Light Boxes and LED light bulbs

I always plan to make up or buy a light box.  They're very handy when you need to trace a shape or image.  However I don't often need to trace things so lack the motivation to get one.

When I do need to trace something I tend to use the window on a bright or sunny day.  However this method has to be done standing up so it's not handy for complicated projects.

I am not recommending this but at night time I have used a sheet of glass over a table lamp.  This can get a bit hot depending on the bulb in the lamp. 

I recently changed the bulb to an LED one.  It is supposed to use less electricity and have a longer life.  Apparently it is the green alternative to the bulb that was replaced.

The definition from Wikipedia says -
“An LED lamp (or LED light bulb) is a solid-state lamp that uses light-emitting diodes (LEDs) as the source of light. LED lamps offer long service life and high energy efficiency, but initial costs are higher than those of fluorescent and incandescent lamps.”

It's nice to be good to the environment but another benefit is the lack of heat from the LED bulb.  Now when I am tracing over the top of the lamp the glass stays cool.  Much better!

If I ever get around to making a light box I think using LED bulbs will be a great idea.

Of course you can buy some very nice light boxes; you don't need to make your own.

Here's the sort of thing I mean

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Summer Sketching

Around this time of year I always think about how enjoyable it is to do some drawing.  It is the most convenient way to take your art with you when you’re out and about.

All you need is a small pad of paper and a pencil.  With just these two items you can sketch.

There is no need to produce a complete picture – unless you want to.  In just a couple of minutes you can enjoy your hobby and draw a small picture.

Practice makes perfect.  Every sketch will help you to improve your drawing.

This is a great way for passing the time when you have to wait, whether it is for an appointment or perhaps at the airport waiting for your plane.


What to Sketch?

You can draw things that you see.  I find that I notice more detail when I am sketching things.  This type of picture can be a good reference when you want to add details to the foreground of a painting.  Examples of this type of sketching could be benches, people, clocks, foliage of plants.

Concentrating on the light and shade will help to make your drawing more three dimensional.  Try looking at the way the light affects a particular scene, this can help to add an atmospheric look to your artwork.  This will help your sketch as well as giving you ideas about how to add a particular mood to a more detailed picture that can be painted later. 

You can sketch whatever you feel like, maybe even designing your own superhero comic character.  You don’t need to sketch just the things you can see.


You just need Basic Equipment

The basic items are just a pad of paper and a pencil.  If you find you enjoy sketching you may wish to take other drawing materials so that the sketches could have some extra elements.  Perhaps a hard and soft lead pencil so that you can smudge the soft lead areas for shadows and contrast.

Some people like to sketch with ballpoint pens or felt tipped coloured pens.  You can try a range of drawing equipment to see which ones you like the best.

Should you decide to add watercolour paints to your sketching equipment you’ll need to use thicker paper so that the water in the paints does not make the paper cockle (or buckle) too much.

When you are just starting out you’ll only need a pad of paper and a pencil.  There are small sketchpads that are available in art stores that usually have good quality paper in a range of sizes.  However when you are beginning all you really need is a pad of unlined paper and a pencil.

Even when the weather isn’t good enough for sitting outside to draw this is something you can do, inside or out, and with only some paper and a pencil.

This is a good way to improve your drawing skills in a quick and easy way.  And a great excuse for sitting out in the sunshine too.

How to Add Detail to the Foreground of your Picture

This posting is about one technique for adding detail to your painting. It is not something I use a lot, with acrylic paints you can easily paint over any details you want. However it is always good to be aware of painting options for achieving a particular result.


How to Add Detail to the Foreground of your Picture


Adding extra detail to the foreground of a painting helps to make the background look further away and can give depth to a picture.

The closer something is to the front of a picture the more detail you can see. So putting in extra details in this area is a good idea.

One painting technique to achieve this is to scrape out grassy things in a landscape. Or perhaps scratch out a texture in other subjects. For example, indicating the texture of the tablecloth in a still life.


Consider your painting surface

The amount of detail you can achieve will depend on the painting surface you are using. You will be able to add more detail when painting on a smooth surface than you can on a rough surface.


