Shadow-Ghosting -- A Technique that Helps to Create Flawless Line Drawings

"India Rising -- the Found" mixed media on canvas (50% off)

I like to put people in my paintings. When a canvas or landscape doesn't include people, something is missing in my book.  I find that peoples' expressions and body language not only contribute to a scene but “round out" a painting's story.

The more I paint, the more this holds true for me. I find I’m more engaged in the painting and have more passion for doing it when a few lines and shapes form a character and become real before my eyes.

"Fish Market" 18 x 24 acrylic on canvas

Design also fascinates me, although, I’m not very good at it. I like to incorporate unusual background designs that have a subtle impact on the story I’m trying to create. The secret is to make them compliment the subject or center of interest without dominating it. Sometimes I succeed and sometimes I fail.

A painting should also have magnetism; a component that draws the viewer’s eye into the scene and around the composition. Once, I got so carried away with this principle that I led the viewer right off the canvas and into LaLa Land. I didn’t recognize my mistake until someone pointed it out to me.

"Serena Shines" 9 x 12 Pastel on Bristol

I recently took a class on “letting go.” The purpose was to encourage “loose” brush strokes and to allow your imagination to fly. My imagination flew, all right. Right off the page! There’s something to be said for “control,” and knowing what you want to see on canvas.

Portraits especially require a steady hand and even strokes of brush or pencil. Scratchy, broken lines make a drawing look weak and tentative. Lines that give the appearance that they know where they’re going and where they’ve been, are strong and definitive.

"Does this hat make me look fat?"  11 x 14 pencil on bristol

If you’re not sure if a line is accurate, don’t put it down on paper. Wait until you’re sure the placement is correct. Wave or draw a shadow line over the paper to test the distance and the dimensions without making a mark. If your shadow or “ghost” line seems accurate, place your unbroken line with confidence and freedom.

 Learning a new technique or genre takes time and patience. Making mistakes and recognizing them is just as important as being perfect. Sometimes we get lucky the first time, but continued practice is certain to improve your work over time.

"First Daffodil" 16 x 20 acrylic on canvas

Featured Artist:  Dorina Costras is an artist who seems to have mastered the art of drawing and color. Please enjoy her work and explore her web site at the following link:

http://kasturinic.wordpress.com/2013/07/12/wings-of-fire/ 

Finding your lost imagination

 

 “Use it or lose it” is an expression we’re all familiar with. We don’t always associate it with imagination, but it’s certainly true. We’re born with curiosity and imagination, but somewhere between adolescence and adulthood, we lose it.

Unless we allow ourselves to dream and fantasize throughout our lives, we risk becoming stodgy and stale; heaven forbid! A plunge into the realms of literature is a sure cure.

One of my favorite reads is the “The Little Prince” by Antoine De Saint-Exupery. Don’t let the 1943 copyright put you off. This classic still rings as true today as it did when it was written.

“Like a spoon full of sugar,” the pages melt on your tongue exuding words that recapture childhood fancy and wisdom. Once again, you become a child. You think like a child. You see like a child. Your observations become acutely aware of the foibles that being a “grown up” entails.

The simple drawings are lessons in and of themselves: “I showed the grown-ups my masterpiece," the little prince said, "and I asked them if my drawing scared them.” They answered, “Why be scared of a hat?”

“My drawing was not a picture of a hat. It was a picture of a boa constrictor digesting an elephant. Then I drew the inside of the boa constrictor, so the grown-ups could understand. They always need explanations….they advised me to put away my drawings and apply myself to geography, history, arithmetic, and grammar. That is why I abandoned, at the age if six, a magnificent career as an artist.”

My favorite part of the whole story is when the little prince meets a fox. He has never seen a fox before. “Come play with me,” the little prince proposed. “I’m feeling so sad.”

“I can’t play with you,” the fox said. “I’m not tamed.”

“What does tamed mean?”

“It’s something that’s been too often neglected,” said the fox. “It means, ‘to create ties’…”

“‘To create ties?’”

“That’s right,” the fox said. “For me you’re only a little boy just like a hundred thousand other little boys. And I have no need of you. And you have no need of me, either. For you I’m only a fox like a hundred thousand other foxes. But if you tame me, we’ll need each other. You’ll be the only boy in the world for me. I’ll be the only fox in the world for you…”

By the time you finish reading this book, you're a child again on the brink of discovery. You become wise beyond your years. You grasp the meaning of relationships and the importance of simple things. You see things through the eyes of a child and your imagination is set free!

