How to paint and draw: a blog about art.
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Painting Cast and Form Shadows
By Marion Boddy-Evans Not all shadows are equal. There are in fact two very different kinds that occur in any subject — cast and form shadows. Identifying these and approaching them differently, rather than just painting a generic ‘shadow’, will enhance any painting. So what is the difference? What is a Cast Shadow? This is what […]
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How to Develop a Personal Painting Style
By Marion Boddy-Evans Part of being an artist is having an identifiable style, that special ‘something’ that enables someone to look at a painting and know that it’s by you, regardless of what the subject of the painting is. A particular painting style is something a gallery will want to see in your work. So how do you […]
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22 Mistakes to Avoid When Painting
From Brian Simons This list of commonly made mistakes in paintings comes from Canadian artist Brian Simons, who works in acrylics. Brian says: “I first began to paint approximately 20 years ago, when we moved from Alberta to Vancouver Island. Prior to that I focused mostly on drawing and sketching. Being a self-taught artist, I have derived […]
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Painting on Hardboard or Wood
By Marion Boddy-Evans Canvas is perceived by many people to be the best support for painting, but hardboard (wood) should not be shunned and in fact some would argue that it’s a superior support as it’s rigid, not flexible like canvas. Many of the paintings that have survived the best from previous centuries are painted on […]
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How to Create a Body of Work and a Distinctive Style as an Artist
From Martha Marshall If you’re looking to get gallery representation, or to sell your art in some other, more innovative way, we have to assume that you already have a body of work that consists of at least 20 or 30 works in a style, medium, colors, and subject matter that distinguish you from every other artist […]
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Top 5 Ways to Ruin a Painting
By Marion Boddy-Evans Not every painting is destined to be a masterpiece, but some paintings are doomed to failure right from the start because of one relatively simple mistake. Here’s a list of five easy ways to ruin a painting… 1. Fried Egg Composition It can be done successfully, but only rarely. When it’s done badly, […]
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Six Things To Decide Before Starting to Paint
By Marion Boddy-Evans Is it necessary to plan a painting in careful detail before you start, or should you let it evolve as you go along? Planning a painting can be a help as you know exactly what you’re going to do, but it could also inhibit spontaneity. Letting a painting evolve as you work is […]
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Make Batik Wax
By Rain Blanken Batik is a beautiful method of dying that can produce large abstract designs or intricate pictures that tell a story. Learn how to mix your batik wax so that you’ll get the batik look you want. There are a two kinds of wax traditionally used: Beeswax Paraffin wax (as used in most candles) […]
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Soy Batik Wax
By Rain Blanken Microwaveable soy wax is changing the way many crafters do batik. Soy wax is becoming more common among dye enthusiasts because it’s so much easier to work with than the traditional paraffin and beeswax mix. Here are some of the truths behind soy wax and how to use it in your batik projects.Why Use Soy […]
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Painting on Colored Grounds
By Marion Boddy-Evans Blame mass production for your inevitably being faced by the often-intimidating, bright white ground of a new canvas. It’s easier and cheaper to produce canvas primed in white, which artists can then color themselves, than to sell canvas primed in various colors. (Think about how many colors pastel paper comes in!) Unfortunately this means many people […]
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