Innholdsfortegnelse for December - January 2019/ No.124 i International Artist

One of the wonderful things about the artist community is the length artists will go to help one another. By helping I mean share techniques, offer advice, give honest critiques or pass on knowledge about a certain brush or kind of paint. And I see this happening at the art events I attend around the country. In fact, I would say that most art events I attend end in the same fashion—with all the artists sitting around a fireplace, a table, an easel, a bar stool or any combination of these and sharing this knowledge and information. However, not every artist can attend such events or all of these events and that is why we have International Artist magazine. We want other artists to be able to hear directly from…

Sunday 8 September to Friday 20 September 2019 About your tutor Internationally renowned colorist and painting instructor Camille Przewodek’s approach to plein air painting is all about capturing the illusion of light through color. She has won many awards including the Vanishing Landscape Award two years in a row at the Plein Air-Easton Arts Festival & Competition. USA: 503 387-5549 • AUSTRALIA: 1800 033 436 (Toll Free) • ALL OTHER COUNTRIES: +61 3 9729 8722 Website: www.paintingworkshops.net • Email: sales@paintingworkshops.net…

Find art workshops near you » Choose Your Tutor » Choose Your Medium » Choose Your Dates VARIOUS LOCATIONS Painting Getaways Paint in the picturesque Dordogne region of France! A fantastic watercolour workshop with daily painting excursions led by watercolorist Ibolya Taligas. Our base is the stunning Perigord Retreats with swimming pools, gorgeous views all around and a superior service. All inclusive. Book early to secure your place! Limited places available. UPCOMING COURSES Dordogne, France / Watercolour / Ibolya Taligas / June 6-15, 2019 Contact Details: www.paintinggetaways.com/dordogne-france www.perigord-retreats.com/ibolya-taligas-watercolours-6-15-june INDIA / MUMBAI Trishna Patnaik Trishna Patnaik is a self-taught artist based in Mumbai, India, who has been practicing art for over 14 years. She is a full-time professional painter pursuing her passion to create and explore to the fullest. She says,…

There a number of things a potential client might like to know before they actually buy. If all these conditions are met, then a sale is more likely than otherwise might be the case. Let’s look at some of those items on the client’s wish list. Will the painting or print delight them every time they look at it? » You might provide a lifetime money-back guarantee, but just on works bought at an exhibition. » This will reassure the client that their satisfaction is guaranteed. » It will also encourage purchases at an exhibition. » Then you benefit from publicity and promotion. How can the client be provided with a good choice of your works? » By attending exhibitions this is possible. » Advise clients about those exhibitions in…

I FOLLOW MY INSTINCTS: From capturing images for possible paintings, to working with images in Photoshop, to choosing size and aspect ratio to crop the image, to choice of paints and colors, to where to start on a painting I follow my inclinations. My experience is that subject matter, design decisions and color choices arise from that mysterious place where art finds its origins. I NEED FOR THERE TO BE LIGHT: It feels like I have a light meter in the center of my chest. (I’m sure I’m not alone in this.) I feel the response in my body when I see the kind of illumination that is worth painting. It’s as if I am surprised by the sight of it. I can be backlight, or sidelight, but when it’s…

PHOTO REFERENCE The Arizona Renaissance Festival was the location for the reference photo. The mid-tone contrast was adjusted in Photoshop giving the image a dramatic range of values. A 1-inch grid was applied to the reference photo. STAGE 1 LINE DRAWING A two-inch grid was drawn on the smoothest side of the 24-by-18-inch paper using a white charcoal pencil. The reference photo is viewed on a computer monitor and drawn square by square. STAGE 2 BEGINNING THE GRISAILLE A vinyl eraser is used to remove the gridlines. The grisaille process begins by applying black raspberry to areas on the portrait that are darker than the paper. White is applied to areas lighter than the paper. STAGE 3 VALUES ESTABLISHED After the general values are established, a layer of pumpkin orange…

www.internationalartist.com Visit www.internationalartist.com and click on the Virtual Art Academy® button to access instant downloads needed to master the art of painting. The Virtual Art Academy® Apprentice Program A structured four-year program of 192 lessons that will help you systematically build up your foundational skills from the ground up to help you master painting. A key element of this program is series of 350+ assignments specially structured to help you build your skills, and an Online Campus where you can meet other students from all over the world to share your artistic journey, and support you along the way. Each lesson includes an overview of the principle or technique, one or more short videos to demonstrate the skill you are learning, many examples of how to do it, and one or…

