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Learn How to Paint in Oils

artlessons — Fri, 13 Nov 2009 15:07:27 CST

So you are beginning your journey into the wonderful world of oil painting? It can be a confusing process for beginners if you do not have someone to help guide you through the first steps. This article will provide you with all the necessary information that you need to get started.

OIL PAINTING SUPPLIES

The first thing you are going to need are your supplies. This first step may seem simple, but many beginners are lost when they first step foot into an art supply store. There are so many different materials to choose from and if you are not familiar with what you need, you may spend too much on supplies you don't need or wind up not buying enough.

Paints

If you ask five different artists about the colors they have on their palette, you will more than likely get five different answers. The truth of the matter is, there are no right or wrong answers when it comes to the colors on your palette, it really is a matter of preference. You will definitely develop those preferences over time. In the mean time, I can share with you the colors that I often use:

Alizarin Crimson
Cadmium Red Light
Cadmium Yellow Light
Yellow Ochre
Burnt Umber
Raw Umber
Cadmium Orange
Burnt Sienna
Thalo Blue
Cerulean Blue
Thalo Green
Thalo Yellow Green
Ivory Black
Titanium White

TIP: Whatever paint you decide to buy, try to stay away from paints that have the word "hue" on the label. These paints may be more economical, but they are of very low quality when compared to the real color. Hue paints are artificial pigments and they do not behave the same as the real pigment.

Palette

If you are not already familiar with a palette, it is basically the surface that you will use to lay out and mix your colors on. There are a variety of different palettes available. Everything from wood to glass are possible surfaces to use. My favorite surface to use as a palette is wood, but the surface is porous, so it will need to be sealed before you can use it. It is quite easy. All you need to do is coat the surface of the palette with mineral or linseed oil and wipe the excess off. It is then ready for your oil paints.

Brushes

Just like paints, an artists brush selection may differ from person to person. I personally use flats and filberts of varying sizes, but you may develop a preference for other shapes and sizes. My brush selection consists of #2, #5, and #10 Filberts, #2, #5, and #10 Flats - - all hog hair brushes. Hog hair brushes are strong, flexible and are great for use with oils.

Supports

There are a variety of painting surfaces, or "supports", that you can use to paint on. Stretched canvas, canvas panels, canvas paper and even wood are all possibilities. I use canvas panels and paper for studies or practice and stretched canvas for my finished paintings. Again, this is just my preference and you are free to explore on your own.

Other Supplies

Some other supplies you will need are rags for wiping and cleaning, a palette knife for mixing your paints, a medium for thinning your paint and an easel.

Caring For Brushes

Learning how to properly care for your brushes is one of the most important aspects of oil painting. One popular approach is to use solvents like turpentine, but for some of us, this is not an attractive option as solvents can be dangerous to your health. I personally use mineral oil followed by a brush cleaner. I first wipe the brush as clean as possible with a rag. I then swish the brush around in mineral oil until most of the paint is removed. I then wash the brush with a product called MASTERS Brush Cleaner and Preserver.

TIP: Always clean your brushes immediately after you have finished a painting session and never leave your brushes soaking in anything! It will destroy them.

ORGANIZING YOUR STUDIO

I know not everyone has the luxury of a professional studio, but try and do your best to create a productive environment for painting. Try and find a space in your home that is free from noise and distraction.

Lighting

If at all possible, use a room or space that has plenty of natural sunlight. If natural sunlight is not possible, you will have to use artificial light. There are special lights or bulbs called "Full Spectrum", that are made to emulate natural sunlight. They do a descent job, but nothing compares to natural sunlight.

Organizing Your Palette

It is important to have a clean and organized palette during your painting sessions. This is done by laying your paints out the same way each time you paint. Lay your paint out on the edges of your palette leaving enough empty space in the center for mixing. Be sure to squeeze out a good amount of each of your colors before you start to paint. You will be more productive if you do not have to stop frequently to squeeze out more paint. When you are finished painting, be sure and clean the mixing area of your palette well, but do not fully clean the spots on your palette where you placed your colors. This way, you will be able to tell where to squeeze them out during future painting sessions.

YOUR FIRST PAINTING

So now that you have a general understanding of the supplies you will need as well as how to organize your studio, it's time to starting thinking about your first painting.

Painting Ideas

Coming up with an idea for a painting can be a frustrating task and in order to find your painting "voice", you need to find out what you are passionate about or what things in life influence you. Every artist has an influence, whether it be another artist, a place or thing. For instance, if you love nature and wildlife, spend time outdoors at the places that inspire you. Bring along a sketchpad or digital camera and record the scenes that catch your eye. If you have a particular artist that you admire, spend time studying his or her artwork. Try and reproduce their paintings.