Damp is easier

When using acrylic paints I prefer to scrape out the shapes while the paint is still wet/damp. Although you can scratch the dried paint to make some shapes it is easy to dig too deeply and cut into the painting surface. This can be quite a problem on a paper surface.


What to use?

You can use a range of things to scrape out the shapes you want. With thicker paints it can be handy to use a palette knife. The palette knife can be used either flat or edge on depending on the effect you want.

I often use the end of a paint brush. This can be handy for thinner paints and smoother painting surfaces.

Of course you can always use a finger nail too!


Adding extra detail to the ‘detail’

Once the paint has dried you can also paint in further detail to the scraped out shapes for highlights and shadows. This can help to give the shapes extra definition too.

The amount of detail you put into a painting will depend on the subject matter and your style of painting.

As with any technique it is always worth experimenting on a spare piece of paper to make sure you like the effect before you use it on the final piece.

Packing Stretched Canvases for Sending

I thought it would be helpful to consider how to pack artwork that is painted onto a stretched canvas.

Holiday times are a good opportunity to look at this as chocolate boxes, especially the large flat ones are very handy packing materials. So if you receive any boxes of chocolates (particularly the ones with just one or two layers of chocolates as they tend to be a good size) you may want to save it for future packing material.

Materials

The way I package stretched canvases uses an appropriate size of box, lots of bubble wrap, a couple of sheets of cardboard with some extra cardboard to reinforce the edges and corners. Also some paper to wrap the box and parcel tape to keep it all secure.

My Method

I start by putting a couple of layers of bubble wrap in the gap at the rear of the stretched canvas. This will fill up the void at the back of the canvas. Then wrap the canvas in bubble wrap. It helps to both protect the painting and keeps any dampness away from the artwork too.

Next put a sheet of cardboard to the front and back of the stretched canvas. Cut these an inch or two larger than the size of the painting including the bubble wrap.

Roll up some lengths of bubble wrap strips to pack the edges around the canvas. Place in the gap between the 2 cardboard layers. Pack the bubble wrap strips out to approximately the edge of the cardboard layers. This will help to protect the edges.

Cut spacers of cardboard

Cut some lengths of cardboard wide enough for the gap between the two layers of cardboard (on the front and back of the canvas). Put these between the two layers. Be sure that the corners are well protected and put the lengths of cardboard the whole way around the artwork. Use the parcel tape or any wide tape to hold this in place.

If there is room add another layer of bubble wrap around all of this packaging, and then place it into the box.

If the box is not deep enough (the bubble wrap will make it quite a bit larger all around) you can add some more lengths of cardboard as a spacer between the top and bottom of the box.

Pack any spaces with more bubble wrap and tape the top and bottom of the box together. (The corners are the area most likely to get damaged. Be sure to check that they are well packed.)

To finish, wrap with paper and tape to secure.

I probably over-pack stretched canvases, but I‘d rather use too much packaging and have the artwork arrive in good condition.

Damaged stretched canvas?

If you are unlucky and the painting is damaged you may be able to repair it.

If the canvas and painting are intact it is possible to get some new stretchers and (having removed the canvas from the original damaged stretchers) re-stretch the canvas over them. However if the canvas or paint is damaged you will probably need to decide if it is worth the trouble of trying to get it repaired.

Should the paint be damaged you may find that you can repaint it successfully. However if the canvas is torn I wouldn’t bother trying to repair it. Perhaps you could cut it down to a good section and re-stretch it as a smaller picture.


Sending a few canvases?

If you have a few canvases to send and they are all about the same size you can buy boxes from sellers on eBay. There are some sellers on eBay that will sell boxes suitable for sending pictures. If you have a few to send this could be a good option for you.

But if you only have one picture to send it is probably easier to use the method described above.

What is in the Acrylic Painting Course?

Painting in the Evening - Daylight Bulbs

I like to paint in the daylight, I think it makes it easier for mixing the colours and you can see if the dried paint is the colour you wanted. However you may have your painting time in the evening and painting by artificial light can make the colours look quite different.

