Sinking in (canvases)
I always try to be as efficient as possible with my paintings. But I'm also cheap. The combination of efficiency and cheapness has frequently caused me headaches. Instead of saving time and money, I've wasted…
Category: Tips and Studies
Starting a painting
Everyone knows how to start a painting, right? You take up your brush and begin--what's the problem? Joking aside, if you want to create a sketch or study, that IS exactly how you start. That…
‘Liberty Avenue’ again
Art students frequently struggle over how to start a painting. Once started poorly, a painting is hard to correct. I've shared the starting stages of several of my paintings for art students struggling with starting…
Painting flesh
Artists find painting people and portraits difficult. Even artists who can paint complicated landscapes without too much difficulty stumble when they attempt people. Why? Part of the answer is the uncanny valley. The uncanny valley…
Leaded oil completed
I began my latest batch of leaded linseed oil on July 27, 2021--38 days ago. I protected the oil from debris with a cover. I gently rocked the tray periodically to prevent surface skin. When…
Old Holland, I want to forgive you
I explain why I banished Old Holland from my palette in this post. Even though I rate Old Holland's oil paint the best in my Oil Paint Reference, their prices are so absurdly high that…
Smooth is best
Rereading what I wrote about preparing a canvas, I realized that I didn't emphasize the main goal enough. Yes, it's important to protect the canvas, but the real goal is to make a great surface.…
Ragged easel
My Utrecht easel has served me well. True, it's held together with glue and clamps, but it still handles the large-size paintings that I make. One thing the easel lacks is a place to rest…