Posts Tagged ‘painting’

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Paint More spontaneously with Acrylic Paints

Saturday, February 14th, 2009

There’s a certain renewed imagination in using acrylic paints. Because of its fast drying characteristics, acrylic paint lends itself to more spontaneity than traditional oil paints. You have to think on your feet when you are working with acrylics. While they don’t lend themselves to the ability to patiently blend colors like oil paints, there’s a certain rush of creativity when you are creating against the clock of time, which lends itself to spontaneous discoveries you’d never thought possible.

Once you’ve decided to use acrylic paints, you need to get supplied. The biggest piece of advice beginning artists should heed, especially if your paintings aren’t yet selling for millions of dollars, is to consider the wholesale prices found on-line. Find the cheapest price on an acrylic paint set, art supplies, and canvas through the web, where literally the entire art supply market is right at your fingertips, enabling you to hunt the best bargains possible.

Really, with the Internet, you are getting the same discounts the art supply stores enjoy. Generally, art stores buy their stock on-line through a wholesale dealer, and then sell it to you at a jacked-up price. What most artists don’t realize is you can skip the middleman by getting it on-line yourself, at a much more reasonable price. Not only do you buy it wholesale, but you can buy it from the best markets possible, as comparing prices throughout the world is as simple as a few minutes of an Internet search. You can get an acrylic paint set, art supplies, canvas at quite a bargain, much more reasonable than you’d ever find in the store.

Art supplies canvas require a faster creative output, but the creativity is more spontaneous as the flow of the painting comes more through gut feelings. By adding more water throughout the painting process, the acrylic paints become more workable, easier to convey your feelings through the canvas. Acrylic paints lend themselves to a certain spontaneous blend of style, a flow of energy that’s just not present in traditional oil paints.

No matter what level you need an acrylic paint set to be, there’s a huge selection on the Internet to get you started. From a complete range of brushes designed specially for acrylics, to a range of paints covering a blend of colors, you can readily find what you need on-line, at a much discounted rate than you’d ever find in an art store.

Get started today. Paint spontaneously, right from the soul. The creative possibilities are endless.

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Buying Wholesale Easels On the Internet

Monday, February 9th, 2009

creativity comes down to economics. The more you can get out of your art supply dollar, the more art you can make. Painters especially have a lot to gain, as the greatest deals on artist easels and oil paint supplies can readily be found on the Internet, with a wider selection than you’d ever find in an art store and for a great deal less.

The selection on the Internet put the buyer at the advantage. Since you have the entire global community available at the touch of the button, you can always find the best deals available anywhere, whether it be Chicago, Italy or South America. When it comes to artist easels and oil paint supplies, you can order any type imaginable, compare against other sites to find the best deal possible, and never have to leave the comforts of your own home to shop.

Whether you need a specially sized easel to fit a confined studio space or are after a portable easel that’s perfect for doing landscapes in the thick of nature, you can find the best selection on-line. By getting the best deals possible anywhere in the art community, you can also supply your studio with a variety of easels so you’ll have just the perfect one for the occasion, whether you need a more complex multi-media easel or one that fits neatly under your arm so it’s easily transportable.

When you’re looking for brushes, you need a wide variety to give your creativity as much adaptability as possible. Whether your painting requires a taklon brush for a wide, bold stroke, or a sable brush for a more refined line, utilizing the complete span of brushes adds depth, detail and boldness to your painting, creating a variety of textures and blends to convey a range of feelings in your art. By making the most of wholesale prices found on the Internet, you can enhance your studio with a complete dichotomy of brushes for every mood and pointillistic detail you need your art to convey. With such cheap prices, you can afford more fresh brushes in order to keep them debris freefor a perfect stroke.

On the web, it’s also easy to find the greatest bargains on oil paints in every color imaginable. You can usually find lowest prices possiblefrom wholesale dealers, which means you get the most oil paints for your money.

With extra savings by buying wholesale supplies on the Internet, you can afford more supplies, and be able to create more. Buying wholesale simply makes sense. It empowers you to create the most art possible.

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Is Portrait Painting For You?

Wednesday, October 8th, 2008

If you want to paint someone’s portrait, you will find it to be a very specific project as you are trying to capture the essence of someone specific. The way in which you craft your subject makes a big difference, as it cannot be ill-shapen or the finished product will be ruined. Discovering how you would create a portraiture requires that you learn different things than if your interest were in other styles of art, therefore it is of the utmost importance that your are familiar with specific ways of painting in order to produce the best piece possible. A lot can be accomplished with just a handful of cheap modern art supplies and a vision of what you want.

