Happy holidays

Here's to hoping that you had a productive year painting and that we all continue to learn new things in the new year.

This week's artist find is Paul Jackson

Happy New Year
Danielle

Béatrice Morel

Recently I came across the work of Béatrice Morel. Her rendering of horses is what attracted me to her paintings. She truly masters water and communicates her passion for watercolor in her paintings and the result is breathtaking.

Here is a quick overview of her approach:

• she paints on an incline to allow for the movement of water and paint to create the horse's mane
• to save time before the canvas dries, she uses three brushes, one each for red, yellow and blue
• she then applies on the wet canvas, lines of blue while leaving much space between the lines and lets the water spread the colours horizontally and vertically to create the horse's mane
• after the blue has spread, she adds red lines. She ensures her brush is loaded with paint. She does the same with the yellow
• she then continues stroking the canvas with various colours to encourage the colours to mix
• for the other areas of the horse, she uses the three primary colours but dots the wet surface and again lets the water mix the colours
• when the canvas is dry she paints the eye with very dark mix and adds other details

Here are some of her paintings:

.

Have a great week and Merry Christmas

Danielle

Painting reflections in water

I follow a group on Facebook that is all about paintings with water. Every day many people post paintings with water - whether it is the ocean, lake, river, etc.  One feature that always enhances paintings with water is the reflection on the water.

A good reflection can enhance a painting. Like a number of features, the important elements include the choice of colour, values and perspective. Here are some considerations:

• consider how still or wavy the water is
• no reflection is a perfect mirror image
• the reflected shapes normally appear more vertical
• shapes that are further away from the water are less reflective in the water. The closer the water is to the viewer, the less it reflects an image of the earth and sky.
• ripples in the water appear smaller as you move further away  from the viewer.
• the more there is movement in the water, the less clear the reflection is
• when the water is calm low and medium value objects tend to have darker reflections, while darker value objects, like tree trunks, reflect lighter
• don't forget that the sky also has reflections in the water. Generally the reflection is a deeper version of the sky above.
• in shallow water, the ripples and reflections will often be broken as the water moves over rocks and other objects 
• shallow water is often warmer than deeper water

Check out the reflections in this painting from Thomas Aquinas Daly

When painting water reflections, it's probably to work from real life or from photos.

Today's artist find is Bill Vrscak

Have a great week,
Danielle

Painting rocks

If you paint landscapes, you probably have painted rocks. Rocks come in many different shapes and sizes. Not all of them are famous, but they are nevertheless beautiful and vary in shapes, size and with the material that compose them.

There are many different ways to create texture on rocks, here are a few options:

• lift wet paint with a crumbled tissue paper;
• dry brush irregular shapes;
• use a water bottle, spray dry paint and scrub some of the paint off;
• drop water into wet paint;
• splatter darker colours;
• add cracks by painting irregular lines;
• scrape the paint with an old credit card; or
• paint in some details.

This doesn't mean that anyone should use all of these options in one painting. Only one or two should be adopted. This may be the easy part to do.  The greater challenge comes in the use of colours and values:

• define rocks by contouring them with darker colours which are the shadows behind the rocks;
• distinguish some of the rocks by applying a glaze of a slightly different colours;
• emphasize how light reflects on the rocks with reflected light;
• Gradate the colours of the rocks with warmer colours at the front and cooler at the back; and
• Adding shadows from surrounding objects.

This week's artist find is Ann Pember, I'm a huge fan of her rocks and waterfalls.

Have a great week,
Danielle

Painting still life and David Poxen

I used to think that a still life was limited to a table setting with a grouping of items as the focal point. In these cases, artists spend time setting-up the items, the lighting to create a mood they want to convey. Although I've seen some beautiful still lives, most of these don't look like natural to me and hence I have never been drawn to them.

Only recently did I also associate still life to other things than the "traditional" still life. This opens up a whole world of possibilities and interesting subjects.

Today, Diana-B (from ArtTutor) mentioned David Poxon to me, as I have been painting old rusted tools. I had never heard of him and looked him up online. What a pleasant surprise that was. I am grateful that Diana mentioned him to me.