Ralph Serpe is an artist and Founder of ArtInstructionBlog.com, which offers free lessons and resources on a variety of different mediums. For more information on how you can learn and master oil painting, visit us today!

Interview With Artist David Hunt

artlessons — Mon, 09 Nov 2009 09:31:25 CST

Artist Statement

The focus of my work is synonymously related to nature and landscape. It is an investigation of nature, its forms, its sublimate captivation and the paradigm of how we align our position, perceptions and reactions to them. Predominantly my subjects derive from arboreal environments, which I record with photography, sketch making, and through the internalisation of personal experience. Hence, when we find ourselves in an environment where the realisation of aloneness becomes internalised, there can be various responses. Angst, vulnerability, fear, adrenaline, but paradoxically, these feelings can also be interpreted as vision, freedom, liberation, and excitement. They can be either comforting or discomforting and this to me is a reflection of our individuality…

Q: What medium or mediums do you work with?

A: Currently I am working with various mediums which include but are not limited to: ink, PVA, oil paint, digital imagery on paper, on canvas. I feel that restricting oneself to a single particular medium denies the artist a degree of creativity which cannot exist without the unpredictable nature of mixing mediums. It is at those times when the medium seems to take over that the artists sense of loosing control is in fact the artist at the height of his creativity.

Q: How long have you been an artist? How did you get started?

A: My first response to your question is; always. I think that everyone in their early life is an artist, but only a few of these artists learn how to continue being an artist. For me, I knew that I was an artist during my school years and enrolled on as many arts related classes as possible. I finished school at the age of sixteen in 1984, but was discouraged from pursuing a career in art. I became distracted by money and work and became an electronics engineer.After about six years I felt empty and tired. I tried to fill this emptiness by enrolling on an evening course for advanced level fine art painting in 1990. This helped me but financial commitments meant that I had to continue working in electronics. Another eight years later and I had had enough. I became too disenchanted to continue in electronics. I knew then that I must explore my potential as an artist, and so 1998 was a turning point in becoming the artist that I am now.

Q: Do you have any formal training or are you self taught?

A: My formal training, I suppose, really began in senior school with ‘O’ level Fine Art, Technical Drawing, and Craft Design Technology. As previously mentioned I then later earned an ‘A’ Level in Fine Art Painting on an evening course at college, this is where I was introduced to oil paint. After my ‘A’ level, any advancement of my knowledge was self taught. I read books but mostly I just experimented with oil paint by trial and error. I soon learned that it is the errors or mistakes that one makes which ultimately advances ones skill. I might have been happy to continue self educating myself, but the reality of the modern art market is that qualifications count when it comes to finding representation in high profile galleries. Some artists manage to carve out an arena of critical debate around their work from being self taught, but in most cases a Degree is beneficial or even essential too an artists career, and so I began my Bachelors Degree with honours in fine art painting and drawing at the University of Northampton in the UK. I am entering my final year and graduate in 2010. I plan on continuing my studies to go on and earn a Masters Degree the following year.

Q: Do you have any favorite art supplies that you would like to recommend?

A: My painting is at times heavily impasto, and because of this I was studying Frank Auerbach whose painting is perhaps the most extreme form of impasto I know of. I was watching a DVD of Auerbach called ‘In the Studio’, and in one scene I spotted large tins of paint on his studio floor, I could not make out the brand but could see there were drops of colour on a white tin. I wanted to discover what paint Auerbach was using. After extensive googling I eventually found out. The brand is ‘R J Stokes’. . After having found the website, there was a statement about the paint by artist Edward Beale which confirmed that I had to buy the paint. It comes in 5 litre cans, an artists dream; I would recommend this paint to anyone who uses impasto in their painting.

Q: Do you work with any specific styles or subject matter?

A: I am not very keen on the use of the word style when it comes to painting. I would rather associate my work to a movement. It is not that I develop my work to become related to any particular movement; it is more a case of my developing work can be associated to our knowledge of these movements. I think it becomes a natural tendency for my paintings too navigate in a loosely synchronised manner, too the artist or artists I am studying at any given time. The Artists I am most deeply involved in studying right now are, John Constable, Joseph Mallord William Turner, Caspar David Friedrich, Mark Rothko, Gerhard Richter, and Ian McKeever. All these artists have been associated with Romanticism and so by default my work is specific to the ‘style’ or movement of Romanticism and perhaps more specifically The Northern Romantic Tradition’. As for subject matter, at first glance it might appear from my work that I am working with trees, or more loosely nature. Whilst this is true, I am also very conscious of the investigation of space and time related to nature, how we position ourselves within nature, and how this in turn relates us to the universe. So in a sense my subject matter might be described as an investigation of the sublime. I cannot really conclude this answer as I am deeply involved in my studies in order to understand my subject matter.
Read the rest of this artist interview here

Landscape Drawing Tutorial by Diane Wright

artlessons — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 00:20:17 CST

Start by just looking up.

