Whether you would like to paint a still life or a pet portrait, painting a three dimensional object on a two dimensional canvas has always been a challenge. To do it convincingly whilst keeping your picture fresh and clean is even harder. Beginners often reach for the tube of black to render shadow effects on an object, but here lies disaster. Continue reading “True to form – painting objects with light and shade”
May 10 2010
The importance of dark areas in water colour painting
For water colourists, it doesn’t matter if you’re considering a landscape or pet portrait, you’ll be probably be required to show areas of dark shadow. Many leisure painters, when first faced with dark areas in their picture, will quite often use a tube of black or produce muddy looking colours. Regrettably, it can be quite hard to see the different tones within dark areas, it’s much easier to gauge colour tone in the lighter shades. Continue reading “The importance of dark areas in water colour painting”
May 07 2010
A simple technique for improving portrait studies
When you consider portraits, you usually think of oil painting. Even so, many great portraits have been done using water colour. Water colours offer a means of capturing quick informal studies that where they lack on detail, more than make up for it in character. Continue reading “A simple technique for improving portrait studies”
Jan 18 2010
Keeping your palette fresh
Whether an artist is specialising in pet portraits, landscapes, or traditional portraits, keeping colours as pure as possible is an important part of producing paintings that look fresh an clean.
The way in which any colour appears is dependant on the context in which it is seen. The way a colour is seen is effected by the colours next to it and on which it is placed. Continue reading “Keeping your palette fresh”
Jan 15 2010
Using wood as a support for oil painting
Stretched canvas is a very popular option for pet portrait artists as a support for their paintings. All the same, there are alternative supports that can be just as worthy when you don’t have any canvases to hand. Wood has traditionally be used as a support for oils is one of the earliest types of support for painting. Continue reading “Using wood as a support for oil painting”
Jan 11 2010
Transferring drawings
With some painting techniques, like those used by many pet portrait artists, detail is an important part of the completed picture. In light of this, it is always recommended that you create preliminary drawings, but what’s the easiest way to transfer the finished drawing to the canvas? Historically, artists employed one of three techniques to achieve this, the following explanations describe the principle behind them. Continue reading “Transferring drawings”
Jan 07 2010
An easy guide to stretching your own canvas
For many artists, including those who specialise in pet portraits, stretching their own canvas not just saves money on commercially prepared canvases, but also provides them with a better result. Generally, commercially prepared canvases tend to be quite light weight with just the minimal number of primer layers needed. When we prepare our own canvases we select the quality of canvas, stretcher bars and primer that suits our painting style, so creating something that will work perfectly with our finished painting and greater chance of surviving in good order. Continue reading “An easy guide to stretching your own canvas”
Dec 31 2009
Picture restoration
Whether we paint pet portraits, family portraits, landscapes, or house portraits, we all like to imagine our pictures will resist the test of time. Using a high quality linen, that is properly prepared with several layers of gesso on both sides and stretched over kiln-dried hardwood stretchers, they can last for centuries . However, with the best will in the world, it doesn’t matter how well you prepare your canvas, it will always be vulnerable to damage through inadvertent pressure on the surface causing dents or even tears in the canvas. Continue reading “Picture restoration”
Dec 15 2009
Tips and tricks in creating good composition
Even with something apparently uncomplicated like a pet portrait, an effective composition is all important for the completed painting to work. As in any part of the painting process, the way it is approached is what singles out the great painters. Often, good composition is the result of a natural process: when the painter creates a picture that is pleasing to the eye is is most probably down to the fact that the artist has ended up with a composition that conforms to traditional rules. Continue reading “Tips and tricks in creating good composition”
Dec 14 2009
General principles in the application of paint
When painting a picture artists, including pet portrait painters, will take on various techniques to produce the visual effects needed on the canvas. These techniques have been known to artists since the Renaissance and have terms that identify them. Underneath is a brief list that mentions these terms and the principles upon which they’re based. Continue reading “General principles in the application of paint”
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