Looking at the Person…

Being a portrait artist begins with a close inspection of the person you are painting so that you can bring out the qualities that differentiate him from everyone else. A vital component of this process is your own talent to observe, as you are charged with figuring out how to structure everything in order to really breathe life into the work. Some particulars about a person’s appearance are really unnecessary to include. There is no point in trying to dot every freckle into the work. Certain aspects of the way people look tend to strike us immediately. This is what you want to capture in your painting.

Depicting People…

A lot of art students who learn to do portraits, whether with an oil or acrylic based paint set, have a problem with the skin of the subject. Another hurdle they have to get past is the delicate balance of light and shadow required to coax out the real beauty of the person. With regard to mixing paints for skin tone, there is really no specific formula that you can use since people come in different skin tones and textures. The answer to this is simple trial and error until you come across just the right mix to match your subject’s pigmentation. Other aspects of a person that can take time to get right are areas such as the ears or the upper part of the nose. Like I said, experiment and try out different ways on how to paint the body and the face to be able to come up with your own formula for paint mixtures and your own style in painting features.

A Simple Backdrop May be Best…

The person you are painting could have too much going on behind her. In the event that you want to include this backdrop in the painting, make certain that you don’t overdo it with the details, as it may draw the eye away from the intended target. Something else to keep in mind is that you can play with the levels of light and dark around the person you are painting in order to make sure that the spotlight is on her. Just like in photography, if you know how to use light and shadow, your portraits will definitely have a much stronger effect on people than a portrait that is plainly the way it is with no touch of light whatsoever. Making this real impact on a viewer is what every artist strives to achieve, no matter what the chosen subject may be. It’s what makes creative endeavors so rewarding. Where else can you achieve such a response using nothing more than a quality cheap stretched canvas and a handful of other low-cost supplies.

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The Effects Of Fine Art

Friday, September 26th, 2008

Taking in great paintings and sculptures is an endeavor that is all too frequently dismissed by many as just another way to kill the hours. Outside of those who have specifically followed a career in the arts, becoming masters of the brush, palette, and folding easel, we generally only get to follow our passion when we can get away from the nine to five.

A painting that has been painstakingly crafted drastically differs from some of the more trivial ways to entertain one’s self, however. Some of us play poker, and some of us go horseback riding, kayaking, or simply like to knit. But few things have the ability to help us reflect on the human condition as much as outstanding artwork can.

To completely realize the full value of an artist’s expression is an acquired skill. Usually, people have to first spend time taking-in and getting used to the works. To the non initiated, even coming across a person who can remain silently transfixed by a drawing for extended periods of time can be a ridiculous thing. They have trouble empathizing with the art lover, unable to relate to what she may be going through. A typhoon of mixed feelings may be swelling up inside her even as she seems so peaceful and still.

The painter and the preacher aren’t really that different in that they both have their own point of view which they have a feverish desire to impart to their fellow man. One works with their discount easels and wrought iron easels, the other with the Good Book and the power of their voice. A painting is the embodiment of the painter’s ideas. This is their language, with each finished work to serve as a powerful oration directed at the viewer.

Extraordinary art has the ability to communicate any idea you can imagine, be it one of philosophy, religion, or politics. A visual medium has a knack for arousing an emotional response. This can give us a deep insight into the artist’s chosen topic in a way that is impossible to duplicate via other mediums.

As we look into a great painting, we often realize that the artist is directing us to think about the story of our lives and how we ultimately mesh with the world around us. There are numerous people who are just too busy with their day to day lives to ever take the time to consider these things if they are not pushed in front of them in some way. The painter assists us by easing us into a pensive state. An artist sharing with us in such a way really helps us to become fully developed people both in mind and in spirit.

Time invested in the consideration of artwork can push us to change from a place within us previously unfathomed. For instance, after a day spent browsing artwork, it wouldn’t be unheard of for a mom to be moved to take more time out to devote to her child because life is too short. Religious people could take a completely different message away from a painting, and maybe gain a new appreciation for the beauty of the world that The Lord has created.

Even people whose primary concern is the acquisition of great wealth may be drawn into taking a hard look at the importance of their goals. Parts of ourselves that we may not know exist sometimes come to the surface during quiet moments with great paintings. If it causes our growth into clear thinking human beings, then fine art really does have a valued place in everyone’s life?

