John Singer Sargent’s Watercolor Paintings

John Singer Sargent rose to fame for his finely rendered oil portraits. At his peak, he was one of the most sought-after artists for portrait commissions. But, he was also a remarkable watercolorist. I cover the following in the post: Watercolors brought out a different side to Sargent’s work. His meticulous oil portraits feature muted … Read more

Alla Prima (Wet on Wet) Painting Tips

Alla prima refers to a direct painting approach where paint is applied wet on wet without letting earlier layers dry. In Italian, the term alla prima means “at first attempt”. Paintings created in this approach are usually completed within a single session. This made it popular with the Impressionists, as they were able to more … Read more

How to Make Your Paintings Look More Realistic

When I ask my readers what their single biggest struggle is in painting the most common answer by far is…. “I want my paintings to look more realistic”. I think it is always important to have some quality of realism to your paintings no matter what style you paint in. Otherwise, people will be left … Read more

9 Oil Painting Techniques for Beginners

If you want to learn how to oil paint, here are some of the oil painting techniques which you will need to learn. You will not need to use all these techniques in your paintings, but it is important to at least have an awareness of them. I cover: 1. Scumbling Scumbling is the technique … Read more

Inspirational Art Quotes By John Singer Sargent

John Singer Sargent (1856 – 1925) was an American artist known as one of the leading portrait artists of his time. His portraits are grand and express remarkable realism. He also painted many landscapes using oils and watercolors which arguably venture into impressionism, painted with a very loose style. He painted directly what he saw … Read more