Innholdsfortegnelse for November 2017 i Artists Magazine

MOST OF MY STUDENTS, once they begin a landscape, will modify the block-in, paint over it and then continue to noodle, on and on, in an attempt to take the painting to the finish. My way of working is simpler. The background portions of the block-in, painted boldly, transparently and without details, I leave alone. The foreground portions of the block-in, which are then painted opaquely, I strengthen a bit, but avoid overworking. Then I’ll bring the two areas together with a flutter of foliage, creating intriguing rhythms and details while resolving the painting. The following demonstration explains how I apply this method to a spring or summer scene. For autumn and winter landscapes, I treat twigs and thin branches in the same way as I do foliage. 1. Establish…

Q What causes the color shift from wet to dry acrylics? A Color shift is a vexing problem encountered by artists working in acrylics. The cause is a simple issue. Acrylic paint formulation contains pigment, water and a host of agents that give the medium the working properties artists have come to expect. One purpose of the water is to keep acrylic polymers in a fluid state. While acrylic paints are in a tube or bottle, water creates a barrier between the acrylic polymers to keep them from solidifying. When the paint is exposed to air, the water eventually evaporates, enabling the polymers to touch each other and form cross-linked chains that meld together into a dry film. While acrylic paints are in a fluid or viscous state, the water…

You don’t have to spend much time in the art world before you notice the initials “AWS” after the names of many watermedia artists. The acronym stands for “American Watercolor Society.” The organization has come a long way since its first meeting in New York City on December 5, 1866, with 11 artists who called themselves the American Society of Painters in Water Colors. The society’s simply stated purpose was to “promote the art of watercolor painting in America.” At the time, watercolor was generally considered a sketching material—not meant for fine art. Even in the early years, before America’s early women’s rights activists had gained momentum, the society accepted female members. What’s more, from its first annual exhibition in 1867, the society reviewed entries from everyone—not just members, and…

THE UBIQUITOUS PENCIL , a piece of graphite inside a hollow tube of wood, wasn’t an option for a 15th-century draftsman—it hadn’t yet been invented. Instead, for fine line drawings Renaissance artists drew with a nib of metal placed in a stylus. Both past and present artists tend to favor a silver nib, so the medium is commonly called silverpoint. In fact, almost any metal drawn across a slightly abrasive surface leaves a mark, so the technique is more broadly known as metalpoint. Support and Ground Ordinary paper won’t work with metalpoint. A support (drawing surface) must be coated with a ground that has a bit of tooth to imperceptibly abrade the nib and leave behind a deposit of metal that creates a line. A rigid support is best since…

ALWAYS A FAN OF STAEDTLER, I was delighted to recently receive an invitation to critique some of their products (see Staedtler Materials Tested, page 77). As it happens, they’re produced in my own birthplace, Nuremberg, Germany—a city known for it’s artists and artisans. Albrecht Dürer (1471-1528) created impossibly fine, yet epically elaborate etchings that typify German craft. The city is also famous for its gingerbread Christmas cookies (Nuremberg Lebkuchen) and clock maker Peter Henlen’s 1504 invention of the watch. Nuremberg has a rich history of excellent craftsmanship, and Staedtler’s art materials are no exception. Overview of Materials There’s an array of choices out there when it comes to drawing pencils. It’s not easy to judge quality by the packaging, so choosing good pencils can be a matter of trial and…

DREW PRICE IS A BORN TRIER. “I won The Artist’s Magazine’s Annual Art Competition student award in the portrait category,” he says. “I wanted to try my hand at the regular competition once I wasn’t a student.” That tenacity led him to becoming a finalist in last year’s competition with his work Battle of the Bee and the Fly (above). Price was raised in New Mexico, and then spent 12 years living throughout the United States and in other countries, including Italy, Guam and Turkey. The one constant in his travels was his passion for art, which led to his enrolling at the Academy of Art University, in San Francisco, where he earned his bachelor of fine arts degree in painting and drawing in 2015. Price’s work in oil combines…

ONE OF THE MOST BASIC WAYS artists exercise control of their legacy is by deciding what to save and what to toss. Michelangelo burned many of his drawings, presumably studies that would have offered insight into his creative process. We know of two bonfires: he instructed an assistant to burn works on paper in 1518, and he destroyed more drawings just before his death in 1564. In at least one notable instance, the decision was made for him when his life-size cartoon (the term used for preparatory drawings in the Renaissance) for the Battle of Cascina was torn apart, piece by piece, either by admiring students or a jealous rival. Those drawings that have survived Michelangelo’s judgment and the ravages of time—and there are, thankfully, dozens—raise as many questions as…

BRIAN BURT CINCINNATI, OHIO BMBURT.COM Q: How has selling your art changed over the years? A: I began by participating in art fairs throughout the Midwest and on the East coast. Getting better at my craft, introducing people to my work and myself and getting people to remember the work were most important to me. I then started approaching galleries, and I found places locally and abroad where I could sell my work. Six years after I graduated, I was a full-time painter. Q: How has technology changed the way you sell your work? A: Mass emailing is hit or miss for me. The greatest success for me is Instagram. I’m using my strength (visual imagery) to capture people’s attention. I’ve lost count of how many pieces I’ve…

WORKSHOPS ALABAMA Huntsville Museum of Art 10/2-10/6/17, Huntsville. Brian Bomeisler, Drawing on the Right Side of the Brain. 10/9-10/12/17, Huntsville. Tony Couch, Watercolor Painting. 11/8-11/11/17, Huntsville. Liz Haywood-Sullivan, Pastels – Inside/Outside: The Best of Both. 2/9-2/11/18, Huntsville. Sara Beth Fair, Painting with Light, Color & Joy. 4/6-4/8/18, Huntsville. Lian Quan Zhen, Watercolor Painting: Let the Colors Paint Themselves. 5/3-5/6/18, Huntsville. David Dunlop, Natural Elements; Painting with the Masters, Old & New Techniques. 6/1-6/2/18, Huntsville. Alan Shuptrine, Realistic Watercolor Landscapes. Contact: Laura E. Smith, Director of Education/Museum Academy, 256/535-4350 x222 lsmith@hsvmuseum.org or hsvmuseum.org NEW YORK Pastel Society of America PSA School for Pastels National Arts Club, 15 Gramercy Park South, New York, NY 10003 Contact: 212/533-6931 psaoffice@pastelsocietyofamerica.org or www.pastelsocietyofamerica.org Enrich your paintings and study with these masterful artists. 9/18-9/20/17, Infusing Landscapes…