Old Masters Academy

Posts Tagged "paint technique"

Leonardo’s Vitruvian Man Helps Decode the Mona Lisa

Leonardo’s Vitruvian Man Helps Decode the Mona Lisa

Vitruvian Man Helps Decode the Mona Lisa The Yin and Yang qualities of the two cojoined forms of the Vitruvian Man and those of the Mona Lisa (both considered to be self portraits of Leonardo Da Vinci)help us to experience our own wholeness. This leads to greater peace and happiness. These Yin and Yang qualities are also found in the Star of David and Christian Cross. Leonardo said it best: “The outstretched arms and legs of a man form a square and a circle: the square symbolizes the solid physical world and the circle the spiritual and eternal. Man bridges the gap between these two worlds.” -Leonardo Da Vinci, “The Magical Proportions of Man” Leonardo Da Vinci’s Vitruvian Man (the…

Read More

Investing In Fine Art

Collecting fine art is quickly becoming a more common method of investing and saving money. Putting your money into artwork can result in more of a return than a regular savings account, which is contrary to what most people believe. Many people don’t think of fine art collecting when it comes to managing their money — but nothing could be further from the truth. Here are some common myths about fine art investments and financing. Some of the biggest myths concerning fine art collecting and finances are that it doesn’t appreciate quickly enough to be a good investment. Also, a widely-held assumption and falsity is that art doesn’t do well in a down-turning economy and that prints aren’t valuable. This…

Read More

Introduction to Oil Painting Fundamentals

To accurately convey your feelings about the subject you are painting, you should learn and understand the fundamentals of oil painting like drawing, color theory, value and composition. I hope to give you a better understanding of these fundamentals in this article. This article is meant to be an introduction. You should study these topics further on your own when you have time. DRAWING Learning to draw, as a foundation for oil painting, is one of the most valuable skills a beginner oil painter can have. Many new artists usually frown upon the idea of drawing first. They would rather jump right into painting, as most beginners do. Nothing is more rewarding for a painter, than working with color, but…

Read More

Things Required to Make Oil Painting Easier

The process of painting with varnishes is popularly known as oil painting. Varnishes are a combination of oil like the linseed oil with the resin such as pine resin. Other than linseed oil, oils like poppy seed oil, walnut oil and safflower oil. Oil paintings provide extremely versatile color combinations. For a thick coat oil paints can be used in impasto, which is a textured application where the marks of the paint brush remain visible. They can even be used for a thin layered image like glazes.Here are some oil painting tips which will make your painting experience more enjoyable and disciplined. • First the selection of a non porous palette is of vital importance; it would be extremely useful…

Read More

ART MATERIALS: Oil Color

Oil Paint is a medium which hardly has any near alternative. But while using these colours we face certain odds. Many artists find it difficult to cope up with the smell of turpentine. Those artists who work at home face the smell as offensive to all other family members who live with the artist. While for the students who work in group at school or art classes have to arrange proper ventilations for eliminating the effects of the heavy odour the turpentine releases in the atmosphere. The invention of paint like Van Gogh H2Oil is like a blessing to the artists who use oil paint. This water mixable colour is now available in market. H2Oil colour can be mixed with…

Read More

Landscape Painting: 8 Basic Planning Tips

To learn to paint landscapes is to learn to be effective at planning. The idea is to make all the critical decisions about perspective, composition and even what supplies and tools to pack well before you even think about adding paint to the canvas. It is an absolute myth that all great painters are just free spirits that only act spontaneously when the mood strikes. Consistently productive professional artists always refine their preparation routines in a way that positively impacts the final results of a painting. Here are 8 tips for successful landscape painting preparation. 1. First, take a walk around the landscape you wish to paint. It can be amazing how a slightly different perspective will reveal one of…

Read More

To Clean an Oil Painting –

Compared to other mediums of painting such as water colours or acrylic or charcoal and so on, oil paintings have always been a favourite medium for artists as well as art lovers. However, the oil medium has its own peculiarities particularly with respect to how it weathers the passage of time. For an oil painting to retain its original shine and form, the artist or the collector needs to maintain it carefully. Particularly if you are an art lover or collector who owns one or several oil paintings, the best way to maintain the paintings is to get some professional help to clean or refurbish your valuable collection. But hiring a professional can be quite expensive and time consuming. If…

Read More

Top Tips: Seven Ways to Market Your Art Online

As an artist you are creative by nature, which means the business aspects of marketing and selling may feel uncomfortable. Developing an online presence can help with the process. Each online activity creates permanent evidence that you have been there and serves as a marketing assistant helping to market and sell your work 24/7. There are many such activities an artist can utilize. Here are seven. 1. Register with online portfolio services. Before registering, write a brief statement explaining who you are as an artist and other information important to clients. This can be as short as two words or as long as a paragraph. Also, choose the one image that conveys who you are as an artist this will…

Read More

Canvas and its Applications.

Canvas is a sturdy plain woven fabric used to make tents, sails, marquees, backpacks, canoes, trampolines and tarpaulin, all of which are for outside use but (linen) canvas replaced wooden panels as the favoured medium for oil painting artists around the time of the 17th century. Historically, canvas was made from hemp, before being replaced by linen, but more common these days is cotton canvas due to it being economical and versatile. Canvas comes in two forms, plain and duck, the latter being more tightly woven and used extensively for outdoor applications, such as clothes, camping and sailing. In the 20th century, cotton canvas replaced linen canvas as the most popular painting medium, although linen canvases are still used to…

Read More

For Real Artists: A Guide to Specialty Art Paper

Creativity is a tricky endeavor. To get the right look, you need the right materials. As any artist knows, anything can serve as a canvas, but for the truly exquisite look, you need something special. In this short guide, we’ll explain some of the art and craft products available and some possible applications for these products. Curious iridescent paper is certainly one of the oddest products on the market today. Normally, embossed iridescent paper is not so much a paper, but more like plastic or a thin, flexible and colorful metal, and as such, is well suited for sculpting and other crafts. Iridescent paper is often made by foil stamping and lasers on light-sensitive chemicals, and can only be used…

Read More

12