Ever since a fellow artist challenged me to include a sky in one of my drawings, I have been keeping my mind in the clouds. I am continually amazed at the beauty of just looking up in the sky! Over the past couple of years, I have been learning the importance of toning the sky and adding clouds as part of overall compositional improvement in my landscapes. I think I could spend hours and hours fiddling with each puff of white! Start looking up to the sky and observe cloud formations. Take photos of clouds and you will be amazed at what you will start to “see”!

What’s the purpose of a sky?

Is it important to put a sky in? There isn’t any clouds in the sky so why should I shade it? I use to think this and if you visit my website, you will see many of my earlier works did not include a toned sky. For a long time I didn’t even “see” tone in the sky. It wasn’t until recently that I realized the impact of adding a toned sky to the overall landscape. Here are some of the things a toned sky will do for your drawing...
Read the rest of this landscape drawing demonstration by Diane Wright

Learn and Master Painting - An Artist's Review

artlessons — Thu, 22 Oct 2009 18:26:52 CDT

There is a brand new home instruction course entitled Learn and Master Painting which is quite easily the best home instruction course available in teaching you how to paint with oils and acrylics.
Unlike most of the people recommending this course online, I am an artist and actually own this course, so rest assured you are getting an honest review..
The Learn and Master Painting course comes jam packed with 20 professionally produced DVD’s, 3 Music CD’s (you can listen to these while you are painting), a detailed lesson book with extra information, and a free support website.
Instructor Gaylee Levee will take you step by step through the process of becoming an accomplished painter. You will learn about perspective, how to organize your studio, how to care for your art materials, how to develop compositions….all of the foundational skills needed to become the artist you have always aspired to be.
I like to refer to Learn and Master Painting as an “Art School in a Box”, because it is quite literally like attending a professional Art School within the comfort of your own home, but at the fraction of the price. The folks over at Learn and Master Painting have made this course extremely affordable for any budget.
Not only is the course professional and affordable, but unlike attending an art school, you have the ability to watch these courses over and over again. So if something does not sink in right away, you can play the DVD’s again and practice something until it does. But the benefits do not stop there. Along with the 20 DVD’s and course book, you also have access to an entire community of artists who have also purchased the Learn and Master Painting Course. Here you will find support and encouragement from instructor Gaylee Levee as well as from other students from all over the world.
I recommend this course wholeheartedly to anyone wishing to learn how to become an accomplished artist. There is no other home study course in existence today of this caliber.
One last thing. Do not buy this course if you are not serious about devoting the time and energy into learning how to paint or if you do not have patience. Without patience and hard work, this course will do you no good.
Click here to Learn and Master Painting!

Learn How to Paint like Monet

artlessons — Wed, 23 Sep 2009 16:54:29 CDT

You Can Learn How to Paint Like Monet: His Techniques and Color Mixing Approach

Have you ever wondered how to paint like Monet or wanted to paint like he does? When you see his works, like the huge water lily paintings in the Orangerie Museum in Paris, you know that he was truly a master colorist. Those paintings made such an impression on me that to this day I’m still inspired to follow in his footsteps. I want to venture outdoors, see the natural world around me, and paint it the way that he did. It is an invigorating change from the studio painting approach I normally use. Learning how to paint like Monet is easy. There are three aspects to keep in mind: how he mixed his colors, his technique of applying the paint, and his process for creating paintings....
Read the rest of this oil painting tutorial here.

Portrait Drawing Tutorial

artlessons — Mon, 31 Aug 2009 12:39:52 CDT

The human anatomy is a very complicated subject to draw. It has been said, that if one can master the human figure, one can draw anything. I believe there is definitely some truth to that.
So if you are passionate about learning how to draw the human body, specifically the face, then you are sure to find the following tutorial extremely helpful.
The following is a 6 part video lesson demonstrating step by step, the process of drawing a realistic portrait. It was created by the very talented portrait artist Ron Lemen.
Unfortunately, this drawing series has not been completed yet or the artist has not yet uploaded the final part. I wasn’t planning on posting this incomplete tutorial, but it is such a valuable lesson, that I just couldn’t pass it up. I hope you don’t mind. I promise to post the final part if and when it becomes available.
Grab your favorite pencils and paper and draw along....

Read the rest of this portrait drawing tutorial here.

Acrylic Painting Tips & Techniques For Beginners

artlessons — Tue, 18 Aug 2009 09:15:15 CDT

Acrylic paint, when compared with other mediums like oil paint, is a fairly new addition to the world of painting. It has only been around since the 1950’s . It has been continually under development and refinement since that time. Just because acrylic paint has not been around as long as oils, does not make these paints less important or enjoyable.

