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Alla prima refers to a direct painting approach where paint is applied wet on wet without letting earlier layers dry. In Italian the term alla prima means “at first attempt”. Paintings created in this approach are usually completed within a single session. This made it popular with the Impressionists, as they were able to more easily…
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I recently returned from a beautiful getaway at Crystal Creek in New South Wales, Australia. My partner and I stayed in a villa nestled within the forest. I used this as an opportunity to do some forest painting on location from the balcony of our villa. I usually paint from a studio, so this was…
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Simplification in art involves taking the complex details which we see all around us and simplifying it into a story, or a work of art. With every painting I create, I look for different ways to simplify what I am trying to say. In this post I discuss some of the different ways you can…
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Frederick Judd Waugh, Winds And Seas The seascape can be a challenging subject to paint. Water is unpredictable by nature and has translucent and reflective qualities which can be a real pain to deal with. In this post I give some seascape painting tips for beginners. 1. Capture the Gesture of the Seascape Gesture in…
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Color studies are perfect for exploring different arrangements of color without having to worry about other aspects of painting like accuracy and composition. In this post I will walk you through how to go about doing color studies and what you can learn from them. What Is A Color Study? A color study is usually…
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Virtuoso brushwork is a defining feature of many of the great artists. They wielded their brush like it was an extension of their arm and paint flowed effortlessly onto the canvas. They knew when to paint thick and when to paint smooth. When to paint with delicate attention and when to simplify the detail. When…
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One of the most common reservations artists have with oil painting is the use of harsh chemicals like solvents and mediums. To a beginner, these additional supplies can seem overwhelming. Painting is hard enough without the added confusion of mediums and solvents. But you do not need to use additional solvents and mediums in oil painting.…
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Being able to analyze an artwork is essential for developing as an artist and to fully appreciate what the great artists create. If you don’t understand what is going on in a master artwork, how could you expect to learn how to paint it for yourself? In this post I discuss how to analyze art…
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Painting is all about taking an idea and communicating that idea to other people using paint and brush. Most people only talk about the physical process of how to apply paint to the canvas. But it is also important to consider what happens before you pick up your brush – the process of taking that…
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Contrast is everything in art. Without it, you may as well leave the canvas blank. It is one of the principles of art which refers to the striking difference between two elements. For example, there is a strong contrast when you place a vivid red next to a dull green, or a rough texture next…
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