Repetition is the key to painting mastery.
Discipline needed for artistic self-realization. The problem with some artists is their predisposition to want to paint a multitude of random subjects. They paint a portrait on Sunday, neighbours...
View Article5 things you didn’t know about Bob Ross.
"There’s nothing wrong with having a tree as a friend." No single person in the history of art has brought more people to the world of painting than Bob Ross. I was one. I set out to paint and soon...
View Article10 Things That Cause Mud in a Painting.
Your painting may not be as fresh as it could be. 1. Bad Drawing Get your drawing right from the start. Bad design causes more grief in a painting than anything else. You don’t need to draw well but...
View Article10 Things To Ask Yourself While Painting
Self-critique checklist for painters. Is my idea of the painting clear? If not, where did I miss the mark? How can it be reinforced? Does anything need work? Often the painting has its own direction...
View ArticleDominate Painting
Using dominant/recessive qualities of pigments to your advantage. Dominant/recessive juxtapositions are throughout your work and extend to your palette. There’s a simple rule to follow that will help...
View ArticleHow To Sign Your Painting
Branding Your Artwork 1. Do not use your regular signature. Often our regular signatures are not at all legible. While your regular signature may look good on the bottom of important documents and...
View ArticleThe Creative Process
An Internal Game • Article by Brian Batista There is something within that drives our need to create. Throughout we navigate personal challenges. Technique is only the outer practice. It can be...
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Visiting Alaska 2015
Let your dreams grow and the artwork will follow. It began when I was 10 years old and my father gave me a very cool looking alcohol decanter. I decided to fill it up with money and in no time I had a...
View Article10 Things I learned about painting fall colours from my trip to Alaska
Autumn Painting Tips from a Northern Excursion Cadmium Yellow Deep. This colour is a MUST. The Cad Yellow Light or Lemon Yellow have a large green component to them. Most Cad Yellow Mediums also have...
View Article12 Ideas for Keeping Things Fresh in Your Art Studio.
Strategies to prevent boredom from creeping into your art practice. One of the symptoms of ADD is frequent boredom and getting easily distracted. Once boredom sets in, the focus quickly gets fuzzy and...
View ArticleThe Artistic Method (Part 2)
Creative Process Part 2 • Article by Brian Batista Planning a method of attack enhances my efficiency and effectiveness thus permitting me to achieve more in less time. This aspect of my approach may...
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Creative Process (Part 3)
The Artistic Method Continued • Article by Doug Swinton 1 - Big to Small Shapes Always start with the big shapes and work toward the small shapes. You should be able to reduce your reference to no...
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Identifying and Painting Tricky Values Accurately
Light colours in shadow & dark colours in light • Art Lesson by Doug Swinton Here is where the lesson begins: Notice that the value of any colour, from the darkest to the lightest can live in...
View ArticleColor Perception
Developing superior color perception • by Michael Downs Hardly any person would argue that to be an expert sommelier a key skill is superior flavor perception, or that to be an excellent conductor a...
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In Praise of Painterly Painters
by Charles Movalli by Charles Movalli Some so-called “painterly painter” are devoted to outdoor work. Some do still lifes, some figures. But all share certain attitudes. Not all of these attitudes are...
View ArticlePhoto Reference • Print vs Monitor
Painting from a reference in your art studio. Printed photographs depict a three-dimensional object in a two-dimensional representation. When working from photos we need to take this 2d image and work...
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Why do I get worse the longer I paint?
Painting from a reference in your art studio. Has this happened to you? You did your first few paintings and you thought to yourself "Gee, I can do this. It looks OK. I need more practice, but I'm...
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Painting Beyond Chaos - Simplification and Massing
How to simplify your subject to produce a better painting. The tendency to start painting every detail right from the get go will produce a painting that is busy and confusing. The answer is to read...
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The Magic of the 70/30 Split
Using opposites to create a dynamic painting. You achieve the desired impact only by using a large amount of one effect and a much smaller amount of the opposite. Anything less than 70/30 and you’re...
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The Secret Curve
Using convex vs. concave lines in life drawing. When things cease to grow they begin to collapse and we see concave lines forming. Just look at a sick un-watered plant all shriveled and withered....
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