In this post, I walk you step-by-step through my New Zealand Reflections painting. This was done in oils on a 20×24 inch canvas. For those of you who paint in acrylics or watercolors, many of the fundamental concepts still apply; the main difference between the mediums is the way you apply the paint. If you…
How to Use Grid Drawing to Improve Your Accuracy
Dan Scott, New Zealand Reflections, 2019 Grid drawing is a technique that will help improve your accuracy without compromising the development of your freehand drawing in the long-term. It basically involves placing a grid over your reference photo and canvas, then using that grid to assist with the placement of your drawing. The grid provides…
How to Paint Mist, Fog, Smoke, and Other Transient Effects
In this post, I provide you with some guidance on how to paint mist, fog, smoke, and other transient effects. These effects are typically challenging to capture on a flat surface due to their elusive and fleeting nature. Many artists seem to be either too timid with their approach, or too bold. I cover the following…
Color Saturation – The Ultimate Guide for Artists
What is Color Saturation? Color saturation refers to how vivid, rich, or intense a color is. It is one of the three elements of color, with the other two being hue and value. Below is a saturation scale showing what happens when you take a vivid red and gradually lower the saturation until you have…
Fundamentals of Art – The Building Blocks of an Artwork
The fundamentals of art are what I consider to be the building blocks of an artwork. They are color, composition, value, form, brushwork, and perspective. The fundamentals are generally universal across different mediums and styles. Learning them will help you become a well-rounded and versatile artist. Color I like to break color into two parts: color…
Emphasis in Art
What is Emphasis in Art? Emphasis is a principle of art which refers to the use of visual elements to draw attention to a certain area, usually a focal point, in an artwork. There are many ways you could go about using emphasis in your art. Usually, it involves contrasting different elements against each other.…
Harmony in Art – What It Is Plus Master Painting Examples
What Is Harmony in Art? Harmony is a principle of art which refers to how well all the visual elements work together. Elements which are in harmony should have some kind of logical progression or relationship. It should just look like it works. If there is an element which is not in harmony with the…
How to Paint Waterfalls
Waterfalls are a fantastic subject to paint, particularly as a study of edges, color, and movement. But they can be challenging, with all the twists, turns, breaks, reflections, and turbulence as the water crashes down through the rocks. In this post, I will provide you with some guidance for how to paint waterfalls, using master…
How to Simplify a Complex Scene
I recently spent a night at the beautiful Secrets on the Lake in Queensland, Australia with my partner, Chontele. We stayed in a secluded lodge, nestled amongst the dense rainforest. I used this trip as a chance to test out some of my new plein air painting equipment. But, despite the stunning nature which surrounded…
How to Paint Grass
In this post, you will learn fundamental tips for painting grass. The idea of this post is not to show you a strict, step-by-step process. Instead, I want to take the fundamental ideas and theories and show you how they can be applied to painting grass. This is much the same format as my earlier…