David is a British watercolour artist who paints old items using traditional multi glazing techniques. His paintings are photo realist.

Although he lives in the countryside, he regularly visits old Industrial sites and Farmyards where there is an integrity and honesty in the daily struggle of working men and their machines. As nature reclaims these man made items for itself it creates its own beauty that could not be constructed other than through the passage of time.

I encourage you to visit his web site. I've also subscribed to his Facebook page. I couldn't choose one photo, therefore, here is a small collage.

Still lives like these are so so beautiful in my eyes. They are so real.

Have a great week,
Danielle

Loose painting vs. Tight painting (including realism)

Is there a rise of super-realism?

I've noticed that the prize winners of many recent art contests  are almost indistinguishable from photographs. Even the runners-up appear quite photographic.  It seems like both artists and collectors are attracted to works where they think they see evidence of skill and craftsmanship -- and this is too often defined as photorealism.

Strangely enough, I see a greater number of discussions about painting looser.  Many books will tell you that most watercolorist start out tight and loosen up over time. However, when I look at the number of "likes" on Facebook, it does appear that tight paintings receive more "likes" from other artists.

I'm not sure if there is a disconnect with what I see in discussion groups and overt signs of what is "popular".

It's unfortunate that too many new artists are sucked into trying to paint to match a style, and satisfaction is reached once the elements match a preconceived idiom regardless of the individuals thought or ideas. Art is not reached by becoming proficient in a style, it comes from being truthful to what you see.

Do we consciously paint tight or loose? many have different styles based on subject. Also some paintings look very realistic from a distance, but if you look at them more closely, they are actually quite "loose".

I don't think that one way is better than another.  We all have our own opinions on what we find visually pleasing and mentally stimulating, therefore, we will all have our own opinions on what we consider to be "art at it's highest level."

I think it would be a shame if the artistic community decided to snub one style as more worthy than another.

Today's artist find is Adam Juraszek

Have a great week,
Danielle

Tempting Fall Colours

It's official that summer is over.  At this time of the year, many are interested in painting fall landscapes.

Fall scenes are not the easiest to paint. It's not easy to notice and identify the nuances  with so many bright warm colours. This is necessary to create amongst other things - depth.  A keen sense of observation is required.

• through the brightest colours, look for complementary colours.
• in some areas, it's important to use muted colours.¨Play with different degrees of muted for variety. Muted colours can take the shape of earth colours
• consider that the brightest foliage will be that that is backlit.

In addition to a good sense of observation, it's important to practice and experiment.

This is such a magical time of the year with gold and bright red leaves.  We are fortunate to be able to enjoy it.

This week's artist find is Connie Berberian.

Have a great week
Danielle

Width of mats

Some people take their watercolour paintings to a professional framer, which may appear to be and easier approach as it  avoids a few headaches. However this is an expensive approach but looks very professional. 

Others frame their own watercolours.  It's relatively inexpensive to buy standard frames and cut out your own mats.  But how wide should the mat(s) be?

The width depends on the painting. Each one demands a different type and style of frame and mat. The important thing is to ensure that your work has room to breathe and doesn't look squished into a small mat or frame.

If you already have a frame in mind for your painting, then you don't need to decide how wide your mat should be to best present your art. The measurements are easy. The mat will extend to the edge of the back of the frame and overlap all sides of your painting by at least 1/4″.

