Vivid colors usually get all the attention, so this post is dedicated to the subtle beauty of muted colors. I find that one of the most common problems of beginner painters is that they completely overlook the importance of muted colors in favor of the more flashy vivid reds, blues, oranges, purples, and so on. … Read more
In this post, I will discuss what positive and negative space is and how you can use it to improve your paintings. What Is Positive and Negative Space? Positive space refers to areas where the subject is positioned. Negative space is the area surrounding the subject. Or in other words, positive space is the main … Read more
Childe Hassam (October 17, 1859 – August 27, 1935) was a brilliant American painter who had a unique impressionist style. In particular, the way he used color is inspirational. Few artists have the ability to push such rich and vivid colors without the painting appearing jarring or overdone. Hassam was a busy artist, producing over 3,000 … Read more
Green has always been a troublesome color for beginners. Why that is the case, I’m not sure. It may have something to do with a lack of understanding of how to mix color. Or maybe it has something to do with how we actually perceive green. As Pablo Picasso once said: They’ll sell you thousands … Read more
Water is a challenging subject to paint. There are just so many variables you need to deal with such as reflections, transparency and movement. In this post, I will provide some simple tips for how to paint water with quality of realism. I cover: “How to paint water” is admittedly a bit vague. Water comes … Read more
This post will be all about the interesting style known as pointillism. Whilst this art movement was based on a somewhat misguided understanding of how color works and how we perceive it, the movement did produce some stunning artworks and techniques which you can apply to your paintings. I cover: What Is Pointillism? Pointillism is … Read more
The cliffs at Étretat seem to be a popular subject to paint. They have been painted by several famous artists such as Claude Monet, Eugene Boudin, Gustave Courbet, Gustave Loiseau and Henri Matisse. The reason the cliffs are such a popular subject to paint is most likely the naturally strong design created by the formation … Read more
Frederick Judd Waugh (1861 – 1940) was a leading American artist known for his beautiful seascape paintings. He was the son of painter Samuel Waugh and studied at the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts. Interestingly, he was a camouflage artist for the U.S. Navy during World War I. His seascape paintings are incredibly realistic, without being … Read more
Here is a giant list of useful art links which you may find useful. If you know of any other art websites that should be on the list, feel free to let me know. Art Publications & Media Websites Bored Panda – A popular website which features weird, unusual and fun art posts. You can submit … Read more
In this post, I will discuss how you can use a low key to create very dramatic paintings. This post will follow on from my previous post which was all about painting in a high key. Low key paintings utilize colors the lower (darker) end of the value range. So your darks will be around … Read more