community is busy investigating the mechanisms and processes by which people are able to perceive the world around them and make visual sense of it. There are many basic questions still to be
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  • He’s Nobody’s Fool When It Comes to Putting a Painting Together
    Breaking the Light by Don Demers, 24 x 36, oil painting. Don Demers knows that inspiration is always there if you know how to look for it, but he's also nobody's fool—he understands that to create a breathtaking and moving painting you sometimes
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  • His Painting Palette Was the Size of a Piano Top
    Under the Awning by Joaquin Sorolla, oil painting, 1910. "There is nothing truer than truth. All the mistakes committed by great artists are due to their having separated themselves from truth, believing that their imagination is stronger...There
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  • Just Put a Nail in the Wall and I'm Done
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  • A Very Different Kind of Landscape Painting
    Ernest Lawson (1873 - 1939) came to maturity at the dawn of the 20th century, so his work was modern and gritty and real. His are not the idyllic landscape paintings of Corot , nor are they the dazzling light shows in Monet's plein air paintings
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  • Learning How to Let Inspiration Come to Me
    Slicker by Mary Whyte, watercolor painting, 18 1/2 x 18. I went through a phase when I thought I could control everything--where my career was headed, how my relationships were going to turn out, and what kind of life I was going to have. Ah, I crack
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  • Painting a Season in All Its Glory
    Study for Gapstow Bridge in Sunlight by Bennett Vadnais, oil on canvas, 12 x 16, 2007. Fall is my favorite time of year. It's my birthday season, so of course I'm partial, but I also just love the smell of autumn. It's crisp and clean, and
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  • Portrait & Figure Painting Highlights
    Reflect Your True Vision with Accurate Form Now you can paint the human form with the depth and detail it deserves - your artwork will come alive with this exciting special issue from American Artist: Portrait and Figure Painting Highlights Fall 2010. Improve the detail of your portraits with 100 pages
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  • Sitting Down with the Editor of Watercolor Magazine
    Farm Visitors by Hardie Gramatky, watercolor, 1971. I can't get over the fact that Watercolor magazine is celebrating its 25 th year. For a quarter of a century it has been the eyes and ears of watermedia artists all over the country, and has featured
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  • Can’t I Be Part of a Painting Dynasty?
    Paris by Danny McCaw, 24 x 16. Not to be a whiner, but I don't have an artistic legacy to build on. So far as I know, no one in my family is an artist or has any particular leanings towards painting or drawing. That's why I'm so enamored with
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  • Please Forgive Me If This Sounds a Little Harsh...
    But I think it's time for some straight talk. I've participated in many, many plein air painting critiques over the years, and I can't begin to tell you how often I've been faced with landscape paintings that are a little off. Perhaps
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  • I Could Start Every Painting This Way
    Here's the oil painting by Casper David Friedrich that I have on a postcard called The Sea of Ice (1824, oil on canvas, 38 x 50). In college, I created a series of mixed media collages that incorporated several of the same images, but each looked
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  • Before You Accuse Me, Take A Look at Yourself
    And I am! I'm calling myself out on the carpet. I've got a handful of mirrors in my apartment and don't take advantage of what is right in front of me. Which is why I'm fired up about getting people to do more self-portraits--including
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  • Who Is Odd Nerdrum and Why Do We Care?
    Norwegian artist Odd Nerdrum, currently facing time in prison for tax fraud, is certainly a character, taking on more of a dramatic persona than most people do in their day-to-day lives. He's also a bit of a polarizing figure. I know artists who think
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  • Let’s Give Them Something to Talk About
    Lucrezia by Francisco Benitez, 30 x 30, encaustic on panel. I recently had a conversation with an artist about how she is struggling to get her drawings and oil paintings noticed by the "art world" and her frustration that she can't seem
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  • Thomas Eakins Taught Me All About Painting People
    Female Nude by Thomas Eakins, oil painting, c. 1881. The Thinker by Thomas Eakins, oil painting, 1900. Thomas Eakins earned himself quite a reputation during his lifetime. He didn't suffer fools gladly, he didn't hold his tongue, and he didn't
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  • Fall 2011
    This issue marks the 25th Anniversary of Watercolor. To celebrate, we present 25 tips, 25 painting locations, and 25 tools that today's top watermedia painters say they can't do without. We also take a look at the innovations of early practitioners and trace the masterful use of watercolor throughout
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  • Do’s & Don’ts of Artist Websites
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  • Landscape Painting Lessons from the Masters: Inness
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  • A Few Favorite Resources from My Bookshelves
    Sarah Simblet (her pen drawing, Isis 38 , above) taught me a lot about how intertwined the semblance of motion and mark-making are in really good drawings. Maybe it is part of having an arts career or maybe it is just me, but I love books and magazines
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  • That’s a Chicken with the Body of a Snake
    When I flipped through the Fall issue of Watercolor magazine—celebrating their 25 th year in print (whoop whoop!)—I was super impressed with the feature article on "25 Artists to Watch." It confirms what I know is happening out in
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  • Painting Bridges, Alleys, and Avenues of My Favorite Cities
    I was born and raised in the suburbs, with rural farmland and city centers nearby so I have an unbiased appreciation for both. I'm attuned to the natural elements around me and I love to be outdoors, but I also get so energized by the sights and sounds
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  • Landscape Painting Lessons from the Masters: Corot
    Recollection of Mortefontaine by Jean-Baptiste-Camille Corot, landscape oil painting, 1864. One of my great heroes in art is Jean-Baptiste-Camille Corot (1796-1875), the world-famous French artist who is still considered one of the best landscape artists
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  • Help! I’m Stuck in a Plein Air Rut!
    Schloss Kammer at Lake Atter I by Gustav Klimt, 1908, oil on canvas. It seems impossible, right? I mean I'm out there painting, everything looks so fresh and crisp, the air and wind feel so good on my face, and then all of a sudden I am practically
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  • Treat Your Model Like a Well-Trained Pet
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  • What It Means to Be an Artist
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  • 3 Painting Pointers That I'll Always Remember
    Notice how Gury scratches through the paint in his oil painting Autumn Glow , reinforcing the shape and outline of the tree limbs. I'm not one to ask or judge someone by their resume or history because we all walk our own paths and get meaningful
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  • All the Painting Ladies
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  • Prelude to a Kiss…Gotta Paint Lips First!
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  • Abandon and Control: Robert Liberace's Contradiction in Oil Painting?
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  • Say Bon Voyage to This Kind of Painting
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  • Ah, Vacation.....Time for More Painting!
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  • Who Sent You Flowers? Me!—Our Newest Free eBook on Painting Flowers Is Here!
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  • Painting the Illusion of Distance—Is It Just About Perspective?
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  • Finishing My Oil Painting, Leaves of Grass
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  • Landscape Lessons from the Masters: Monet
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  • Painting Essentials: Color & Light from James Gurney
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  • I’d Make You a Mixed Tape, But This Is Better. Plus, Our Collection Sale Starts Today!
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  • Speed Painting Outdoors
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  • What’s the Impressionist Way of Painting with Color?
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  • Oil Painting Lessons From John Singer Sargent
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  • Show Some Skin...Er, I Mean, Paint It! For a Good Portrait Painting, It's a Must!
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  • Drawing Basics: Making Art According to Leonardo da Vinci's Motto
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  • 4 Crucial Figure Painting Tips
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  • Just Back Up and Let the Painting Breathe
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  • 5 Tips That Fine-Tune My Outdoor Paintings
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  • Don’t Just Paint. Pour!
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  • Art for Thought: Banding Together to Break the Mold
    Revue by Everett Shinn, 1908, oil painting, 18 x 24. Everett Shinn was one of the Ashcan School artists or "The Eight," which was led by Robert Henri and included Arthur B. Davies , William Glackens , Edward Hopper, Ernest Lawson , George Luks
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  • Plein Air Essentials: The Anatomy of Water
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  • It’s What I’m Here For: Free eBook of Watercolor Lessons & Painting Techniques from Artist Daily
    Overlay by Ali Cavanaugh, 12 x 12, watercolor painting. As a wannabe artist, I have a lot of years ahead of me to invest in perfecting my painting. Knowing this, I often think about the medium I will choose to work with—what will grow with me through
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  • Planning Values In A Hurry When Painting Outdoors
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  • Oil Painting Odyssey: Making Pandora
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  • The Art of the Dog
    Watercolor study by John Hulsey, 7 1/2 x 7. Being strong dog proponents (especially for dogs in the studio, where they never provide negative commentary), and being the caretakers (or is it the other way around?) of two ancient (in dog years) Great Pyrenees
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  • Create a Painting On My First Try? Yes, Please!
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  • Art Isn’t Just About Pretty People
    New Year by Mary Whyte, watercolor painting of a milliner from Atlanta, GA; 2009, 22 1/2 x 29. Sometimes I get so sick of people calling a painting or drawing 'art' because it has a good-looking person in it. Who wants to hang out with Barbie
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  • Patterns, Stencils, and Exotic Textiles
    Believe it or not, this piece of cloth was sky painted by artist Terry Maddox using light-sensitive paints. Yowza--it's beautiful. Who says I have to start painting or drawing on a blank page? Some of my favorite drawings are doodles that are on torn
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  • Let Nature Walk Right In Front of You
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  • There's No Better Way to Begin Painting
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  • Painting Portraits with Personality, Mood, and Character
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  • Lightening My Plein Air Pack
    Scott Burdick often does plein air studies, like this one ( Vermilion Cliffs , 2009, plein air oil painting, 9 x 12), on lightweight panels that are easy to travel with. I was watching a documentary about the Appalachian Trail the other day and was amazed
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  • What's the Association Factor and Why Is It a Painting 'Must'?
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  • I'll Know I'm an Artist When...
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  • Plein Air Painting with Clyde Aspevig
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  • The Best Art for a Control Freak Like Me
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  • Plein Air Artist Asher B. Durand Wrote Me a Letter...Sorta...Not Really
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  • Pop Quiz: How Good Is Your Painting Memory?
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  • Building a Bridge to China with Oil Painting and Contemporary Realism
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  • I Need a GPS for Drawing Faces
    Drawing a face is a little like reading a map. And no, not the cool Indiana Jones map where the red line draws itself to the destination and ‘X’ marks the spot. I wish! It is more that when learning how to draw people , there are a few “signposts” on the face and rules of thumb
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  • Plein Air Painting on a Freshly Primed Surface
    Wait until you are in front of your outdoor painting scene before deciding what to tone your surface. I've found that how you prepare your canvas has a huge impact on the finished result of your plein-air painting . Do you start your painting right
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  • He Told Me I Could Share His Secrets
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  • Summer 2011
    As any artist can attest, versatility is the key to a long and illustrious career. The ability to work with a variety of media, subject matter, and techniques helps keep skills up-to-date, the mind engaged, and one's creativity consistently challenged. With that in mind, we've decided to use
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  • Painting This Uniquely American Place
    America is a land of rich diversity that extends throughout our landscapes, cities, and regions. I'd say that one of the most distinctive places we have is Cape Cod. Now, being a born-and-raised Southern girl, I have always romanticized the northern coasts and beaches because they always look so
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  • 3 Ways to Assure You Are Always Growing as an Artist
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  • Plein Air Time Machine
    Plein air watercolor sketches of sites in Kansas and Charleston, South Carolina. All works by John Hulsey. It took me awhile to realize it, but I have invented a time machine. I didn’t set out to invent a time machine exactly, but like many other
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  • Bring My Painting Back From the Brink of Disaster
    Meeting artist and Studio Incamminati instructor Lea Colie Wight was a little bit like meeting a favorite celebrity and miracle worker all rolled into one. Lea's execution and subject matter resonates with me, but it is her perseverance and desire to share common experiences in painting that really
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  • Draw with Your Brush
    When Scott Royston sets his sights on flowers for one of his still life oil painting compositions, he isn’t drawn to tiny buds or small bouquets but expressive flora in full bloom. For him, painting flowers is a gradual process that starts with a rough sketch in his sketchbook and toning his canvas
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  • More Painting Methods I’d Steal From Julie Heffernan
    Self-Portrait Sitting on the World by Julie Heffernan, 2008, 78 x 56, oil on canvas. I started with another post about Julie Heffernan’s out-of-the-box conceptual acuity and dynamic oil painting methods , but I just couldn’t stop there. Here
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  • I Want to Steal Her Ideas
    Circles and ellipses influenced the compositional arrangement in Heffernan's Self-Portrait as Big World , oil on canvas, 2008, 65 x 68. If I could jump into any painting and live in that world for a time, I’d throw myself at a Julie Heffernan
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  • Building a Career for the Long Term
    For the Portrait Society of America Conference in Atlanta this year, I was invited to participate in a panel on Professionalism, Leadership, and Service. I was asked to speak to “Building a Career for the Long Term.” Now, anyone who saw my tax returns for 2010 would NOT have put me on a short
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  • How to Paint Clouds in Watercolor
    In a recent post on how to paint clouds at sunset , we diagrammed a pastel painting and explained a bit about the types of clouds one may encounter when painting outdoors . This time, we have dissected a watercolor, Ghost Ranch IV , that I painted in New Mexico near Georgia O’Keefe’s house
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  • Fur, Feathers, Scales, and Tails
    Patricia Traub presents animals—above, The Collector , 10 1/2 x 14 3/4, 2008—in her work in a naturalistic way that emphasizes their unique physical attributes and bearing. I don’t have pets but I really love drawing animals because
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  • Finding the Warms and Cools of White
    Painting flowers is sometimes a study in the subtlety of color, as in Ann's flower oil painting, Philadelphus III (oil, 12 x 16). Painting large flower portraits has given me the opportunity to explore what seem to be the nearly infinite shades and
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  • What’s Up With the Floating People?
