Painting from life always brings with it a certain set of challenges, but perhaps the biggest challenge is finding a way to recreate those vibrant, light-filled colors that saturate the air around us—all while using opaque oil paints.
Forget correct proportions and drawing skills; just getting the colors right feels like an impossible task. Or is it even possible to achieve bright, realistic “lights” and colors in an oil painting?
Well, as you’ll see in a moment, it IS possible. The trick lies in using contrasting complementary colors to fool our eyes into thinking the colors we see are more vibrant and more intense than they actually are.
In today’s video, Caroline Jasper demonstrates some of the basic ways that our eyes naturally search for colors where none exist, and how we can use that to our advantage. Take a look:
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 today's video clip, it's interesting to see how Jean Pederson adds depth and contrast to her watercolor portrait by simply dropping in some complementary colors. After many more layers of paint, the final result is stunning. Take a look: If you're interested, you can get Jean's full waterco. . . read more
Watercolor painter Ann Pember is well-known for her larger-than-life florals, which feature vibrant, yet realistically blended colors. In today's video clip, she demonstrates her painting process on a single petal. . . take a look: NOTE: You can get Ann Pember's full floral painting DVD at Cre. . . read more
There are a lot of ways to add texture to a painting or collage, but today's video is probably the simplest, easiest explanation I've seen in a while. Claudine Hellmuth uses very few materials and ends up with a nice texture that is both flexible (so you can use it in book-like applications) a. . . read more
Understanding the effect that color choices have on your artwork can greatly enhance your work. . . underestimating the importance of color theory, on the other hand, will often lead to paintings that lack that "wow!" factor which is so important in art. There are many reasons why a painting m. . . read more
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