I read art books in the hope that I’ll learn something new, or find a new-to-me way of looking at an old tool or idea. I seek out information in an effort to grow as an artist and try to be a more effective instructor. I consider a book...
Feb242017
Book Review: “Hawthorne on Painting”
Feb42017
New Art on Dura-Lar Part 2
Drawing on the polyester film was like running my hands across a length of satin fabric. This was the first time I’ve used it. For the most part I was able to build up fairly rich values, and erase back to a pretty clean surface. However I did manage...
Jan272017
New Art on Dura-Lar
For my most recent project I’ve been drawing on Dura-Lar. It was suggested by another artist who has had excellent results with the stuff. I’m using the .005 matte film. Like with the vellum I used for previous projects, I drew my lines on one side and am building...
Jul62016
Is Your Media in Your Way?
In the context of getting ideas out and working out a picture, one of the things I learned at The Atelier was that maybe the media is in the way. There are many things happening when I’m generating ideas and working out a picture (I’m guessing others have a...
Mar232016
Real vs. Believable
While in art school I desperately wanted to learn how to make things look real. One of the instructors said to me on several occasions, and I’m paraphrasing here, “is it (the drawing) believable”? Lately this idea has come to the foreground for me and I’m questioning what “believable”...
Jan202016
Solution for a Nocturne
I was a little flummoxed as to how I needed to arrange the values in my Owl Man project to give it a dusk or nighttime feel. One thing that I was taught and has worked for me is to look at how other artists solved a similar problem....
Dec302015
Windmill Limbs
Here’s a look at the tools of gesture drawing applied to a picture instead of isolated at the drawing co-op. I love it when the gesture in the thumbnail version conveys the idea I’m trying to communicate. Sometimes it gets lost along the way and I have to find it again. ...
Nov252015
Something Silly – Flying Turtles
Sometimes we just need to be silly and these aviator turtles are just what I needed. I plan on painting them in oil. Enjoy!
Jun242015
The Magic Pencil
When starting out many artists hunt for the magic pencil. We read books on what the “masters” used. We ask artists more experienced than us what pencil, brush, plein air box, brand of paint they use. I think this is because we’re looking for the “right way” to make...
Mar252015
Work in Progress – Detail Shot of Bear Cliffs
I’m trying to really push this pencil drawing and develop the values. Here’s another sneak peek detail shot. Birds!