Some of the wonderful benefits of using acrylic paints are their versatility, permanence and ease of use. These paints can be applied thickly as an impasto or in thin washes similar to watercolor. Acrylic paint does not yellow or harden with age like oils.
Another reason artists love to work with acrylics is their fast drying time. Since acrylic paint dries so quickly, colors can be applied and layered quicker than oil paints. But with this fast drying time comes a few disadvantages:
1) The paint will not remain workable for very long, so you have to work fast. 2) Brushes can be ruined if you do not clean them right away. 3) If you plan to paint outdoors, then acrylic paint is probably not the best medium to use, especially on a hot sunny day. When you lay out your colors on a palette or other surface, they will begin to dry quickly forming skins on the surface, making them quite difficult to work with...

Please follow this link to view the rest of these acrylic painting tips

Oil Painting Tips - How to get the Most out of Your Oil Painting

artlessons — Fri, 20 Mar 2009 11:51:03 CDT

Learning how to become a good oil painter is a difficult undertaking. In fact, it is more than likely one of the most difficult painting mediums to master. Things like color mixing & theory, perspective, techniques and materials can really intimidate a beginner artist.

So how do you get the most out of your oil painting and become a more accomplished artist?
You must make it a point to learn the fundamentals of oil painting, practice often and have an enormous amount of patience. You must start with the fundamentals of oil painting first. You cannot expect to produce Rembrandt quality paintings in the beginning. In fact, the first paintings you produce will probably be a lot worse than you may have anticipated. Frustration will more than likely come into the picture (pun intended). They key is to learn from your mistakes and do not let them defeat you.
So what are some of the fundamentals of oil painting? What information should you study and learn first?
Please follow this link to read the rest of this article on oil painting tips...

Learn How To Paint in Watercolors With Aileen McLeod

artlessons — Tue, 30 Dec 2008 15:28:27 CST

About Aileen

Aileen is a multi-medium artist/tutor. Her portraits have been included in major portrait exhibtions and she has been commissioned to paint VIP. Aileen has been a guest on national TV pertaining to her art and appeared in various leading magazines. Portraits are a great love and she welcomes commissions in this and other subjects/mediums.
Visit Aileen’s Site by Clicking Here.

Step By Step Watercolor Painting Lesson

I love to share this SPONTANEOUS EXPERIENCE in WATER COLOUR.
This sweet face belongs to Harmoni and I was drawn to paint her portrait for her first birthday. The paper used was Canson 33.gms. a lovely surface for detail and a good weight to prevent buckling. No. 12 and 4 sable brush was my choice.

STEP 1. Sketch the features with a Light Red aquarelle pencil. STEP 2. A wash of Burnt Sienna was used to establish the shadows. STEP 3. Golden Red was washed into the hair.HINT: Try to hold the brush in a relaxed manner as in sample 2.

STEP 4. Flesh was painted in for the face tones and the cheek colour, Vermillion was then placed in, still using the same brush. STEP 5. The eyes were painted in Brown with No 4 brush and the eyelashes were established with a Dark Brown tone. HINT: Do not paint the individual lashes. STEP 6. Still using the No 4 brush the mouth is painted with Vermillion. some deeper tones were painted into the hair with Brown plus Burnt Sienna. STEP 7. Decisions….decisions….I was not sure whether to leave the washes in the free-flowing technique…see sample 3:

I then decided to apply some Flesh plus White into the lighter areas of the face; this blended the edges of the shadows and formed some middle tones. With a No 4 brush and White I then established the reflected light on the side of the face and some highlights on the cheek, chin, nose and upper lip. The highlights on the lip, tongue and the eyes were painted in with the tip of the brush.
Please follow this link to view the rest of this watercolour painting lesson...

Watercolor Brushwork Lesson By Steve Fleming

artlessons — Fri, 05 Dec 2008 20:03:10 CST

About Steve

I am an artist and teacher who primarily works in watercolor. I have been painting for nearly 35 years, and teaching for 14. I believe that the goal of art should be a creative interpretation of the world around us and not the perfect rendering of what we see. I also strongly hold that art is a process not just a product. We should spend more time involved in the making and experiencing our art and less time worrying about the successful marketing of the piece we are working on. Good art is the result of hard work and dedication, but it only happens when the artists finds their own story to tell.
Please click here to visit Steve’s website to learn more about him and to view his work.

