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8 Ways to Loosen Up Brushstrokes

8 Ways to Loosen Up Brushstrokes

  Loosen Up Brushstrokes A lot of painters struggle with ways to loosen up brushstrokes to create the feeling they want in their paintings. The Impressionists helped us fall in love with brushstrokes. And, for over a hundred years, artists have explored celebrating...
Creating Rhythm in Paintings

Creating Rhythm in Paintings

What is Rhythm in Paintings? Rhythm is a visual tempo in an artwork. Creating rhythm in paintings causes a sense of movement or action to be suggested. Viewers love the sense of predictability and satisfaction they feel from understanding the composition. It can help...
Painting Winter Sunlight

Painting Winter Sunlight

Why Winter Sunlight is Different In the winter, the sun goes through the sky in a much lower arc than summer or spring. Just as sunrise and sunset are affected by the low position in the sky, so is the winter sun. Depending on where you are, this can be a dramatic...
Creating a Glowing Paint Effect

Creating a Glowing Paint Effect

Glowing Paint Effect Ever seen a painting glow? Then suddenly you realize that just using regular paint colors, this artist was able to create that amazing effect. In this lesson, I cover how you can get that paint glowing effect, without any special kinds of radiant...
How to Start a Painting

How to Start a Painting

One of the most common questions I get from art students is, “How do I start a painting?” A blank paper or canvas can be exciting, but also stirs up a bit of fear in us. “I haven’t screwed it up yet,” was a common a thought that ran...
Beyond Blue – Atmospheric Perspective

Beyond Blue – Atmospheric Perspective

Atmospheric Perspective – What is it? Atmospheric perspective helps us create the illusion of depth in landscape painting. As the land get further away from us the colors get less intense and shift in hue. This is due to the lightwaves scattering off of...
How to Simplify a Landscape Composition

How to Simplify a Landscape Composition

What makes a great landscape painting isn’t always the scene before us. However, we have a magical superpower as artists, we can (and should!) move things around. Simplifying a landscape composition creates a way to celebrate the important things of the...
Paint Sample Squares

Paint Sample Squares

What are Paint Sample Squares? Paint sample squares are a way to tell how a certain pigment behaves at a glance. You can see the true color, how it looks with one coat or two, which helps understand that pigments transparency or opaque qualities. There are different...
What Color is that River?

What Color is that River?

One of the first things I noticed about some rivers in Oregon, and the Smith river in Northern California, are their colors. Wowza. It seems like unbelieveable, magical, fairy-land kinds of color. The water is clear, yet emerald. Not the murky green of algae blooms,...
6 Composition Mistakes to Avoid

6 Composition Mistakes to Avoid

Why is Composition Important? Composition is one of the most important parts of making a good artwork. It is impossible to have a great painting with a bad composition. And, it can be one of the biggest struggles for a painter in the beginning. This post is to help...
Painting Fall Colors

Painting Fall Colors

 Painting fall colors are so inspirational. Bright and bold, these temporary splashes of color are fun to celebrate. Here, I walk you through a step-by-step journey of painting a leaf – with a focus on color choices.   Materials: Fantastic leaf from tree...
Creating a Value Scale

Creating a Value Scale

Creating a value scale is an essential and simple task for a painter. The basic idea is that we need to see the range of values that one or two pigments can create. Values are an important part of painting, creating contrast, mood, form, and help guide the eye. It is...