I received a gift of a couple of daylight bulbs one birthday many years ago. They look very odd; I did wonder why I got a couple of blue light bulbs! They are unusual looking. But once I tried them I was very happy and found that I enjoyed painting in the evening as I could see the true colours of the paint I was using.



A Bit about Daylight Bulbs

The science part…


From Wikipedia, the free encyclopaedia


‘Full-spectrum light is light that covers the electromagnetic spectrum from infrared through near-ultraviolet, or all wavelengths that are useful to plant or animal life; in particular, sunlight is considered full spectrum, even though the solar spectral distribution reaching Earth changes with time of day, latitude, and atmospheric conditions.

"Full-spectrum" is not a technical term when applied to an electrical light bulb but rather a marketing term implying that the product emulates natural light.

Products marketed as "full-spectrum" may produce light throughout the entire spectrum, but actually do not produce an even spectral distribution, and may not even differ substantially from lights not marketed as "full-spectrum”

(They are often said to appears similar to noon daylight)


Use in art and in color matching

Full-spectrum fluorescent lamps are used in the art studio by artists who paint pictures on canvas when they paint at night or inside (ideally, during the day the art studio should have north sunlight, but many artists don't have access to north sunlight so they use full-spectrum lamps instead) in order to make sure that the colors they are using appear in their natural hue as they will appear when the painting is displayed in a home or in an art gallery.

Full-spectrum lamps are also used by color scientists or color matchers in paint stores to match colors at night or inside when they don't have access to north sunlight.’


The daylight bulbs that I have are over 20 years old. They look like a normal light bulb that has been painted blue. They seem to last very well, but maybe I've been lucky!

As I looked online the newer versions appear to be clear. And come in a range of shapes and sizes.


Want to try one?

If you want to try one I would recommend buying a bulb that will fit a lamp that you have already. That way you will just be paying for a daylight bulb and can see if you like them.

If you find that they suit you there are a wide range of lights made especially for painting and crafts, from ones that clip onto your easel to desk and floor lamps.


Not just for painting

If you decide to get a daylight lamp be sure to use it for any other crafts or hobbies you have, they are not just for painting. So that will make it a better investment for you too.

Painting Tip for Artists – Dented Canvases

In this post I wanted to share a tip that I had to use recently. If you store your equipment better than I do you may not need this tip!

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How to Repair a Badly Stored Stretched Canvas

I have a range of different sizes of stretched canvases. This is very handy as I can choose the size I want for a particular painting. Usually I store them so that all the same sizes are together and resting on an edge (normally leaning up against a wall). This way they support each other and everything is fine.

However as I was looking for a particular size I discovered that I had mixed a small stretched canvas in between two large ones. It must have been there for a while as the small one had put dents into the larger canvases. What a nuisance!


How to Fix Dents in a Stretched Canvas

I find that if you get a bulge or dent in the canvas surface you can remove it by thoroughly spraying the entire back of the stretched canvas with clean water.

The canvas will usually dry smooth. However you need to let it dry naturally for the best result.


Another Use for this Spraying on the Back Technique

Another use for this technique is to slow the drying time of a painting.

If you want to slow down the drying time of your paint you can spray the back of a stretched canvas with a water spray before you start the painting. This will slow down the drying time without affecting the paints on the front of the canvas.

I like to spray the rear of the canvas before setting out the rest of the painting equipment so it gets time to soak into the canvas a bit.

Obviously the amount of extra time you will get depends on some other factors too. For example how much water you sprayed on the back of the canvas, how wet the paints are that you are using, room temperature and humidity, and so on.

However it is a handy thing to know. Be sure to try it sometime to see how it works for you.

A Different Use for Acrylic Gesso?

I recently read an article about using acrylic gesso to prime the back of a paper painting surface. It said that you do not need to stretch the paper if you used the gesso.

I tried an experiment of this technique and it worked really well.


What is gesso? Here is a quick definition


Acrylic gesso (from Wikipedia)

“Modern acrylic "gesso" is actually a combination of calcium carbonate with an acrylic polymer medium latex, a pigment and other chemicals that ensure flexibility, and ensure long archival life. It is sold premixed for both sizing and priming a canvas for painting. While it does contain calcium carbonate (CaCO3) to increase the absorbency of the primer coat, Titanium dioxide or titanium white is often added as the whitening agent. This allows the "gesso" to remain flexible enough to use on canvas.”

