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Today’s post is for all cat lovers. The painting “Cat’s Night Out” is for sale on Cheryl O’s website (minus the quote). 

Today’s tip is for watercolour painters. When painting, just put out enough watercolour paint to do you for that session. Do not put out your complete tube of paint into the wells of your palette. Once that paint dries it never gets as rich and creamy again when you rewet it. Practically speaking, this makes it difficult for you to make rich strong darks in your painting. Now, I know that some teachers tell students to put the whole tube out, so this is not to make you feel guilty if you have done this. I suggest that you use that paint up, and if you need an area of dark colour, put out a bit from a fresh tube for that. Fresh paint just out of the tube also gives a richer flow into a wet area too – it’s more fun and more effective. If you still end up with left over paint on your palette when putting out the smaller amounts, spray them with water and cover with plastic wrap to keep them creamy for a few days. Happy painting! 

Did you know that oils do not dry by evaporation, but by light curing? This means that if you leave an oil painting in a dark room, it will stay wet for a long long time. This can be used to your advantage if you get interrupted while painting and want it to stay workable longer. It’s not a good idea to delay the drying for too long though. A few days is fine, but longer than that and the paint might have a tendency to yellow. However, if you are in a hurry to dry an oil painting, putting it under bright light both day and night really helps speed things up. But using a hot hair dryer to try to speed up oil paint drying is a completely useless exercise. 

When it comes to art, I can see some real benefits to being childlike. Here’s my list: 1. A sense of wonder. This comes naturally to most artistic people. The wonder of colour, of nature, of the world about and within. Einstein said it was key to who he was. /  2. An avid curiosity. “What happens if..” The ways of completing that are endless in art. /  3. A willingness to learn new things. With art, there is always something new to try: new colours, new shapes, new subjects, new types of lines, new combinations of these – it’s truly endless. /  4. That sense of joy that creating brings. Sometimes I can’t stop smiling when the art is going well. It even makes me give a little dance or laugh out loud at times – too much information? /  Maybe this is why children do art so naturally and easily. Have I missed anything on the list? What do you think – are there positives about being childlike as an artist? 

Creativity is allowing yourself to make mistakes. Art is knowing which ones to keep” Scott Adams 

I never tire of the excitement of new art classes starting – and they start this coming Tuesday! In the beginners classes, I truly admire those adults who are taking a deep breath and following their dream by starting into painting. Perhaps it is encouraging to realize that you are not alone in feeling shy. And be reassured, as well as learning, the goal is to have fun! My job is to be practical – give you all the info you need to get painting – and cheer you on in the journey. You can learn to paint, no previous art experience necessary. Just come wanting to have some fun and learn some new things, and you will do just fine. Welcome, new painters, to a great adventure! 

 

Painting crystal is something that tends to impress a viewer – and intimidate a new painter. So here’s a secret – it’s not as hard as you think. When you have transparent glass in front of you, there are really just one of two main things that you are seeing – either the light making a sparkle or shine on the glass, or whatever is behind the glass that you see through it. Once you think of glass that way, it’s much simpler. So if you are interested in the upcoming Fruit Flower and Crystal class but feeling shy to join, I would like to encourage you to give it a try. It’s actually a lot of fun! Each class will feature several different collaborative set ups which means lots of variety and still lifes that will please any level of painter, those with experience as well as those newer into art. And flower lovers – this is the class for you too! Check out the details and register here: Local Art Classes with Cheryl O (scroll down when on the page.)