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In this post I walk you through how to mix your own vivid orange using different red and yellow paints. The purpose of this exercise is to deepen your understanding of color mixing, color bias and the limitations of our paints. What Colors Make Orange? Color Bias – Warm and Cool Yellows and Reds What…
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This is a comprehensive guide for absolute beginners looking to get started in painting. In writing this, I considered what I would do if I had to go back and learn painting all over again. I have broken the guide into 7 simple steps you can follow: Step 1. Consider Why You Want to Take…
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In this post I walk you through my painting of the stunning Honeymoon Bay in Tasmania. This is a large-scale painting done on a 24×30 inch canvas in oils. Dan Scott, Honeymoon Bay, Tasmania, 2019 Reference Photo and Analysis Below is the reference photo I painted from. It was taken under the bright, midday sun.…
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What Are Color Schemes in Art? A color scheme is used to describe the overall selection of colors in an artwork. The major color schemes in art are analogous, complementary, split-complementary, triadic, rectangular and monochromatic. These color schemes utilize colors at certain locations on the color wheel. Before I get into it, I should point…
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Rocks and cliffs form a key part of landscape painting, but many people seem to struggle with painting them. This is probably due to the organic and irregular shapes they come in, combined with a lack of understanding about light and shadow. In this post I walk you through how to paint rocks and cliffs,…
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In this post I will be taking a look at several master winter landscape paintings. Sadly, I don’t get much of a chance to paint snowy, winter landscapes. There is not much snow in Australia as you would expect. But next time I travel to the snow, I will draw inspiration from the master paintings…
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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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Joaquín Sorolla, Return from Fishing, the Beach in Valencia, 1907 When I ask readers what they are struggling with most in painting, one of the most common replies is a struggle to paint looser and more relaxed. This is a common problem in painting. We tend to overthink and overcomplicate things. The end result is usually…
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