Or my basic definition is – Acrylic Gesso is like a thick white paint and is applied with a brush to prime a surface before painting a picture.

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Using Acrylic Gesso instead of Stretching Paper Surfaces


Priming surfaces with acrylic gesso

Using gesso is the normal way to prime a painting surface; it is usually used to prime a stretched canvas before starting a painting.

It can also be used to prime card and paper. Priming the front of a paper or cardboard painting surface with gesso will change the absorbency of the surface, this means that the painting surface will not behave in the same manner as an untreated surface.

Gesso is applied with a brush so there is a surface texture and this seems to hold more paint than an untreated surface does.

You can apply gesso to the back of the paper?

If you don’t want the properties of the paper surface to change you can prime the back of the painting surface. This will also keep the paper from curling while you paint.

In my test piece I had to hold the paper onto a board with masking tape while I painted on the gesso and let it dry. It did curl a little when I removed the tape as you can see in the top photo. So I found it easiest to use some more masking tape to hold the paper in place on a board while I painted the picture (on the side with no gesso) as shown in the bottom photo.

During the painting the paper only buckled slightly when wet, and dried back flat. I think that this was very successful and I will definitely try this technique again.

I found it to be a successful alternative to conventional stretching paper.

Also, I've had a container of acrylic gesso for many months and this is a good way to make full use of it too. :-)

A Warning about Artist's Paint Brushes

I'd like to tell you about a major mistake I made this summer.

I'd a longer than usual summer vacation and decided that it would be a good idea to “properly” tidy away all my painting equipment (for a change!). I usually leave my paint brushes with their tips soaking in a little water as dried acrylic paint will ruin the brushes.

So I carefully cleaned all my brushes and shaped the tips into nice pointed shapes before putting them handle end down in a jar. All properly done and went away on holiday.

I thought it would be better than just leaving them in water - but this was a huge mistake.

Oh NO...

All my brushes, including all my favourites, are not the same. They look alright but when I paint with them they are different. Instead of going to a lovely point they seem to have a mind of their own. They'll be handy for foliage I suppose. :-(

Needless to say I'm really disappointed. However you can learn from my mistake, and I can learn from my mistake too!

A Better Way

Looking back I should have given them a proper clean and left them in some water. I was concerned that the water would dry up before I came back and the brushes would be ruined.

In hindsight it would have been better to put them (and the container I store them in) into a flat air tight box. Some of the boxes for storing food would have worked well for this.

You can get Seconds?

Anyway I've been to buy some more brushes and found that my local art store sold paint brushes that are seconds. Many of the brushes are of excellent quality with a bash in the handle or a couple of the bristles out of alignment.

I bought a couple of brushes to try and they're really good. I've not seen paint brush seconds before but I am delighted with them. However unlike my old favourites I will need to get used to them.

I hope this stops you from making the same mistake with your brushes!

Painting Tips for Painting Effective Forest Areas

Here's a couple of handy tips for painting forest and woodland areas. Like so many tips once you think about it, and consider the reasoning, it is obvious. I always find that when I understand the reasoning behind a tip or technique it is a lot easier to remember it too.


Forest Lighting

When painting a woodland or forest area the darker shades are towards the centre of the wooded area. Therefore the lighter shades are on the outside trees, which are away from the centre of the forest. This is the obvious part!

When painting a forest scene if you just concentrate on the main source of light (probably the sun) you will usually have a lot of shadow areas all to the same side of the trees. However once you remember that the trees to the outside are lighter it will remind you to paint any trees further into the wooded area in darker tones. It will be murky in there.


Scrape out the Tree Trunks

Once you've painted in the trees, and the paint is still wet, you can scrape off some of the paint to indicate tree trunks or branches. A cocktail stick can be handy and a good size for this.

It usually is more effective if you only scrape a few trunks or branches. Too many trunks can add too much detail into an area in the distance. Remember there is less detail as you get further into the distance, when things are farther away you cannot see so much detail. So just doing a few scraped trunks and branches will be more effective.