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A Hard Life

Wednesday, April 9th, 2008

Yesterday, I went to a friend’s house to pay him a visit. As I went, I saw this guy making art signs. His works were displayed just outside his little house. The displays included posters for campaigns and some for cinemas. Seeing his works I realized he is not just an ordinary painter. He could paint a very detail work in just a short period of time. I was so impressed that I walked up to him and asked him how much he makes for a living in a day. He answered so fast I couldn’t remember a word. But I was sure it wasn’t enough to be able to save for the rainy days. There were three little kids running around the place. “Your kids?” I asked. He just nodded while working on another letter. I can’t believe how he survives with his kids just by selling cheap art signs.

 

When I got to my friend’s house, I mentioned to him about this artist. He told me one of his uncles run a small factory where they make art signs. He has hired more than ten people already to do the job. But the business isn’t easy with a low pay.

 

I wonder how many good artists out there that are just sitting in the corners of the street trying to survive, waiting to be discovered. Its not everyday people are born with such talent and skills. They say that there is nothing that can stop you from reaching your dreams. I guess there is an exception when it comes to poverty. I often complain about my tools, I buy expensive brushes and paints, and there they are working with just an old brush and a few buckets of cheap paint.

 

If only there is something we can do to help these fellow artists and let the world know of their talents and skills. But then, it all comes down to dealing with poverty and the government. Its everyday we see people on streets. Its only once in a lifetime to realize it.

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The Amazing Color Shifting!

Friday, April 4th, 2008

Modeling the inside of the shapes with value changes began in the late Renaissance and lasted until post-Impressionist painters such as Vincent Van Gogh, Paul Cezanne and Gauguin began to flatten forms in order to create less realistic but more symbolic and personally expressive works. These painters and the modernists that followed eliminated or subdued the value contrasts they used and developed a variety of devices for animating the descriptive shapes in their paintings.  

In this blog, I will discuss about how artists substituted value change (which was discussed in my earlier blog) with color or intensity change. By animating the inside of the shapes with subtle alternations with hue or intensity rather than value, they created flat, graphic designs. Their color choices were more subjective than descriptive, expressing their reactions to their subject. This approach isn’t about describing the form of your subject, so forget about the direction of your light source, the pattern of light and shadow and all those other conventions for modeling that you’ve learned. Instead, try the following.

 

  1. Start with the simple shape of your subject and fill it with a single color (if you want to be somewhat realistic, use the local color) then quickly create a contrast by adding a complimentary or near-complimentary color. Make sure the two colors are the same or similar in value. Some complimentary combinations are difficult to use; for example, you can’t combine yellow (the lightest pure color) with violet (the darkest) without greatly lightening the violet.
  2. Forget about accuracy. The sky doesn’t have to be blue or the grass green. Make your color choices more expressive and emotional than descriptive.
  3. all the subjects in your painting don’t have to be close in value, just the inside of each of your shapes. You can have some light shapes (with light color changes inside) and some dark shapes (with dark color changes inside).

  

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Water Wonders

Wednesday, April 2nd, 2008

Its summer and everyone is excited to go out to the beach and in places where there is water under the sun. For artists, it is also a good time to paint waterscapes since there will be colorful summer views that are as bright as the sun.

With its wide range of moods, colors and textures, water has attracted the attention of artists for centuries. Precisely because of its changeable nature, water is also one of the more challenging painting subjects you can undertake. If you want to capture the beauty of water in your own work, you must understand how to produce the right look for any given situation.

Reflections say a lot about the mood of a body of water. For example, smooth, calm water has a glass-like surface that forms a natural mirror. It’s highly reflective and the reflections it produces are distinctly detailed with relatively straight lines and unbroken shapes. Also, in calm water the length of reflection will be exactly the same as the reflecting objects, measured from where the object, if extended, intersects the water’s surface.

The more active the water’s surface, the more interrupted and distorted the reflections will be. So when painting reflections on rippling water in a stream, lake or river, you don’t need to be precise as when rendering reflections in calm water. On gently moving water, shapes lose their distinct identity. Reflected lines may undulate and appear elongated to the point of exaggeration, or they may be broken up.

When water is in violent motion, as in churning surf, waterfalls and white water rapids, reflections are obliterated. Edges are rough and irregular. When I paint rough water, I try to be mindful of perspective. Waves will appear increasing smaller as you move farther into the distance, and the reflections closer to you will appear bigger than those of the distant waves.

Water in nature isn’t pure and transparent. The more impurities it contains, the more opaque the water, and thus the more body color it has.

There are many techniques in painting the water. The best advice I can give you is observe the water first for a few minutes. And after the moving waves have been frozen in your mind, paint them as to how you see them.

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Make It Look Different

Wednesday, April 2nd, 2008

One time I found myself searching for sketches and photos for new subjects. Then an idea hit me. Instead of looking for something new to paint, why not paint something familiar and do it in a new way? Yeah, that could work. I studied the work of great painters from the past and present and I discovered that their individuality often lies in the way each approaches form. In simple terms, what painters do “inside their shapes” greatly determines the style and expressive content of their work.