Here is a table suggesting the size the mat for standard off-the-shelf frames and size of art.  (https://watercolorpainting.com/matframe/)

FRAME SIZE	ART SIZE	MAT OPENING
5 x 7 8 x 10 9 x 12 11 x 14 12 x 16 14 x 18 16 x 20 16 x 20 18 x 24 18 x 24 20 x 24 20 x 27** 22 x 28 22 x 28 24 x 30	3 x 5 5 x 7 6 x 9 8 x 10 9 x 12 11 x 14 11 x 14 12 x 16 12 x 18 14 x 20 16 x 20 15 x 22 15 x 22 18 x 24 18 x 24	2 .75 x 4.5 4.5 x 6.5 5.5 x 8.5 7.5 x 9.5 8.5 x 11.5 10.5 x 13.5 10.5 x 13.5 11.5 x 15.5 11.5 x 15.5 13.5 x 19.5 15.5 x 19.5 14 x 21 14.5 x 20.5 17.5 x 23.5 17.5 x 23.5

However, if you are looking for a special effects you may start by planning the size of the painting and mat first, same as you would with composition. For example, an oversized mat can help set off a small piece.

In most cases the mat should be at least 2" to 2 1/2" wide. In my opinion a mat smaller than 2" wide doesn't look attractive.

When you use two mat boards for a special effect, the first one covers the margins of the watercolor paper and a very narrow part of the painting’s borders, creating a wide border with a window effect. Cut the second mat that will be laid on top of the first one with only a narrow part (1/8 to ¼ in.) of the first one showing.   

If you are wondering why mat a painting, it's important to note that mats allow air to circulate around the work as well as give your artwork a nice inner frame.

When framing your painting, ensure you are using acid free products to prevent oxidation and aging. Acidic materials used in mats can lead to big problems such as the mat itself becoming yellowish in colour and deteriorating the colours within the painting that is in contact with the mat over a long period of time.

If you go to a museum and look at the prints and works on paper, you’ll notice one thing -- the absence of strong color in the mat. Most curators feel a colorful mat is a distraction to the art, and therefore go with cream, antique white or very soft neutral white shades—thinking these neutral choices make the image in the frame look more important.  My advice is to choose color wisely. Go for tones that are either dominant in the image, or that draw out subtle colors in the piece—a color that seems to bring it all together. And keep in mind that stark white can be a killer if the white in the piece is not as stark as the mat color.

If you are framing your painting for a juried show, check out the rules. Many will only allow white or off-white mats.

Today's artist find is Pierre Tougas. I recently discovered his paintings in the Charlevoix area of Canada.

He is one of the founders of the Canadian Watercolour Society.

Have a great week
Danielle

White watercolour vs while gouache

For most watercolour associations, the use of white paint (ex. Chinese White) or gouache, because they are opaque, disqualifies a painting from shows.  White areas are typically created by leaving areas of clean, untouched paper. This technique produces a white that has the cleanest and has the greatest contrast that can’t be reproduced with opaque paint. The use of white paint or gouache will remain controversial technique in watercolor painting for a long time.

Aside from that rule that some watercolour associations have, there is no right or wrong answer to a question about using white paint or gouache to solve your artistic dilemmas.  Some people use the touch of opaque white for things such as  highlights on eyes or petals, whiskers, etc.  Others use it extensively for various effects.  You must experiment to find out what you like.

If you want to use opaque white as an accent, which one do you prefer? Gouache is a little more fluid than watercolour and appears matte.  Chinese White is more transparent (or less opaque) and tonally weaker than white gouache, which has stronger covering power because of it’s opacity. If you're using Chinese White to cover a darker colour multiple layers will be required.

If you are interested in knowing more about gouache, check out this page:  http://www.handprint.com/HP/WCL/pigmt7.html

Today's feature artist is Cheryl Johnson:

See you in two weeks,
Danielle

Workshop with Lian Quan Zhen (Part II)

This is a continuation of the previous blog (http://arttutormembers.blogspot.ca/2016/08/workshop-with-lian-quan-zhen.html)

I have to admit that when I first saw Lian's method, it looked completely random.  It was quickly obviously he has a well planned technique.  Lian has mastered this method and he knows precisely where to place the lights and darks to develop them into a magnificent end result.

After the paint dried, we removed the masking fluid from the areas in the water. We then started painting the rocks. There were many tips for painting rocks and I wish he had a video just on rocks.

The technical set up was quite interested. There was a big monitor with a camera mounted from the top . This meant that participants  had a close-up view of Lian painting. Often time, he used the camera to zoom in on some details.  