    That’s one of the first questions I put to artist Caitlin Hurd about her oil paintings, which feature dazed, inert figures floating through the landscape. But they aren’t floating as much as sleepwalking, according to Hurd. “It all started with how I wanted to live my life,” she
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  • Must-Have Videos: Photoshop Lessons for Artists and the Basics of Color
    Art is a matter of infinite variation and the knowledge of a few tried-and-true essentials. As instructors, Scott Burdick and Susan Lyon bridge these two by focusing on sound technical practice in the larger context of what contemporary artist face working today--and the tools that are at our disposal
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  • Weekend With the Masters 2011: Exciting New Educational Opportunities & Breathtaking Location
    Golden by Daniel Gerhartz, oil on canvas, 16 x 12. Since its inception in 2009, Weekend With the Masters Workshop & Conference has brought together some of the top instructors of representational art under one roof for a long weekend of workshops
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  • There's Nothing Quite Like Custom Made
    I’ve always dreamed of having something, anything—shoes, a coat, a car!—custom made. While all of those are pretty much still out of my reach, I know that I can custom design how I get my art training. There are a lot of options out there for us art-minded folk, but I spoke to Rob Zeller
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  • The Artist’s Road—A Journey Not a Destination
    When John Hulsey and Ann Trusty told me the name of their website— The Artist’s Road —I smiled to myself because they got it so right! Art—painting, drawing, sculpting, all of it—is a path, a journey. Sometimes the path is smooth and things go right, and sometimes it is
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  • Drawing Basics: To Tone or Not to Tone
    I have found that toning my support, whether canvas or paper or board, is something I often do now. I’m showing two works to illustrate the difference between toning and not toning.
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  • The Grand Canyon of Painting
    When I first saw watercolor artist Joan Becker’s work, the word that came to my mind was pageantry because her work is colorful, rich, and all about giving the viewer an amazing visual spectacle. Take a look at any watercolor painting of Becker’s and chances are it is filled from top to bottom
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  • Varnish, Varnish Everywhere
    I interviewed Sadie Valeri on her unusual wax paper paintings months and months ago, but since then I've been keeping an eye on her. She's got great spirit, enviable talent, and she's just super nice! Little did I know that her sweet exterior
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  • What Could Be Better Than a Free eBook on Landscape Painting?
    My answer to that is nada! Zippo! Zilch! As the weather heats up from coast to coast, now is the time when artists turn their attention to the excitement of landscape painting. But I'll be honest with you. I'm still intimidated by the whole landscape painting process. There seems to be so much
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  • The Gowanus Ballroom
    The Gowanus Ballroom brought together installation art, contemporary sculpture, and realist painting. Every once in a while, I get to do something that is comes uniquely from the place where I’ve chosen to live—Brooklyn. My studio is in Gowanus
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  • Bring On the Botox...Or Not
    Artist Daniel Gerhartz's new book, Not Far From Home , is a visual compendium of his life's work as a painter. In it, you not only find inspiring, lush photographs of Gerhart'z paintings, but insightful and instructional information as well. To showcase all of the great content in the book
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  • May I Introduce Odd Nerdrum?
    Summit by Odd Nerdrum, oil painting, 2000, 93 x 88. Odd Nerdrum: Weekend With the Masters Instructor Odd Nerdrum was born in Hälsingborg, Sweden, in 1944. He was a student at The Academy of Art in Oslo at the time when Modernism made its delayed
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  • May I Introduce Rose Frantzen?
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  • May I Introduce Lea Colie Wight?
    Lea Colie Wight: Weekend With the Masters Instructor "From time to time you notice something unexpectedly beautiful in the most ordinary person; the overlooked corner will tell the story of the people not present; something will tug at you and you
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  • May I Introduce Stephen Early?
    Glass Study 3 by Stephen Early, oil painting on masonite, 7 x 5. Stephen Early: Weekend With the Masters Instructor Artist Stephen Early began his art education at the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts in Philadelphia. He has received many notable portrait
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  • May I Introduce Scott Waddell?
    The Den by Scott Waddell, oil painting, 20 x 16. Scott Waddell: Weekend With the Masters Instructor Scott Waddell was born and raised in Central Florida. He received his B.F.A. from Florida State University. After college, Waddell spent the next several
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  • May I Introduce Steven Assael?
    Venus Pregnant by Steven Assael, oil painting, 72 x 48, 2002. Steven Assael: Weekend With the Masters Instructor Artist Steven Assael was born in New York City in 1957. He attended Pratt Institute and presently teaches at The School of Visual Arts, in
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  • May I Introduce Edward Minoff?
    Breton Wash Basin by Edward Minoff, oil painting. Edward Minoff: Weekend With the Masters Instructor Edward Minoff graduated with honors from New York University's Tisch School of the Arts. Throughout his high-school and college years he studied painting
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  • May I Introduce Nelson Shanks?
    Portrait of His Holiness, John Paul II by Nelson Shanks, 2001, oil painting on canvas, 54 x 50. Nelson Shanks: Weekend With the Masters Instructor One of the most sought after teachers and portrait painters in the world and founder of the post-graduate
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  • May I Introduce Dan Thompson?
    Persian Archer by Dan Thompson, 18 x 28, oil painting, 2004. Dan Thompson: Weekend With the Masters Instructor Dan Thompson was born in Alexandria, Virginia, and graduated from the Corcoran School of Art, in Washington, DC. He earned his M.F.A. from the
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  • May I Introduce Daniel Sprick?
    Untitled by Daniel Sprick, 2006, 24 x 24, oil painting. Daniel Sprick: Weekend With the Masters Instructor Daniel Sprick was born in Little Rock, Arkansas. He studied at the Froman School of Art and The National Academy of Design and received his B.F
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  • May I Introduce Ray Roberts?
    Seascape by Ray Roberts, oil painting. Ray Roberts: Weekend With the Masters Instructor Ray Roberts is best known for his seascapes, figurative work, and majestic views of California and the Southwest, and is one of California's most respected plein
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  • May I Introduce Ron Hicks?
    The Love on the Road by Ron Hicks, oil painting. Ron Hicks: Weekend With the Masters Instructor Ron Hicks grew up in Columbus, Ohio, and was introduced to art at an early age under the influence of his artist mother. Continuing to pursue drawing through
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  • May I Introduce Dan McCaw?
    Seated Figure by Dan McCaw, 24 x 18, oil painting. Dan McCaw: Weekend With the Masters Instructor Dan McCaw was born in 1942 and raised in Montana and during his academic art career attended the Montana Institute of Technology, in Butte Montana; Academy
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  • May I Introduce David Leffel?
    Youth by David A. Leffel, oil painting, 15 x 13 1/2. David Leffel: Weekend With the Masters Instructor David A. Leffel is widely recognized as one of the most accomplished representational artists today and is often referred to as a living Old Master
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  • May I Introduce Albert Handell?
    Pastel painter and oil painter Albert Handell. Albert Handell: Weekend With the Masters Instructor Pastelist and oil painter Albert Handell was born in Brooklyn, New York, in 1937. At an early age, a favorite activity of his was drawing with chalks on
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  • May I Introduce Jeremy Lipking?
    Skylar in Blue by Jeremy Lipking, oil painting, 16 x 12, 2010. Jeremy Lipking: Weekend With the Masters Instructor In a remarkably short period of time, Jeremy Lipking has emerged as one of the country's premier oil painters. His talent, which rivals
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  • May I Introduce Jacqueline Kamin?
    Red Carnations with Ming Rice Bowl by Jacqueline Kamin, oil painting, 20 x 16. Jacqueline Kamin: Weekend With the Masters Instructor Born in 1950 in Washington, DC, Jacqueline Kamin received her formal art education from the Corcoran Museum School in
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  • May I Introduce George Gallo?
    Connecticut Yankee Spring by George Gallo, 20 x 24, oil painting. George Gallo: Weekend With the Masters Instructor Award-winning writer, director, and painter George Gallo is capturing the hearts of both the general public and artist-audiences everywhere
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  • May I Introduce Nancy Guzik?
    Spring Dance by Nancy Guzik, 12 x 20, oil painting. Nancy Guzik: Weekend With the Masters Instructor Throughout her career in art, Nancy Guzik has been quietly perfecting not only her skills but also the focus of her work. The result on the surface of
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  • May I Introduce John Salminen?
    Champs Elysees by John Salminen, watercolor painting. John Salminen: Weekend With the Masters Instructor John Salminen was born and raised in St. Paul, Minnesota. He earned his bachelor's degree and master's degree from the University of Minnesota
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  • May I Introduce Timothy J. Clark?
    Serra Chapel by Timothy Clark, watercolor painting, 29 x 40, 2006. Timothy J. Clark: Weekend With the Masters Instructor Timothy J. Clark is a master watercolorist and oil painter whose work is included in the permanent collections of The Butler Institute
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  • May I Introduce Daniel Pinkham?
    Sublime Order by Daniel Pinkham, oil painting. Daniel Pinkham: Weekend With the Masters Instructor Born in Los Angeles, Daniel Pinkham has been a principal force in the resurgence of plein air painting in California and throughout the country. Pinkham
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  • May I Introduce David Jon Kassan?
    Approaching Noise (in progress) by David Jon Kassan, oil painting on wood panel, 40 x 34. David Jon Kassan: Weekend With the Masters Instructor Following his initial drawing studies at University of the Arts, in Philadelphia, David Jon Kassan attended
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  • May I Introduce Mary Whyte?
    Graffiti by Mary Whyte, watercolor painting. Mary Whyte: Weekend With the Masters Instructor Born in Ohio in 1953, Mary Whyte grew up with all the rural Midwest has to offer. She graduated from Tyler School of Art, in Philadelphia, in 1976 with a Bachelor
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  • May I Introduce Robin Frey?
    Untitled by Robin Frey, oil painting, 14 x 14, 2008. Robin Frey: Weekend With the Masters Instructor Artist Robin Frey grew up in Sarasota, Florida, taking art classes as a child at the Ringling School of Art. She received her B.F.A. from Eastern Mennonite
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  • May I Introduce Susan Lyon?
    Maya with Guitar by Susan Lyon, oil painting, 12 x 9. Susan Lyon: Weekend With the Masters Instructor Susan Lyon studied painting at the American Academy of Art and the Palette & Chisel Academy of Fine Arts, both in Chicago. It is there she first
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  • May I Introduce C.W. Mundy?
    Morro Bay Rock, Near Cambria by C.W. Mundy, oil painting on linen, 16 x 20. C.W. Mundy: Weekend With the Masters Instructor C.W. Mundy, an American impressionist, was born in 1945 and raised in Indianapolis, Indiana. He graduated with a B.F.A. from Ball
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  • May I Introduce Skip Whitcomb?
    Dawn, High Tide-Navesink River by Skip Whitcomb, oil painting on linen, 10 x 20. Skip Whitcomb: Weekend With the Masters Instructor Born in 1946, M.W. Skip Whitcomb has been interested in art since his childhood on a ranch near Sterling, Colorado. However
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  • May I Introduce Jean-Pierre Roy?
    A Wind to Ward Off Dreams by Jean-Pierre Roy, 58 x 68, oil painting, 2010. Jean-Pierre Roy: Weekend With the Masters Instructor Jean-Pierre Roy is an artist and teacher currently living and working in New York City. Born in Santa Monica in 1974, Roy pursued
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  • May I Introduce Kevin Macpherson?
    Santa Catalina Island by Kevin Macpherson, oil painting, 30 x 50. Kevin Macpherson: Weekend With the Masters Instructor Kevin Macpherson is one of the country's leading plein air painters and is highly respected among collectors and fellow artists
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  • May I Introduce Stephen Quiller?
    February Shadows, Rio Grande by Stephen Quiller, acrylic painting, 17 x 19 1/2. Stephen Quiller: Weekend With the Masters Instructor Stephen Quiller is an internationally known painter who works primarily in water media, monotypes, and intaglio printmaking
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  • May I Introduce Richard Schmid?
    Throughout his career, Richard Schmid has promoted art education through his books, articles, workshops, seminars, and television presentations. Richard Schmid: Weekend With the Masters Instructor Richard Schmid was born in Chicago, Illinois in 1934.
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  • May I Introduce Morgan Weistling?
    Stringbeans by Morgan Weistling, oil painting, 30 x 26. Morgan Weistling: Weekend With the Masters Instructor Well known for his paintings of early American pioneer life, Morgan Weistling began his art career as a movie-poster illustrator. While still
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  • May I Introduce Alyssa Monks?