Brushwork

Although it is sometimes not what we notice first about a great watercolor painting, expressive brushwork is one of the most important qualities of a good work. Due to the fact that watercolor is fairly hard to remove from the paper and is somewhat less workable than oils, pastels, graphite and to some extent acrylics through the use of overlaying opaque colors on top, it is critical that you begin and end the painting with solid and creative brushwork. It will be very difficult to correct sloppy and repetitive brushwork in those major areas of the painting. Think of the trees you have painted with brushwork that evoke the look of a broom, not an elm, or the water you
painted that has the feeling of a parking lot, not a tranquil pond or the light on the side of a model’s face that looks like an advertisement for a beard commercial and you will understand that your freedom with the brush is a critical factor is expressing your creative intent. Now I must say that there are times when you apply paint in big washes or solid color forms without a major concern for the individual brushwork, but you still want the brushwork in these forms and pieces of color to be reflective of your intent for this area of the painting and not be cluttered movement, conflicting movement or unintentional texture. If brushwork is not an important consideration in your painting then your work will not have the finish or quality of a masterful painting. Learn to apply your paint with a purposeful and deliberate brush stroke and try to avoid continual rubbing onto the painted surface with a wet and soggy brush. Get in the habit of thinking about the brushwork before you touch the paper and then have a confident and direct approach when your brush is in contact with the paper. The brush is the extension of your creative intent — it is your partner in the process, not just a stick with hair on it. Until we get to the point of painting with our hands and feet, the brush is the major way that the paint will get on the paper and the painting will always record for the viewer the skills you possess in brushwork. Neglecting the improvement of your brush skills will always hold back your painting progress.

Ways to Improve Your Brushwork

First it is important to understand the factors that control the expressive marks you want to learn to produce....
Please follow this link to view the rest of this watercolor painting lesson..

How To Paint a Rose in Watercolor Step By Step

artlessons — Mon, 27 Oct 2008 13:16:24 CDT

About Doris Joa

My name is Doris Joa and I am an artist from Germany.
My mediums are watercolor and oil. One of my special favorite subjects are Roses and figurative work. I paint roses and also other flowers in oil and watercolor. Beside Pansies, Rhododendron, Peonies, Daisies and Tulips, there are a lot of roses in my gallery on my website like Heidi Klum Rose, Sangerhauser Jubiläumsrose, Rose “Mein schöner Garten”, Rose Golden Celebration from David Austin, Rose Innocencia, Rose New Dawn, Rose Clair Renaissance, Rose Queen Mother, Rose Bonita Renaissance and more.
My goal is to paint in romantic realism. I am also doing figurative work, portraits, still lifes and in 2005 I have started a new series of colourful Horse paintings in oil. I also have started with doing postcard paintings in 4?x6? and other small studies . I have a great passion for nature and her beauty and try to capture this in my paintings. The sunshine, the shadows, the light and the glittering of a raindrop I find most captivating.
I love it when people tell me that when they view my paintings they can smell the flowers, feel the velvet of the rose-petals and have the feeling of standing in a garden.
Please be sure to visit Dori’s website to learn more about her and to view more of her work.
Her websites: http://www.dorisjoa.com/ http://romanticrosesinwatercolor.blogspot.com/

How To Paint a Rose in Watercolor Step By Step

The Star of this painting and Demonstration will be the Rose painting “Open Arms”.
It is a beautiful climbing rose, which I bought new this year for my garden and I was lucky to see a lot of blooms. I love the colours in this rose and I am looking forward to paint this rose.
Since I need time for doing a rose painting, I cannot paint from life, no rose would live such a long time. Another reason is that I have two small kids, so I usually only have time to paint in the evening when they are sleeping - so I work from photos. Since this rose is in my own garden, I had enough time to really observe it and understand more about the colors. I work only from my own reference photos.
I used a digital camera, Olympus C -750 Ultra Zoom to take the photos in this demo. It’s a great camera. I am able to see the details on the wings of a bee. I can zoom up to 40 times.

Now let us get started:

What do I need for a watercolor painting?
I need:

watercolor paper
brushes
paints
paper towels
and of course water.

And I will show you later some helpfool tools.
I am using only hotpressed paper. Most of the time I use 300 g (140 Lb) Arches hotpressed watercolor paper, but I am also using Lanaquarelle, also 140 Lb (300 g) and also hotpressed.
I do not see a difference between both brands, only that one is more expensive than the other.
I like the surface of this paper, it is wonderful for describing the finest detail and it is possible to paint the whole spectrum of texture. Hotpressed paper allows you also to paint in layers without disturbing underlayers.
One thing: As you know, I am a german girl, so please be kind with me about my english. When I do not explain good enough or when you do not understand things, what I am saying, please let me know. Thank you.

Back to the first steps:

I always stretch my paper.
You will need: your paper, a board, stretching tape, jar of clear water and paper towels. I wet my paper in the bath or shower , place it on the board and wet the measured pieces of tape by wetting them in the jar of clear water. I then place the tape around the sheet of paper (it is half over the paper and half over the board). With the paper towel I go along the stretching tape to absorb the moisture.
Do not worry if there are still some buckles in the paper. When the paper starts to dry they will disappear.

