Watch Me Paint: World-Class Art, World-Class Instruction
It’s time to assemble the proper pigments to paint beautiful greens this spring. Fog over Whiteface Mountain, by Carol L. Douglas. If March didn’t exactly come in like a lamb this year, it at least came in like a sheep. Don’t be fooled. Some of our most brutal winter storms have been known to happen …
Continue reading “Monday Morning Art School: the color of Spring (part 1)”
Learn how to draw a pie plate, dish, cup, or vase. I’m throwing in my pie crust recipe, so you can learn to make a pie, too. When drawing round objects, we have to look for the ellipses, which are just elongated circles. Ellipses have a horizontal and a vertical axis, and they’re always symmetrical …
Continue reading “Monday Morning Art School: ellipses with a recipe thrown in”
Today dories are an historical relic. When the Wyeths painted them, they were part of the saga of man and the sea. Deep Cove Lobster Man, c 1938, N.C. Wyeth, oil, courtesy of the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts Sometimes great emails get directed to my spam folder, particularly when they contain a dollar sign …
This was sent to me by children’s book author and artist Bruce McMillan, who noted that my December 7 Open House and Studio Party celebrates painter Stuart Davis’ 125th birthday (December 7, 1894). If going to the Open House make sure to gas up for the trip. The ghost of Stuart Davis may be going with you. Gas …
Asking a respected peer for an opinion is good, but sometimes we’re stuck fixing our problems without help. That’s where knowing how to self-critique comes in. Tom Sawyer’s Fence, by Carol L. Douglas, oil on canvasboard. Yesterday I got a text message from a peer that read, “Working on a commission and can’t figure out …
The rookie error for summer is to paint all foliage using the same basic color. You lose more points if it’s sap green. Hazy mountain afternoon: Keuka Lake, by Carol L. Douglas. Available. I have a student who reacts to my pulling out black paint by making the sounds of a rattlesnake at me. She’s …
Line-of-Action won’t make you a figure artist, but if you can’t get to a weekly model session, it’s the next best thing. The Anatomy Class at the Ecole des Beaux Arts, 1888, François SallĂ©. Courtesy Art Gallery of New South Wales. My son-in-law Aaron has the makings of a very fine artist. Yesterday, he snapchatted me …
Continue reading “Monday Morning Art School: figure drawing for the busy person”
This exercise is like learning perspective. You’ll never draw this way in the real world, but practicing it will improve your harborside skills. Cadet, by Carol L. Douglas I tell my students that it’s best to paint a boat from the deck of another boat or a floating dock. If you can’t, then keep your …
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2025 Workshops Canyon Color for the Painter, Sedona, AZ Color theory is not just a collection of good ideas; it’s the cornerstone of your toolbox. Using practical lessons and exercises, you’ll take what you’ve learned about color and use it to enhance your artistic vision. March 10-14, 2025. Advanced Plein Air Painting, Rockport, ME This …
This post, from 2007, has the highest number of hits of anything I’ve written on this platform. Pastor Nicholson and I never ran with this project, but we’re still buds. Jeanne d’ Arc, 1879, Julies Bastien-Lepage, courtesy the Metropolitan Museum of Art My friend John Nicholson and I have decided to try a new project. …