Painting Tips

We live in a world that wants things quickly. A drive through the suburbs is now lttered with fast food outlets that satisfies our craving for food as quickly as possible. Even 5 minutes in a fast-food queue will have us tapping our feet impatientlly! I believe art is going down a similar path. The lure of shortcuts to painting success is to be found in most art magazines. DVD s promise to have you painting like a pro in no time at all. Professional secrets are revealed that will make you a better painter, or so it is implied. Workshops abound in which artists can rub shoulders with professionals and perhaps gain some of that magic dust that makes them paint so well. I have done many painting demonstrations in which I have revealed all I know while I paint… Continue reading… 4 comments

The more you paint, the more you make friends with certain colors. In the end they become as much a part of your signature as your name does in the bottom corner! As I write I am thinking of several artists I know that have colors that make paintings their own. You are probably thinking of a few that you know as well as your own work in which color signatures are alive and well. Color becomes as much our style as our brush stokes are. In a way the colors we become friends with become our own artistic gravity. They keep our feet on the ground while we venture to use new daring colors. So, what do you use for sky blues for instance? In real life the blues of the sky are many, depending on the time of day, year and position in the sky… Continue reading… 5 comments

Most of us seem to be time-poor these days and the "If I only had time" line is in frequent use and as artists we are no different. So many of us are NOT full-time artists and like me have to fit in art around a full-time job and other things in life like family, houses and more. So what can we do? Throw away our paints and say it's no use trying or try and fit in with time? I believe there is such a thing as working 'with' time. There are occasions when time invites us to use it and we often don't take up the offer. In fact we may not even see the offer! Too much time is almost as non-productive as not enough time… Continue reading… 4 comments

I think I'd be safe in saying that most of us have said such a thing or at least thought it! I believe it's quite different to artist's block though. Artist's block can happen when you have plenty to do and lots of things you know you can paint - it could just be your mind and body saying you need a rest from it! As for this business of not knowing what to paint though there is a simple answer, specially for those who paint representively. The answer is the camera. Gone are the days when it used to cost an arm and a leg and lots of bother to get some prints done. We never really knew how they would turn out either! Digital cameras now come cheap… Continue reading… 5 comments

I know this sounds like somewhat of a cliche, but staying true to yourself as far as your artwork is concerned is good for the soul and your work. I know I'm not the only artist in the world to be downright annoyed at some of the aweful work that gets the nod at big-money events. I'm not just talking about the winning paintings, but stuff that gets into final 100 or so. Recently, entries closed for this year's Waterhouse Prize in South Australia. A very big art event that is held every year at the museum. Every year amazing works are seen at this exhibition, but there is always the shocker. The work that no one can understand the reasons why it made the cut. Last year was no exception! Have a look at the link here http://www.thewaterhouse.com.au/page/default… Continue reading… 10 comments

Painting in front of others is a problem for most of us, particularly early on in our painting life. I just know as you read this you have a story to tell on this point! Some cannot even paint in front of family members let alone strangers, but there are benefits in being able to do so. I remember the first time I was determined to do it during a craft sale at a low-key country show. I had my easel all ready to go and paints were packed in anticipation, but when the time came I just coudn't do it! The spell was broken a few years later when I had my own little stall at on outdoor art day in a city square. It was a quiet affair but there was hardly a minute when someone wasnt watching me work - it completely cured me of being afraid to paint to an audience, as casual as it was… Continue reading… 3 comments

Painting lots of small works (as suggested in a previous blog) is one thing, but doing something with them is a different matter. The small-works or daily-painting blog has become quite a movement among representational artist worldwide and has become a useful tool on a number of levels. Many artists have striven to paint works on a daily or near-daily basis and this has proved invaluable to the artist's own growth in skill. More than this, it has extended their network of known artists, increased exposure worldwide and has also provided a steady stream of income from sales. There is no reason why you can't set up such a blog on your Artid blogsite or, you can go for the bells and whistles of blogspot.com… Continue reading… 5 comments

The title of this blog may raise a few incredulous eyebrows, but seriously, there is no better way to improve your painting skills than spending more time with the brush. For those of us who are happy with where we are in our painting skills this is not for you, but for those who would like to improve and do so in a measurable way - read on. So, what does more brush-hours really mean? What it doesn't mean, is spending inordinate amounts of time on 'one' painting. I recently met a painting aquaintance who told me that he had already spent 100 hours on a commissioned painting for a freind. I confess to being quietly horrified by such tales and think what could be achieved in that time… Continue reading… 6 comments

Are you like me and wonder what it would be like to have a palacious studio? You know, like some of those you see in art magazines that so often look so clean and tidy with places for everything and even a space to paint! I'm quite sure there are many of us that would be quite happy with a little space we can call our own without having to set up everytime we want to create! Setting up each time or even the thought of having to do so can stifle the most artistic spirit! For many years I had to set up on dining tables, the lounge room, spare room (that became more a spare room than a studio) and a long stint on the back porch that I shared with the dog and its errant hairs. The back porch was open to the elements too, including the burning heat of summer and the cold nights of winter… Continue reading… 8 comments

I don't know about you, but I have often looked at a painting and wondered who the artist was. I wished to know, but the signature in the bottom corner just didn't tell me. Perhaps it was signed in initials or a monogram or perhaps some artistic flourish that looked great but was unreadable! Unless we want to remain anonymous, a legible signature is worth its weight in gold - and this is why. You never know where your paintings are going to be seen and admired and someone may just want some of your work after seeing an example of it. A signature that is readable is the first step in someone following you up and finding you. For example the Lord Mayor of Adelaide bought one of my works last year at a solo show at Greenhill Galleries and it now hangs on one of his walls… Continue reading… 14 comments