Here was Lian's final painting from that workhop.

Attending a Lian Quan workshop is a valuable experience. If you have the opportunity, go with for it

Have a great week,

Danielle

Workshop with Lian Quan Zhen

This weekend I'm attending a workshop with Lian Quan Zhen.  After day one, I think he is a magician with watercolours.

Before painting anything, he has us prepare three small containers of paint: hansa yellow, antwerp blue and perylene red.

He works on setting the foundation one section of the painting at a time. First he uses his spray bottle and gives the area (working top to bottom) he will work on three squirts. He then loads his brush and shakes or taps dots of a color where he wants it. Then he does the same with another color. Each color has a brush dedicated to that color.  To mix the colours, there are 4 options: he either uses the spray bottle to mix the colours, uses his fingers to mix, uses a straw to move the paint or rarely uses his paint brush. Regardless of the option to mix the colours on the paper, he never goes in more than three times, e.g. three squirts with bottle.  By magic the colours mix and shapes start appearing.  

When the colours had been applied on all the paper it was time to add some darks. He often repeated that the dark had to have the consistency of clam chowder.  The dark, consisted of the blue and a touch of red, was flicked that into strategic areas.

For this workshop, he was painting a beautiful landscape with trees and rocks.

Once the paint has dried, he went it to apply some details.   A lot more details will be worked on tomorrow and I'll have more for my next post. Even with details, the limited number of brushstrokes he uses is quite impressive.

Throughout the day, he constantly repeated 'Paint what you want to see'.  This phrase has been etched in my mind.

I'm looking forward to seeing the continuation of the workshop tomorrow.

Here are a few of Lian Quan Zhen's paintings.

Have a great week,
Danielle

Not renewing Art Tutor membership

Last week my Art Tutor membership expired.  I went to renew it and noticed a significant increase in costs from last year.  Does anyone know why there is such an increase?

For the amount of time I spend on Art Tutor which is probably once or twice a month to check out the gallery and leave a few comments, it no longer makes sense for me to renew at these new costs. 

I joined the week Art Tutor began, so I'm sad to be leaving. Someday when I retire I might join up again to try the pastel and other lessons.

This online service has much to offer artists and I will continue to recommend it to anyone asking me for resources to learn how to paint.

Anybody wishing to get a hold of me for ideas or articles can always reach me here - dbeaul0155@rogers.com or through comments below.

Today's artist find is Elke Memmler,

See you in two weeks
Danielle

Creating your own sketchbook

Have you ever searched for a watercolour sketchbook of your favorite paper.  It's not always easy to find. I know they don't have what I'd like in Ottawa, Canada.  There are sketchbooks of other brands but it can be frustrating to work with different brand or sub-quality paper. Most of the time if you're sketching, you're not in your studio and have enough distractions when painting in various areas. Who wants to get used to different paper at a time like that.

If you do find a sketchbook with your regular brand of paper, you will probably notice the high price. Or they may not have the size you want.

You might want to consider creating your own sketchbook with your favorite paper. Here are a couple of videos to explain how to do this.  They each have  a slightly different approach.  Making a sketchbook requires a bit of patience.

• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3187ovmPINU&feature=youtu.be 
• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S2FRKbQI2kY

This week's artist find is Francis Tan.

Have a great week,

Danielle

Painting depth in rivers, lakes and oceans

Water features in paintings can be beautiful. If not done properly, a river can look like it is vertical instead of looking deep. Therefore it's important that when painting a water feature that you are able to communicate a visual sense of depth. This is accomplished through your brushstrokes, colors, and composition. We all know that this is important, but the question is, how exactly do you create a painting that does not appear flat and devoid of distance.

Some tips include overlapping various elements within your composition so that some are forced forward or backward in the scene. Try using less detail, texture, and definition when painting objects in the mid-ground and background of the landscape. In principle, you should paint with lighter values and less contrast for distant elements. However when painting a lake, if the water is deeper further out in the painting, the more values are required in the depth. A recommended approach is to use cooler colors to push elements farther into the background and use warmer, darker colors to bring elements forward into the foreground.

