Art Tips

My recent works tend to invoke the question- are they oils or Acrylics. My reply is neither since I work in egg tempera. I'm trying to achieve a painterly and impressionistic look commonly seen in oils or acrylics and never in egg tempera. My aim is to apply egg tempera in such a way that it looks painterly and impressionistic. I favor this approach because I think it injects energy and interest beyond more direct representation. But, I do not want style to detract from the essence of what I am trying to depict. In "Shaking it out" I have painted a rather common event of a little girl on the beach shaking out her towel, and yet, it is this action that interested me… Continue reading… 1 comment

It is hard for me to make mistakes, which is a killer for spontaneity, so instead of ordering myself, just do it, I usually put the pen in my left hand and let my left hand take charge...I started with "teaching" myself to write with my left hand, that being my non-dominant hand. Teaching yourself to write left-handed is harder than you think and it involves more determination than anything else as it is enormously fatiguing. After a year I still tire easily writing, and have some trouble getting the ink to flow from certain types of ballpoint pens if i am sitting in the wrong position… Continue reading… 0 comments

I was asked about this painting this morning so I thought I might share a little bit about it. Last winter I read an article in Watercolor Artist magazine about an artist (Malcom Liepke, in fact) who often painted on illustration board with watercolor so as to allow the paint to dry up on top of the paper (or board) instead of absorbing down into it. This intrigued me. I don't live close enough to any art supply stores to run out and grab the exact item I needed to try this technique so I innovated a bit. Instead, I sprayed my watercolor paper with a bit of spray varnish. Just a light spray (in a well ventilated room!) did the trick. What this did was allow the paint to sit on top of the paper as it dried and it allowed for a little extra movement and flow of paint… Continue reading… 0 comments

At the risk of heresy among egg tempera painters I've attempted this piece "Ready to Go" using solely a palette knife. To attempt this I was once told would be like painting with melted butter. Not so. I used a dispersion pigment mixed with egg yoke but keeping the consistency thicker than I would typically do when painting with brushes. Let me know what you think of this… Continue reading… 1 comment

Today I bounced out of bed ready to photograph Lady Artisan Christmas ornaments. I did not achieve quality photographs last year. This year, equipped with a commercial photography light system and box and a very good camera I mistakenly believed that it would be a quick and easy task to redo the photographs. Then I would put the ornaments onto my website and they would sell. Then I would create a brochure and perhaps sell them through local gift stores. I have an unusual ability to underestimate the learning curve required for new creative enterprises. I did have a very productive day learning more about my camera, lighting, and how to start a new creative project. Digital cameras are not as easy to manually set as the old fashioned varieties… Continue reading… 2 comments

I am often asked the secret to capturing people on film so well. "Why do they always look so good?" "I hate having my picture taken, but you have captured me at my best! How?" "How do you reveal personalities in your photos?" Honestly, there are many reasons. Some are the old stand-by boring, time-consuming ones...practice, practice, study, and more practice. But there is one technique that is a bit of a quickie that I will share with you. When you are photographing your freinds and family this holiday season, it is the perfect time to experiment with this technique: Invite your model to talk about something they love… Continue reading… 1 comment

I think I'm starting to get the hang of this. I've learned a lot in the last year, including a few things that don't make it in the manual, probably because they are so obvious no one really thinks they need saying. Well, looking at an earlier post, I think I've learned and relearned some of them! 1) Hand-sewing quilting thread is just that. Do not put it in the machine. It will not thank you. 2) Ironing is important; very important (Actually, one or two people probably told me this; I just had to learn it the hard way--my last bag is a bit rumpled because I skimped). 3) If you get cross; stop. If you do not stop, Bad Things Will Happen. (Ok, I know this one, too, but I'm a slow learner). 4) Straight Lines Happen… Continue reading… 0 comments

Digital enhancement of your acrylic painting is exciting and an excellent way of creating a new age of artworks. When your acrylics, oils, or mixed media are scanned into "Paint" or "Picaso" type computer paint program, art work can be turned into a masterpiece. Color selection is vast and adjustable. Choose from a pallet of colors that allows adjustment of hues and tones far above the acrylic paints completed by hand. The color spectrum is clean and quickly softened or manipulated. Your art comes alive with splashes of vibrant colors and literally POP s at first glance. Seasonal color pallets are a joy to master with just a little time and attention to details, i.e., lines, colors, texture and hues. Thank you for visiting my site! Please read my goggle blog - cookysplace… Continue reading… 2 comments

