THE ARTIST TIP OF THE WEEK
What I believe / don't
believe about Art ---------- Victoria
Autrey
Art
is a process, not a product.
Learning
art is learning a new language, a visual language, where the vocabutary
consists of colors, forms, marks, and other visual elements.
Art is not a thing to fear, but rather, a thing to give you
freedom.
The
experience of making art is a creative (as apposed to destructive)
prorss. At its best we become totally absorbed "unself-
conscious" The goal should no be to create "good" work- but succede
in expression Art is more than visual.
It communicates ideas, feelings and meaning.
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Talent is basically a
myth, I believe that sensitivity, inspiration,
hark work ,and conviction are much more important in producing quality
work.
Neatness and speed do not
count in art.
Being original really
means being / becoming yourself.
There is no limit to what
can be learned it is a life long process.
There are as many view
points in art as there are human beings.
There is no one, right way
to make art.
There are rules in art to
be followed however, for every I've heard, I've seen a great work of
art that is the exception.
More
Practical Tips
Develop sensitivity to
your surroundings.
Save your work so you can see progress.
Try to put your total concentration on your work.
Follow your own interests--But stretch yourself.
Copy drawings of good artist, as a learning experience.
Practical
Tip
Relax: inspiring music ,
comfortable clothes and chair.
Wear
clothes that you're not afraid to soil.
Look
at other art galleries, museums, books , and art centers.
Carry
a sketch book everywhere, for at least 1 year. Draw quick sketches in
airports, waiting rooms, at home, etc
A Quote From
Robert Henri, Artist
I AM INTERESTED IN "ART"
AS A
MEANS OF LIVING A LIFE; NOT AS A MEANS OF MAKING A LIVING.
Robert Henri
Mix
The
Complimentary color
To mix beautiful grays, mix unequal
portions of complimentary colors. You know, RED/GREEN,
YELLOW/PURPLE, OR BLUE/ORANGE PLUS
WHITE. (without the white, you can mix the
same color combination to make rich, lively blacks.
Three
is
one to many
A master painter, you want to be??
Only MIX two colors together and
NEVER three!
There
is a difference in dark and
black
Avoid using black for shadows as it is
unnatural and harsh. Better to use a darker VALUE of the
color(s) the shadow falls upon.
Paint all over
you?
Tired of having more paint on
your hands and arms than on the
canvas??? Don't use paper towels to wipe
your brushes on. Purchase some Extra Soft
toilet tissue and only tear off a couple of sheets at a
time to wipe your brush clean, then DROP the
tissue in the trash can. Tissue is more absorbent
than paper towels and we aren't as prone to keep it in our
hands till the next brush cleaning.
Freeze
It
If your painting sessions are
interrupted, or few and far apart, place your palette with your paint
mixtures still on it, in the freezer. ( Helps to
cover your palette with saran wrap or aluminum foil to keep the colors
from migrating to all the other items in the
freezer.) Oils do not freeze and
watercolors may freeze, but will thaw quickly and be ready to
use again.
What
To Do When Things Don't Go Right
Eventually, every artist has one
of those days when you are ready to start that special painting, you
know this is the day for a masterpiece, and about half way
through you realize nothing is working for
you......can't mix that one color you want to use,
the phone rings, kids come home unexpected, the phone rings again, and
again, and again....etc.....you still have the dream of a
masterpiece, and now you fear this one isn't
going to be it....you are ready to give up,
but DON'T QUIT!!!!! This is the time to
set the painting aside and study it for a few days.
Each day turn it on another side and study it. Right side up,
then upside down, then on the left side, then right
side. After 4 days of studying you will usually figure out
what is wrong...COMPOSITION??
VALUES?? PERSPECTIVE?? FOCAL POINT??
LIGHT SOURCE?? IS IT TOO BUSY, OR LOST ON YOUR
CHOICE OF CANVAS?
SOMETIMES IT IS ONLY A MINOR
CORRECTION, SOMETIMES IT IS BEST TO START OVER.
