Category: Tips and Techniques

We had a discussion recently in art class about the concept of blocking in. This concept was a difficult one […]

Sometimes I get it wrong. I recently gave some incomplete advice to a student about choosing a background colour. As well as considering contrast in temperature and in value, what I didn’t mention is that it’s really important to echo some of the colours used in the subject in the background. Take a look at some of your favourite famous paintings and check this out. Even famous portrait artists often throw some of those flesh colours into the background. Glad to say, the particular background involved was in oil paint, and not difficult to redo. Looking forward to seeing how the student’s painting looks this week! So when doing backgrounds, think about: value, temperature, and echoing colours that you have already used.

Anyone who knows me at all knows that in art, I’m not much for rules. It’s art – not brain […]

Sharpie markers are an attractive art impliment when you want to make a strong black line. However, you need to […]

One concept that people new into painting have a hard time grasping is that paintings can often go through stages, […]

The connection may not be obvious, until you think about it. A good still life set up has a lot […]

There are 2 basic types of watercolour paper: hot-press and cold press. It’s easy to remember the difference. Hot-press is […]