Google Arts & Culture (formerly Google Art Project) is an online initiative that provides public access to extremely high-resolution photos of artworks and cultural objects. The initiative has partnered with many museums to provide intimate access to some of the most famous paintings in history. Below are some of my favorite master paintings up close. The first … Read more
The age-old question – are black and white actually colors? This is an interesting question to ask, especially for us artists, as it raises some interesting discussions about what color is and how we see color. The answer varies depending on your perspective. I discuss why below. From a Scientific Perspective From a purely scientific … Read more
The Zorn palette refers to a palette of colors attributed to the great Swedish artist Anders Zorn (18 February 1860 – 22 August 1920). It consists of just 4 colors yellow ochre, ivory black, vermilion, and titanium white. Cadmium red light is commonly used in place of vermilion by modern-day artists. Whilst this may seem like … Read more
Plein air painting is a highly recommended practice, especially for landscape painters. It helps you hone your skills by forcing you to paint with a sense of urgency as the light quickly retreats or otherwise changes. I made a commitment to myself to do more plein air painting. Not just to improve my painting skills … Read more
One of the most common problems I hear from my readers is…. “How do I develop my own unique artistic style?” I remember this question frustrated me in the early days of my painting journey. The question actually crippled my progress as I tried to force some kind of unique artistic style, rather than let it … Read more
It’s a great feeling once you finish a painting which you have long worked on and you are satisfied with the result. But your work does not finish there. There are a number of tasks which I recommend you do once you finish a painting. These tasks may not provide any immediate benefit, but let me assure … Read more
Your paintbrush should feel like an extension of your arm. But, all the different kinds of artist brushes which are available can sometimes only add confusion to the painting process, rather than making it easier. In this post, I discuss the different kinds of artist paint brushes that are available for you to use. Anatomy … Read more
I decided to put together some of my favorite color quotes by the master artists. Color is such a mysterious and fascinating area and it is interesting to read how some of the master artists viewed color. When many of these artists were alive, color was not nearly as understood or studied as it is … Read more
The visual elements of art are the building blocks of an artwork and the principles of art are the framework for how you arrange these elements. Understanding the visual elements of art is of key importance to see like an artist. Rather than looking at an object as what it represents, you will learn to … Read more
Martín Rico y Ortega (12 November 1833 – 13 April 1908) was a remarkable Spanish painter who had international success mostly for his landscapes and cityscapes. His paintings seem to have this peaceful elegance to them. This is probably due to the relatively high key which he painted in (most of the colors are on … Read more
If you are learning how to paint, you will probably go through some flat periods where creative inspiration seems lacking. The white canvas sits on your easel, bare of any paint for a day as you ponder over your first stroke. That day turns into a week, and sometimes that week turns into months or … Read more
I recently interviewed a fantastic artist by the name of Brent Cotton. He has shared some of his valuable thoughts and processes on painting. Here is a short statement from his website: “I’m inspired by mood and drama, the fleeting effects of light. I hope my paintings bring a sense of peace to the viewer, … Read more