Shallow water tends to have lighter colours and is generally warmer in colour while deeper water is generally very deep blackish blue and green. This is caused by the sediment in the water which reflects more light. The value of the blue-green decreases and gets darker as the water gets deeper.

This week's artist find is Ron Adams.

Have a great week

Danielle

Moving to bi-weekly schedule

After 2.5 years of posting this blog on a weekly basis, I'm moving to a bi-weekly schedule.

See you next week
Danielle

How Art Exhibition Jurors Make Decisions

This post is by author M. Stephen Doherty.

About the Author: M. Stephen Doherty earned a Master of Fine Arts degree from Cornell University and served as editor-in-chief of American Artist magazine for more than 30 years. He has written a dozen books, hundreds of magazine articles, and he has judged art competitions for the National Watercolor Society, the Winter Park Art Festival, The National Oil & Acrylic Painters Society, the International Association of Pastel Societies, the Salmagundi Club, Arts for the Parks, and Plein Air Easton. He is now a consulting executive editor, a painter, and workshop teacher.

During more than 30 years of judging national, regional, and local art contests, I learned that the results often depend on completely arbitrary circumstances. What that means to you is that the artistic merit of your painting is only one of the factors influencing whether it is rejected from the exhibition or wins the top award. The more you understand these circumstances, the more likely it will be that you can achieve your goals.

The results of an art contest depend on the number of judges, the experience those individuals bring to the process, the categories of awards, the way entries are presented, the quality of your photography, the information provided to judges, and the time allocated for the review process.

For example, last year I judged a show in which many of the artists didn’t format their digital photographs so they could be viewed on the judging website and I wasn’t able to consider their artwork. And I was once given a notebook defining what work could be considered for each of the prizes and my choices had to take into account all those definitions. In both cases, a significant number of artists didn’t have a chance at winning prizes because they didn’t pay enough attention to entry procedures and prize categories outlined in the prospectus.

So what can you do to increase your chances of getting into a juried show and winning an award? Here are some suggestions I can offer based on my experience:

Enter Your Best Work
Judges will reject all three entries by an artist if one of the pieces is not as strong as the other two. If you only have two great paintings available to submit to a contest, then only enter those pieces.

Enter the Maximum Number
If you have several outstanding pieces to submit, it’s always better to show judges that your talent is solid and consistent by allowing them to review three great paintings instead of just one.

Enter Pieces that are Unusual, Not Safe
Collectors may buy artwork that is safe and typical, but judges prefer works that are exceptional. When you are trying to decide which pieces to enter, ask for advice from an experienced artist or teacher, not your mother.

Don’t Assume Judges Will Like Artwork That is Similar to Their Own
Judges are often more critical of artwork that is similar to their own. The standards they apply to their own work are much higher than those they use for judging other subjects or styles.

Enter Work That Can Be Quickly Understood
Judges only look at digital photographs or slide entries for a few seconds, and they are more apt to respond positively to images that are immediately understood rather than those that are so subtle and require careful study. Make sure the artwork you enter is well defined and that the contrast between the values is distinct.

Don’t Enter Pieces That Push the Limits of Good Taste, Humor, Scale, or Presentation
Very few judges want to offend exhibition organizers or the viewing public by selecting work those people might consider offensive, too big, poorly framed, or politically incorrect. If you want to challenge the norms, make sure the organization, venue, and judges will welcome those challenges.

Consider Entering Work that Fits Into Less Competitive Categories
You are more likely to receive recognition for your drawings, sculptures, or acrylic paintings than for your oils in competitions in which most of the entries are oil paintings.


Don’t Take Contest Results Too Seriously
A friend of mine keeps paintings on the fireplace mantel in his studio that he has entered in several contests. On the backs side of the frames, he records the results from each submission. One painting was rejected from three competitions and won prizes in four others (including “Best of Show”), and the other paintings have similar track records. “I keep the paintings on display so I remind myself that art contests are based on completely subjective reviews,” he explains. That story is worth keeping in mind the next time your work is rejected from an art contest of it wins the Best of Show award.

