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 … Read more
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 … Read more
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 … Read more
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 … Read more
There is a lot to learn from watching other artists paint. Every artist is unique in the way they handle a brush, mix colors and deal with problems. Art is fascinating in the sense we all come up with different ways to render and interpret the same subjects. But, you need to be careful when learning from … Read more
Texture in art is a visual element that 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 … Read more
This is a detailed guide on the idea of notan and how you can use it to improve your art. I’ll cover: What Does “Notan” Mean in Terms of Art? Notan is a Japanese term that literally means “light-dark harmony”. Artists use “notan studies” to explore different arrangements of light and dark elements in a … Read more
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. In this post, I’ll cover: Supplies Used I recently invested in some Rosemary & Co … Read more
If you want to improve your drawing skills, then I believe it is important that you put in regular practice (daily if possible). In a previous post, I wrote about how I was doing daily gesture drawings. I have continued with this practice and it has greatly improved my instinctive drawing skills and understanding of the … Read more
Taking beautiful photographs of your art sometimes feels harder than actually creating it. If you do not know what you are doing, then your photos will frequently turn out too bright, dull, warm, cool or glary (like the photos below of a recent painting). In this post, I walk you through my process for taking … Read more
Black is a very polarizing color in the art world. Some people swear by using black, and others avoid it all together. In this post, I want to try and clear up some of the confusion around black and provide you with some information on how to use it in your paintings and how to mix … Read more
A reader wrote to me the other day asking for my advice about pricing one of his paintings. I thought I would use this as a chance to put together a post about how to price your art to help anyone else having the same struggle. I cover: What Determines the Price You Can Charge … Read more