Scraping away the paint will leave a light area; this is particularly good for silver birch tree trunks. You can always paint in some lighter trunks later if you want to as well.


I have heard…

I read that one artist uses a pencil sharpener to sharpen the end of his paint brushes. He uses this sharp end to scrape out the trunk shapes. I can see that it could be convenient but I think I'd end up poking myself in the face. (Ouch!)


Tree Shadows

If you have shadows from the trees that fall onto grassy areas at the edge of the woodland be sure to paint the shadows to show the angles of the ground.

If the land is sloping away from the tree then paint the tree shadow on an angle to show how the ground is dropping away. This is a great way to add interest to your picture as well.

Acrylic Painting Technique - Use a Credit Card

A new way to use your credit card – when you’re painting

Do you remember in the Karate Kid movie the part about Polish On and Polish Off to build up his muscles? Well this technique it a Paint On and Paint Off one.

Trying different painting methods to achieve a good effect is one of the most interesting aspects of painting. So here is another one for you to try.

Paint on

Remember you don't always need to apply paint with an artists brush. There are other options like using a palette knife or even your fingers.

An alternative method for highlights

Try this on a test piece first. You simply apply the paint thickly and then remove some of the paint for the highlighted area. One of the best things to use to remove the paint is a credit card. This is quite a common watercolour technique but it works just as well with acrylics.

Paint Off Example

You can paint some stones in a fairly flat way, they don't need to look particularly three dimensional, and then use a credit card to scrape off the paint for the lighter or highlight area. Some of the paint will be left on the painting surface giving a paler section.

I think that the final result works very well, especially for rocks. It can also be very effective for the texture on tree trunks.

As acrylics dry quickly you need to be speedy! If you want to have a bit more time to work the paint you can add some gel retarder to the paint to slow down the drying time.

I've seen the scraping off of the paint done using a razor blade too, but that's a bit too sharp for me! You could try using a palette knife instead of the credit card; it will give a slightly different result.

Painting surfaces

This technique is most effective when you're painting on a paper surface, particularly a rough textured one.

However you can practice it on any painting surface you're using to see what effect it will give you. Then you can decide if you want to include the effect in your picture.

I found that it was disappointing when used on a stretched canvas unless the paint is applied really thickly.

However on a suitable painting surface it can be very effective and is another technique to add to your painting arsenal.

The Easy Way to Mask off an Area in a Painting

There are often sections of a painting that will need a hard edge. Although you can paint up to the edge, keeping a definite line can be difficult.

It is usually a better idea to mask off an area, paint the section that borders it, remove the mask and complete the painting.

Masking Options

When masking an area you have a few choices.


Masking Fluid

You can use masking fluid which is like a liquid plastic and is painted on.

Top Tip use an old brush to apply masking fluid as it can be difficult to clean completely from the brush.

Let the masking fluid dry then paint the surrounding area. Once the paint is completely dry remove the masking fluid. Do not leave it on overnight or it can be hard to get off without damaging the painting surface.

Masking fluid is handy for curved and irregular shapes.


Masking Tape

I like to use masking tape. It is especially good for horizon lines in seascapes. The best part about masking tape is that you can remove it once you are confident that the paint is dry enough not to run.

However if you are painting on a paper surface it can sometimes pull the painting surface if you are not very careful when you remove it. Be careful when removing it.

I find it works very well on canvas and canvas panels. In this sketch I used it around the edges to give the finished painting a clear border.


Card Mask

Another method, and probably the easiest one when you are using a paper painting surface, is to use a piece of card. I usually end up using a piece of card from the breakfast cereal packet!

This method works best when you are using a dry brush technique, you do not want the paint too thin or it will flow beneath the card mask.

You could use it for painting in hedges in between fields in a landscape. This makes painting in hedgerows really quick. Just place the card, paint in the hedges, remove the card and paint in the field. Paint in the field while the hedge is still damp and you can blend the bottom of the hedge with the field colour for a lovely effect.

Another good example is using it to mask off the roof when you are painting shrubs and trees behind the roof line of a building. (This is shown in the illustrations).

All you need to do is cut a piece of card and hold it to mask off the roof while you use quite a dry paint to indicate the trees to the rear of the building.