    Window II by Alyssa Monks, oil painting, 2011, 48 x 36. Alyssa Monks: Weekend With the Masters Instructor Born 1977 in Ridgewood, New Jersey, Alyssa Monks began oil painting when she was just a child. Later, when she embarked on her academic career, she
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  • May I Introduce Frank Serrano?
    Sunlit Birch by Frank Serrano, oil on canvas, 12 x 12. Frank Serrano: Weekend With the Masters Instructor Contemporary landscape artist and plein air painter Frank M. Serrano was born in Los Angeles on November 29, 1967. He developed an early interest
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  • May I Introduce Jacob Collins?
    Thinking Man by Jacob Collins, oil painting, 30 x 20, 2004. Jacob Collins: Weekend With the Masters Instructor Jacob Collins is a leading figure in the contemporary revival of classical painting. He earned a B.A. in history from Columbia College and attended
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  • May I Introduce Scott Burdick?
    Market Colors by Scott Burdick, oil on canvas. Scott Burdick: Weekend With the Masters Instructor Scott Burdick was born in Chicago, Illinois, in 1967, where his mother and father encouraged his interest in art from an early age. "I spent a lot of
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  • May I Introduce Joseph McGurl?
    Light at Sunset by Joseph McGurl, oil painting, 24 x 36. Joseph McGurl: Weekend With the Masters Instructor Joseph McGurl has been referred to as one of the acknowledged leaders in the current American landscape painting arena. This has been confirmed
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  • May I Introduce Clayton Beck?
    Vermont Farmhouse by Clayton Beck, oil painting. Clayton Beck: Weekend With the Masters Instructor Clayton J. Beck III studied at the American Academy of Art and the Palette & Chisel Academy of Fine Arts, in Chicago, and launched his career as a professional
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  • May I Introduce Stephen Scott Young?
    Handline Hook by Stephen Scott Young, watercolor painting, 2010, 10 1/2 x 19 1/2. Stephen Scott Young: Weekend With the Masters Instructor Stephen Scott Young grew up in St. Augustine, Florida, and studied at the Ringling College of Art and Design, in
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  • May I Introduce Daniel Graves?
    Self-Portrait by Daniel Graves, oil on canvas, 2007. Daniel Graves: Weekend With the Masters Instructor Daniel Graves , born in Rochester, New York in 1949, is an oil painter, etcher, and founder and director of The Florence Academy of Art, Florence,
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  • May I Introduce Carolyn Anderson?
    Dave by Carolyn Anderson, oil painting, 16 x 12. Carolyn Anderson: Weekend With the Masters Instructor Carolyn Anderson , a nationally recognized artist, is an accomplished pastelist and oil painter. Born and raised in the Chicago area, Anderson attended
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  • May I Introduce Camille Przewodek?
    Vineyard Melody by Camille Przewodek, 16 x 20, oil on canvas. Camille Przewodek: Weekend With the Masters Instructor Camille Przewodek is a plein air colorist based in Petaluma, California, who received her B.F.A. in illustration from the Academy of Art
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  • May I Introduce Daniel Gerhartz?
    Nouveau by Daniel Gerhartz , oil painting. Daniel Gerhartz: Weekend With the Masters Instructor Daniel F. Gerhartz was born in Wisconsin in 1965, where he now lives with his wife Jennifer and their four children. His interest in art piqued at an early
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  • May I Introduce Joseph Paquet?
    Morning Light Crystal Cove , by Joe Paquet, oil painting on linen. Joseph Paquet: Weekend With the Masters Instructor Joseph Paquet received his Bachelors of Fine Art at the School of Visual Arts, in New York City, and had the good fortune of being mentored
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  • Nothing Watered Down About Her Work
    Over and over again I hear artists cooing about the thick richness of oil paints and its appealing spreadability, and yes, all of that is totally true. But artist Bev Jozwiak is giving oil a run for its money in terms of buttery appearance and saturated colors, and she’s doing it with watercolor
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  • What I Get From Other Artists
    Wilson uses the visual world as a lexicon of poetic images, as in his painting, Mary . In the 19th century, painters depicted modern life, embracing the “real” and eschewing narrative subjects and symbolism. Now, modern figure painters are
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  • 5 Forget-Me-Not Tips for Painting Eyes
    If the eyes are the windows to the soul, then a painter needs to get them right when creating a portrait. But the "oval, circle, dot" anatomy of the eye that we all first learned as children is far removed from how to give the illusion of a real eye in your work. Here are a few tips about painting
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  • It’s a Bird. It’s a Plane. It’s an Artist?!
    Artists aren’t superheroes. No capes, no spandex onesies, and no butlers named Alfred. Artists don’t necessarily lead extraordinary lives in which they paint or draw between bouts of saving the world. Artists are like you and me. They are you and me, actually. We all go about our day-to-day
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  • The Romance Is Overrated
    I used to think so romantically about Monet, Pissarro, and the other Impressionists. Not romantic like Manet is so dreamy; romantic as in idealizing this particular group of painters—thinking they stepped outside of their studios and, snap, Impressionism just happened. Veneration can sometimes
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  • The Ultimate Backpack--Professional Tips for Packing Light
    Here's John using his heavy-weight watercolor gear while painting in Colorado. Through trial and error, over the years, we have figured out how to pack for our foot-powered plein-air painting adventures. We like to keep our heavy-duty Eagle Creek
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  • Finding Meaning in the Details of My Painting
    Sometimes in making a small study for a larger oil painting, an artist will sketch in certain areas very loosely. It's almost as if she says to herself, "and there's some other stuff that fills in this area of the composition, but I'll think about that later." With the set of small
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  • A Painting Technique That’s Outside the Box…Er, Brush
    Breaking out of a painting rut sometimes requires a little more oomph than just adding another color to your palette or going from a still life to a figure painting. Sometimes your whole process needs an overhaul. A few years ago, artist Francis Di Fronzo took a fairly drastic measure to take his work
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  • How to Paint the Look and Feel of Spring
    I’m a color junkie. In fashion, in design, and especially in painting, vibrant color is what gets me creative. But before the image of Mimi from The Drew Carey Show becomes forever attached to my name in your mind, I’ll point out that I can control myself…sometimes. It’s tough
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  • How To Transfer a Study to a Large Canvas
    Study for Leaves of Grass . All works by Patricia Watwood. With the image of a female figure reading in the summer grass in mind, I began to develop my oil painting , Leaves of Grass . I started with a preparatory drawing. I work with models and from
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  • Workshop, Fall 2010
    Measure First, Draw Second; The Pathway to Great Compositions; Make Every ?Brushstroke Count; Learn How Top Artists Paint; How the Academic Technique can Work for You
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  • Okay, okay! You win! Here’s your Free eBook on Plein Air Painting
    Point Lobos , oil, 12 x 16. All works by Matt Smith . Have you ever had a moment where you’ve stumbled on something unexpected and you think to yourself, “What a find!” That was so me a few days ago. I read an amazing Q&A that one
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  • Palette Knife in Hand
    Palette knife painting sounds a little edgy and dangerous, but it’s really all about texture—the thick impasto swipes and flat sweeps of color that make up the surface of a painting. I’ve never created an entire painting with just a palette knife before, and I wanted to see what the
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  • The Art of Painting Water: 4 Plein Air Tips
    Water is perhaps one of the more challenging subjects to paint convincingly in a plein air landscape painting. Whether one is inspired by the ocean, a river, or a pond or lake, each subject requires a studied familiarity and often distinctly different paint handling. Here are a just a few tips that we
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  • Stuff of Dreams--Painting on Panels Workshop in Italy
    Margaret Krug, painter, writer for American Artist , and author of An Artist Handbook: Materials and Techniques, is teaching a one-of-a-kind program, Painting on Panels , from August 12-26 in Spannocchia, Italy. The scope of the workshop is traditional
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  • It's Time to Take Sides: Color vs. Form
    Leah , oil on canvas, 2010, 24 x 20. The Sicilian Expedition , oil on canvas, 2010, 60 x 40. They say that there are two kinds of painter: color painters, and the other kind--the kind that focuses on form, tone, and line. I'm that "other"
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  • Watercolorists Come Together & Meet the Editor
    Slicker by Mary Whyte, 2010, watercolor. Watercolor magazine and the Burchfield Penney Art Center in Buffalo, New York have come together for a very special event: WaterMedia Weekend 2011 . It is the opportunity for total immersion in the medium you love
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  • Painting with a ‘Show Me’ State of Mind
    Darrell Brown paints simple, seemingly timeless "portraits" of fruits and vegetables. A few days ago a reader came to me with a good point: If an artist running a workshop can talk about the philosophy behind his or her oil painting art, all
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  • Workshop, Summer 2010
    10 Keys To Making Accurate Judgments; Use Measurements & Simple Shapes for Better Portraits; Learn Variations of Impressionist Painting; 4 Stages Of Successful Plein Air Paintings
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  • Developing a Narrative Theme for an Oil Painting
    For a while now, I have been exploring narrative themes. This is what R. H. Ives Gammell called “poetical pictures.” In the 19th century, this was commonly referred to as “history painting”, but by history they did not just mean world events as we define the term. “Poetical
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  • Video on Light and Shadow: Portrait Painting with Scott Burdick and Daniel Gerhartz
    The American Artist Weekend With the Masters events are always a whirlwind of activity—new people to meet, alluring art to gawk over, and then there are the workshops. Articulate, passionate artist-instructors share their own particular artistic
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  • Jumbo Fruit, Giant Seashells
    Lemons by James Tormey, oil on canvas. Natural objects in sharp detail--that says it all according to artist James Tormey. For him, creating great still life paintings is a matter of painting natural objects in sharp detail. Tormey works on large-scale
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  • A Painter's Best Bet: Stay in Kindergarten
    Jeffree , oil, 18 x 15. All works by David A. Leffel. I spend a lot of time brainstorming how an artist can become an Old Master of the 21st century. What kind of confidence, skill, and vision will it take for an artist working today to gain that reputation
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  • Faith in the Wilderness--How One Oil Painting Artist Stays Committed
    Perhaps sometime over the last couple of years, you looked at your most recent drawing or oil painting and thought “Why am I doing this?” The economic recession has caused all of us to rethink our commitments and has given many artists reason to doubt that “making it” as a professional
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  • How’s Your Plein Air Vision?
    Somewhere out there, maybe even as you read this, a group of hungry, dedicated artists are taking a plein-air painting workshop. And at some point during this workshop—perhaps right at this very moment—one of those aspiring artists will ask the classic question voiced at least once in every
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  • Oil on Canvas: What I'm Up To
    Study for Pandora , oil on canvas, 2010. All works by Patricia Watwood. For the past six months, I have been working away at a new series of figure paintings. Over the next weeks and months, I will tell you more about each of them, and the steps involved
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  • Is "How to Paint" the Right Question?
    When we start making art, we don't start from a position of, "I want to paint like so-and-so," or not even, necessarily, "I want to paint well." We should start from a position of, "I have a need to make art." This is an important principle; it gives us the strength
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  • Spring 2011
    Turn Mistakes into Masterpieces; create the element of surprise with acrylics; get creative with Sunlight and Shadow; use value studies To Save Time; go inside Workshops With the Pros
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  • Free Video Demo—Watercolor Painting With Mary Whyte
    Learn more about Mary Whyte’s full-length DVD. I'm a reader and studier by nature, but the lessons and techniques that I learn from books and magazines always seem to click much quicker when I watch an artist paint, rather than try to puzzle
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  • Bring Together the Outdoors and Indoors In Your Landscape Paintings
    When I’m landscape painting I’m always drawn to the curious, in-between places where the outdoors and indoors meet. This could be an ivy-smothered barn that almost looks like it is disappearing into the landscape, or an ocean view from an open window. The places where architecture and the
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  • Oil Painting, Studio Practice, and More from New Blogger Patricia Watwood
    Waiting for Supper , 18” x 35”, oil on canvas, 2010. All works by Patricia Watwood . Hello! I am delighted to begin this new venture with Artist Daily and start an ongoing conversation about my painting process and my thoughts on art. Most
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  • Harnessing a Mercurial Medium
    The limbs of each figure is achieved with a quick stroke in this watercolor sketch by Wendy Artin. When I think of gesture drawings or quick studies, I see myself with a pencil in hand—that's always just made sense for those kinds of spirited
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  • Plein Air Painting: Isn’t It Romantic?
