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To Live and Die with Art

Painting psychology is only about why we paint, or create, or for that matter, are good at our jobs.

I’m a painter. I’m not even ashamed to say so. The palette knife is my favorite tool but I do use the brush. I’m not the worst or even in the middle among the millions of artists around the world. I see art as a need not a hobby. This blog is about helping you transition from hobbyist to a serious artist

Peaceful Covid-19

Shelter in place need not be painful. Study something new I say. If you’re a painter, study painting techniques or color theory. But put the time to good use. When this is over, we want to have something to show for our time.

Covid-19 Painting Therapy

Use your Covid-19 self-isolation as the perfect opportunity to practice your art. If you are fortunate enough to have painting materials and paper or canvas, or even just a pencil and paper, you have the whole creative experience at your disposal while you hunker down at home.

Is Bob Ross A Good Place To Start

Painters and critics have argued over the merits of Bob Ross’ teaching style since the time he began his PBS Show in 1983

Painters and critics have argued over the merits of Bob Ross’s teaching style since the time he began his PBS Show in 1983. He did hundreds of paintings for his show, which was geared to beginners for 11 years. The object of his PBC broadcast was to break down the barriers for beginner painters who were wanting step by step instruction.

Logical Sequence in Acrylic Painting

Yes, it does matter what order your tones are applied to the surface. Dark to light.

A great example of the sequence of tones from dark to light. (Image from **rawpixel.com** )

People often ask, “does it matter if you paint light to dark in acrylic paintings?” Yes, it does matter what order your tones are applied to the surface. Dark to light.

5 Basic Painting Mistakes

5 Beginner mistakes to avoid

Every discipline and form of expression must be built on a solid foundation. If not, chaos ensues. Here are 5 common beginner mistakes to avoid.

Water-Based Oil Painting

Water-based oil paints are relatively new and are user-friendly.

Water-based oil paints are relatively new and are user-friendly. Best of all, they wash up with water.

Into the Weeds

Some color theory will go a long way toward mixing accurate colors.

Today we dive into color theory and I apologize in advance if it gets complicated, but I will try to keep it in layman’s language. The science of color is a field unto itself, but we are only going to touch the big ideas. We almost never want to use a tube color on the canvas since it is always garish.

Painting Texture

There is something called Painterliness. This describes a painting done in a style that celebrates the medium used.

There is something called Painterliness. This describes a painting done in a style that celebrates the medium used. Instead of hiding the brushstrokes of knife texture, we want to enhance it, even exaggerate it.

Making an Object Look 3-D

This is a very simple idea lost on a lot of artists. A convincing painting must look 3-D to hold a viewer’s interest. It isn’t hard, but many miss it because it’s obvious.

Make Cement Live

There’s something poetic about abandoned buildings that have a special appeal to painters

There’s something poetic about abandoned buildings that have a special appeal to painters. Numerous historic mine sites abound in Cobalt Ontario. I chose to give old cement in the ruins of an old mine mill some life, simply by changing the color of the century-old cement slabs.