I used two different layers of acrylic gels and liquid acrylics on canvas to create "Catch the Sun". First I painted the background including a rock path, green bushes and saved a white circle for the Sun. Next I textured the entire surface with Golden Heavy Gel (Matte). The gel was milky white, but dried semitranslucent. I painted the colors into the texture for the sun and the bushes. I also drew the birds on that layer and then covered the painting with Golden Heavy Gel(Gloss). This milky white gel dried clear and glossy. I finished by painting the birds and the net. The spaces between the two gels layers gives this painting a 3-D effect… Continue reading… 1 comment

This painting was an experiment with some of the new tools available for watercolors. I admit I am a watercolor purist - and so this was also an exercise in bravery. I purchased a number of clayboard panels while visiting my daughter in Vancouver last year. It has taken me exactly a year to decide to experiment with them. The texture of the clayboard is quite different from paper - at first I was unsure if I liked it or not. After painting for a few minute - i started to get the feel for the material - bottom line. If you have time to play, this is a fun product. I sealed the finished painting with three coats of Krylon spray varnish. I have not decided yet if I am going to apply Golden Polymer Varnish over top or not… Continue reading… 4 comments

One of the things I like about scratchboard is working with a black starting point and then taking the whites and grays back out of the surface. The potential for drama is strong. Colors may be added or the work may be at its best left black and white. I love the moonlight effect of the white highlights on the black surface in my "Moonlit Beach" which appears in my "Drawings & Scratch" ArtId gallery. I usually use a pre-inked surface (I like the one produced by Claybord), while others prefer inking their own. An advantage to having india ink on hand is ease in repairing errors. In the photo here I had begun to work the face of a cliff, scraping away large rock wall areas while leaving rock shadow. As you can see, I had already been working the ocean… Continue reading… 0 comments

I was looking for a new challange to get the cob webs out. I paint regularly and in a very specific style that has developed over the years. I was looking for an opportunity to experiment a bit more without taking too much time away from my more detailed work. I stumbled upon a web site of artists who commit to completing a painting a day (give or take a day or two a week) and thought I would give this a whirl. This is fun, pushing the boundaries a bit (I normally am a transparent watercolor purist)and I get to try various products that I have purchased and never really knew what to do with them. Hope you enjoy… Continue reading… 0 comments

The Mayan Glyph for the center of this galaxy...Translated as "One Giver of Movement and Measure"… Continue reading… 2 comments

A yellow iris glows with color in a garden setting. The surrounding lush foliage is suggested by the cool greens and touches of orange in the background. Every spring my eyes and heart are captured by the irises growing in the backyard. They are all the more beautiful in that the back of the lot may still have a raggedy look from our winters that spout forth a growth of weeds while remaining cold enough to discourage long spells of clean up work. While I love the brightness and the crinkly folds in the edges of this flower, I find the background especially intriguing both to paint and to see as a compliment to the flower. One of my friends refers to paintings such as this as portraits of flowers because they focus in on a single flower as a portrait artist will upon a face… Continue reading… 0 comments

Here at ArtId we have made a commitment to accept advertising, from eco friendly art suppliers, only. Companies that are making a difference in their everyday business practices deserve our support. When members log in there is a link to Rex Art Supplies one of our environmentally responsible partners. So what is Rex Art all about? Katrina Morris, Director of Internet Marketing, states, "Here at Rex Art we do our best to be green. Our offices and warehouse are painted with low VOC paint, we use non-toxic cleaning products and we recycle shipping boxes and packing material. We've installed efficient lighting fixtures throughout our facility and programmed our thermostats so that we use less energy… Continue reading… 2 comments

Do you know what Yupo paper is? Maybe you are not familiar with this kind of paper. I will tell you a little about it. I have only been working on it for a short time. but have watched some tapes of artists demonstrating using this paper. First of all -it is a synthetic paper. [non absorbent]. I use watercolor on it at the moment. This is an unfinished piece I am working on. I find it a very challenging experience. This is done on heavy weight, but it comes in light weight too. Its like 200 lb watercolor paper. I started out with a brush to draw my design. However I have changed it many times so far. You can take off any paint that you don't want by wetting it with a brush and wiping it off with kleenex tissue. This helps in designing the art work… Continue reading… 1 comment

I've encountered many artists who've expressed frustration with acrylics, and discarded them prematurely. For those having difficulty with their paint drying too quickly on both palette and substrate, I highly recomend Liquitex Slow-Dri Blending Medium. Two or three drops added to a dime-sized blob of paint keeps my colors workable for one to two hours. Since thinner films dry faster, it helps to keep the paint mounded (rather than smeared) on the palette. A little Slow-Dri goes a long way. Excessive amounts cause the paint surface to become permanently tacky. Another way to slow drying is to add any of the various gels available. However, many require a half-day or more to set, and some become cloudy if disturbed while half-dry… Continue reading… 0 comments