Have a great week
Danielle

Using Daniel Smith's Iridescent Paints

I recently purchased a few Daniel Smith's iridescent metallic paints. The metal colours are superb in certain context.  They have a shimmering effect that stands out beautifully in right context.  Some of these colours are made from mica pigment, thin transparent particles coated with highly reflective metal oxides, according to Daniel Smith.

The use of the shimmer is great for depicting sand and obviously metal.  In my case, I've used them to paint the cover the writing on old books or gold on tea cups.

Here are some of those iridescent metallic colours.

These metallic iridescent colours reflect light beautifully.

These paint colours lean more on the opaque side. This depends on how thick you apply the paint.  For effective results, these iridescent paints are best applied on top of a layer of other colours.  Otherwise you can apply multiple layers.

The texture of these colours is different. They feel a bit "plasticy" and slimy.  The paints do not dilute as well as other paints in water.  Like many things, you only have to get used to it.

Like all good things, moderation is advised. I suggest that these paints be used sparingly as not to have a "gimmicky" look to the painting.

My favorites are the iridescent antiques which are darker and moodier. Enjoy them!

I'd be interested in knowing how these iridescent colours are viewed by traditionalists.

This week's artist find is Xavier Swolfs:

Have a great week,
Danielle

Travel painting kit

Summer season is upon us and many people will be travelling and may want to bring with them a small painting kit.

Traveling is about packing light and simple. The size of the basic kit depends on how much space you will have during your trip or even you plan on painting while on the plane.  The kit can change from trip to trip or remain very compact. One thing that I've learned is that you want to stay with brands that you are familiar with because it takes a while a get used to different brands such as paper.  The essential elements of a painting kit includes:

Small palette: my Mijello palette which was bought for travelling appears small compared to my studio palette, but it is quite cumbersome when sitting in a plane as I've learned from experience. However, it is my go to palette for other travel plans. For extra compact, I purchased this Cotman palette (right) and replaced the paints with my favorite brands.

Travel brushes: There are a number of options here that depend on how much space you have. The important thing is that you want to protect the bristles of your brushes.  For travelling, Escoda makes some beautiful very compact brushes in their own cases to protect the hairs. I have a very lovely set of these that I can vouch for. If you have more space, you can bring your regular brushes and wrap them in a case with a long stick or use a sushi matt with elastics.  I have friends who use the waterbrush (photo on right). I am not a fan of these.

Water container:  When travelling on a plane, I like to use a very small water bottle but remember to fill it up with water after you have cleared security.  You can also use a collapsible water bucket.  Sometimes, you may have the luxury of bringing a large plastic container.

Watercolour paper: there are two main choices for this, there are the favorite watercolour blocks which are glued on all four sides, eliminating the need to wet and stretch the paper before painting. Most importantly, the glue prevents the sheet from curling and buckling during painting.  Blocks come in all sizes. You can also use small pads which are as practical but come in very compact sizes.  Alternatively, you can cut your paper and bring only what you think you might need.

With a small watercolour paper pad, I have a travel kit that fits into a very small make-up bag that I can carry anywhere, even my purse if I have the desire to paint while having a coffee at Starbucks.

So why go through all of these products..... because I love watercolours and want to paint whenever I have the time, regardless of where I am.  It is also great to pass the time when on planes.

This week's artist find is Pat Weaver

Have a great week,
Danielle

Using Granulation Medium

A number of suppliers make a medium that increases the granulation of colour. This product will cause colours, which usually give smooth washes, to granulate to a greater or lesser degree depending on the pigment. Generally the modern pigments, prefixed by ‘Permanent' or ‘Winsor' will be most affected by the medium. For colours that are already known for being granulated, such as French Ultramarine, this product enhanced the granulating effect. This property can be very useful for some subjects including clouds, beaches, fog and more.

You can use the granulation medium in two ways:

• you can add a few drops, instead of water, when you dilute your paint
• you can add it directly to the paper before the paint.