I’m serious with my art, not serious with myself. — Harley Brown Grand Prize Troels Kirk Grand Prize is a four-page editorial feature in American Art Collector magazine Painting with Precision Troels Kirk, born in Denmark in 1956 and settled in Sweden 10 years ago, is a self-taught artist who started by studying his grandfather’s paintings as a child. “He died when I was a baby, but his landscapes were great teachers when studied closely,” says the artist, who sold his first painting at age 13. He describes his style as realistic and rich in details, but not photorealistic or impressionistic. Rather, the artwork is a representation of how he perceives the surrounding world. “I began painting at 6, so there has been a very long development,” he shares. “Still…

My Inspiration A hauntingly beautiful, grey day. As I was drawn in to walk deeper, I was just as reluctant to go any further. A light mist and compromised footing challenged me to continue. There was a tension between moving forward and staying safe where I was. Going as far as I felt permitted, there was a silent respect between myself and the thick brush and the fog that masked what was beyond the trees. As I settled into this place I became a welcome guest. The tension that almost prevented me from moving forward was transformed into a peace and rest that then engulfed me. My Design Strategy The challenge of this piece was to avoid painting every single tree and the thousands of accompanying branches and having it…

For artists, five hundred years in not enough. — Harley Brown My Inspiration Spending time with nature has always been a huge source of inspiration for me. If you are patient and look with the right kind of eyes, there is so much to see. On this particular day I had been exploring some woodland over Kinver Edge close to home when I came across this unusual silver birch tree. It was growing at an angle on the hillside that allowed me to lie along the trunk and look up into the canopy above. Sunlight was bursting through the tracery of branches and Illuminating the leaves and delicate colours in the layers of paperlike bark on the tree trunk. My Design Strategy The silver birch tree is known as the…

My Inspiration Living in the north woods, on the edge of a seemingly endless boreal forest, I loved exploring its waters and swamps, bedrock abounding with lichen, fallen trees and their undergrowth. This passion for nature continues to inspire me as an artist. “Can’t see the forest for the trees” refers to persons too focused on details to see the big picture. As an artist, I love focusing on small details. To me, the forest floor is where the action is. It is the most visually fascinating feature of any woodland. Decaying and new vegetation, bone-dry branches and stems, peeling bark, neon-colored clinging moss, are never-ending reminders that from decomposition comes rebirth. This is the essence of In the Rough. My Design Strategy Linear angles, texture and varying shapes and…

FULL COLOR DIGITAL PRINT-OUTS Use the Official Entry Form over the page ONLINE Visit our website to upload digital files of the images you want to enter and pay for them using our secure server. www.internationalartist.com To upload your entries you need to prepare your image files to be at least 400 pixels at the shortest edge. Once you are in the Official Online Entry page simply select which challenge you wish to enter then follow the prompts and finally pay the entry fee via our secure server. There you can also see other entries received along with past winners of our competitions. Enter our Art Competitions from anywhere in the world HINTS FOR PHOTOGRAPHING YOUR ARTWORK • Set your camera to the highest quality available. • Shoot your paintings…

Friday 31 May to Wednesday 12 June, 2019 About your tutor One of the best-known international impressionist artists Robert Hagan presents a refreshing and unique approach to painting for both the studio and outdoor artist. Robert is totally self-taught, paints in oils and focusses on scenes of everyday life that feature figures at work and play. He has developed techniques and shortcuts in oils that makes his way of painting exciting and innovative yet with results that are spontaneous, energetic and highly appealing. His techniques of ‘wet-layering’ of paint together with his multi-functional ‘pastry brush and his EzyArt artist magnifier has enabled him to build a new way of painting that challenges the traditional yet yields exceptionally appealing results. Unique to Robert’s workshop is the rare opportunity of seeing how…

Michelle Dunaway INSPIRATION This painting has profound meaning to me. I was inspired by John Singer Sargent’s painting of his teacher Carolus Duran and wanted to pay homage to one of my most influential mentors, Richard Schmid. My desire was to convey to the viewer the experience of sitting with Richard in conversation during a painting session. He has touched so many people’s lives and artistic paths through his painting, teaching and his book Alla Prima. I spent over a year and a half preparing to do this life size painting, it was a labor of love. This was my way of honoring the man, artist, friend and teacher I know him to be. ARTISTIC PATH Art fascinated me from as early as I can remember, and I have been…

When Papay Solomon transferred to Arizona State University two years ago, he painted realistic portraits that were, in his words, “without substance.” He knew that he wanted to paint something with more voice, but he wasn’t sure what, until an assignment from a professor launched a journey of self-discovery. The assignment was for students to put their own spin on an Old Master’s painting. Solomon immediately thought of Jan van Eyck’s Portrait of a Man in a Red Turban, which is often thought to be a self-portrait of the artist. “A turban is a very African thing, and I took that visual and tried to bring it back home,” he explains. In the resulting painting, K.O.S. (Knowledge of Self), Self Portrait, Solomon portrays himself in a Renaissance-inspired pose, staring directly…