I have a lot of colour tubes in my paintbox, but I do not need them all. Also I work with different palettes.

In the next photo you see these small porcellain palettes. These are my favorite. I always use a small palette for my flower colours, one palette for the leaves and one for the background etc.

My favorite brushes are Da Vinci Maestro brushes. I have them in several sizes, but most of the time I work with sizes 2, 3, 4 and 6. The points of these brushes are excellent.
Before I start, I would like to show you some helpful tools. I am sure you know what masking fluid is. I prefer to not use it as I do not like the hard edges that you will get. Also it is easy to ruin your brushes with it. When you use masking fluid, use only old brushes. When I have tiny highlights in my painting, which are very hard to save, I prefer to use Masquepen. It has a very fine point applicator.

Another helpfool tool is Aquacover.
Here is the excact description: Aquacover is a revolutionary new product from Creative Mark! Aquacover is a versatile product that will provide new avenues of creativity and alleviate a problem that has plagued watercolorists since the beginning of time. It is available in 5 shades of white that perfectly match the most popular watercolor papers used today. Aquacover is the perfect cover up allowing you to fix small or large areas quickly and painlessly. Once applied it dries in seconds and is permanent, non-cracking and non-yellowing. You can then apply color directly over it without bleeding! Aquacover is sold in 1oz bottles with dropper caps and is sold with our unconditional guarantee of complete satisfaction. Get a bottle today. We know you’ll love it! (Due to its thick consistency, Aquacover is best applied with a brush. We do not recommend the included dropper for direct application.)

I use Aquacover rarely, but it helps me to get highlights back. You can use it with your brushes, it doesn’t ruin them. The next helpful tool is an eraser from Faber Castell called the Perfection 7057. It is a very hard eraser, which helps you to get highlights back when you later decide to add dewdrops and you have not saved the highlights before. It is a great tool.

Click Here for Part 2 of this Watercolor Painting Lesson

Mural Painting Demonstration By Julie Lamons

artlessons — Wed, 15 Oct 2008 12:12:56 CDT

Painting a Mural For a Church By Julie Lamons Print This Post

Artist Bio:

Julie Ann Crawford Lamons was born on March 25, 1953 in Newport Arkansas USA. She graduated from Bradford HS in 1971.Her interest in art began in her teens after drawing members of her church. She set aside her love of art for a few years after the birth of her twin daughters. Several years later she picked up her paintbrushes and began again a journey to bring her art to life in the world around her.
Julie graduated from a two-year art program with Penn Foster Schools in 2005, and is participated in workshops and working with the local artists. She enjoys working with acrylic and oil. She has a studio and small gallery located in Pleasant Plains, Arkansas. You will see a wide variety in her gallery from inspirational to landscape and still life.
In 2006 Julie was a member of the gallery walk committee of Heber Springs, Arkansas which worked to promote the arts in the area. She has been featured in Local Newspapers, and The Arkansas Newspaper magazine Three Rivers Edition. She is a member of the Arkansas Artist Registry and The Eureka Springs Artist Registry.
One of her paintings, Hay Bales was exhibited at the Clinton Presidential Library (July–August 2007, sponsored by the Clinton Foundation and the Thea Foundation), from where it moved to the El Dorado High School for the school year 2007/8 with Art Across Arkansas. She continues today to work with her local community to bring her love of art to others.
Visit Julie’s Website: http://www.jlamonspainting.net

Painting a Mural for a Church

The Commission

I was asked by the pastor of a local church if I would be interested in painting a mural. Despite some doubts (not least of which was the practicalities of working on scaffolding up to ceiling height), I said yes and before I knew it I was presenting a slide show of ideas at a church meeting.
My brief from this first meeting was to present three scenes in one: the cross, the tomb, and the ascension of Christ. I began evaluating the mural space – a 9×23 feet rectangle with a peak at the center — to find the appropriate style and approach to fulfill the church’s needs.
I sketched out my composition onto two sheets of paper I’d stuck together. (Later I gridded it up into inch squares to help me transfer the design to the wall.) I wanted to put some landscape (trees or shrubs) between each scene to make it look more natural. I did some research on the Internet to see what the landscape in the area in Israel actually looks like, then mixed in a little artistic license.
In order to place the emphasis of the mural the ascension, I deliberately placed dark clouds over the crosses, used medium tones over the tomb, and light tones over the ascension. The crowd looking up initially looked a little unnatural to me and I needed to make the figures feel as if they belonged. I feel I achieved this in the final mural through the placement of the tree and the landscape receding behind them....
Please follow this link to view the rest of this mural painting demonstration...

Portrait Painting Tutorial By Karin Wells

artlessons — Mon, 06 Oct 2008 10:29:53 CDT

There are a LOT of ways to paint a portrait. I use several different methods (and sometimes combine them) depending on what I think is best at the time. Sometimes I even remember to take pictures of the process.

