Tip on Pencil Portrait Drawing – The Problem of Seeing
By Remi Engels
Symbolic preconceptions are part of a subconscious visual language that uses symbols to represent known objects. This language of symbols evolved as a mechanism to help us survive as a species. These symbols help us, for example, to instantly recognize food sources or dangerous predators.
When we observe an unknown object our subconscious mind immediately tries to form a new symbol to represent and store the object in memory. Often beginning artists will more accurately draw unknown objects than familiar ones because they are not yet married to the new symbols.
You Asked – Recipes for Mixing Acrylic Paints?
Today’s questions comes from Pierre:
“Hi, I’m looking for a site or a person that have recipes to mix acrylic paints.
Examples: Recipe for vibrant greens, reds, blacks…etc
Thank you”
Do you have any information that may help Pierre?
Please leave your response in the comment box below. Thank You!
Interview with Artist Helen Harris
About Helen
Exploring mixed media art has been my quest in recent years. I am a graduate of the Philadelphia College of Art ( University of the Arts). A BFA in Graphic Design introduced me to a career in the commercial arts.Freelance and teaching assignments ranging from coloring books to spot illustrations later evolved to include employment in signage and display.
I was born in upstate New York. My childhood exploration of fields,lakes and mountains inspired my early interest in art. While raising three daughters, my interest in painting was never forgotten. Today I exhibits my mixed media paintings at outdoor shows and galleries in the northeast.
Click here to reach Helen’s Website Read more
Pastel Portrait Drawing Demonstration
ABOUT THE ARTIST
George Max is a Geologist, Fine Artist and Professional Translator from central Guatemala in Middle America. He was born in 1968 in a small town called of Cobán, 200 km north of Guatemala City. He traveled to the USA (Colorado State) in 1989 to study English under a one year scholarship program. He started getting acquainted with art since his first year in College in 1988. As an autodidact, he started his labor of art in 1992 making oil paintings on canvas. Nevertheless, it was until late 2004 when he began to produce formal artwork (oil paintings mainly) for exhibition and sale to date.
Artwork Website: http://www.georgemax.co.nr/
Translation Website: http://www.geodirect.co.nr/
Artist Spotlite – Sana Almimar
Artist Name: Sana Almimar
Location: Iraq Baghdad
Title: Shanasheel
Medium: Oil on canvas
Dimensions: 60 x 50 cm
Comments from the Artist: I have always loved drawing and painting since my childhood but unfortunately i have not had enough time to draw and paint only one year ago after retirement. My subject is about a style of building in Iraq called “Shanasheel “. It is a cultural style.For me painting Shanasheeel is a challenge because and as you see this kind of building has a queer features and drawing or painting it is not an easy task . Please give me your opinions .Thanks a lot .
Artist Spotlite – Brenda Scott
Artist Name: Brenda Scott
Location: Victoria, BC CANADA
Title: Favorite Chair
Medium: Watercolor
Dimensions: 3 1/2 inches wide by 2 1/2 inches tall
Support: 140 lb cold press watercolor paper
Comments From the Artist: This painting was completed using a reference photo found on Wetcanvas.com as the subject matter however I changed the colors of the cat, curtains and chair. I really liked how the photo captured the serenity and peacefulness of a content cat relaxing in their favorite spot.
I painted a underpainting using a blue gray color to ensure that the values were what I wanted them to be. Once that underpainting had dried I added thin layers of colour on top. I also used a small amount of gaouche on the tips of the paws, nose and bell to brighten them.
You Asked – Still Life with a Copper Pot…
Today’s question comes from Edna, and she asks:
“I am doing a Still Life with a Copper Pot in the painting using the medium Acrylic. Some time ago I painted a Copper dish in Pastel and it came out well. For the life of me I just can’t seem to get the same result with Acrylic’s. Any help would be very much appreciated.”
Do you have any information that might help Edna?
“Secret Cove” – Step By Step Oil Painting Lesson By Mike Callahan
About Mike
Nationally recognized, award winning artist Mike Callahan is a fourth generation Nevada native who counts himself privileged to grow up in what he believes to be one of the most beautiful places on earth, the eastern Sierra Nevada mountains near Reno, Nevada where he still lives today. While he has been painting since childhood, he has only been painting in earnest for about the last 5 or 6 years.
Says Mike, “The topography of this area is simply phenomenal; one can go from the high desert to mountainous alpine settings in less than an hour. It is this beautiful and varied landscape that ends up being the subject for a vast majority of my paintings.”
However, if you look through the paintings on Mike’s website, you will quickly see that the Sierra landscape isn’t the only subject Mike typically paints. He also enjoys painting Western themes as well as figurative and portraits.
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