The next time you get stuck on empty and your creative juices are sluggish and slow, pick up a favorite book or a classic and restart your engines. For me it’s like a mini-vacation that inspires and refreshes. My perspective is altered; my enthusiasm is fired up, and I’m ready to meet the world head on.

Featured Artist
Lyn Olsen is a self-taught artist whose style is impressionistic and whose focus is on marine life, nature, and contemporary paintings. A link is posted below with a painting called “Silver Sailing.”

www.lynolsenart.com

Connecting the Dots – Making Your Art Relevant

"Beach Buddies" mixed media on 16x20 canvas

I’ve talked about the importance of networking as you make your way in your career, and the importance of getting your artwork seen and your name recognized. But there’s another side of the networking coin that’s even more important. It’s called connecting.

What’s the difference you might ask? The focus of “connecting” is your audience. Who are you painting for? Do you paint only for yourself or do you have something to say? Who do you want to say it to? It’s all about finding your voice as an artist and connecting with your audience.

This takes networking, a critical step in marketing, to a whole new level. It means connecting with people in a new way, not just visually, but emotionally and intellectually. It’s about making your artwork memorable, recognizable, and desirable. It means connecting to your buyer.

"With These Hands -- Love" 18x24 oil on canvas; framed

This last step may take years for an artist to develop. What is it about you and your perceptions and attitudes about life that make you unique and different? How can you incorporate this originality into your voice so that you may connect with people? Do you want to make a statement or do you just want to paint pretty pictures?

I’ve asked myself that question many times. I watch what sells, and I know that a big part of it is painting pretty scenes with dynamic colors that catch a person’s eye, whimsy, or the décor of their living room. Sadly, this may make a sale, but unless there is something else to grab the mind and heart of the viewer, it is quickly forgotten in the stream of other things in life and other competitive art that grabs for attention.

"An Open Book" 16x20 mixed media on canvas

If we want to make our mark, our voice has to speak volumes about us as individual artists. Depth of soul, depth of character, and a unique perspective say as much about us on canvas as does the skill we use in applying paint, composition, and structure. Success and recognition come when we finally make that connection!

Featured Artist
Magal Nagar was born in New York, and at age 9 her family relocated to Israel. At the age of 18, Magal fulfilled her two-year Israeli military obligation, assisting with the operations of a kibbutz (communal settlement). It was during this period, inspired by nature in the rural mountain setting of Southern Israel, that Nagar found her gift and passion for painting. Indeed, through exploration with color, she had achieved her own intuitive, unique form of self expression and inner peace.  http://www.magalnagarart.com/categories.php

When Paintings Sing and Images Dance

I finished my bird house painting, and decided to add a couple bluebirds for interest. The painting has an old-fashioned look, but the colors are bright and modern. This 16x20 acrylic was done on a panel which makes it less expensive to buy. Prints may be purchased online at: http://carol-allen-anfinsen.artistwebsites.com  The original may be purchased by contacting me.

Before I begin a painting, I see a finished product in my mind. I know how I want it to look, what colors I want to use, and almost everything about it. So why does it change as I go along? In the grip of creating and expressing, unexpected things happen. Happy coincidences occur with the swipe of a brush or an addition of color.

A dash of pink or coral in one place ends up in the wood on the bird house or branches making an ordinary painting sing! Subtle changes in form or line create unusual negative shape. Playful brush strokes end up giving a painting more fluidity, more energy. Each element becomes part of a whole that creates cohesiveness, consistency and energy.

 I’ve written about the “evolution” of a painting before; but each time it happens, I’m still amazed with the process.

I shared with you how the images I see on my bathroom floor in the wet or dry imprints left after a shower inspire ideas. Seeing a “Whirling Dervish,” I did some preliminary research and made my first sketch.

When I transferred the drawing to a larger canvas (18x24), I was struck by how symmetrical it was. I looked at some reference photos I’d found online, and made a second drawing over the first with charcoal. That way, if I changed my mind, I could easily wipe off the charcoal and go back to the first penciled sketch.

I like the second drawing better than the first. Although there are no scimitars, the irregular negative space is much more interesting. Variation in size and position of the prayer dancers, contribute more energy and smoother eye flow. The next time you see this canvas it will be as a finished painting.

Featured Artist
Paul Hilario’s name, style and life match his upbeat name and his paintings.

“My style is eclectic,” Paul says. “I mix and match impressionism with pop, low brow, fauvism, and cubism. You can see that sometimes my backgrounds are impressionist, my light and composition is cubist but my characters are always pop and cartoonish in nature. Most galleries will label my work as naive art."

