(My “On the Easel” posts give you a behind-the-scenes look at what I am working on, what went well, what went wrong, and things I learn). Below is Fraser Island, High Key. It depicts Kingfisher Bay’s jetty at blue hour—that brief period after the sun falls below the horizon line and all of nature’s pastel … Read more
In my recent paintings, I’ve started incorporating rather unusual techniques. Cotton buds, paper towel, fingernails, whatever gets the job done. I take this as a good sign, as it means I’m focusing more on the outcome rather than how I’m going to get there. I’ll run through some of these techniques in this post, using … Read more
I have some catching up to do with the On the Easel posts. I painted Airlie Beach in August and have done a few since then. I traveled to Airlie Beach recently with my brother and father. It’s a stunning place in the Whitsundays, within reach despite the world’s travel restrictions. We were blessed with … Read more
Highlights are tricky. Get them wrong and your whole painting will look slightly off. Get them right and it pulls everything together, like slotting the missing piece into a jigsaw puzzle. Let’s take a closer look at what highlights are, how to paint them, and some of the nuances to look out for. I’ll cover: … Read more
Clouds are a staple of landscape painting. You can use them as the key feature or idea of your painting (see Issac Levitan’s Clouds below), to create a sense of moody atmosphere, or simply as a composition tool for their dynamic shapes. Many artists struggle to paint them. That’s perhaps due to their transient, organic, … Read more
“As the woods are the same, the trees standing in their places, the rocks and the earth… they are always different too, as lights and shadows and seasons and moods pass through them.” Emily Carr Trees are an endless source of inspiration for me. So many unique combinations of color, light, shadow, form, and other … Read more
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. I cover: … Read more
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 you with common reference points between … Read more
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 … Read more
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 pure gray: Most artists … Read more