Welcome to lesson 3 of the Painting the Landscape workshop. As a recap, in lesson 1, I chose a reference photo to paint. In lesson 2, I analyzed that reference photo and came up with a strategy to paint it. Now, it’s time to paint! Painting the subject is all about bringing your ideas to … Read more
Welcome to lesson 2 of the Painting the Landscape workshop. In lesson 1, I chose a reference photo to paint. Now it’s time for the planning and strategy phase. This phase will allow you to start the painting with direction, momentum, and a plan of attack. It will also make the painting process smoother, you’ll … Read more
Some time ago, I emailed about an artist named Henry Hensche for his stunning use of color. In response, one of my readers suggested I check out the work of an Australian artist, Hilda Rix Nicholas. I wasn’t familiar with the name, but turns out I was captivated by one of her paintings when I visited the New South … Read more
Welcome to lesson 1 of the Painting the Landscape workshop. Glad to have you on board! Before I get into it, I’ll recap what to expect from this workshop. The idea of this workshop is to give you practical insight into the landscape painting process. I’ll walk you through the creation of my most recent … Read more
I came across this interview with Bob Kuhn on Youtube that took place back in 1997. It provides insight into the mind and process of a master animal and acrylic painter. At 4:27, he says: “As I grow older, I do what I want to do. And if I cheat a little bit, who cares? … Read more
I was introduced to a new painting by Vincent van Gogh the other day, Interior of a Restaurant. I’m surprised that I’m still seeing van Gogh paintings for the first time, especially considering I’ve been writing about art for over seven years now. He may have lived a relatively short and turbulent life, but it … Read more
This is an interview with Susan Goddard, a dynamic artist and master watercolorist. She’s also the mother of my closest friend, Ted. I’m grateful to have her answer a few questions about her work, watercolors, and the art life. Q: When did you start painting? Since I was knee-high to a grasshopper! I was interested … Read more
This is a detailed guide on painting hair and fur—whether that be human hair, artificial hair, animal fur, whiskers, etc. I’ll broadly refer to all this as “hair” from hereon. Big, Simple Shapes One of the most common mistakes beginner artists make when painting hair is getting caught up in the tiny details. They paint … Read more
(My “On the Easel” posts give you a behind-the-scenes look at what I am working on, what went well, what went wrong, and things I learn.) Let’s take a look at how I painted Parent’s Garden. This was a challenging painting of a familiar subject. Reference Photo Below is the reference photo I painted from. … Read more
This is a detailed guide on the concepts of foreground, middle ground, and background. You’ll learn what they mean and how to paint them effectively. What Do They Mean? The foreground, middle ground, and background refer to areas in space. The foreground refers to the nearest area. The background refers to the area of space … Read more