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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 painting. 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 in art. For example, there is a strong contrast when you place a vivid red next to a dull green, or a rough…
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If you are just starting out in painting, one of the first areas I suggest you learn is how light and shadow work. It influences almost everything we do as artists – the colors we use, our compositions, our brushwork, how we render form and so on. It is also one of the few aspects of art…
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Texture in art is a visual element which refers to the surface quality of a painting (i.e. smooth, rough, matte, glossy, etc). Many artists seem to overlook the importance of texture, but I find it to be one of the most versatile tools at our disposal. In this post I discuss what texture is and…
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Notan is a Japanese term which literally means “light dark harmony”. Artists use “notan studies” to explore different arrangements of light and dark elements in a painting, without having the distraction of other elements like color, texture and finer details. In practice, this involves painting the darks with black and the lights with white (known…
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I recently put the finishing touches on this painting which features a secluded red house amongst the beautiful New Zealand landscape. I will walk you through how I painted it and what went on behind the strokes of my brush. New Zealand, Red House, Oil, 12×16 Inches Supplies Used I recently invested in some Rosemary…
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