When you want to draw an object with realistic volume, or mass, it helps to be able to “see” the underlying shapes that make up that object.
These aren’t complicated geometric patterns—basically, you’re just looking for shapes like circles, squares, triangles, etc, and combining them together to form the structure of your drawings. In the following video, David Kitler demonstrates how he does it:
You can also get David Kitler’s full-length instructional video at Creative Catalyst.
Finally, my "big project" is finished! It’s been a crazy day with a lot going on, but foliotwist.com is finally live and online! Since I’ve kept it a complete secret up until launch, here’s a quick (mostly visual) overview of what it does. . .read more
In this short video from Creative Catalyst Productions, Carl Dalio shares some great tips on painting realistic figures inside landscape paintings. As you'll see, it's not about adding lots of detail in order to create realism, but simply creating shapes that "feel" like human figures. Carl st. . . read more
In a still life painting, every object's color is affected by the colors of the objects around them. . . but white objects are affected more than most, which can make them very difficult to paint. In the following video, Craig Nelson explains his process for painting two white eggs. He starts . . . read more
Every watercolor painter should know how to properly apply color washes to their paper. In the following video, Susan Bourdet shows the entire process, starting with a preliminary drawing that has already been protected with masking fluid. Susan explains how to mix several colors of paint in p. . . read more
When painting from a photograph (or from life) it's not always necessary to include the exact background that appears behind your subject. In many cases a more abstract, two or three-color background can be more pleasing, and help focus the viewer's attention on your subject. In the following . . . read more
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