This portrait of Gwyneth (20″x24″, oil on linen) won the Certificate of Excellence at the Portrait Society of America’s International Portrait Competition in Philadelphia this year (2008).
Here’s how I did it:

This a drawing on Acetate. I use prepared acetate instead of tracing paper because I can see through it. Believe me, it comes in handy later in the painting if my lines begin to “wander” and I need to correct. I use a “Sharpie” Permanent Marker as it makes a clean line and doesn’t smear. I use a sheet of graphite paper and a ballpoint pen to transfer the drawing to the canvas. Acrylic paint will cover graphite (pencil). Oil paint will not cover graphite so if I were painting in oil, I’d need to erase my original lines and replace them with a Sharpie line.

I used acrylic paint for my first layer. In order to do this, I needed to use an acrylic primed linen - acrylic paint will not stick to oil primed linen and will not be archival.
I use Golden Matte colors. I try to stick to the dull halftone, neutral earth colors.
For the color “white” I choose a dull warmish neutral - about the value of a brown paper bag. Nothing will be lighter in value than this.
If my subject has light skin, I use the same paint and color for the skintones as my “white.” If my subject has darker skin, I deepen the value accordingly.

I may need to put on more than one layer of paint in order to cover the canvas and make it flat - like a poster. It is a good way to lay down my basic composition and make a definite statement of shape.
Two thin layers are much better than one thick layer. And I try not to leave ridges.
Posterizing is a good way to see if a composition works. This layer could be in oil but acrylics are a faster way to saturate the canvas.
I chose a medium value paint for all the objects and was thinking “halftone” (the space between light and shadow). Once the white of the canvas is covered up - it doesn’t look so dark.
I always establish black and white immediately in an underpainting. It will help all the other mid-range values fall into place.

Gwyneth Demonstration Part 2 >>

Interview With Artist Cindy Davis

artlessons — Wed, 10 Sep 2008 14:14:06 CDT

Biography

Cindy Davis’ paintings have been exhibited and sold in Georgia, Florida, California, Colorado, Maryland and Tennessee. She frequently exhibits in Albany, Georgia as well as participating in art events in through the Deep South. Mrs. Davis is a member of the International Society of Acrylic Painters, the Southern Artists’ League, and the Georgia Artist’s Guild of Albany. She is best known for her large format, abstract acrylic paintings.She owns and manages an internet-based art business, Flint River Gallery, LLC, currently representing 9 southern artists.

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Sensational Sketches In Six Simple Steps by Sandy Sandy

artlessons — Fri, 05 Sep 2008 14:30:18 CDT

Light and Dark Values

They Create Dimension, Drama, Texture and Shape

No matter what medium or technique you use to depict your subject, always try to use a full range of values. Value is the lightness or darkness of a color. You can simplify value by thinking light, medium and dark. A good drawing should have all three. A tool I use frequently in drawing and painting is a value scale. You could easily make up your own any number of ways. The first one I made out of a page from a Pantone color formula guide mounted on a piece of foam core. The second one, The Don Rankin Value and View Finder, is available through Cheap Joes’ Art Stuff. I like this one because there are holes in the card where the values are and you can hold it right over the area you’re evaluating to get a really good match.
“Value drawings are one of the artist’s best friends.” ~ Harley Brown
Homemade Value Chart

Don Rankin’s Value and View Finder

Sensational Sketches In Six Simple Steps

* STEP 1 ~ Block In Shapes

I recommend using a good quality spiral sketchbook, at least 6″ x 8″ or bigger with a medium weight drawing paper. I like the Strathmore 300 series, 9″ x 12″. You’ll also need a soft drawing pencil (2B - 4B) and a kneaded eraser. This drawing shows you how to hold the pencil when you first start your drawing. It’s so much easier to first block in shapes this way and keeps you loose without getting caught up in details too early.

* STEP 2 ~ Refine and Add Detail

Ok, now you can tighten up a little and hold the pencil like you would to write. Add some of the main details. Correct and refine your sketch, but don’t get too nit picky!

Keep in mind that this is an exercise. It doesn’t have to be a masterpiece!
When out of the studio sketching, I stop with this step and add the wash later. So all you need to take out with you is a pencil, eraser and sketchbook!
“A pencil is quiet, clean, odorless, inexpensive, and lightweight. I can slip it in my pocket and take it with me everywhere - my secret friend.” ~ Sherry Camby
My motto is: “KISS ~ Keep it sensationally simple!”