    Oak in the Snow by Caspar David Friedrich, 1825, oil, 44 x 34.5 cm, Wallraf-Richartz Museum, Cologne, Germany. I think all landscape artists and plein air painters have a touch of the romantic in them. It doesn’t really matter what type of landscape
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  • It's Finally Here: Our New Free eBook on Oil Painting Techniques
    I’ve always prided myself on learning good technique when faced with any new skill, and doing this has definitely made a difference. That goes for when I was learning to dance, swim, draw, or paint in oil. Art techniques were always especially rewarding to tackle this way, because once you grasp
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  • Artist Daily Video--Watch A Master Start A Portrait
    Imagine breaking down even the most complex painting into just a handful of shapes. Painter Ron Hicks has found that the process of painting a portrait can be intimidating, if not overwhelming, to even the most practiced painters because a lot of detail is often confused with what makes a successful
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  • Learn the Latest Tips in Our Free Portrait Painting eBook
    Trying to capture the likeness of a person in a finite period of time and meeting the high expectations often associated with portraiture are far from effortless tasks. They take commitment and savvy to do well. Our eBook Oil Painting Lessons on How to Paint a Portrait: 15 Portrait Painting Techniques
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  • Make a Painter’s Resolution
    I’m starting this year by reassessing my approach to painting and recommitting to more concentrated studio time. I don’t necessarily feel that I want to completely revamp my process, but there are a few old habits that I want to break and a few new ones I want to instill. I’ve found
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  • Be An Artist Who Cares Deeply
    During this time of the year, as acts of generosity and appreciation abound, I’m drawn to the works of the painters and draftsmen of the Ashcan School, which thrived during the early 20th century. This group of artists—among them Robert Henri, Everett Shinn, John French Sloan, and William
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  • Six American Artists Represent the U.S. in the 9th International Watercolor Biennial in Mexico
    Sunlight by Carol Carter, watercolor, 22 x 30. Mark Mehaffey, Nicholas Simmons, Keiko Tanabe, Carol Carter, Thomas W. Schaller, and Kathleen Alexander have formed the North American Watercolor Artists, a group of six U.S. watercolor artists, to represent
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  • It's Not in the Details
    Noelle with a Black Dress by Ron Hicks, 2007, oil, 20 x 16. Collection Gallery 1261, Denver, Colorado. I think photography has altered the way we judge the painted portrait. With the ability to capture a photographic likeness—from the details of
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  • Portait & Figure Painting Highlights
    Reflect Your True Vision with Accurate Form Now you can paint the human form with the depth and detail it deserves – your artwork will come alive with this exciting special issue from American Artist: Portrait and Figure Painting Highlights Fall 2010. Improve the detail of your portraits with 100
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  • What Painters Rarely Do
    The Lantern Bearers by Maxfield Parrish, 1908, oil on canvas board, 40 x 32. I have a confession to make: I've never glazed with oils. The process intimidates me a bit—creating luminosity and an inner glow on canvas is no easy feat—and
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  • Where Exceptional Artists Gather
    Watercolorist Stephen Scott Young getting into the details of his watercolor technique with students. All photos by Manuel Rodriguez . Artists of the past are often remembered as working solo, toiling alone in their private studios and intimate garrets
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  • Watercolor, Fall 2010 - 25th Anniversary Issue
    On the Cover: Seaside Stroll (detail) by Alan Wylie, 1993, watercolor, 15 x 21. Private collection. FEATURES Artist to Artist: Dale Meyers Cooper With a career spanning nearly 50 years and work in the permanent collections of such institutions as the
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  • Break Through Your Creative Roadblocks
    Collage materials can be added to add visual interest and texture to a painting surface. Artwork by Misty Mawn. When I feel creatively blocked or bored, I revert back to childhood and start to play. Doodling, writing stream-of-conscious text, or painting
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  • Paint to Preserve the Scenery You Love
    As an artist who has painted the natural world for over 20 years, Adam Straus has a complicated connection to his environment. In the 1990s, he painted Oil Slicks , a series of paintings that referenced the oil spills that happened at the time, and the relevancy of these paintings has been asserted again
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  • The Best Part of Painting?
    Clouds Moving , 1999-2009, oil on canvas, 31 1/4 x 37 1/2. All works by Bernard Chaet. Courtesy David Findlay Jr Fine Art . It’s the materiality—or, for many, that’s at least part of it. The buttery rich feel of paint moving across the
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  • Workshop, Fall 2010
    On the Cover: Painter Peter van Dyck leading a workshop at the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Art. FEATURES Frank Serrano: Accurate & Efficient Plein Air Landscape Painting by M. Stephen Doherty In his popular DVDs, book, and workshops, California artist
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  • Paint for Peace
    La Danse (I) by Henri Matisse, 1909, oil on canvas,102.4 x 153.9 in. I've always believed that art speaks most profoundly when it actually has something to say. Communicating with a viewer is a powerful opportunity, and The Peace Project engages artists
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  • Drawing with Thread, Paint, Paper & Pen
    Whiskey Creek (Spring) By Kate Ha rding, 2008, found leather garments, thread, grommets, and steel hooks, 54 x 35. One of the things I love about the artistic process is that we all share the need to put our creative energy into practice, we do it in so many different ways, and yet we usually have a
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  • Take Your Painting Skills Abroad
    Breakthroughs in our artistic practices often come with a change—of venue, of process, or even from within our own creative mindsets. Workshops offer the opportunity to step outside the studio, and suddenly we can see and evaluate from a completely different vantage point.
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  • Are You Using This Critical Painting Technique?
    The process of underpainting has such a buttoned-up reputation. If it were cast in a movie, it would be the uptight, by-the-book stickler that no one wants to hangout with. That’s because the process of underpainting is often associated with a belabored, rigid series of steps that delays us from
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  • September 2010
    Experiment with Acrylic; Learn from the Masters: Hawthorne, Hensche & Sargent show you how to become A better artist; Drawing from Life; Combine Media in Deep & Meaningful Still Lifes
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  • Free eBook for Your Best Summer Outdoor Painting Experience
    With summer in full swing, I've been spending as much time as possible outdoors, going to concerts and plays, walking from place to place when I do my errands, and just finding every excuse for an outdoor excursion. Plein air painting is another perk of the season. There's something invigorating
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  • Learn to Paint the Unexpected
    Artists are the sharpest of observers, attuned to a person's passing gesture or the play of light and shadow on a building façade—but not everything that catches our eye is a painting waiting to happen. For Utah watercolorist Joseph Alleman , the stories that hold his interest are reflections
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  • Make the Most of the Plein Air Painting Season
    Almost any artist will tell you that there's a certain appeal to working outdoors that can't be found anywhere else. With summer in full swing, many of us have left our studios for our porches, backyards, and beyond. To celebrate the season and all of the art being made en plein air, here are
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  • Break the Rules to Find Your Signature Style
    Brooklyn-based artist Allison Maletz doesn't want to use watercolor in a traditional way. Although her work is representational and often figure-based, exploring themes of human connection and the quirky, often dysfunctional, "average American family," she refuses be bound by any rules
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  • Paint Every Figure With the Power of a Portrait
    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
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  • Workshop, Summer 2010
    On the Cover: Camie Davis (below) teaching at the Grand Central Academy of Art, in New York City. Photo by Nathan Kraxberger Cedric Egeli: Knowing How to Learn FEATURES Workshops as Shared Learning Experiences by M. Stephen Doherty A number of valuable
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  • How to Successfully Paint Color Relationships from the Start
    Painting instructors often ask students to consider two important relationships between the colors squeezed out on their palettes: value and temperature. By that they are asking them to consider whether one color mixture is lighter or darker than another, and whether the mixtures tend to have a warm
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  • What Every Artist Can Learn From Plein Air Painting
    After several months of hiatus, the Plein Air blog is back! Our new Artist Daily editor, Courtney Jordan, and I have worked out a biweekly schedule to get the Plein Air blog back on track, and I’m excited to resume coverage of the artists, events, exhibitions, tools and tips, and conservation issues
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  • Recouping Lost Artistic Opportunities
    It’s often the case that when you live somewhere, you don’t take full advantage of the opportunities that the place affords, and only after leaving do you realize how valuable those opportunities were. This can be true for artists, who, after moving, may regret not utilizing a strong local
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  • What Artists Reveal with Self-Portraits
    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. True
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  • Adaptability and Durability are Proven Aspects of Encaustic Painting
    After spending all day sitting at my desk, click-click-clicking away on my computer, I savor getting out and being active, especially if I’m learning a new activity or skill. It’s the difference between reading through the steps of a complicated, unfamiliar process and actually seeing it
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  • Workshops Raise the Bar for Artists
    Robert Johnson strikes the perfect balance between master artist and down-to-earth mentor, supporting his students while pushing them to create the best works that they can. At a recent three-day workshop sponsored by The Art League School in Alexandria, Virginia, Johnson led students through the stages
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  • When Your Art Goes on the Road
    Gaining exposure and recognition for one’s work starts with putting finished pieces in the public and critical eye. This can mean participating in local community shows or full-fledged exhibitions, entering competitions, and hanging pieces in galleries. It is an exciting prospect, but it can also
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  • Artists are Adventurers at Heart
    A few of my artistic heroes get worse than no respect. They get anonymity. Jacques le Moyne de Morgues, Philip Gidley King, James Cook, Joseph Frederick Wallet Des Barres, John James Audubon—all were artistic adventurers, and most of them are virtually unknown.
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  • How Do You Paint on the Go?
    It’s only March, and already I’m fantasizing about summer road trips and exotic jaunts. But then I remember that almost every time I go on vacation my glow wears off once the artists show up. Inevitably, I see a traveler who is painting or sketching, creating significant and personal mementos
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  • A New Take on Still Life Painting
    A still life changed my life?! It sounds corny, but it’s a little bit true! It was Francisco de Zurbarán’s Still Life with Lemons, Oranges and a Rose . He was a Spanish Baroque painter and I was a freshman searching for a major. Bliss and art history degrees followed.
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  • Free Tips and Techniques for Painting Oil Landscapes
    With landscape artist Chris McHenry's hard-won oil painting tips and techniques, you’ll start to understand how to create a realistic sense of contrast for objects in your paintings, establish depth and focus in a landscape painting with a balance of warm and cool colors, and more. Attending
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  • Taking Advantage of Free Instruction
    I recently joined a gym in my neighborhood, with the hopes of working off some of those extra holiday pounds that seem to wear out their welcome around this time every year. My schedule is pretty busy, so I try to streamline my visits, making a beeline
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  • Free Watercolor Painting Tips and Techniques
    It’s often said in sports circles that the best players often make the worst coaches. That’s because it is hard for naturally gifted athletes to relate to players who are not so innately talented. A perfect example of this is former Boston
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  • Watercolors by Architects
    Greek Steps, Sifnos by Thomas W. Schaller, 2008, watercolor, 12 x 9. I just finished writing an article on Thomas W. Schaller's watercolor paintings for the April 2010 issue of American Artist, and it occurred to me that Thomas is the third licensed
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  • Painting From Photographs
    I normally work from plein air sketches or my imagination, but this scene I photographed while on vacation in Costa Rica was just too beautiful to pass up. As most artists do when working from a photo, I made adjustments to the composition to better suit
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  • 24 Tips to Learn How To Paint a Plein Air Landscape
    Our newest free eBook, “24 Tips to Learn How to Paint a Plein Air Landscape,” is now available to download, and in it you’ll find tips on how to get started working en plein air and how to improve your en plein air painting technique
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  • The Breakfast Club
    Back in 1994, after my husband and I relocated to New Hampshire, an artist friend invited me to join a group of painters and photographers who met every Wednesday morning at a quaint café in downtown Nashua. This group of about a dozen artists
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  • Watercolor Painting as Live Performance
    The beach scene in Manuel Antonio. I normally paint with oils mixed with Galkyd fast-drying medium, so I assume I can make radical changes in the composition of shapes, values, and colors as I formulate the intended outcome of my pictures. But I had to
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  • Selling Without Galleries
    Over the past decade, I've worked with half a dozen commercial galleries, and although I enjoyed the prestige of being able to say that I am represented by a gallery, the truth is that I've been able to sell my artwork better on my own. Many of
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  • Free Lessons From Top Watercolor Artists
    The basic set of supplies John Hulsey uses when painting on location. The recent spat of wet weather in New York has made it difficult to get outside to paint, but that doesn’t mean we in the American Artist offices haven’t been thinking about
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  • Building Rich and Full Layers
    By subtly layering pastel, Marlene Wiedenbaum creates a luscious and convincing sense of the world.
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  • Why I Must Paint Plein Air Studies
    I admit that I am not one who adores painting on location. If the truth be known, when I visit a national park, I'd rather be exploring and walking around—taking photos of everything that strikes my interest. Oh yes, I've paid my dues by
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  • Watercolor Fundamentals
    Roses and Delphiniums by Janet Walsh, 2009, watercolor, 201⁄2 x 16. Janet Walsh recently stopped by our New York office to deliver a new set of watercolor paintings to be photographed for her next article in Watercolor magazine. The images will
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  • 10 Steps to Determine Values in Watercolor
    Although I am known for using vibrant colors to create what appear to be playful, spontaneous images in my watercolor paintings, the key to the success of these paintings is the value structure of the compositions. Here’s how I teach others to use studies to plan effective compositions.
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  • Think Big, Paint Big
    Antonio Masi employs both the atmospheric and graphic capabilities of watercolor in his commanding paintings of New York icons.
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  • 3 Proven Ways To Start Watercolors Outdoors
    Michigan artist Jim Johnson offers valuable hints for successful watercolor painting outdoors.
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  • October 2009
    Check out what's featured in the October 2009 issue of American Artist.
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  • Drawing Basics: Drawing Is Memorization?
