How do you know when it's finished?

Have you every asked yourself when a painting is finished. For some artists, this may seem like an easy question to ask. However, for others—regardless of the medium—identifying when a painting is completed is more complicated. Choosing when to stop altering a painting can be a highly individual decision and there are instances in which a painting is never fully done, at least in its artist’s mind.

Often the sense of completion is a purely intuitive one. I admire those who are able to look at a painting and say, ‘It’s done now.’ However, when I see the painting the next day with a fresh pair of eyes, after I think it may be done, I always add more to it. There are some paintings that go through many false finales before they are deemed complete.

Other times, you get to a stage where you begin to wonder whether you've overworked that painting.

Here are three tips when you think a painting is just about done, but not quite:

• Hang it up somewhere for a couple of days and look at it from different angles and distances
• Look at the reflection of the painting in a mirror
• Take a photo and look at it on your monitor

These options help you see it anew.

 

With watercolours, it's probably better to stop sooner rather than later. It's far easier to add to a painting if you decide it's not yet finished than to undo something if you decide the painting didn't need it after all. You're more likely to ruin a painting by overworking it than by not finishing it.

 

Because we are constantly improving, a painting that was once considered done may no longer feel like it. I can't tell you how many older paintings I've gone back and made valuable improvements. Do you also do that? There's a level of satisfaction in improving older paintings.

 

When I saw this painting earlier this week, I knew I had to share it. What an original subject. It is from Fran McGarry.

 

Have a great week,

Danielle

 

 

Fear of posting on social media

How many times have you heard that you should get on Facebook, get on Twitter, and create a presence to promote your art. Do hearing things like this cause you to be anxious? What if you say the wrong thing? What if you get negative feedback? What if nobody follows you? Despite these fears, what might seem like a major risk — or a time-waster, at best — is actually an invaluable tool for developing a following for your art.

 

Here are a few tips if you want to explore social media:

• Focus on socializing instead of selling;
• Think quality over quantity and focus on your goals;
• Be authentic and do not go into automation. Staying authentic is key;
• Respond and listen to your audience.

Some artists are concerned that their art, during the process of seeking greater exposure on social media, will be copied (theft of intellectual property). Consequently, many artists consider watermarking their artwork before sharing it online. However, inserting a watermark is a pretty poor way to deal with the problem.

 

The watermark might actually decrease the appeal of sharing. An important benefit of posting your art online is the increased exposure your work gets when it is shared. Viewers are less likely to share artwork that is watermarked because it loses much of its appeal.

 

Let's get real, the likelihood of theft is pretty low - but it does happen. There is an overwhelming amount of art online. And many of it is extremely good. Is your art likely to be copy?  In addition, the images you share online are pretty low resolution. These images would result in poor reproductions.

 

In today’s world, a watermark will not prevent someone from stealing your image if they wish to. Sad but true….

If you are considering posting your art on social media, what concerns do you have?

 

Linda 3 from ArtTutor, recommended that I present Michael (the Gorilla) as a featured artist this week.
http://www.koko.org/gorilla-art-0
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vBNwLf3CyiU

Have a great week,
Danielle

Gatorboard and Foamcore

Do you use gatorboard or foamcore as a support for your watercolours? These boards provide a hard surface on which to mount watercolor paper before beginning a painting.  The watercolorist can use artist's tape, clips or staples to secure the watercolor paper to the surface of the board.

So what's the difference between gatorboard and foamcore? Gatorboard has an exceptionally rigid surface and is very durable and lightweight. These can be large enough to hold a full sheet of paper. Foamcore isn't as sturdy and doesn’t stand up to the moisture or wet in wet watercolor technique, especially if you wet your paper on both sides thoroughly.

Foamcore and gatorboard look a lot alike. The difference is that while foamcore is paper on either side of a slice of styrofoam, gatorboard is a heavy (think oak tag) moisture impregnated paper on either side of the same styrofoam. Since the paper doesn't accept moisture, it is much more stable dimensionally. It's also just plain tougher. Gatorboard comes in black and white, foamcore only in white

Gaterboard is definitely more durable but it is the more expensive of the two. In addition, foamcoare is more easily damaged. So which do you use?

Today's artist find is Virgil Carter

Have a great day
Danielle

Do you listen to music while you paint?

Certain types of music may inspire you while you paint or while you are being creative.

I enjoy having music playing in the background while I paint. Upbeat music sometimes inspires me to be very expressive with my brush. This is particularly useful when I do the first washes on the paper. Other times, more mellow music helps me to create moody paintings. This type of music helps me to be more precise in my brush strokes.

How much of the music do you actually listen to? Although I like to have something when I start, it quickly turns into background noise that I don’t pay much attention to.

Two Americans, Morgan Russell and Stanton Macdonald-Wright, were influential forces in furthering the connection between music and art. They were interested in the psychological effects of color and sound and they developed a method of color composition based on what they termed color chords derived from the color wheel. Russell has been credited for inventing synchromism, meaning “with color”. It was chosen as an analogy to the musical term symphony to denote his emphasis on color rhythms. In her book “Synchromism and American Color Abstraction, 1910-1925”, Gail Levin explains the American avant-garde art movement known today as Synchromism.

What type of music do you like to listen to to get you into the zone? Are you more the Michael Buble type, celtic folk type or the classic rock like Journey, Aerosmith, Van Halen.

Today's art find is Steve Rogers:

Have a great week
Danielle

 

Practice Paper

I read an interesting online discussion this week.  The topic was the brand of paper to use for watercolour practice.

For those who like to practice watercolour painting regularly and are reluctant to pay a lot for watercolour paper, the cost of paper can add up?  Do you consider buying cheaper paper? Many from the online discussion recommended buying cheaper paper.
 
What are some of the better options?

• use the other side of any painting you don't like
• find an economical practice paper such as Fabriano Watercolour 280gm 130 lb paper which is cheaper that Fabriano Artistico 140lb.
• use paper from a good manufacturer and cut down the full sheet  to 1/4's and 1/8's and that you can paint on both sides makes it affordable. 
• Search for sales on paper.

Some people believe that practicing on cheaper paper, like Strathmore. In my opinion, paper is most important watercolour tool. When starting out you may use a good brand of student paints like Cotman, but don't skimp on the paper.

In the end you don't want to develop techniques based on cheap paper. You just end up having to un-learn them when you decide to paint on good paper.
 
You would only be setting yourself up for a lot of frustration by practicing on anything other than quality watercolour paper. For one thing, when you try to apply what you learned on a different surface in the future, the result will be different and you'll have to re-learn the skill or technique all over again.

This weeks artistic find is Tim Saternow.

Have a great

Danielle