You probably start each painting the way I do, by dividing the pictorial space into varied areas, then reducing your subject into a few simple, interestingly designed silhouettes. That’s a sold first step, but it was what I did next that I found very important: it was finding the way to make the inside of these simple shapes interesting. Fortunately, I found a variety of equally effective and expressive ways to animate my designs. One possibility I considered was varying my values. 

I remembered my teacher in art class discuss this during the final days in school. Value changes – in which shifts between light and dark values are used to create an illusion of three dimensions -  are the most conventional treatment for inside shapes. This produces what most of us would consider the most “realistic” results. For example, Rembrandt’s moving self-portraits and some of Edward Hopper’s works employ value changes to convey their expressive messages. And of course, in the hands of such masters, value change can be an expressive tool. However, this approach often puts a greater emphasis on the description of a subject than on the artist’s emotional response to it. If the form or character of your subject is so appealing, then describing it with value changes is, for me, the best choice.

So I plan the boundaries and proportions of my light and shadow areas so that they create an interesting, varied division of primary shapes.

There are lots of ways in painting common subjects and present them in such a way that they would stand out and have a sense of uniqueness.

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The Painter’s Primary Weapon

Wednesday, April 2nd, 2008

Soldiers never go to war unprepared. They always carry with them guns locked and loaded, ready for combat. So is a painter. I believe the most important “weapon” that an artist can’t go without is his brush – or painting knife. The paint would serve as the bullets. The brush is the means by which the painted effects are applied. If you want a particular effect, bold or delicate, it is your brush that will dictate the result which is why it is important to buy the best quality brushes you can afford.

Brushes vary in shapes and sizes, even the make of the tips are very important. Sizes are indicated with numbers. The bigger the number, the bigger the size. In watercolor, you can start with 2 sizes, No.10 and a No.6 round, sable brushes. The quality you get, of course, will depend on the price you pay. Round sable brushes are good for watercolor since it can hold lots of water. They are also soft and apply washes very well. Flat brushes are good for flat washes. There are even big flat brushes for large areas that need an even, flat wash. In painting oil, you will need hard bristle brushes because they can carry paints with large consistency values. You can also use your knife in applying oil paints. Be careful though. Take care of your brushes to preserve their quality so that it will last a long time. Expensive brushes can take a pretty heavy amount of beating. But still, always keep your brushes where it is not too crowded and that their heads are always covered. Also, never leave paint on your brush, especially oil paint, when you are done working. Oil paints, unlike watercolor, are very hard to remove when they dry up. Always clean your brushes after every session for it to be ready for the next. Like soldiers, always keep your weapons ready for combat.

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Color Media

Wednesday, April 2nd, 2008

People have been asking me about different mediums. They’re questions are often about which medium is best and which is good for a certain type of painting. Well, for me, there is no best medium. Every medium has its own edge depending on your style of artwork. It’s up to your creativity to utilize your media. Before you do your painting, you should first know what you will be working with and what type of result you want to achieve. And it is always good to try different kinds of media and learn their tricks. Every medium has its own taste, texture, feel, and effect. These effects also vary depending on the canvas you use. The following are some of the media that artists often use in their works.

 

Watercolor – you can buy watercolor in tubes, or in half or whole pans. I would not advice using tubes because, in my case, it is difficult to control the amount of paint on the brush. You can buy pans individually or in boxed selections. There are many brands that make quality watercolors, one of which is Prang. It’s what I’ve been using for a few years already. You can buy a whole box with 16 colors, a half box with 8 colors, or in single refills.

Acrylic Color– there are several types of acrylic colors on the market: the two I have used are the Standard Formula and Flow Formula. Standard Formula has a consistency similar to oil color and is ideal for palette knife work. Flow Formula flows – it is much better to use with a brush, and takes a little more time to dry than Standard Formula. I prefer using Flow Formula as my basic paint. Texture paste is also available to help build up a heavy impasto.

Oil Color – this medium is oil based and, unlike watercolor, has a high consistency. It is an oil based version of Standard Formula Acrylic. This is also good for textured paintings.

Pastel Color – there are over 50 different pastel colors with different tints available on each, making over 200 pastels in all. Rowney pastels are graded from tint 0 for the palest to tint 8 for the darkest. The best way to start is to buy a set of 12 or 36 Artist’s Soft Pastels for Landscape. When you are already used to the medium, you can buy different tints, colors or refill pastels individually.

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