For maximum effect or colours that are not responding well to a small portion of the medium, wet the desired area of paper with the medium and then make a washes using the medium instead of water. Apply it and leave to dry. All granulated washes dry flatter, if this occurs, as the wash dries keep disturbing it with a brush. This will prevent the wash just flowing into itself and levelling out.

Some colours such as yellows and oranges do not seem to granulate much with the granulating medium.

I have not found any warning related to using this product with your good sable brushes.

Granulation is also increased by the roughness of the paper and by the absorbency.

As with all techniques any new method needs practice. Unfortunately, as with all water colour washes it can never be guaranteed to get exactly the same results every time.

Today's artist find is Emily Read: 

Have a great week,
Danielle

Being a self-taught artist

Have you ever felt the need to explain or defend what it means to be a self-taught artists?

A self-taught artist is normally defined as someone who has no post secondary education in art but is learning and practicing art on their own.

There are many types of self-taught artists. Some just explore with the paint and develop their skills on their own. Others use various resources such as books, videos, online courses and videos, etc. to learn and practice their art. With today's electronic world, it is easier and easier to learn about creating art and receive feedback. I do believe that critique is essential for growth. This can be obtained in numerous ways. Art Tutor gallery comments is often a safe means of seeking constructive feedback. There are also numerous workshops for those interested.

Learning from others is critical. A teacher will stretch you further than you can go by yourself, they will expose you to things you might never find on your own. They will expose you to a different levels of thinking. Also, there are certain learning environments that are impossible to create on your own.

Luckily there are a number of self-taught artists who have extensive fan bases and are able to make a living through their art. It’s not easy, but it just goes to show that it is possible to become a successful artist without having a degree or “formal training”. This by no means implies that formal art instruction is not necessary altogether. It is very much an option for those who have the time and money to do it.

What's your reaction when asked if you have a formal art education?

This week's artist find is Amy Lewandowski

Have a great week

Danielle

What story does your painting tell?

When I'm at an art show, it's often easy to break the ice with those in my booth by telling them the story behind a painting. Many art admirers want a painting to speak to them.  However, I have noticed that some people do not offer stories for different reasons. In some cases, the inspiration for the painting might be very personal. In other cases, some artists are private persons.

Consider that when someone is interested in buying your painting, they will likely live longer with the painting than you have had it.  That's why some people want to know all about the painting and the artist, they seek that connection that they will have in their mind every time they see the painting in their home.

The question of a painting telling a story also helps the artist focus on certain aspects of the painting. This could be a mood, an item, capturing a moment and expression. It could be any number of things, even a colour or a process.

As you paint, keep asking the question about the story your painting tells. This will help you identify what is the dominant element of your painting, and why you chose to emphasize it. What does the painting say about you as an artist, particularly to someone who’s never seen your work before? Some artists keep notes on the stories their paintings tell and store them with their paintings.

I have no doubt that paintings that have a story will create more interest than just another lonely painting fighting for attention among the numerous paintings that exist. 

Here is a related Ted Talk on this by Tracy Chevalier: Finding the story inside the painting.

Today's artist find is Ann Balch.

Have a great week

Danielle

Attributes of plein air easels

It's the time of the season when artists go outside to paint.  If this is your first year of plein air painting, you might want to acquire a good easel. So here are attributes for picking an easel for your needs:

• Weight:  seek out portability and super light weight. This means having an easel that is less then a few pounds. Aluminum easels tend to be lighter.
• Painting surface:  this area must be tiltable to various degrees (from flat to vertical). Some easels can hold various size surfaces, while other only hold up to 1/4 sheets. Consider what your needs are including robustness since with some easels, the angle of the surface changes with light pressure.
• Palette shelf:  it's practical to have a shelf to put your palette
• Misc. add-ons to consider:  here are some features that you might find on some easels:   brush holder, water pail hook, umbrellas, paint box
• Ease of set up and stability: consider how sturdy are the legs, is the surface stable,
• Height: it's useful to be able to adjusts the painting surface to different heights for sitting and standing

Today's artist find is Armand Carbrera:

Have a great week

Danielle

Placement of the Horizon

How much does the placement of the horizon affect the effectiveness and emotional feel of a painting?

