COLOR UNDER-DRAWING
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
Read More
Technique
ARTIST DESCRIBES USE OF SPIKE LAVENDER
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
Read More
PAINTERS WHO PREPARE THEIR OWN MATERIALS
“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
Read More
THE SECRET OF THE OLD MASTERS!
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
Read More
THROUGH THE ARTIST LOOKING GLASS
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
Read More
NO MORE LOCKED PAINT TUBE CAPS
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
Read More
PAINTING KNIVES IN HISTORY
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,
Read More
Plein Air Artist Inventions
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
Read More
TRANSLUCENT PAINTING – AUREOLA
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
Read More
WHEN MY BLUE MOON TURNS TO GOLD
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
Read More