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Oil Painting Technique - Painting Drips and Drops - Part #2

artlessons — Sat, 30 Aug 2008 16:37:03 CDT

How to paint water drops on a horizontal surface in four easy steps. By Karin Wells

The following oil painting lesson is part 2 of Karin’s oil painting technique for creating water drips. This second part demonstrates how to paint water drops on a horizontal surface…
Click here to view this oil painting lesson…

Oil Painting For Beginners - Painting Drips and Drops By Karin Wells

artlessons — Sat, 30 Aug 2008 16:36:11 CDT

I have a wonderful oil painting tutorial to share with you today by artist Karin Wells. I conducted an interview with her not long ago. If you would like to read that interview, I recommend you take some time to read it by clicking here and become better acquainted with Karin. She is a very talented artist and I am delighted to be featuring her work.
The following oil painting lesson will demonstrate Karin’s oil painting technique for creating water drips on a vertical surface. This is part 1 of a 2 part series.
Click here to view Karin’s oil painting technique for creating water drops…

Learn Oil Paintint Techniques From Dan Schultz with this Free Tutorial

artlessons — Sat, 26 Jul 2008 19:16:38 CDT

Dan Schultz was born in New Mexico in 1975 and soon began to take an interest in art. He enjoyed art classes through his primary and high school years, and studied commercial art at Pensacola Christian College in Florida. He received his degree with a focus on illustration and graphic design, but he never felt driven to pursue either as a career. After college, he continued to sharpen his drawing and painting skills by attending Cottonwood Artists’ School in Colorado Springs, Colorado, and it was there that he realized for the first time his desire for a career in fine art.

He chooses to work in a classical style because he deeply connects with traditional works which aptly express reality. “Art should bring about a respect for life and God’s creation around us,” he says. “I want to do my best to faithfully render what is beautiful to me and hopefully others will find that beauty reflected in my work.”

West Wind - An Oil Painting Demonstration by Dan Schultz

For this studio painting I used Claessens double oil primed linen canvas, #15 (my usual painting surface). This painting, as with most of my larger paintings, was completed using a photograph as my reference. (My wife, Sarah, is the lovely lady in the photo. Somehow I doubt she would have been very excited to pose in the middle of a field long enough for me to do the painting from life.)

Click here to view the rest of these step by step oil painting techniques by Dan...

20 Digital Photography Tips For The Beginner...

artlessons — Sun, 20 Jul 2008 14:10:05 CDT

Digital cameras are one of the greatest inventions of modern times. We are so fortunate to have this modern convenience called Digital Photography. To be able to capture a precious moment or beautiful scene at the click of a button, is something we should not take for granted.

Many beginners find digital photography rather challenging and rightly so. Today, more and more digital cameras are being created and it seems like the more digital cameras they make, the more difficult they become to use.

I own a Canon Powershot S3 IS. I purchased this digital camera about a year ago and I still haven't utilized all of the awesome little features this camera has to offer. Now you may not want or even need a camera with tons of features. It really depends on the type of pictures you plan on taking.

Regardless of the camera you own or are planning to own, you should have a well rounded knowledge of digital photography. I hope the following 20 tips for taking digital photography will prove to be useful in your quest for taking better photographs. �

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Artist Spotlite - Interview With Don Sahli

artlessons — Tue, 08 Jul 2008 18:53:06 CDT

Everybody looks for a label. I would like to be known as a painter one who painted what he saw while wandering around on his journey.
Don Sahli made the decision to become a professional artist at a very early age. By the time he was 17 years old, galleries in Texas and New Mexico were selling his paintings. Sahli has earned his living as a professional artist all his adult life. Presently, his work is represented by galleries in Colorado, North Carolina, New Mexico, Wyoming and Texas.
When I look at a painting, I want it to bring me back to when I was on the scene. I want it to convey the drama and emotion that first captured my attention, the atmosphere, and the soul of the place. Sahli’s work contains stylistic echoes of the Russian masters, particularly evident in his uninhibited use of color, his stern originality and unique vitality. As the last apprentice to the Russian colorist, Sergei Bongart, Sahli sustains an important artistic legacy, one passed from Ilya Repin, the fountainhead of all modern Russian painting, to Nicolai Fechin, to Peter Kotov, to Sergei Bongart to Don Sahli.
My teacher taught, his teacher taught, and I wanted to keep this tradition alive and give something back.
In 1995, carrying on the legacy of his teacher, Sahli opened Sahli School of Art in Evergreen, Colorado. He lives with his wife, Cindy and their two sons, in their mountain home near the school.
Q - What medium or mediums do you work with? A - I am an oil painter - on canvas or board - depending on the size of the painting and where I am painting - studio or plein air.
Q - How long have you been an artist? How did you get started? A - I have been an artist all my life. I sold my first painting at age 14 or 15. When I was 17, I took my work to a gallery in Taos, NM, the gallery director accepted it and sold my work for several years. I have continued to show in galleries around the country since that time....
Please click here to read the rest of this Artist Interview....