Plein Air Painting Demo in Acrylics by Donald Neff
Artist Statement
“I paint the places I love to be. I paint the freshness of eternal nature, icy lucid streams, thunderous waterfalls, and soaring granite crests over silent lakes. I paint the descriptions of John Muir, the echoes of Ansel Adams, the American West of Albert Bierstadt and Thomas Moran. I paint luminosity filtering through the landscape, reaching to the foundation of a stream, bouncing off rocks, and illuminating the shadows.
Using oil and acrylic, painting realistically is merely my means to an end. I want the viewer to connect with the places I love to be. I hope the observer will want to walk right into my painting and maybe even drop a line in the water to catch a trout.
My published works include both “plein air” and studio paintings, which helps me translate the dynamic experience of the moment and communicate in a more personal way of what I am trying to say..”
Watercolor Landscape Painting Demonstration
About Terry
My art is about life. It expresses what I feel about people, places, and experiences around me. In order to create a painting, I need to feel a connection with a subject and see what that subject means to me. I need to see and feel every detail of it.
When I immerse myself in something that I want to paint, the idea for the painting becomes clear to me. Because I start painting without knowing exactly how it will turn out, as I put those first colors on the support, I am always nervous about what I am doing, because I do not know where I am going with it.
But as I continue, one technique or color leads to another, and I just know how to move on. If it feels right, I can continue. If not, I have to set it aside until I am inspired to go on…
Artist Spotlite – William F. Martin
Artist”s Name: William F. Martin
Location: Glendale, Arizona
Title of Artwork: Homeland Security
Dimensions of Artwork: W: 20″ H: 16″
Medium: Oils
Support: Linen Canvas
Website: http://www.wfmartin.com/
Describe this Piece: I created this painting of my own back gate. By the open padlock, the rickety hardware with nails falling out, the peeling paint, and the ineffective “watch lizard”, I am trying to take a symbolic slap at the head of this administration’s Homeland Security. She has chosen to term acts of terrorism against this country as “manmade disasters”, and my painting is meant to convey to the viewer how little “security” truly exists on her watch.
This painting received a First Place In Oils, and a Best Of Show at the 2010 Arizona State Fair.
(Click Image For Larger View)
Oil Painting Tutorial For Beginners – Paint What You See!
Here is a wonderful 5 part oil painting video tutorial by Artist William Gelvin that teaches how to paint what you see. This is a long video series, but well worth it. You will need about an hour of free time to watch this series.
There are times when a beginner will paint what he thinks he knows about a particular subject and not what is right before his eyes.
Now, this is not to say that you should always paint what you see exactly. Sometimes it is more important to paint what you know, especially if your eyes are not trained to see color and value correctly, as in a portrait for instance.
In this oil painting lesson for beginners, William uses a subject that he has never painted before: a shiny gold watch.
Shiny metal objects are probably one of the most difficult things for beginners to paint. That is because a beginner is not observing the watch correctly. William teaches you how to observe the watch differently, to break it down into a bunch of small shapes, which makes painting it much easier. Learn more by watching the videos below. Enjoy!
Acrylic Painting Lesson – How To Paint a Still Life
Below is a wonderful three part video lesson on how to paint a beautiful still life using acrylic paints for beginners. The subject matter for this painting is a plant with two books. The artist uses a limited palette for this tutorial of white, sienna brown, red, blue and yellow.The lighting is full sunlight which creates some very interesting shadows and highlights.
I hope this still life painting video series inspires you to paint your own still life as it did with me. Go ahead and grab everyday objects from around your home and setup your own still life. Practice doing this often and before you know it your paintings will look as good as the one below. Enjoy!
Acrylic Still Life Painting Phase 1
Blick Presents: PanPastel and Sofft Tools Tips and Techniques
In the following video, Ladd Forsline with Colorfin LLC demonstrates how to work with the wonderful pastels “PanPastel”. These are not your ordinary pastels folks. Instead of coming in the usual stick form, they are made in little pan like containers and applied with tools called “Sofft Tools”. Its a very unique and interesting way to work with pastels. The following video will demonstrate various tips, techniques and applications of this product .
One of the key advantages of working with PanPastels as opposed to stick pastels, is that you can block in large areas of color very quickly using the Sofft Tools, which Ladd will demonstrate.
Another great advantage of these pastels is that they are loaded with color. Unlike regular pastels, which take multiple layers to cover the support, PanPastels can cover quickly with a very thin layer, making these pastels more economical.
Interview With Artist Amber Alexander
Q: What medium or mediums do you work with?
A: My paintings now are all digital. I use a Wacom Intuos 4 tablet to paint digitally in Photoshop. I still enjoy traditional painting however I find the digital process so much more appealing because of the various features that are available with today’s technology.
Q: How long have you been an artist? How did you get started?
A: I have always had an interest in art however it took me a long time to find the exact path that I wanted to follow.
Acrylic Portrait Painting Tutorial by Terry Honstead
About Terry
My art is about life. It expresses what I feel about people, places, and experiences around me. In order to create a painting, I need to feel a connection with a subject and see what that subject means to me. I need to see and feel every detail of it.
When I immerse myself in something that I want to paint, the idea for the painting becomes clear to me. Because I start painting without knowing exactly how it will turn out, as I put those first colors on the support, I am always nervous about what I am doing, because I do not know where I am going with it.
But as I continue, one technique or color leads to another, and I just know how to move on. If it feels right, I can continue. If not, I have to set it aside until I am inspired to go on…
You Asked: More Tooth to Hot Press Paper
Today’s question comes from Jack :
Jack Asks:
“How can I give a matte finish(tooth)to hot press paper? I want to use smooth printer paper for pencil drawings but it doesn’t take well because of the hard, smooth finish. Soak it? Add something to the paper to give it a rougher surface? Any ideas?”
Do you have any information that might help Jack?
Please leave your response in the comments box below. Thanks for your participation!
Free Watercolor Lesson – How To Stretch Watercolor Paper
In order to make certain that your watercolor paper does not warp, it is recommended that you first stretch it before you begin to paint. In this lesson, you will learn how to stretch watercolor paper properly with the help of an excellent video lesson by Artist Bob Davies.
FREE ebook, "Inside The Artist's Studio" - includes step by step art demonstrations by professional artists! To receive this FREE ebook right away delivered to your email, simply fill in the form below. By filling in your name and email below, you will also be subscribed to our free monthly newsletter. From time to time, you may also receive helpful product reviews and recommendations.