    When I first moved to New York City about a dozen years ago, I drew my father's face from memory quite a lot. It usually wasn't a good depiction at all, but occasionally it resulted in a decent drawing of a handsome man — which reminds me
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  • Welcome To "The Artist's Life"
    Lori Woodward Simons kicks off her new blog with a post about the 20-hour challenge
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  • Minimal Means, Maximum Impact
    Using subtle washes and minimal detail, Keiko Tanabe creates a powerful sense of time and place.
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  • How to Triumph In Spite of the Odds
    Emerging artist Daniel James Keys couldn’t enroll at an art school, but he used every other available means to educate himself as an artist, to connect with other painters, and to promote his artwork. His experience proves that with determination, support, and computer savvy, artists can make significant
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  • Winners of the Hot 100 Watermedia Competition
    The winners of the Hot 100 Watermedia competition are announced.
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  • Workshop, Summer 2009
    The Table of Contents for the Summer 2009 issue of Workshop magazine.
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  • William Jameson: The Elements of a Great Workshop
    During a recent workshop in the Lowcountry of South Carolina, William Jameson provided instruction in plein air oil painting, but he knew it was just as important to offer encouragement and direction to students while they enjoyed the experience.
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  • Rivalries Among Artists
    Steve Doherty asks readers if they have experienced bickering or tension between competitive artists at art association meetings, and compares those rivalries to the ones that occured among artists in 16th century in Venice, Italy.
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  • American Artist Cover Competition Winners Announced
    Artists from across the country submitted their work for consideration in the 2009 American Artist Cover Competition. After an extensive selection process Suzanne Eisler’s Still Life With Butterfly was chosen as the winning image. It is presented here, along with artwork from the nine other finalists
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  • Celebrate Watercolor Painting
    Steve Doherty talks about upcoming exhibitions by national watercolor societies, and asks readers to relay their any experiences they have had while participating in juried exhibitions.
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  • Respond to What Paintings Need
    Mary Sipp-Green bases her oil landscapes on sketches, memories, and imagination, and she makes careful notations about color combinations that capture her feelings about a particular time and place. Nevertheless, there is a point in the creative process at which she has to “get out of the way”
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  • May 2009
    The Table of Contents from the May 2009 issue of American Artist .
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  • Resources for Landscape Painters
    Steve Doherty talks about landscape painting, and shows a video of a recent painting excursion in New Orleans.
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  • How Do You Personalize Your Still Lifes?
    Recent visits to still life painting workshop and exhibitions has reminded Steve how still lifes provide an opportunity to share some aspect of our lives with those who look at our drawings and paintings. Here, he expands on that thought, and asks about the ways you compose, execute, and personalize
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  • Artist to Artist: Mel Stabin
    Artist and teacher Mel Stabin recommends painting loosely and boldly, an approach that has defined his career.
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  • Cherished Friends in the Art Community
    Steve wishes a happy 70th birthday to Joe Miller, owner of Cheap Joe’s Art Stuff, in Boone, North Carolina.
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  • Using masking tape on a watercolor
    Q: I used masking tape to mask out the border of my watercolor painting but it abraded the surface when I tried to remove it. What did I do wrong? Should I have used frisket? A: Two things may have contributed to your problem with the masking tape sticking
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  • Fixative for watercolors
    Q: Is there a spray fixative for watercolor paintings, and if so, should I use it? A: There is no fixative for watercolors. Fixatives are primarily used for four purposes: 1) to allow the piece to repel dirt and allow for light cleaning; 2) to make it
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  • Reworking an old painting
    Q: I want to rework an oil painting that has been sitting for more than a year. How should I go about it? A: Begin by cleaning the canvas surface. Wipe away any dust particles with a cotton cloth or with cotton balls. If any dirt is evident, remove it
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  • Oil drying time
    Q: Can I varnish my oil painting as soon as it is dry to the touch? I use a medium made of Damar medium, linseed oil, and turpentine, and have finished a commission that needs to go to the client in one week. Would it be better to not varnish? A: An oil
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  • Sealing paint
    Q: Is there a sealer that can be applied to a watercolor painting so that it can be framed and displayed with a glass cover? A: I would suggest using Lascaux Fine Art Fixative. It protects paintings from UV rays and prevents yellowing. It will protect
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  • Retouching oil paintings
    Q : What should I use for retouching? Are Liquin and linseed oil compatible on the same canvas? A : There are many products you can use to go back into your oil painting after it has dried. Winsor & Newton’s Liquin, which produces a matte finish
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  • Varnishing oil paintings
    Q : How often do I have to varnish an oil painting? How do I clean the painting before I apply new varnish? A : A final coat of varnish—on a finished and completely dry oil painting—can last hundreds of years. Sennelier makes two kinds of
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  • Painting Successful Portraits
    Q: I’m working on an oil portrait, but I’m having trouble getting the right tones. What colors do you recommend? A: Painting a successful portrait is similar to painting a successful still life. Assuming that the subject has one major light
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  • Adhering paper cutouts to oil paintings
    Q: One of my students wishes to mount some paper cutouts from magazines onto her oil painting on stretched canvas. What would be the best way to adhere these, and what is the best way to seal them once the surface is dry? A: If the surface is dry, your
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  • Last -Minute Varnishing
    Q: I just finished an oil portrait for a client, and I need to varnish it. I usually use gloss dammar spray for last-minute varnishes. I know I shouldn’t wait until the last minute, but what would you recommend under the circumstances? A: There
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  • Choosing the Correct Canvas
    Q: I’m interested in trying watercolor painting. I took a few classes from a local artist, but I need to learn more of the basics. How can I educate myself about color? I need to experiment, but I also need to read about it. I have medium texture
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  • Two Layers of Varnish
    Q: I recently varnished an oil painting with matte varnish, but I am unhappy with the finish (Grumbacher). Can I varnish the painting again with a glossy varnish? A: You can revarnish the painting, but to be safe you should use the same brand of varnish
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  • Acrylic versus Oil Painting
    Q: How do I tell if a painting has been done in oil or acrylic? A: For the most part, an acrylic painting will dry leaving a flat finish and an oil painting will dry leaving signs of brushstrokes. On the other hand, there are many mediums that can be
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  • Cleaning Oil Paintings
    Q: Could you please tell me how to clean an oil painting without damaging the paint? A: Are we talking about maintenance or restoration? There is no system of cleaning that can be applied to all situations, which is why the diagnosis and treatment of
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  • Aging Oil Painting surfaces
    Q: How can I age an oil painting surface to make it look old? A: Very old paintings can yellow over time. Colors may also fade if they are not archival. Without damaging your artwork, you may want to thinly glaze your artwork with either burnt umber or
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  • Painting with Turpentine
    Q: An oil painting I finished a couple of years ago has developed a section that has cracked and fallen off. I never use any medium except turpentine, and always paint "fat over lean.” Since I paint for a living, I'm more than a little
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  • Priming Plywood for Oil Painting
    Q: Is it necessary to prime plywood before painting on it with oil? Couldn't I apply a layer of oil paint directly to the board, let it dry, and then start painting on it? A: Painting directly on plywood can prove problematic. Plywood is porous and
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  • Varnish Recipe
    Q: I paint in oil and acrylic, and I've successfully used an acrylic final varnish for both. I seem to have misplaced this final varnish recipe, but I believe that it was part gloss and part matte. Can you recommend a recipe of this type for me? A
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  • Watercolor whites
    Q: I don’t know which white to use in my watercolors. How do you choose the right white? A: Many traditional watercolorists will say the only white that should appear in a watercolor painting is the color of the paper—either untouched by the
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  • April 2009
    The Table of Contents for the April 2009 issue of American Artist magazine.
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  • Drawing Basics: Michael Graves' Traditional Roots
    Michael Graves may be best known now for designing household items and iconic buildings, but he has roots in traditional rendering, as a 2007 book featuring architectural renderings from a 1960 sketchbook shows.
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  • Exhibition: Joie De Vivre! Works by Janette Jones
    Emerging oil and watercolor artist Janette Jones is the focus of this exhibition at the Knowlton Gallery, in Lodi, California, during the month of February. Jones, who began her career working in watercolor but recently switched to painting outdoor in
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  • Drawing Basics: Is Pastel a Drawing Medium?
    Many pastelists consider their pieces to be paintings. Here at American Artist, we have tried to steer clear of the debate on whether pastel is a drawing medium or a painting medium, although when put against the wall and poked in the chest, we'll
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  • The Social Aspects of Watermedia Painting
    Steve Doherty discusses the social aspects of watermedia painting and the proliferation of watermedia organizations.
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  • Artist of the Month: Marion W. Hylton: Moving Easily Among Media
    Gainesville, Florida, artist Marion W. Hylton is adept at oil, masterful in watercolor, and award-winning in pastel. High Water 2006, pastel, 19 x 26. Collection the artist. Best in Show at the St. Augustine Art Association's Honors Show. By Bob Bahr
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  • Useful Art Links
    We have provided a list of links to online art resources that we think are helpful. You can also access these links in the Art Educators section of our website. Art Associations Plein Air Plein Air Painters of America The Plein Air Scene Indiana Plein
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  • Watercolor Critique: "Taylor Road Barn"
    Taylor Road Barn 2007, watercolor, 15 x 22. This week, Joyce Washor looks at a watercolor painting by one of our readers and suggests varying the edges to add a sense of distance to the painting. The artist has done a remarkable job on this painting.
