I love watching chickadees; in fact, they will land on my pan when I carry seeds out in the early dawn. They will congregate in a nearby pine, waiting for me to put their food out. So, they are a natural subject for a painting. In this blog, I will show how to paint theseContinue reading “The Chickadee Tree: Online Art Lesson”
Category Archives: art instruction
Art Lesson: How to Paint a Nuthatch
Nuthatches are one of my favorite birds. I enjoy watching them creep sideways or even upside down along the sides of a tree; or resting on a stump. In this painting lesson, I will share how I paint a nuthatch from the start. Step One: Take a photo. This can take hours, and involves “birdContinue reading “Art Lesson: How to Paint a Nuthatch”
How to Paint a Cheetah in Acrylic
Last fall, I went to the zoo, and by great luck, got a nice head shot of a cheetah who was resting near where I was standing. I love big cats, and decided to paint one in this art demo where I will share how it is done. First, I primed the canvas (it wasContinue reading “How to Paint a Cheetah in Acrylic”
How to paint an Egret in acrylics: Lesson 2
In the previous post, I shared how I start an acrylic bird painting. In this lesson, I will show the next steps. Next, I start refining my lights and darks, and mid-tones, correcting where needed. I use mainly the palette I mentioned in lesson 1: titanium white, burnt umber, burnt sienna, ultramarine blue, payne’s grey,Continue reading “How to paint an Egret in acrylics: Lesson 2”
Process: How to Paint an Egret
One of my readers asked if I could share my process in creating a painting, so I decided to take photos and discuss how it is done, from start to finish. While the process starts with field studies, sitting out in marshes and swatting mosquitoes and black flies, I will focus on the painting aspectContinue reading “Process: How to Paint an Egret”
Learning to Paint Impressionism: Lilac blooms
A few days ago, I set up a still life in my studio with a lilac sprig that I took from the bush outside. I wanted to paint my impressions of light and color, following the Hawthorne method as best as I could. Because of the late afternoon sun, there was a lot of goldenContinue reading “Learning to Paint Impressionism: Lilac blooms”
Learning to Paint Impressionism: Sunny Day block study
I am in the pursuit of color. That means that I am doing what is considered a basic study in art school: block studies. Because I want to learn impressionism (a la “Charles Hawthorne” method) I am following the suggestions in Lois Griffel’s book, “Painting the Impressionist Landscape”. So, I decided to do the sunnyContinue reading “Learning to Paint Impressionism: Sunny Day block study”
Painting Impressionism: color block study
I have been reading an outstanding book by Lois Griffel, who follows the methods developed by Charles Hawthorne at the Cape Cod School of Art (where some of the outstanding American impressionistic painters have studied). She shares the importance of doing studies with color blocks, so here, I will share how to do a simpleContinue reading “Painting Impressionism: color block study”
Learn How to Paint a Bird – and Help Someone Deserving
I am trying to help my friend, Kai, raise funds to come to the U.S. and study for her master’s in social work. As mentioned previously, she is a victim of human trafficking, who is dedicating her career to helping others break free of this vicious cycle. To help out, I am willing to offerContinue reading “Learn How to Paint a Bird – and Help Someone Deserving”
Back to the Basics: Still Life
I am spending some time going back to the basics (still life), working on technique more, with still life paintings. Don’t worry, I’ll still be painting birds and landscapes, too, but want to work on my overall mixing, brush strokes, etc. Below, I’ll share how I did it for those who would like to know:Continue reading “Back to the Basics: Still Life”