The all-important "warm-up" exercise. . . it applies to workouts of all sorts, including sessions in the art studio. And for good reason! I’m sitting in my studio this morning looking at a "cold" portrait. . . read more
In one of my recent paintings I used a limited palette and a Red Oxide toned ground. I chose Red Oxide as my ground to serve as a mid-tone, allowing me to focus on the warm and cool relationships. Here was my process. . . read more
Recently a couple of my students have asked questions about creating distance in a picture. Luckily, whether you’re drawing, painting, or printmaking the principles are the same. . . read more
Winsor & Newton makes both professional and student grade oil paints. In order to get a good sense of how their student grade colors compare to their professional grade versions, let's examine three important colors up close. . . read more
I love to mix up media, so today I thought I’d share my technique for mixing gouache and india ink. If you’ve never tried this particular combination, I hope you will. You can get some wonderful results with it. . . read more
The beginning watercolorist often experiences a trial-by-error initiation, in which the desire to produce a lovely, light-filled watercolor painting exceeds one's ability to actually do so. However, once bitten by the painting bug it is impossible to give up on the challenge. . . read more
Although it’s definitely the most common, stretched canvas isn’t the only surface that works well for oil paints. Here are some alternative surfaces that I have enjoyed using over the years. . . read more
As with any drawing, the beginning of a painting is the most important step. Successful starts lead to good finishes. In the next few paragraphs I’ll explain what I do to start a painting off on the right foot.. . . read more
Occasionally a painting needs something MORE to take it to the next level. The composition is ideal, the values are correct, yet the finished artwork just doesn’t sing. Often, this has to do with color intensity. . . read more
There are still some painting purists who question whether or not these pigments are true oils, but I assure you they are. In fact, I have been successfully executing my paintings using water soluble oils with professional results for over 10 years.. . . read more
When painting a landscape, it is essential that you are able to illustrate a visual "sense" of depth, through your brushstrokes, colors, and composition. We all know that this is important, but how exactly do you create a painting that does not appear flat and devoid of distance?. . . read more
There are billions of possible colors in our world, all with different textures, intensities, temperatures, and variations. Choosing how to mix a particular hue is one of the things that defines your style, and determines how your paintings will look. . . read more
With watercolors, it’s not always easy to achieve pure, intense colors and a full range of values. Worse yet, when you scan a watercolor painting for reproduction, you're likely to lose even more of the color and contrast.. . . read more
Studying color is an essential aspect of painting. All my painting life I’ve experimented with color charts as a way to increase my knowledge of color. When I’m in the field painting, this knowledge kicks into gear right when I need it.. . . read more