Hi there! I’m currently in New Zealand with Chontele. We are having a very late honeymoon while my brother and his fiancee look after our little one. While it’s not a work trip, I can’t help but take a few sneaky reference photos. Every trip here fills up my inspiration hub for years. There’s just … Read more
In yesterday’s email, I listed a few of my bad habits and tendencies that you should probably avoid. (If you missed it, you can read it here.) I wanted to follow up and say that not all bad habits, kinks, and quirks in your technique and processes need to be ironed out. To some extent, … Read more
I have been fairly open about what I’m working on and my process for over nine or so years. Part of this is for my own self-improvement, and part of it is to help you on your journey. Whilst there are some things I do okay, there are many things I do where you should … Read more
Many of my paintings are based on quite simple subjects. My latest one, for example, is really just a still pond with a few trees, clouds, and a crisp blue sky. But simple doesn’t always mean easy. Sometimes you need to work even harder to make simple subjects work. Your technique and execution must be … Read more
After spending so long on the Elora painting, I wanted to change things up and paint something fast and with instinct. Here’s what I ended up with: Fraser Island, Analogous Colors. I painted this within a day over two sessions. All up, it was about 2.5 hours of painting time. For reference, it’s 18 by … Read more
I spent the first two months of this year working on just one painting, Elora With Christmas Lights (shown below). During this time, I shunned most of my day-to-day tasks. I ignored social media. I hardly published any new emails, articles, or videos. I didn’t draw or work on other paintings. I basically locked myself … Read more
I’m finally done with this new painting: Elora With Christmas Lights. This was a tricky one. I spent most of January and some of February getting it right. There are several different light sources of different colors, intensities, and angles. It was a minefield of optical tricks and illusions. There’s also little room for error … Read more
Nicolai Fechin was primarily a portrait painter, but he also painted some stunning landscapes. I curated a gallery of them below for your inspiration. As you look through these paintings, notice the wide range of techniques—the thick, impasto strokes, the bursts of color, the texture, the intricate details, the broken and soft edges, the broken … Read more
Today’s featured artist is Elena Salnikova. She paints stunning portraits in oil, usually with the subject outdoors amongst nature. Her still lifes are also impressive. You can see a few of my favorites below. They are colorful and playful, but not so much that they appear cartoonish and overly stylized. Her style also seems particularly suited … Read more
I was going through some of my childhood photos at my parents’ place and came across an old drawing in a wooden frame and a worn black-and-white photo in the top-left corner. Turns out it was done by my dad over 50 years ago. He was living with an artist friend who encouraged him to … Read more