Paul was featured in 1^st Angel Arts Magazine. To read about Paul and see more of his paintings go to:

http://1stangel.co.uk/talkthetalk/paul-hilario-talks-the-talk-with-1stangel-arts-magazine/

Spring Green, Lime Green, and Fern Green are Hot Trends

In the 70s, I had a hallway that had light green walls, white baseboards and door, and a black table. Flipping through a current “Better Homes and Gardens” magazine, I discovered those same colors are a new trend teemed up with orange, hot pink or watermelon accessories.

Trends come and go; they also get revived and recycled. The problem is so does taste in fashion and art. Instead of buying art for aesthetic reasons or because of how it makes you feel, people buy art to decorate a room or to add a pop of color.

It has always been so. Our day and age is no different. At least there is a reviving interest in the arts, if only for its ability to shock or entertain. Street artists and their messages of activism and boldness are exposing more people to art and its impact on political action.

Chalk artists spend hours on three-dimensional art that is often a singular experience enjoyed by a few. Temporary by nature, better ways are being found to save and preserve these artistic expressions by housing them in covered walkways and on interior walls. 

Acrylic paints enable bigger and broader coverage that is changing the urban scene and filling its dark decaying walls with hope and color.

Artist Joe Bucci, who combines impressionist and expressionist styles was featured in a June “the Artist Magazine.” I was impressed with his colorful landscapes and his use of vibrant color.

Speaking about the changing art scene down through the centuries, Joe said: “one thing hasn’t changed: in order for a visual statement to become art, it must have an abstract quality. It’s not enough that a painting be a picture of something—it must communicate via composition, shape, color, rhythm, line, texture, mass and planes (visual or ‘plastic’ elements).

“The skill that causes an outstanding artist to rise above the pack is not the talent to draw or paint objects, but the ability to see relationships between those visual or "plastic" elements and their relationship to the artist's overall vision.”

How well an artist pulls this relationship off makes the difference between remarkable art that's remembered or so-so art that's soon forgotten.

Featured Artist

Deb Haugen – the “Organic Artist” has been featured in galleries and museums, and has won many prizes and awards. Deb is from Malibu, California. Here is a fantastic sample of one of her paintings. To see more of her work, go to Deb’s facebook page (see below):

http://www.facebook.com/pages/Deb-Haugenthe-organic-artist/112218349805?ref=stream#!/pages/Deb-Haugenthe-organic-artist/112218349805

Our Shrinking Economy – our Rising Debt

Everything is shrinking! Literally. My income, my stature, the size and quantity of the things I buy and what I can afford. Everything is shrinking but the price.

Like you, I’m paying more for less. My favorite things have gone from 8 oz to 7 oz to 6 oz or less in just a few months. A few packages stayed the same size, but the contents were less. I’m afraid It’s only the beginning!

I purchased some canvases the other day and instead of being .5 inches in depth, they’d shrunk to almost .25. Rather than fitting nicely into a frame or serving as a wrapped canvas painting, they leave gaps and spaces; they look cheap and skimpy.

Many artists are turning to treated hard board or plywood; still, framing is a difficult task. The prices for quality canvases have doubled while the sales price of a finished painting has remained the same. The cost of renting space has gone up to 40% commission. The artist receives 60% barely covering the cost for materials let alone time. Add to that cost a frame, and you see what I mean.

Is it worth it? I don’t know, but it’s what I do. Just when I think the economy is getting better, another one of my favorite businesses, restaurants, or products goes out of business. On the surface, things seem the same, but there’s an undercurrent of unrest. Everything is changing. Stores are being built as others are being boarded up. Hope rises in the midst of fear and failure.

We can only “keep on keeping on,” as my mother used to say. We put one foot in front of the other and hang on, despite the economic climate or the plight of those who risk everything and fail.

Hope is eternal the Bible says. We hope for better things, and we act as if they are possible. It’s how we survive. We hope for a better tomorrow as we wipe the tears of grief from our eyes and move on. What more can we do?

Two paintings featured today: “Sand Cranes at Twilight” and “Release” (with quote by Joseph Campbell) will be on display at Art for ACTS in downtown Fort Myers in August.

Featured Artist:
I’m going to start a new section called “Featured Artist.” There are so many wonderful artists and writers out there that deserve attention that I’m willing to share my space with them. Today, I feature: Ashish Das   If ever there was a second Picasso, he is it! I am amazed with his creative blend of cubism and abstraction. Enjoy the delightful and colorful work of Ashish. 

http://www.facebook.com/#!/ashis.das.z

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