The placement of the horizon impacts the foreground, middle ground or background. When planning your painting, you must determined the portion of the painting you want more depth and interest.  The farther the horizon is from the center, the more dramatic the overall effect. On other occasions it is better to place the horizon higher up or lower down in the frame as it will give your paintings more depth and interest. The placement of the horizon line is determined by which parts of the scene contain the visual information you think is the most important.

Low horizon:

• Tend to suggest greater depth of space (emphasis is on the sky/background);
• Used if your sky is to be an important then make the horizon low to draw more attention to the large sky;
• Select this option when top half of the frame was much more interesting than the bottom, you may want to adjust your composition so that the horizon is a lot lower in the painting;
• Heighten the isolation of subjects at the horizon;
• Can create an atmosphere of emptiness by contrasting it with the vastness of the sky.

Middle horizon:

• Tend to make for a more static composition and painting, since there may not be any hierarchy between foreground, middle and background;
• Suggest that there is no distinction between what's important, or that everything is important (if that is possible);
• Make it look more like two separate paintings;
• Can be effectively sometimes when you want to catch mirror reflections in pond or lake scenes.

High horizon:

• Highlight lots of land or water and little sky;
• Focus the landscape as the most important part,
• Focuses the interest onto the subject and foreground;
• Enhance sense of distance.

One final point, in fact it should have been the first point, wherever you decide to place the horizon in your paintings, make sure it is level, a slanting horizon looks unnatural and unbalanced and could easily spoil your a painting.

In addition to the photo, today I'm sharing this Youtube video of CORNELIU DRAGAN TARGOVİSTE's painting  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=abgwbb27z1s&list=TLysUkq4C8ZCsxNjA0MjAxNg

Have a great week

Danielle

Painting Shadows like Thomas Schaller

Since I started painting, I've always love seeing Thomas Schaller's watercolours. His paintings are always full of light. In the past week, I re-watched his video entitled Capturing Light in Watercolours - How to Paint Cities.

When most artist paint shadows, they use mainly neutral colours. In T. Schaller's paintings the shadows are a big part of the story of his paintings. The shadows are filled with warm gold colours - he refers to them as luminous shadows.

Here are some of my observations from this video, in particular his unique approach to shadows.

He lays a first wash while the paper is on the easel at a good angle to allow gravity to assist. It is important to paint quickly but still plan the brush strokes.  He is careful to preserve small areas of untouched paper - such as a break in the sky or the distant thread of water beyond.

He likes to keep the paper wet so that he can paint from light to dark and keep things connected. This also helps the colours "breathe" into each other and to achieve warm and cool combinations.

As he paints, he creates various types of edges and toggles from one type of edge to the other.  For a larger wash, he gradually changes the colour of the wash from the top to bottom - the changes of colours are seamless and offer no distraction but show light. He starts connecting shapes with the first wash.  In the shadow areas, he likes to juxtapose near complementary colours so that beautiful neutral tones are created organically.  The toggle between warm and cool is exciting.

Once the first wash completed and allowed to become almost dry - but not entirely since the bottom portion is still fairly wet - T. Schaller quickly begins the second wash.  Again he toggles between warm and cool colours on the same façade and then connects shapes  to ensure everything feels like it belongs.  This makes the colours vibrate and create a magical effect.

He loves to paint luminous shadows with the concept of bounced light.  For this, he charges his brush with cadmium orange or bright yellow to illuminate the underside of a deep overhang. In other areas, he drops red and gold in the shadow areas to interject warm colours.

He doesn't often mix his colours. The colours out of the tube mix together on the wet paper.  Use of sediment colours is recommended to avoid the creation of mud, but you may need to encourage them to mix with a spray.

Here are a few of his paintings. Have a close look at the shadow areas:

Have a great week

Danielle