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  • Drawings Basics: Art for Writing
    Mark Leithauser collaborated with his brother, the poet Brad Leithauser, on a series of books that expanded his imaginative powers, leading him to consider a multitude of new subjects. A 2002–2003, graphite drawing. All artwork this article courtesy
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  • Oil Critique: "American Grenadier"
    One of the most useful aspects of painting workshops is the personalized critiques offered by knowledgeable instructors. Now you can get this advantage anytime through the American Artist Critique Blog. Through this blog, you can get commentary and suggestions
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  • Oil Painting: The Dutch Italianates at the Muscarelle Museum of Art
    The Muscarelle Museum of Art, in Williamsburg, Virginia, will be the initial site for the national tour of the major exhibition of Old Master paintings. The Dutch Italianates: Seventeenth-Century Masterpieces From Dulwich Picture Gallery Through March
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  • Watercolor: Looking at Watercolors: "Fairylands, Bermuda" by Ross Sterling Turner
    James Toogood comments on Ross Sterling Turner's watercolor painting Fairylands, Bermuda. Fairylands, Bermuda by Ross Sterling Turner, 1890, watercolor and gouache, 18 x 25 1/2. by James Toogood What's most interesting about this painting is the
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  • Oil Painting: Open Spaces
    Francis Di Fronzo stopped working with paint brushes to create his own technique of “tapping the landscape into existence.” All Paths to War Lead Back to You (Part I) 2002, oil on panel, 48 x 48. Private collection. by Lynne Moss Perricelli
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  • Oil Painting; Morandi: Painting and Appearance in the 20th Century
    John A. Parks examined the art of Giorgio Morandi in the December issue of American Artist . In one section, he asserted, "[His] paintings are a testimony to the act of something deeply contemplated. It is a kind of painting that has nothing to do
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  • Oil Painting: All The Water That Will Ever Be, Is, Right Now at the Irvine Museum
    The natural cycle of water and its place in the landscape is the focus of this exhibition at the Irvine Museum, in Irvine, California. All The Water That Will Ever Be, Is, Right Now Through January 17, 2009 The Irvine Museum Irvine, California (949) 476
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  • New Work by Jason Bryant at Raandesk Gallery of Art
    A collection of recent artwork by Jason Bryant, including large-scale oil paintings and smaller, more intricate portraits, will be presented in this exhibition at the Raandesk Gallery, in New York City. Someday, Maybe, Never 2008, oil on canvas, 40 x
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  • See Your Art Objectively
    While packing to move into our new offices, I came across a self-portrait I painted several years ago that was lost in a stack of papers. I immediately recognized that the face was drawn inaccurately—an error I didn’t see at the time I created
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  • Technique: Growing Your Own Garden
    For many artists, growing and tending to their own gardens provides an additional outlet for creative expression. by Naomi Ekperigin Tulips in a Square Vase, by Susan Van Campen, 2006, watercolor, 23 x 30. Courtesy Hirschl & Adler Galleries, New York
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  • Oil Painting: David Malan: Storytelling With Figures
    This Utah artist is drawn to figures and faces, and he works hard to balance his work-related duties with his love of traditional oil painting. Kaitlyn, 2007, oil on board, 14 x 18. All artwork this article collection the artist unless otherwise indicated
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  • Oil Painting: John Falato's Oil Paintings
    In the November 2008 issue of American Artist, we discussed how John Falato enjoys introducing students to the nuts and bolts of watercolor painting. Here, we reproduce additional images of Falato's paintings. Autumn in Southford 2005, Casein on Masonite
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  • Watercolor: Back to Watercolor Basics
    Connecticut artist John Falato primarily paints in oil, but he also enjoys introducing students to the nuts and bolts of watercolor in his exciting, fast-paced beginner classes. August Road 1983, watercolor, 21 1/8 x 16. All artwork this article private
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  • Beginners: Back to Watercolor Basics
    Connecticut artist John Falato primarily paints in oil, but he also enjoys introducing students to the nuts and bolts of watercolor in his exciting, fast-paced beginner classes. August Road 1983, watercolor, 21 1⁄8 x 16. All artwork this article
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  • A Practical Approach to Creating & Marketing Oils and Pastels
    When J.C. Airoldi left a successful career as a designer, she applied the same level of determination, practicality, hard work, and marketing skills that she used in her previous profession to creating and selling paintings. Gloucester Solitude 2008,
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  • Art Business: Warm-Up Exercises for Artists
    Warm-up exercises are as important for artists as they are for musicians and athletes. by Daniel Grant Athletes stretch before a game. Prior to performing, opera singers sing scales, and actors practice their lines. Warm-up time is important in a variety
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  • Watercolor: A Bold Approach
    When Chris Krupinski made the transition from oil to watercolor painting, she refused to sacrifice her love of detail and bold, rich color. A Glass of Cherries 2004, watercolor, 30 x 22. All artwork this article collection the artist. by Naomi Ekperigin
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  • Beginners: Watercolor Tips: Achieving Optimal Effects
    Painting with watercolor requires an understanding of not only the paints themselves but also how to apply them. Like what you read? Become a Watercolor subscriber today! by James Toogood Breakers on a Rocky Coast 2005, watercolor, 24 x 18. Private collection
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  • Janet Monafo Chat Transcript
    Read the transcript from yesterday's live online chat with pastel artist Janet Monafo. 2008-06-09 11:00:12.0 Administrator: You have joined a chat with Janet Monafo, a top pastelist who has been highlighted in American Artist magazine. Feel free to
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  • Max Ginsburg's Workshop: Seeing Forms, Not Formulas
    During a recent workshop, New York artist Max Ginsburg showed students how to respond to the specific lighting effects they observed rather than to use premixed colors and repetitive procedures. by M. Stephen Doherty Ginsburg made adjustments to the balance
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  • Casey Baugh's Workshop: Seeing Accurately and Solving Problems
    This dynamic young artist believes anyone can learn the language of painting and use it to express themselves, which he proves in both short-term and extended workshops. by M. Stephen Doherty Baugh working directly on a student's canvas “There
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  • "Drawing" Magazine Cover Competition Winners
    We chose 10 finalists for our Drawing Magazine Cover Competition—and then easily named William Rose the winner, as he best showcased the skill level and imagination of our readers. View the winners of the Watercolor magazine 2008 cover competiton
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  • Drawing Basics: Judith Carducci's Workshop and the Benefits of Drawing and Working From Life
    During a recent plein air workshop in Southern France, Judith Carducci helped students who worked with pen-and-ink, pastel, watercolor, and oil colors. The unifying themes of the 10-day class were that drawing basics are a foundation of all media and
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  • Judith Carducci's Workshop: The Benefits of Drawing and Working From Life
    During a recent plein air workshop in Southern France, Judith Carducci helped students who worked with pen-and-ink, pastel, watercolor, and oil colors. The unifying themes of the 10-day class were that drawing is a foundation of all media and working
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  • Tony Curanaj's Workshop: Knowledge and Structure Allow Freer Painting
    This New York City artist has found that the more he understands the science of the elements in his still life scene, and the more carefully he executes his drawing and underpainting, the freer he can interpret the subject matter in the final stages to
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  • Watercolor: “St. George's Harbor” by Ogden Pleissner
    James Toogood comments on Ogden Pleissner’s watercolor painting St. George's Harbor. by James Toogood St. George's Harbor by Ogden Pleissner, 1953, watercolor, 14 1/4 x 20 1/4. Collection Masterworks Museum of Bermuda Art, Paget, Bermuda
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  • Watercolor: William Trost Richards' "A Rocky Coast"
    James Toogood comments on William Trost Richards' watercolor painting A Rocky Coast. by James Toogood A Rocky Coast by William Trost Richards, 1877, watercolor and gouache on fibrous brown wove paper, 28? x 36¼. Collection The Metropolitan
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  • Watercolor: Judy Morris "Chinatown: San Francisco"
    James Toogood comments on Judy Morris' watercolor painting Chinatown: San Francisco. by James Toogood Chinatown: San Francisco by Judy Morris, watercolor, 34 x 28. This is a delightful piece, not overly serious but beautifully executed. It's a
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  • Oil Painting: Scott Tallman Powers' Oil Paintings: Developing the Concept
    In the summer 2008 issue of Workshop, we discussed how Scott Tallman Powers was able to express strong emotions in oil paintings by first establishing a clear concept for the picture and then remaining focused on delivering that content to viewers. We
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  • Watercolor: Frederick Brosen's "Brooklyn Bridge"
    James Toogood comments on Frederick Brosen's watercolor painting Brooklyn Bridge. by James Toogood Brooklyn Bridge by Frederick Brosen, 2006, watercolor over graphite, 28¾ x 51¾. Courtesy Hirschl & Adler Galleries, New York, New
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  • Oil Painting: Daniel E. Greene: Gleaning Inspiration From Formative Experiences
    In the Fall 2007 issue of Workshop magazine, we presented Daniel E. Greene's approach to teaching drawing and painting in art-school classes, short-term workshops, and filmed programs. Here we reproduce the article from the November 2007 issue of
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  • Watercolor: Sargent's "Venetian Canal"
    James Toogood comments on John Singer Sargent’s watercolor painting Venetian Canal. by James Toogood Venetian Canal by John Singer Sargent, 1913, watercolor and graphite on off-white wove paper, 15¾ x 21. Collection The Metropolitan Museum
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  • Watercolor: Cassatt's "Self-Portrait"
    James Toogood comments on Mary Cassatt’s watermedia painting Self-Portrait. by James Toogood Self-Portrait by Mary Cassatt, watercolor on ivory wove paper, 33 x 24. Collection National Portrait Gallery, Washington, DC. Mary Cassatt was not known
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  • Oil Painting: Dan Young's Harmony and Depth in Landscapes
    In the Fall 2008 issue of Workshop magazine,we discussed how Dan Young helped both beginners and experienced painters develop their skills by showing them how to simplify forms, increase the sense of light, push background shapes into the distance, and
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  • Oil Painting: Richard Estes at New York City's Marlborough Gallery
    Renowned photorealist painter Richard Estes will be showing more than 20 new paintings during this exhibition at the Marlborough Gallery, in New York City. Richard Estes October 14 through November 15 Marlborough Gallery New York, New York (212) 541-4900
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  • Acrylic: Barbara Edwards: Acrylic Exploration
    Barbara Edwards experiments with media and techniques in her paintings that make use of both representation and abstraction. by Lynne Moss Perricelli Mountain Pasture 2007, acrylic, 27 x 22. All artwork this article collection the artist unless otherwise
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  • Oil Painting: The Knowlton Gallery Presents Yosemite on Canvas
    During the spring of 2008, 13 women painters from California, Nevada, and Utah gathered together in the Yosemite Valley to paint the national park for a week. Yosemite on Canvas: 13 Western Artists Paint the Park Through November 29 Knowlton Gallery Lodi
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  • Oil Painting: Frank Serrano's "Oak Study"
    In the summer 2008 issue of Workshop magazine, Frank Serrano discussed his approach as an artist and his methods as a teacher. Here we present his step-by-step demonstration Oak Study . Step 1 During his weekly landscape-painting workshop in Southern
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  • Watercolor: "Watercolor" 2008 Cover Competition Finalists
    Congratulations to the 10 finalists chosen in the 2008 Watercolor Cover Competition. These accomplished artists each take a different approach, revealing the versatility and adaptability of watermedia. Here, they describe their sources of inspiration
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  • Oil Painting: Step by Step: Alan Flattmann's "The Abita River"
    In the winter 2007 issue of Workshop magazine, Alan Flattmann showed two methods of painting the landscape. Here we present a step by step demonstration of his painting The Abita River. Step 1 Flattmann toned the canvas with a thin wash of burnt-umber
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  • Technique: Mosaic Art: The Tile Creations of Carl and Sandra Bryant
    Artists Carl and Sandra Bryant use tiny pieces of glass to create intricate mosaic works of art. by Stephanie Kaplan Autumn Landscape by Sandra Bryant, 2006, glass mosaic, 24 x 32. Collection the artist. Mosaic Landscape by Sandra Bryant, 2005, glass
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  • Technique: Lana Grow: Going With the Flow and Exploring Abstraction
    As an experimental artist, Minnesotan Lana Grow has no rules. She begins her paintings in different ways and lets them evolve. Like what you read? Become a Watercolor subscriber today! by Linda S. Price Simply Flora 2006, watermedia, 22 x 22. Collection
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  • Artist of the Month: Benjamin McVey: Painting Objects Lost and Found
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  • Watercolor: Girtin's "Kirkstall Abbey, Yorkshire: Evening"
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  • Pastel: Denise LaRue Mahlke: Art as a Calling
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  • Oil Painting; Casey Baugh's "Red Scarf"
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  • Oil Painting: Ron Hicks' "Noelle With a Black Dress"
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  • Oil Painting: Mary Anna Goetz's Colorful Landscapes
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  • Oil Painting: Daniel E. Greene: Gleaning Inspiration From Formative Experiences
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  • Watercolor: Bonnington's "A Fisherman on the Banks of a River, a Church Tower in the Distance"
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  • Oil Painting: Max Ginsburg's Portraits and New York City Scenes
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  • Watercolor: Looking at Watercolors: “John Biglin in a Single Scull,” by Thomas Eakins
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  • Oil Painting: Work by Ralph Albert Blakelock at the National Academy Museum
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  • Oil Painting: Barbara Kassel: Interiors and Exteriors
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  • Oil Painting: Kevin Sanders' Plein Air Landscapes
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  • Lori Woodward Simons' "Cowboy at Heart"
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  • Watercolor: Winslow Homer's "Road in Bermuda"
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  • Oil Painting: Garth Herrick Portrait Demo: Light on the Ground
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  • Oil Painting: Garth Herrick Portrait Demo: Lightening the Key
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  • Donna Zagotta's "Valencia"
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  • Oil Painting: Garth Herrick Portrait Demo: Copying a Notable Portrait
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  • Morgan Samuel Price's "Last of the Roses"
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  • "American Artist" 2007 Cover Competition
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  • Artist of the Month: Christopher Copeland
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  • Watercolor: Shanna Kunz: Tonalism and Contemporary Design in Watercolor
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  • Oil Painting: Garth Herrick Portrait Demo: A College President
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  • Oil Painting: Garth Herrick Portrait Demo: Further Work on Faces
    In this installment of the demonstration, the artist works on the details in the portrait. The little girl was close to where I wanted her to be, but the older girl seemed a little too dark. I needed to add a white glaze over her just to send it in the
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  • Oil Painting: Garth Herrick Portrait Demo: Background and Adjustments
    In the next installment of the demonstration, Herrick works on the background. I needed to address the background foliage to establish a context for the portraits. Things were looking a little dark in the background, so I removed some paint that was just
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  • Oil Painting: Christopher Evans' Golden Landscapes
