Yesterday, I was preparing for some watercolor work by inventorying my watercolor supplies. I have an acceptable collection of colors and paper. Puttering with the watercolors led to playing with gauche, which led to painting with ink…which finally led to these unplanned drawings. The two ink drawings are on Arches’ artboards. The self-portrait is on…
I’ve had a long argument with this as-yet-untitled painting. The argument started as soon as I completed the original design. I spent time taking things out of the design after it was supposed to be finished. I work hard on designs and only start painting with the drawing is finished. But it’s a large painting,…
Medium-density fiberboard (MDF) makes a good (and cheap!) support for painting and drawing. A 4′ x 8′ piece from a lumberyard is $20. That is 40 9″ x 12″ panels for less than .50$ per panel. If you don’t have a table saw, you can buy a pack of 12 pre-cut panels for 1$ –…
There are no ugly colors. This is a bit of conventional studio wisdom that is actually true. When I was starting out, I used a limited palette out of necessity. My palette had a lot of ochres, browns, and earth colors–the cheap paints. Limited palette users quickly learn that you can paint almost anything with…
I ‘finished’ Trooper Escort several months ago. I often struggle with what ‘finished’ means in practice. These days, I put ‘finished’ paintings aside before signing them. This gives me time to cool off and be more objective. So I took up the painting this morning and, sure enough, felt compelled to add a few touches.…
Most of the tropes we learn about art and art-making are rubbish. One meaningless trope is, “Real artistes only use large brushes.” Alright, then. “A six-inch brush for this five-inch canvas, right Professor?” “Don’t get cute! Use a brush suitable for the job, Nimrod!” But that’s not what you said. Use the right tools for…
I keep sketchbooks and doddle-books. Sketchbooks are for quick sketches where freshness and directness are important. Sketches can be simple or elaborate. Aaron Blaise is a good artists who has some YouTube videos about his sketchbooks and why he keeps them. If you are an artist or art student, keep a sketchbook. I also keep…
The two series that have preoccupied me over the past several years are still moving along. One of them, Playhouse Square, I started deliberately. After launching the series, I continued to take photographs in the target area for some time. The other series, Along Main Street, just happened. Many paintings in both series are finished,…