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Category: Tips and Studies

Written by September 20, 2013

Update to Oil Paint Brands

Shop Talk . Tips and Studies . Uncategorized Article

I continue to update the survey of oil paint brands. I have been using a lot of paint from the small producer Blue Ridge Colors. I am constantly on the lookout for reliable day-to-day paints, that is, paints that are good quality and reasonably priced. In this pursuit, I’ve recently used Rembrandt, Winsor Newton, and

Written by September 15, 2013

Study: Making ‘The Call’ Part 4

Paintings . Shop Talk . Studio Corner . Tips and Studies . Uncategorized Article

OK, so where are we now? The under-painting is done and the finishing work is started. To recap, my process is divided into several stages: Design/Drawing: I draw the deign with pencil then fix it with ink. The drawing is a plan: I work through every area and identify any issues. I can change the

Written by August 16, 2013

Painting Mediums Revisited

Shop Talk . Tips and Studies . Uncategorized Article

Someone asked why I fudged the proportion of varnish in my medium recipe. Varnishes differ widely from one another. Some are made with oil and some are made with thinner. Some start concentrated with the expectation that they will be thinned later, while others are already thinned to some desired consistency. Read moreIn the Studio

Written by July 18, 2013

Painting Mediums

Shop Talk . Studio Corner . Tips and Studies . Uncategorized Article

Painting mediums are a never-ending topic for discussion and debate among artists. Mediums profoundly affect how oil paint handles, and many preparations are complicated or dangerous, filled with ancient lore and alchemical processes. Oil by its nature is flowing and slow drying, qualities that during the early Renaissance led to the birth of large-format paintings

Written by July 17, 2013

Tip: Painting Flesh

Shop Talk . Tips and Studies . Uncategorized Article

There is not a single best way to paint Caucasian flesh.  Any orange-brown tone can serve as a base that can be made lighter and darker, and cooler and warmer as needed. As simple as this sounds, it’s maddeningly easy to misfire when painting portraits or figures. The eye scans portraits and notices false notes

Written by June 30, 2013

Oil Paint Brands Update 6/30/2013

Shop Talk . Tips and Studies Article

This is my second update to the Oil Paint Brands post (a compendium of information about oil paint producers). Blue Ridge has proved to be a reliable producer and they have supplanted Windsor Newton as my day-to-day paint. Their paint is excellent and I had a bad experience with WN. Recently I bought two 200

Written by April 5, 2013

Lost Secrets of the Masters Part I

Shop Talk . Tips and Studies . Uncategorized Article

We are in the midst of a surging revival of interest in historical painting methods. More is written on the topic each day. Many authors point to received experts (Eastlake and Doerner to name just two—my own threadbare copies are much-thumbed) and claim to have rediscovered or reinvented long-lost methods. The pursuit of the ‘lost

Written by February 21, 2013

Tips for Using a Grid

Shop Talk . Tips and Studies Article

I frequently use a grid to enlarge designs for paintings. It’s my preferred method for transferring designs from one medium into another (except watercolors). What do I use to create a grid? Good question. The grid should be visible enough to see—doh!—and not  easily rub away, but not so visible that it appears in the

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