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  • Beginners: Watercolor Masters
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  • Lori Simon's "Bass Harbor Marsh"
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  • Oil Painting: Garth Herrick Portrait Demo: The Boy's Shorts and Face
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  • Oil Painting: Garth Herrick Portrait Demo: The Older Girl
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  • Oil Painting: Garth Herrick Portrait Demo: Blocking In the Portraits
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  • Oil Painting: Garth Herrick Portrait Demo: The Underdrawing
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  • Oil Painting: Herrick Master Portrait Demo
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  • Oil Painting: Herrick Portrait Demo From Start to Finish
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  • Oil Painting: Scott Prior: A Contemporary Approach to California Impressionism
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  • Acrylic: CRITIQUE: "Geraniums"
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  • Oil Painting: Step by Step: "Reflections in Gold"
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  • Oil Painting: Garth Herrick Portrait Demo: Meeting the Client and Reference Photos
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  • Oil Painting: Gustave Courbet: The First Realist
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  • Oil Painting: Step by Step: Joseph Gyurcsak's "Subtle Grays"
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  • Oil Painting: Tree's Place Gallery Exhibition: Six Premier Landscape Artists
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  • Oil Painting: Scott Prior's Landscapes
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  • Oil Painting: Gustave Courbet's Realist Paintings
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  • Oil Painting: Nancy Switzer's Emphasis on Surface and Color
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  • Oil Painting: Peter Fiore: Freely Interpreting Nature
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  • Oil Painting: Jimmy Sanders: The Structure Needed in Painting and in Life
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  • Oil Painting: Peter Fiore's Oil Landscapes
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  • Watercolor: Jane Paul Angelhart: A Practical and Creative Approach to Commissioned Portraits
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  • Watercolor: Charles Reid: Natural and Authentic Watercolors
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  • Beginner Oil: Recommended Books for a Beginning Artists
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  • Watercolor: 20 Great Watercolor Teachers: Biographies and Artwork
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  • Beyond Drawing Basics: Philip Pearlstein's Unrelenting Gaze
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  • Artist of the Month: Allen Webb
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  • Pastel: 70th Anniversary Competition Winners
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  • Watercolor: Joyce Washor: Still Lifes on a Small Scale
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  • Oil Painting: Christine Lafuente's Oils: Exploration of Color and Form
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  • Oil Painting: Abigail McBride's Still Lifes, Landscapes, and Figures
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  • Watercolor: Peter Hussey: The Impact of Geometric Shapes in Watercolor Paintings
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  • Oil Painting: Daniel Graves: Steward of Humanist Art
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  • Oil Painting: Cecilia Beaux's Legacy
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  • Drawing Basics: Ingres' Miraculous Lines
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  • Watercolor: Patrick Gordon: Oil and Watercolor Flowers
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  • Artist of the Month: Lonnie Shan
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  • Oil Painting: Cecilia Beaux's Portraits
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  • Technique: Watercolor Pencils: Bridging the Gap Between Painting and Drawing
    Water-soluble colored pencils offer the perfect solution for artists who want to create watercolor effects without the hassle of watercolor paints. by Stephanie Kaplan Plumeria 2006, watercolor pencil, 8 x 10. Watercolorist Kristy Ann Kutch owned a set
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  • Beginners: The Basics of Watercolor Paints, Part II
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  • Oil Painting: Thomas Cordell's Cityscapes
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  • Oil Painting: Plein Air Painters of Chicago: More Finished Work
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  • Beyond Drawing Basics: Evidence & Interpretation in Master Landscape Drawings
    Many great landscape drawings were created as preparatory studies, educational exercises, or informational journals and not as finished works of art. We can now study those freely made graphic images for evidence of the drawing essentials , ideas, and
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  • Oil Painting: Steve Armes' Landscapes
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  • Oil Painting: SPONSORED CONTENT: Artist Behind the Brand: Scott Gellatly
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  • Watercolor: Kathleen Kolb: Versatility in Vermont
    by Linda S. Price Anderson Homestead 2002, watercolor, 18½ x 22½. Private collection. Kolb looked for diagonals to create drama in this composition. Vermont artist Kathleen Kolb is not a fussy painter. She doesn’t need sunny skies
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  • Watercolor: Yachiyo Beck: Not Just Another Still Life
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  • Pastel: Ann Sanders: The Practical Pastelist
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  • Oil Painting: Frederic Edwin Church: A Great Landscape Painting Teacher
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  • Oil Painting: Using Subtle Grays in Still Life Painting
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  • Oil Painting: Debra Teare: Updating Trompe l'Oeil For Today
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  • Watercolor: 70th Anniversary Competition Winners
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  • California Art Club Announces Award Winners
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  • The National Portrait Gallery Presents “Portraits of Sandra Day O’Connor”
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  • Laguna College of Art & Design Exhibition Winners Announced
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  • Beginners: The Basics of Watercolor Paints Part I
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  • Drawing Basics: Colored Pencil 70th Anniversary Competition Winners
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  • Oil Painting: Doug Higgins: Attracting the Viewer's Eye
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  • Oil Painting: Oil 70th Anniversary Competition Winners
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  • Masters: "The Erotic Frigidaire": The Academies of Pierre-Paul Prud'hon
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  • Masters: Ingres’ Materials
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  • Watercolor: Carl Dalio: Cruising the River of Living Color
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  • Watercolor: Elizabeth O'Reilly: An Oil Painter Takes on the Figure in Watercolor
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  • Pastel: Suzanne LaPrade: Getting Down the Bones
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  • Drawing Basics: Understanding the Anatomy of the Ear
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  • Beyond Drawing Basics: Ashcan Drawings
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  • Oil Painting: GALLERY: Oils by Susan Goetz & Robert Schneider
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  • Oil Painting: GALLERY: Richard Baumann's Landscapes and Interior Scenes
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  • Oil Painting: SPONSORED CONTENT: Artist Behind the Brand: Robert Gamblin of Gamblin Artist’s Colors
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  • Oil Painting: Art That Heals: J. Peralta
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  • Oil Painting: Carolyn Egeli's Impressionistic Approach
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  • Oil Painting: Plein-Air Painters of America Members: From the Site to the Studio
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  • Oil Painting: GALLERY: More Paintings from PAPA Members
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  • Oil Painting: GALLERY: Carolyn Egeli's Landscapes and Still Lifes
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  • DEMONSTRATION: Scott Moore's "Slice of Life"
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  • Oil Painting: On Location in Malibu: Paintings by CAC Members
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  • Oil Painting: GALLERY: Roger Dale Brown's Oils
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  • Oil Painting: GALLERY: Dawn Whitelaw's Portraits
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  • Demonstration: Terry Sellers Buckner
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  • Oil Painting: Meredith Brooks Abbott: Seeing Nature With Fresh Eyes
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  • Oil Painting: GALLERY: Meredith Brooks Abbott's Oils
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  • Oil Painting: GALLERY: Kathleen Kolb's Oil Landscapes
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  • Oil Painting: Sarah Lamb: Painting the World as a Feast
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  • Oil Painting: GALLERY: Pat Kelly's Still Lifes
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  • Oil Painting: Art That Heals: Camille Engel
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  • Oil Painting: Emphraim Rubenstein: The Art of the Portrait/Still Life
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  • Pastel: Wende Caporale: The Similarities in Painting Portraits in Oil or Pastel
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  • Oil Painting: Leonid Gervits’ Process
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  • Oil Painting: Philip R. Jackson: Setting the Stage
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  • EXHIBITION: American Impressionism: Paintings From The Phillips Collection
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  • Dan Thompson's June 13th Chat Transcript
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  • Beginners: Watercolor Materials, the Basics
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  • Oil Painting: Sneak Preview of Dan Thompson’s Figure-Painting Demonstration
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  • Oil Painting: Art That Heals: Bonnie Ramsbottom
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  • Oil Painting: Still-Life Portraits: The Book-Filled Art of Ephraim Rubenstein
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  • Beginner Oil: Oil Painting Materials: The Basics
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  • Oil Painting: Ismael Checo's Materials and Techniques
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  • Oil Painting: Warren Chang's Four-Stage Progression: "Approaching Storm: Broccoli Harvest"
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  • Acrylic: Stephen Quiller: Color Choices That Improve Watermedia Painting
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  • Watercolor: Stephen Quiller: Color Choices That Improve Watermedia Painting
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  • Oil Painting: GALLERY: More of Ephraim Rubenstein's Still-Life Portraits
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  • Oil Painting: Online Exclusive: Scott Noel's Artwork and Books' Consumable Nature
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  • Oil Painting: GALLERY: James Tormey's Still Lifes
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  • Oil Painting: James Tormey: Still Life and Context
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  • Oil Painting: GALLERY: More of Philip R. Jackson's Extraordinary Still Lifes
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  • Oil Painting: Philip R. Jackson: Extraordinary Still Lifes
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  • Oil Painting: GALLERY: Nancy Colella's Landscapes and Still Lifesoi
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  • Oil Painting: GALLERY: Joseph McGurl's Landscapes
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  • Oil Painting: John Beerman: Light, Restraint, and Clarity
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  • Oil Painting: GALLERY: Ismael Checo's Technique
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  • Oil Painting: GALLERY: Susan Hope Fogel's Landscapes
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  • Drawing Basics: Painterly Effects With Colored Pencil
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  • Oil Painting: GALLERY: More of John Beerman's Light-Drenched Landscapes
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  • Masters: 20 Great Watercolor Teachers Offer Their Best Recommendation
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  • Watercolor: Teaching Watercolor Workshops to Beginners: Pitfalls to Avoid
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  • Oil Painting: Rose Frantzen's Figure Painting Tips
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  • EXHIBITION: The Last Ruskinians: Charles Eliot Norton, Charles Herbert Moore, and Their Circle
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  • Oil Painting: GALLERY: More of Colin J. Callahan's Oils
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  • Using Egg Tempera & Gold Leaf to Achieve Renaissance Luminocity
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  • Oil Painting: Timothy Barr's "Back Bay"
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  • Oil Painting: Colin J. Callahan: Seeking Energy and Light
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  • Oil Painting: GALLERY: Pauline Roche's Figure Paintings
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  • Oil Painting: GALLERY: Brenda Turner's Oil Paintings
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  • Masters: Drawing Out Sargent
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  • Andrew Wyeth Picks 20 Great American Watercolorists
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  • Offering Constructive Criticism to Students: Tips for Educators
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  • Watercolor: Into the Heart of The Southwest: 20 Painters Interpret the Forbes Trinchera Ranch
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  • Oil Painting: GALLERY: Marla J. Brenner's Plein Air Oils
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  • Watercolor: GALLERY: The Forbes Trinchera Ranch
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  • Oil Painting: GALLERY: David Ahlsted's Colorful and Geometric Paintings
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  • Oil Painting: Warren Chang: Bringing the Past to the Present
    This California-based artist uses a 19th-century palette to create a nostalgic atmosphere in his paintings. by John A. Parks Entrance 2003, oil, 40 x 30. Courtesy Morseburg Galleries, West Hollywood, California. Warren Chang paints scenes from two very
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  • Oil Painting: Ned Mueller: The Importance of Value Studies
    In the winter 2006 issue of Workshop magazine, Ned Mueller discussed how to properly mix the right colors with which to convey a scene. Here, we offer an excerpt from the article. by Bob Bahr “Many students want to learn as much as they can in an
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  • Oil Painting: GALLERY: James M. Sulkowski's Oil Paintings
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  • EXHIBITION: Poetry in Design: The Art of Harry Leith-Ross
    The James A. Michener Museum, in Doylestown, Pennsylvania, will present this retrospective of work by Pennsylvania Impressionist Harry Leith-Ross through March 4. Poetry in Design: The Art of Harry Leith-Ross Through March 4 James A. Michener Art Museum
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  • Oil Painting: GALLERY: Ned Mueller's Landscapes and Portraits
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  • Oil Painting: Painting the Figure in the Landscape: The Basics
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  • Oil Painting: Ruth L. Beeve: Responding to Chance and Planning Ahead With Water-Soluable Paint
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  • Masters: Sweden's Sargent
    We went in search of Anders Zorn in his homeland and discovered a personality large enough to encompass numerous contradictions—and a natural ability to paint in both oils and watercolor. by Bob Bahr When Anders Zorn's name is mentioned in the
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  • Beginner Oil: Transistioning into Fine Art
    It's understood that a career in the visual arts can be personally fulfilling and professionally risky. That's why most people work secure 9-to-5 jobs and enjoy drawing and painting during evenings and weekends. But those limited hours just aren't
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  • Drawing Basics: From a Roman Fountain to a South Bend Studio
    In this excerpt from the fall 2006 issue of Drawing , David Mayernik discusses how copying the work of Old Masters trains his taste so he can draw and paint original work with the classical beauty he reveres. by Bob Bahr For David Mayernik , who has gone
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  • Oil Painting: Josh Elliott's Tips for Painting Snow
    Josh Elliott, one of the artists featured in the February 2007 issue of American Artist , has painted snow in Montana quite a bit, but excitement still creeps into his voice when he discusses snow’s beauty and challenge. Here he offers some tips
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  • Oil Painting: Student Work From Ned Mueller's Workshop