Tip I find that that a card mask works best for short distances, using a large piece of card can be a bit awkward. I prefer to use a shorter piece of card and move it along as I paint.

Both of these examples use a straight edge on the card; however you could also cut the card into any shape you want for different uses. The key is not to use too wet a paint which would bleed behind the card and ruin the effect.


Which is best?

Your final choice will probably depend on the painting surface you are using.


A Word of Warning

Remember that acrylic paints are adhesives once dried. If you use a mask with very thick paint it may be stuck into the painting. Perhaps not the look you were trying for!

This is most likely to happen with masking fluid because it is removed once the paint is dried.

However, masks are very useful when using the paints more thinly and especially when using watercolour techniques.

In this quick sketch I used masking tape around the picture.

I used a card mask (second picture) for the hedges in the fields and for the building to keep the paper where the building will be clean. This is very handy when using the paint in thin washes of colour.

How to Draw a basic Daffodil

I saw this really easy way to draw daffodils and wanted to share it with you.

Steps

1. Draw a circle the size you want the flower to be

2. Draw a triangle in the circle

3. Draw a second triangle as shown

4. Draw a circle in the centre

5. Draw around the points of the triangles to give the petals. Use an uneven line to draw around the circle and add a second ring for the outside edge of the trumpet.

6. Depending on the size of the daffodil you may want to add stamens. You would not see these if the daffodil was further away.

If you want to draw a daffodil that is not ‘straight on’ here’s how to do it.

Draw a Daffodil on the angle

Steps

1a. Start with an oval instead of a circle. Draw in the 2 triangles as before. Draw an oval instead of a circle in the centre.

2a. Use the top and bottom of the small centre oval and draw short straight lines to form the trumpet. The end of the trumpet is a slightly larger oval.

3a. Draw around the points of the triangles to give the petals. Use an uneven line to draw around the ‘trumpet end oval’ and add a larger second ring for the outside edge of the trumpet.

4a. Again adding stamens will depend on how far away the flower is.


Important Points and Tips

These steps are for a basic daffodil shape. Notice that all the petals of one of the triangles are to the front of all the petals on the other triangle. In other words every second petal is to the front and drawn to the base of the trumpet part.

Daffodils come in a wide variety.
Things you can change for different looks are –

* The shape of the petals

* The width of the petals

* The diameter of the trumpet

* The length of the trumpet

* The colour of the flowers. Daffodils can be white, shades of yellow, orange and combinations of these colours. Have a look at some gardening books or catalogues for ideas.

In my garden

I have some small yellow alpine daffodils open in the garden just now; they have very narrow petals with a round end. There is hardly any overlap of the petals. The trumpet is narrow but quite long.

On the other hand I have some taller daffodils that have short wide petals and a very short wide trumpet. There is a great variety in both shape and size. This makes them easier to draw.

If you wanted to add leaves to your drawing just add some straight narrow leaves with rounded ends.

Top Tip

For a more natural look - angle the flower so that it is ‘looking’ to the ground slightly. The weight of the trumpet usually causes a lot of the flowers to be on this angle.

Try drawing a bunch of daffodils and see how easy this is to do.

A Different Way to Paint Trees, Ideal for Beginners too!

I was watching a TV programme where the man was painting trees, or tree shapes to be more accurate. It was a technique that I hadn’t seen before so I thought you would find it interesting too.

He started by painting in the trunks and some branches then added the leaves using a piece of towel. Just a normal fabric towel, the kind you dry your hands on. He bunched it up in his hand and used a smooth section, not a crumpled part.

As you can imagine by dipping the surface of the towel into the paint and then just touching it onto the painting surface gives a random texture. The result was very effective too.

The key point is to keep within a tree shape with the towel texture. You can add some detail with a brush to tidy it up if necessary.

Be sure to try it on a spare piece of paper with an old bit of towel or an old face cloth to see if you like the look before you add it into your painting!


Making Green for the Trees

We discussed this before but it seems relevant to revisit this handy colour mixing tip here.

If you have mixed up a blue and yellow to make a green, or used a premixed colour, you can often find that it is too bright. Try adding a little red to the green to make it more subdued.