The way I see it, there are at least two facets to an artist’s relationship with color. First there is a love affair. Those of us who use vibrant color in our paintings are likely to be smitten by it. Viewing and being surrounded by color is nourishment to me—I can’t imagine living in a black-and-white world. Color conveys emotion and energy; it is mysterious and very personal. Color is life. Second, making paintings requires an artist to work with color in a very practical way. Interpreting what I see in the physical world and in my reference images into paintings means I need an understanding of my materials—notably paints and pigments. The color that ends up in my paintings is based on my choosing, combining, mixing and layering paint.…

As an artist I am seeing my world with eyes wide open, noticing interesting and engaging scenes everywhere around me. Touching moments, when the animal’s eye meets mine. Usually there’s a slight movement, then maybe short eye contact catching my attention—a delicate connection between me and the animal. Suddenly time seems to stand still and I am holding my breath, trying to preserve this precious moment in my mind and with my camera. Too quickly those magical seconds are over. What’s left is a photo that, when revised, hopefully brings back the emotions I felt and the need to paint the impression of a beautiful being. Being inspired by such a beautiful moment, or remembering one, while browsing through my photo collection, I usually can’t wait to begin a new…

We continue an instructional series on the use of pastel, which also has application to artists using all mediums I use a few different tools when I am pasteling. Some are more specific to pastel, but others can cross the divide. These items can make life easier and others, while not essential, are just plain helpful! I am rarely without these items whether working in the studio, painting plein air, or teaching classes or workshops. BLENDERS These are used, as the name suggests, to blend or smooth pastel layers, to stop the underlying paper colour from showing through, or to merge colours. The issue with blending tools of any variety is they often remove more pastel than they blend, some more than others. It’s valuable to experiment with different blending…

Saturday 18 May to Thursday 30 May 2019 About your tutor Colley Whisson was born in Brisbane, Australia in 1966. He has long believed “It’s not what you paint but how you paint it”. With this in the fore-front of his mind he has dedicated himself to developing skills to the highest level possible. Aiming to tell a visual story with clarity and sophistication but also driven to distort and abstract the image as much as possible while still maintaining a realistic image. Being in high demand to hold exhibitions, tutoring appointments, judging and demonstrations in Australia, Colley is one of Australia’s finest young Impressionist painters. His aim is to share his knowledge and joy of painting with like-minded artist’s world-wide. USA: 503 387-5549 • AUSTRALIA: 1800 033 436 (Toll…

• I measure everything while painting. It’s by pure habit, like looking both ways when crossing a street. My first few touches on paper or canvas are spot on. They are the foundation for the rest of the work. • Standing back from a work is necessary in judging design and values • Spend enough time with your art and it will honestly start reflecting you…your individuality. • When painting a portrait I don’t think anatomy, I think shapes. It’s the same thing when painting everything on Earth. Shapes are the answer. Shapes! • When I’m after a likeness, I don’t put in all the wrinkles and blemishes. Perhaps a few where they are necessary in pushing the character. Look at all the great portraits and you will see they…

Think of yourself sitting alone at a table. A pen in your hand, a sheet of paper on the table. Your mind wanders and as it is turning its first corner, the pen moves towards the paper and begins scratching out a few lines. You look down to see what’s happening but you’re still thinking of what you have planned later in the day. While this is going on, your hand continues making those marks. Now you see an image coming alive; you don’t want to interfere with what your experiencing. That’s what happened here. I let my inner mind flow from the point of that pen. Rather than a drifting thought, it became art on paper. One that I cannot explain; including the title. These moments I relish and…

ENTER OUR NEW ART COMPETITION CHALLENGE No. 110 Abstract/Experimental Art See your work published in International Artist magazine and also receive a 4-page Editorial Feature in American Art Collector, the prestigious magazine read by collectors and galleries looking for new art work in the world’s biggest art market. Winners and Finalists in our competitions don’t just win awards to hang on their walls. The real value of entering and being one of the winners is that your work will not only be seen by hundreds of thousands of readers worldwide but also by leading galleries and collectors in America, the biggest art market of all. Our Grand Prize Winners receive a 2-page spread in International Artist magazine and a 4-page Editorial Feature in American Art Collector. Publicity at this level…

