Technique Archives - Page 2 of 3

COLOR UNDER-DRAWING

September 23, 2018April 26, 2019 editor 1171 Views

An artist friend in California sent an email with this idea. Historically, charcoal and pencils have commonly been used for under-drawings on canvas. The problem is, graphite can show through

ARTIST DESCRIBES USE OF SPIKE LAVENDER

September 23, 2018April 26, 2019 editor 1383 Views

It is always interesting to hear about the different ways artists use Oil of Spike Lavender. This is a description from one artist who recently wrote us: “Oil of spike

Materials Technique

PAINTERS WHO PREPARE THEIR OWN MATERIALS

September 23, 2018April 26, 2019 editor 1159 Views

“The painter who prepares his own materials knows them in a very different way from one who buys them ready made.” Max Doerner, 1870-1939 Doerner always felt that knowledge of

History Materials Technique

THE SECRET OF THE OLD MASTERS!

September 23, 2018April 26, 2019 editor 1347 Views

Artists sometimes are fascinated by the search for a “Secret” that makes old master paintings last so long and look so great. One eighteenth century painter, Sir Joshua Reynolds, suggested

Technique

THROUGH THE ARTIST LOOKING GLASS

September 23, 2018April 26, 2019 editor 957 Views

Working on a creative project up close, hour after hour, can make it difficult to get a fresh sense of how it looks – particularly the values and shapes. To

Materials Technique

NO MORE LOCKED PAINT TUBE CAPS

September 23, 2018April 26, 2019 editor 1766 Views

This idea was sent to us by a painter who solved a problem. The problem is that the caps on tubes of oil paint get locked onto the tubes when

History Technique

PAINTING KNIVES IN HISTORY

September 23, 2018April 26, 2019 editor 1296 Views

Painting knives are certainly great tools for contemporary artists using impasto techniques. Some form of the painting knife has been in use for centuries. In painting frescos, artists used iron,

History Technique

Plein Air Artist Inventions

September 23, 2018April 26, 2019 editor 1316 Views

During the 1800s, Plein Air painters were scattered throughout the country, from far west to the North Pole. Landscape painting had become the dominant genre in America, and Plein Air

History Technique

TRANSLUCENT PAINTING – AUREOLA

September 23, 2018April 26, 2019 editor 1149 Views

Around 1122 A.D., an author known as Theophilus wrote a manuscript called On Divers Arts, where he described the technique of Translucent Painting, sometimes called “Aureola”. In this technique, a

Materials Technique

WHEN MY BLUE MOON TURNS TO GOLD

September 23, 2018April 26, 2019 editor 1019 Views

There is an old song from the 1940s titled When My Blue Moon Turns to Gold Again, sung by Merle Haggard, Elvis Presley and others. Of course, when blues start