    In the winter 2006 issue of Workshop magazine, Ned Mueller taught students how to use color effectively in their paintings. We offer Muller's comments on student work that was completed during the workshop. by Bob Bahr Before After Mueller asked for
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  • Watercolor: Steve Rogers: Inspiration at Higher Levels
    Steve Rogers can point to the specific time in his career when his watercolors changed from being average to exceptional. That occurred when he met his future wife, found a subject he was passionate about painting, and had a religious experience. by M
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  • Oil Painting: GALLERY: Judith Pond Kudlow's Oil Paintings
    In the February 2007 issue of American Artist , New York artist Judith Pond Kudlow followed a disciplined approach to representing objects and people exactly as they appear. We offer more of her oil paintings in this online exclusive gallery. Il Verde
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  • Oil Painting: GALLERY: Rick Hansen's Landscapes and Still Lifes
    In the February 2007 issue of American Artist , we explored how Rick Hansen painted landscapes and still lifes that reflected the way things appear at one moment in time. Here, we offer more of his paintings in this online exclusive gallery. Backwater
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  • Oil Painting: GALLERY: Josh Elliott's Tone Poems
    In the February 2007 issue of American Artist , we explored how oil painter Josh Elliott painted tones and designs in his landscapepaintings. Here, we offer more of Elliott's picturesque scenes, including several of what he calls his "tone poems
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  • Oil Painting: Josh Elliott: Tapestries in Oil
    Oil painter Josh Elliott strives to paint tones and designs, not just picturesque scenes. by Bob Bahr Evening Shadows, Swan Valley 2006, oil, 12 x 16. All artwork this article private collection unless otherwise indicated. Josh Elliott is 33 years old
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  • Oil Painting: GALLERY: More of James Woodside's Remote Landscapes
    In the February 2007 issue of American Artist , James Woodside discussed how his paintings reflected his experiences in some of the planet's remotest locations. Here, we present more of his plein air paintings in this online exclusive gallery. Breaker
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  • Watercolor: Gayle Garner Roski: Traveling With Watercolors
    In the “The Art of Travel” article in the January 2007 issue of American Artist , watercolorist Gayle Garner Roski explained how art enhanced her traveling experiences, allowing her to better appreciate her surroundings. Here, Roski further
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  • Pastels: Teaching Values
    Maintaining a distinctive value structure is at the core of Joann Ballinger's pastel instruction--and her own paintings. by Lynne Moss Perricelli In both her teaching and her own pastel paintings, Joann Ballinger emphasizes the importance of a distinctive
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  • Oil Painting: Timothy Barr: Online Exclusive Painting
    In the January 2007 issue of American Artist , Timothy Barr used Photoshop and multiple digital images to paint the perfect oil landscapes. Here, we offer an online exclusive painting that exemplifies Barr's work. Ausable River at Mt. Porter 2006
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  • Oil Painting: Sean Cheetham: Using a "Mud Palette" to Achieve Harmony
    To achieve accuracy and harmony in his alla prima figure paintings, Californian Sean Cheetham stresses drawing and a system of mixing colors based from “mud” mixtures, as he calls them, that govern shadows, midtones, and highlights. He recently
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  • Technique: Jack Beal Unveils Companion Mural in New York City Subway
    A glass mosaic mural by Jack Beal was recently mounted on the wall of a New York City subway station across from his related mural that was unveiled just after September 11th. This new image presents an earlier episode in the myth of Persephone, Queen
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  • Watercolor: SPONSORED CONTENT: The Artist Behind the Brand: Joe Miller
    by M. Stephen Doherty Winter Ain't Far Away watercolor, 15 x 15. Can a pharmacist who describes himself as cheap actually convince artists to trust his advice about buying art supplies? He can if he is passionate about art, respectful of painters
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  • Watercolor: GALLERY: More Paintings From Our 20 Emerging Watercolor Artists
    In the fall 2006 issue of Watercolor , we showcased 20 artists that offered a glimpse of what the 25th anniversary issue of Watercolor magazine might look like. Here, we highlight additional paintings by many of these artists in the field of watermedia
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  • Watercolor: 20 Emerging Watercolor Artists
    What will the 25th anniversary issue of Watercolor magazine look like? The answer could well be determined by the artists in this article who were recommended by teachers who are in contact with some of the most promising watercolorists. We asked those
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  • Watercolor: Essay: A Visit With Andrew Wyeth, March 9, 2006
    Editor-in-chief of Watercolor magazine, M. Stephen Doherty, recounts his memorable visit to the home of legendary watercolorist Andrew Wyeth. by M. Stephen Doherty In this account of my visit with Andrew Wyeth, I hope to convey the sense that he is like
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  • Oil Painting: GALLERY: More of Katherine Ann Hartley's Still Lifes
    In the January 2007 issue of American Artist , we explored how Katherine Ann Hartley took her still lifes and her career to a new level of professionalism she never could have imagined by committing to a period of intense instruction and painting the
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  • Oil Painting: Travis Schlaht: Following Inspiration
    New York painter Travis Schlaht looks for—and finds—compelling beauty in many corners of life. Then, using a restrained but powerful palette, he mirrors it on canvas. by James A. Metcalfe Bar II 2005, oil on linen, 26 x 36. All artwork this
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  • Oil Painting: Timothy R. Thies' Color Charts
    In the fall 2006 issue of Workshop magazine, Timothy R. Thies taught students how to capture the temperatures of light and shadow in their landscape paintings. Here, we offer an excerpt from the article regarding color charts. by Edith Zimmerman A few
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  • Oil Painting: Color Temperature in Timothy R. Thies' Paintings
    In the fall 2006 issue of Workshop magazine, landscape painter Timothy R. Thies taught students how to capture the elusive and nuanced temperatures of light and shadow on the picturesque beaches of the Jersey shore. Here, we present an excerpt from the
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  • Oil Painting: GALLERY: Sean Cheetham's Figure Paintings
    In the fall 2006 issue of Workshop magazine, we examined how Sean Cheetham demonstrated that drawing and a system of mixing colors based from "mud" mixtures governed shadows, midtones, and highlights during a five-day workshop. Here, we present
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  • Oil Painting: Randall C. Sexton: Questions to Ask Yourself
    In the fall 2006 issue of Workshop magazine, Randall C. Sexton taught participants how to create oil paintings in response to subjects that they were anxious to paint. We present an excerpt from the article. by M. Stephen Doherty Is the focus of my painting
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  • Oil Painting: Sean Cheetham: Common Weaknesses in Figure Paintings
    In the fall 2006 issue of Workshop magazine, California artist Sean Cheetham explained how to achieve accuracy and harmony in his alla prima figure paintings. Here, the artist discusses common weaknesses in figure paintings in an excerpt from the article
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  • Oil Painting: Thomas Van Stein: Moonlight Reminders
    In the fall 2006 issue of Workshop magazine, Thomas Van Stein taught students how to capture the elusive light of night. In this excerpt from the article, Van Stein offers a number of helpful tips for artists to keep in mind when painting at night. by
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  • Oil Painting: Randall C. Sexton's Painting Tips
    In the fall 2006 issue of Workshop magazine, Randall C. Sexton taught participants how to create oil paintings in response to subjects that they were anxious to paint. We present an excerpt from the article. by M. Stephen Doherty Keep your palette organized
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  • Oil Painting: SPONSORED CONTENT: The Artist Behind the Brand: Joseph Gyurcsak
    Joseph Gyurcsak, the resident artist for Utrecht Art Supplies, is an art materials expert who assists artists, companies, and industry manufacturers in understanding different aspects of art materials and techniques. He also travels extensively, conducting
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  • Oil Painting: Lynn Gertenbach's Handy Tips for Painting Water
    In the fall 2006 issue of Workshop magazine, Lynn Gertenbach taught her students that plein air painting is a partnership between the artist and nature. We offer an exerpt from the article with Gertenbach's tips for painting water. by Molly Siple
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  • Oil Painting: A Study of Velázquez Results in Portrait Colors
    John Howard Sanden is one of the country’s leading portraitists working today. His clientele includes leading political, business, and religious figures, and he has toured the nation teaching his portrait-painting technique to thousands of artists
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  • Oil Painting: Malcolm T. Liepke: The Emotional Connection in Figure Paintings
    With sold-out solo shows, numerous awards, and prominent collectors to his credit, Malcolm T. Liepke is considered one of the finest figure painters working today. by Lynne Moss Perricelli Head Study Brunette 2002, oil, 12 x 8. All artwork this article
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  • Oil Painting: Thomas Van Stein: A Nocturne Painter’s Palette
    In the fall 2006 issue of Workshop magazine, California nocturne painter Thomas Van Stein taught seven students his process for capturing the light of night on canvas. Of the many challenges students faced, the most difficult ones seemed to involve value
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  • Oil Painting: Chris McHenry’s Palette
    In the November 2006 issue of American Artist , we explored how Texas artist Chris McHenry balanced constrasting values, color temperatures, and edges to establish depth, atmosphere, focus, and emotion in his oil landscapes. We present an excerpt from
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  • EXHIBITION: Paul Caranicas: Yesterday, Today & Tomorrow
    This exhibition of large-scale landscape paintings by Paul Caranicas will be on display at Bernarducci Meisel Gallery, in New York City, through October 28. Paul Caranicas: Yesterday, Today & Tomorrow Through October 28 Bernarducci Meisel Gallery
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  • Oil Painting: James Gurney's Books of Inspiration
    In the November 2006 issue of American Artist , we showcased James Gurney's impressive landscape paintings. We present an excerpt from the article that discusses the books that have influenced Gurney as an artist. by John A. Parks In developing his
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  • Oil Painting: Sarah Lamb's Technique & Materials
    In the November 2006 issue of American Artist , we explored how oil painter Sarah Lamb's passion for cooking brought a new sensibility to the art of still life. We present an excerpt from the article. by John A. Parks Peaches 2005, oil on linen, 17
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  • Drawing Basics: Lisa Dinhofer's Playful Oil Paintings
    In the summer 2006 issue of Drawing , New York artist Lisa Dinhofer drew convincing objects in imaginary spaces, finding meaning in both the items and their presentation. In contrast, we offer nine of her playful oil paintings in this online exclusive
    Read More >>
  • Watercolor: Sondra Freckelton: Planning for Expression
    Sondra Freckelton is widely recognized for her well-planned, thoughtful, and expertly crafted watercolors she develops using principles that expand artistic expression; and she is appreciated for helping others learn those principles while gaining a concrete
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  • Watercolor: Jamie Wyeth: Combining Water-Soluable Paints
    Like many artists accustomed to working with opaque paints, Jamie Wyeth prefers to use combinations of water-soluble materials rather than just transparent watercolor. He finds that layers of gouache, ink, graphite, acrylic, and watercolor allow him to
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  • Watercolor: Lee Boynton: Painting the Same Subject to Learn More About Light & Color
    Lee Boynton, a master of Impressionistic watercolor painting, explains how to learn more about color and value by simplifying your subject and painting it repeatedly under different light conditions. by Linda Gottlieb and M. Stephen Doherty Cozy Harbor
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  • Oil Painting: Milt Kobayashi: Paint What You Want to See
    Milt Kobayashi grants students permission to take complete control of their paintings and not feel obligated to paint exactly what they see. During a recent workshop, he encouraged participants to change a model’s pose, coloration, and costumes
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  • Drawing Basics: Just Imagine--Drawings by Lisa Dinhofer
    This New York artist draws convincing objects in imaginary spaces, finding meaning in both the items and their presentation. by Lynne Moss Perricelli Into the Light: Yellow 2004, colored pencil and collage, 19 x 22. Collection the artist. New York artist
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  • Drawing Basics: The Emergence of Tonal Drawing
    Tonal drawing--the juxtaposition of relative values, the notion of seeing masses rather than outlines--more closely replicates the way humans see than do lines. This emotional way of depicting the world has been explored since Leonardo; modern artists
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  • Oil Painting: James Gurney's Paintings: Fact & Fantasy
    This New York state plein air artist creates impressive landscape paintings informed by his work as an illustrator and inspired by the work of the Hudson River School. by John A. Parks Creek Above Kaaterskill Falls 2004, oil, 20 x 16. All artwork this
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  • Watercolor: 10 Tools for Better Watercolors
    Artists often limit their potential by not taking full advantage of watercolor paints and supplies. Here’s advice that has proven helpful to my students. by Catherine Hillis There is so much conflicting information and advice available to watercolorists
    Read More >>
  • Watercolor: Painting Loose and Free
    "My goal," says Andy Evansen, "is to finish a painting in only three washes." Through simplification, bold brushstrokes, a bit of planning, and confidence, the Minnesota watercolorist capitalizes on the medium's ability to render
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  • Exhibition: The Grand Scale: New Watercolors by Alexander Creswell
    Celebrated English watercolorist Alexander Creswell is the focus of this exhibition at Hirschl & Adler Modern, in New York City, October 5 through November 4. The Grand Scale: New Watercolors by Alexander Creswell October 5 through November 4, 2006
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  • Oil Painting: Ken Auster's Technique in a Nutshell
    In the October 2006 issue of American Artist , California artist Ken Auster explained how he pursues an aggressive, take-no-prisoners approach to plein air painting. Here, we offer further insight into his technique. by John A. Parks Canvas. Cotton duck
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  • Oil Painting: Tim Kennedy's Painting Process
    In the September 2006 issue of American Artist , Indiana artist Tim Kennedy explained how his figurative paintings have a connection to other artists, past and present. Here, the artist describes his painting process. Dancers 2005, oil, 72 x 60. Courtesy
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  • Oil Painting: GALLERY: More of Ken Auster's Oil Paintings
    In the October 2006 issue of American Artist , oil painter Ken Auster discussed how he paints in layers to achieve powerful illusions and rich surfaces. In this online exclusive gallery, we present five more of his works. This Buds For You Oil. This is
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  • Oil Painting: Gene McInerney: The Delicate Engineer
    This Pennsylvania artist combines alkyd with oil to achieve poetic paintings of his local landscape using a closely controlled technique. by John A. Parks Gene McInerney paints delicate views of his beloved Pennsylvania countryside with a fullness and
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  • Oil Painting: GALLERY: Landscape Paintings from Joseph Gyurcsak
    In the October 2006 issue of American Artist, Joseph Gyurcsak explained how he paints interior light. In contrast, we present 12 more images, mostly of landscapes, in this online exclusive gallery. Rachel's Room Oil on canvas, 11 x 14. The Dining
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  • Oil Painting: Painting Interior Light
    Room interiors provide an excellent opportunity to paint a variety of light intensities, colors, and effects; but they also present challenges in trying to capture the subtleties of forms within those dimly lit spaces. by Joseph Gyurcsak Interior scenes
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  • Oil Painting: GALLERY: More Figurative Paintings From Tim Kennedy
    In the September 2006 issue of American Artist, Indiana artist Tim Kennedy explained how his figurative paintings have a connection to other artists, past and present. In this online exclusive gallery, we present nine more of his works. Rental, oil on
    Read More >>
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