On 7 Jan, 2011 With
Why “kitsch”? The painters invited to exhibit at The Kitsch Biennale 2010 in Venice have been chosen from their ability to create life on canvas – an idea deeply rooted in European Humanism that presupposes insight into anatomy and human psychology, a mind for pathos and a sense for the archetypical narrative. Yet, these values are rootless in contemporary art, which generally disregards skill and aims to reflect the time. They were not included in the modern concept of art (originally “fine art”), which was born about 250 years ago. Rejecting handcraft and sincerity, art represents a break with the values of the Renaissance and Baroque and not a continuation of them. Because of this situation an alternative to art…
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On 29 Jun, 2010 With
A look at the colours the Old Master Leonardo da Vinci used in his paintings. By Marion Boddy-Evans, About.com We may never know who the Mona Lisa was or what she’s smiling about, but we do have some idea of how Leonardo da Vinci created the sombre mood and smoky colors that add to her allure. Leonardo would first create a detailed underpainting in a neutral gray or brown, then apply his colors in transparent glazes on top. Some of the underpainting would show through the layers, subtly helping to create form. On his palette were muted, earthy browns, greens, and blues within a narrow tonal range. This helped give a sense of unity to the elements in the painting. No intense colors…
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On 30 May, 2010 With
If you want to learn how to oil paint and not sure how to begin, then the following article will prove to be quite helpful in your pursuit to become a good painter. Before you read on, you will have to try and forget everything you ever learned about oil painting and look at your painting from a new perspective. A recent art class I attended, taught by a master painter, has completely changed the way I approach oil painting and has opened up many new creative doors for me. I hope it will do the same for you.START WITH A CONCEPT Up until just recently, I was a very frustrated oil painter. I have 10 or so…
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On 29 May, 2010 With
Having spent several years painting – and making just about every mistake possible – I wanted to compile a list of tips and tricks to help others enjoy painting as much as I do. So here it is! Most of these tips come from my own direct experience or from students I have worked with in the past. Certainly, there are enough tips out there to fill an entire book, but I wanted to focus on just those that are helpful for the real beginner. 1. Be Yourself What kind of an artist do you want to be? I encourage all my students to explore different techniques and various styles on their journey into art, but usually there are one…
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On 26 May, 2010 With
Eyesight Realism Not Camera Realism Don’t take a single photo and turn it into a painting. Not because it’s “cheating” but because your eye doesn’t see the same as a camera. Your eye sees more detailed color, your eye doesn’t frame the scene in standard proportions, your eye doesn’t have a depth of field that’s dependent on a setting. A realistic landscape will be “in focus” all the way to the horizon, not blur out of focus as a photo with a narrow depth of field will. Color is Relative Color isn’t a set thing. It’s relative to what’s next to it, what kind of light is shining on it, whether the surface if reflective or matte. Depending on the…
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On 26 May, 2010 With
What many people mean when they say they’d like to learn to paint, is they’d like to learn to paint realism. To create a painting where the subject looks like it does in real life, or “real”. It’s only when you’re up close you see the skillful manipulation of color, tone, and perspective to create the illusion of reality. Realism Takes Days Not Hours Image © Stuart Gregory / Getty Images Painting realism takes time. Expect to spend days and weeks, not merely a few hours on a painting. You can’t paint detailed realism and also want to knock off a painting every afternoon unless you’re painting a small canvas with something simple like a single apple. Accurate Perspective is…
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On 24 May, 2010 With
How to become a famous artist. 1. It does not matter what kind of painting or graphic techniques you use. 2. By painting oil is the easiest to use. 3. Talent is undoubtedly the biggest, but not the main factor. 4. Hard work is one of the main factors. 5. Ambition is almost the main factor. 6. A good and up to date concept is decisive factor in creating your artwork. 7. Bad critic is in most cases a positive critic. 8. Try to be as much eccentric as you can. 9. Don’t mind critic and unpleasant statements from eccentric “art” activists. 10. Attend an Art College, Art School, or take some private lessons. Even if you don’t like realistic…
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On 19 May, 2010 With
As a known fact oil painting is the most preferred mode of painting by most of the artists as well as the painting fans. The probable reason why it is enjoyed and loved by most of the people is because of the deep and beautiful colors present and the attractiveness which the picture brings to the room when it is hung. Oil paintings have greater scope of being framed beautifully, unlike other forms that do not lent themselves to be framed with metaphorical frames that enhance and add an additional point of attraction to the paintings. Paintings as such from the ancient times are considered to be a mode by which artists express the beauty which they feel around themselves…
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On 18 May, 2010 With
Check out the video version of this guide on Howcast.com: How To Make your Own Oil Paints Get more great tips on painting and art on Howcast.com: Art Techniques Making oil paints will put you in direct contact with fumes that may be harmful. Do the following with a mask and in a well-ventilated area. Step 1: Put on safety gear Put on all the safety gear. A lot of pigments used in manufacturing paints are surprisingly poisonous. Raw pigment powder is very fine and easily inhaled by accident. Step 2: Put pigment on grinding slab Place a small amount of pigment on your grinding slab. Marble is more durable than glass, but marble is porous, which makes it harder…
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On 17 May, 2010 With
The beauty of the heavens and the splendor of Mother Nature have found expression in art from time immemorial. The function of art has always been devoted to expressing beauty in all its diversity. No wonder, Aristotle described art as an imitation of life. Human beings take delight in the works of imitation (representation). This explains why man has always tried to represent whatever he sees around. The consequence of this human desire was the inception of landscape paintings- a genre as old as the first century A.D. Landscape art refers to the portrayal of scenic beauty of nature, with the sky and weather conditions taking a considerable area of the canvas. The word ‘landscape’ is of Dutch origin (‘landschap’…
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