Either way, you will have learned a valuable lesson.
ART
TIPS 1.
RESCUE, REPAINT, AND REUSE that
canvas or painting you are unhappy with.........if the paint is VERY
dry, sand smooth with fine grain sandpaper (because any
brush strokes,etc not sanded smooth will show through the new
painting). When the canvas is very smooth, moisten
a lint free rag with your odorless turp brush cleaner (for acrylics,
use alcohol) and wipe the dust from the
canvas. MIX enough alizarin crimson with white to
make
a light-to-medium pink color to
cover the canvas, let dry, and paint your next masterpiece.
Pink will cover most
dark colors better than other
mixtures. Pink also works on wet canvas better than
white, if you have an area too dark.
TIPS
FOR BEGINNING WATERCOLOR PAINTERS:
1.
Use good brushes - and only those designated for watercolor.
Learn how to take care of them. Do not attempt to use brushes
which have been used with oil or acrylics, etc. Use good
quality, acid-free watercolor paper. Two popular weights and
surfaces are: 140 lb. cold press and 300 lb. cold
press. Lighter weight papers will not give the desired
result. You will not learn what watercolor can do until you
use a surface worthy of your efforts. Also, a buyer obtaining
your painting has a right to expect good material.
2.
Use good quality light fast paint, not student grade. Take
time to see what colors do when mixed together right on the
paper. Mix your paint with a little water, drop it onto the
paper. Then drop another color into that to see how it
blends. Also, you can dip your wet brush
into a color with one side of your brush, then another color on the
other side. Apply brush to paper to see what happens.
3.
At first, paint simple, familiar subjects, such as a bowl of fruit
placed on a sunny kitchen counter. Learn where your light
source is and how to paint shadows. Enjoy yourself, and keep
every one of those first attempts to look back on later.
4.
Learn to appreciate nature. Put a lawn chair and a TV tray
outside under a shade tree and sketch and paint a sunny
landscape. Notice how painting outside gives you access to
true colors. Notice how lights and darks stand out.
Photographs often give flat values and shadows which are too dark.
5.
Practice, practice, practice. Find a watercolor
class. Find a mentor or find someone who loves the medium as
much as you do, and paint together. Soon you will
develop your own style. Above all, don't copy another
person's painting. That's not painting; that's
copying. You don't have to be a professional. Just
act like one. When you paint for yourself and like your
subject it will show in your finished work.
JO
NELL BLAKELEY
Tip
1. RESTORE OLD,
STIFF, DRIED OUT, OIL PAINTING BRUSHES
Purchase a bottle of
pure ACETONE finger
nail polish remover, or go to a hardware store and purchase their
smallest container of acetone. Pour
approximately
1/4" deep amount of acetone into a lid or saucer,
etc. (
l/4" of acetone will provide enough liquid to clean the
bristles
without getting acetone into the glue that holds the bristles
together) Take one brush at a time and gently press
the
bristles into the acetone, (DO NOT SCRUB BACK & FORTH AS IT
WILL
DAMAGE THE BRISTLES) hold for a few seconds, flip,
repeat
the process on the other side of the brush...continue to
press,
flip, & press as the acetone dissolves the
dried
paint. When paint is dissolved, wash in warm, soapy water,
rinse,
blot, and let dry flat....should be good as new!
Saves your
brushes and money too.
Tip
#2. For the top of your
paintings to hang CLOSE to the wall, measure down
the side of your frame, divide the measurement by 4 to get the
number of inches from the top to place the eye screws. (if
your side frame is 16" long, divided by 4 =
4", place the screws 4" from the
top) Add your wire,
pull it TIGHT and straight across from eye screw to eye screw, and
secure. With this method, your painting will hang
flat against the wall and will not let the wire show at the
top. Many framers attach the eye screws half way
down the side frame which allows the frame to fall forward at
the top instead of flat against the wall.
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artist are ask to send in tips for this page , You don't have to be a
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