Painting a representational subject using the medium of acrylics is generally avoided because of how fast the paints dry. This fast-drying medium usually doesn’t allow enough time to mix and apply the correct tone on the canvas and it seems near impossible to blend areas or make them appear to those soft edges that are so typically seen in an oil painting. “This DVD set is not just a demonstration; it is more like a workshop you can do in your own environment at a time that suits you.” I would like to share with you how I get around these obstacles in my DVD My Acrylic Method. My DVD not only shows you the ways I keep my paint and mixes wet and useable throughout the painting process, but…

Among the many calls the Portrait Society receives are requests to help identify the artist of an artwork that a person either purchased or inherited and they know very little about the provenance of the work. The first place we ask the caller to look is on the front of the work, for a signature and perhaps a date. While this information can be helpful, it may provide only limited information. The next question we ask, “Is there anything written on the back of the work?” We ask them to check for information such as a title, date and the artist’s full name; if the buyer is fortunate, the artist will have provided additional information that can add to both the value and help to track the path the painting…

For me, plein air painting is the most challenging way to paint, and the rewards are even better! When I’m in open air standing in front of the live model—feeling the warm breeze of the summer air, hearing the sounds of nature—it is a moment in time that I’m capturing and want to share with you, the viewer. Also, if painting a model in a landscape isn’t hard enough, there can be flies, the clouds going in and out, perhaps rain, snow and the challenges go on and on; they are all worth it. Each time, there are learning experiences that are so valuable, and you can only get them by experiencing it. I took time to set up my daughter Grace outside in a pose that I thought was…

Mankind is destroying the planet. This destruction has made me fascinated with preserving nature. I started with painting flowers—thousands of flowers in all states of life and decay. For years now, I have wanted to preserve their beauty and prevent their extinction. Then suddenly in my dreams and in my subconscious I started having visions of new, non-existent flowers. I started painting these strange new hybrids and realized I was creating not only new species of flora but I was building a new world of my own. Flower by flower. After a bit of persuasion, I convinced my husband to leave life in New York City to move back to Sweden so I could follow in the footsteps of famous Swedish botanist Carl von Linné. Each new hybrid flower species…

STAGE 1 FILLING IN THE BACKGROUND I generally paint from furthest away to closest in, finishing each section as I go. I have the magical idea that the finished painting exists in some plane behind the surface of my watercolor paper. As I finish each section, it shows through. Here is all the background and surrounding elements are finished. I’m ready to paint flowers. STAGE 2 INITIAL COLOR LAYER The smaller, less prominent flowers painted, I’ve started with the first layer of quinacridone rose on one flower. STAGE 3 FINISHING THE FIRST ROSE The first layered rose is finished. STAGE 4 LAYERING MORE COLORS The permanent rose and hansa yellow medium layers painted on the next rose. STAGE 5 FINAL FLOWER Down to the final rose—this is the permanent rose…

Borrowing from the oil painters of the Renaissance period, I apply the technique called grisaille, to the application of colored pencil. Grisaille is an underpainting technique in which neutral colors are used to establish the form of a subject. Usually, the underpainting is created using gray or brown tones, but I have discovered that using the richer tones of indigo blue, black cherry, black raspberry or black grape give the skin tones of her portraits a livelier appearance. I use Prismacolor colored pencils because of their wide range of colors and creamy consistency. The grisaille technique works well for colored pencil because layering light colors on top of darker colors help them blend more easily. By layering the darkest values first, subsequent colors blend the skin tones as the portrait…

International Artist workshops are always a lot of fun. Meeting like-minded people and enjoying their company traveling, painting, and exploring new destinations really makes for a memorable holiday. I recently enjoyed tutoring a group of 20 painters in the south of the United Kingdom. We were lucky to have two weeks of excellent weather and a fabulous choice of painting subjects. We started the workshop in Stratford-Upon-Avon, a quaint little town full of beautiful old buildings. We had a couple of days painting in the town and traveled by coach to numerous nearby locations. The Cotswolds and Cornwall workshop had people from New Zealand, Canada, USA, the UK, the Czech Republic and Australia. It was wonderful to meet all these people, hear their stories and spend two weeks immersed in…

Light and Shadow Families Your job as a painter of realism is to simplify what you see and give it your own style. Your style grows of its own accord, so the question is, how much should you simplify what you’re seeing? The range of colour is pretty bamboozling, so as kids we decide that grass is green, just green, and the sky is blue. As an adult you can paint like that, sure, but you can’t achieve a sense of depth that way. It’ll all be flat, like paper cutouts. The next step up from there is to divide each object into just two colours: shadow and light. Now you can have depth and talk about the quality of light falling on those objects. That’s your starting point then.…