Vincent van Gogh has got to be one of the most interesting artists of history. He is one of the most famous artists in history, yet during his lifetime he was hardly known and suffered financial hardship. I wonder how he would feel about his post-mortem fame? Despite his current fame, many people do not know … Read more
The principles of art (or the principles of design) are essentially a set of criteria that are used to explain how the visual elements are arranged in a work of art. These principles are possibly the closest thing we have to a set of objective criteria for analyzing and judging art. Art is a notoriously … Read more
Oil paint is inherently slow drying compared to other painting mediums such as acrylic, watercolor or gouache paints. Because of this, you have much more time to manipulate oil paint on your canvas before it dries. This is one of the reasons why oil paint is so widely used by artists. So how long does … Read more
It is no secret that painting is hard! So here are some painting accessories to make your painting journey just a bit easier. These accessories are not essential by any means, but you may find them useful depending on how you like to paint. If you use any other painting accessories which are not included … Read more
The most difficult strokes to make in an oil painting are the first and last strokes. The first strokes are because you may not know where to start and the last strokes are because you may not know when to stop. This post is all about how to start an oil painting to help you … Read more
Peder Mørk Mønsted (10 December 1859 – 20 June 1941) was a Danish painter known for his realistic landscapes. He began painting from an early age and attended the Royal Danish Academy of Fine Arts from 1875 to 1879. His landscapes are incredibly detailed, yet do not appear to be overworked. This is not easy to achieve. Many realist paintings … Read more
Are you struggling for painting inspiration? These painting quotes by some of the great masters of art should help inspire you on your own journey. These quotes offer interesting insights into the mindsets of these great artists and how they painted. If you have any painting quotes which have inspired you and are not included … Read more
This post will discuss how you can mix your own earth tones. Earth tones are browns and ochres such as raw umber, burnt sienna and yellow ochre. I cover: The purpose of this post is not to show you how to replace earth tones on your palette. Instead, it is merely to demonstrate that earth … Read more
George Henry (1858-1943) was a talented Scottish painter who attended the Glasgow School. His paintings demonstrate rich colors and strong contrasting elements. My favorite painting by far is River Landscape By Moonlight. This is a perfect demonstration of how you can paint the illusion of light. As you are probably aware, we are not able to duplicate … Read more
I recently stumbled across a remarkable artist named Tom Thomson (August 5, 1877 – July 8, 1917). He was a Canadian artist whose work influenced a group of landscape painters known as the Group of Seven. Thomson passed away before the Group was officially formed, however he is sometimes incorrectly included in the Group. Thomson started drawing and … Read more