Why this works

When you mix two complimentary colours together you get a neutral colour. A complimentary colour is the colour on the opposite side of the colour wheel, to your original one. An example would be yellow and purple.

So by adding just a touch of red to your too bright green you are making it more of a neutral colour and therefore less bright.

This type of colour mixing information can be found in the Colour Mixing Tips and Thoughts Special Report at the Learn and Do website. At present it is a bonus with The Acrylic Painting Course. :-)

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New Beginners Acrylic Painting Report and Video File on CD

I have a new item on CD that is suitable for anyone ready to learn how to paint.

(If you already have The Acrylic Painting Course this is NOT for you.
You will have all this information in the course.)

The Acrylic Painting Tips and Techniques for the Beginner Report tells you what equipment to buy, how to set up your painting supplies and there a couple of easy projects to start you off.

And there's more…

As well as the Acrylic Painting Tips and Techniques for the Beginner Report there is Acrylic Painting Equipment and Techniques computer video file that runs for about 19 minutes. It shows how to set up your palette, how to load artist brushes and a bit of colour mixing too.

Both these items are sent to you on a CD so there are no downloading worries.
This information will be available for the next month or two before I remove it.
Visit the link below to find out more.

http://www.geocities.com/cathcald

Painting Technique - Painting the Negative Space

When using acrylic paint you can add layers of light colour to increase the definition of a pale area. However another option is to paint in the negative area to highlight the pale area.

This is a very good technique and can make your paintings more interesting. It is also an easy way to add detail to a flat area of colour.

The example is just a small section of a painting but it shows how this simple technique can quickly add interest with the minimum effort!

In this example

Always try to contrast light and dark areas in a picture. When you have this kind of contrast it is easy to paint in some of the negative areas because one of the adjoining sections will be in a darker colour.

(I think that it is more successful to paint in negative areas with a darker colour, but if you want to try to use a lighter colour over a darker one be sure to use the paint more thickly.)

In this case the dark colour is used to make the top of the pale area jagged; this makes the pale area look more grass like.

In the example the darker colour was used to paint in the negative area behind the grasses and then faded into the background area. The unevenness of the stone wall made this easy, but if the negative area was smooth you can just blend the colour using water to thin it. By leaving a darker edge next to the pale colour you get a nice contrast too.

Use this technique

To add definition to any areas you feel needs it. It would be good for darkening the area to the side of a tree trunk and make the trunk stand out a bit more. Ideal for the trunk of a silver birch, just add some extra dark shades to the area at the side of the trunk to give the trunk more contrast and this helps to make the trunk more three dimensional too.

It is great for forest paintings as you can hint at more trees in the background without giving them too much detail.

Top Tip – the greatest contrast areas are always in the foreground of a picture. Make sure you have the contrast between the colours suitable for the distance in the painting, i.e. not too much contrast for areas in the distance.

Visit the Learn and Do website at http://www.learnanddo.com/ to find out more about The Acrylic Painting Course. Check out the free preview of the course too.

Titanium White and the Meanings Given to the Colour White

This post is a look at Titanium White and the meanings given to the colour white.

It is interesting to see that we have probably all eaten this colour’s usual pigment!

Titanium White

At Wikipedia it says – “The main modern white hiding pigment is Titanium dioxide. (A naturally occurring oxide of titanium)

Some pigments are toxic, such as the lead pigments that are used in lead paint. Paint manufacturers began replacing white lead pigments with the less toxic substitute, titanium white (titanium dioxide), even before lead was functionally banned in paint for residential use.

Titanium dioxide, also known as titanium(IV) oxide or titania, is the naturally occurringoxide of titanium, chemical formula TiO2. When used as a pigment, it is called titanium white, Pigment White 6, or CI 77891.

It is noteworthy for its wide range of applications, from paint to sunscreen to food colouring. It is employed as a pigment to provide whiteness and opacity to products such as paints, coatings, plastics, papers, inks, foods, medicines (i.e. pills and tablets) as well as most toothpastes.

Used as a white food colouring, it has E number E171. In cosmetic and skin care products, titanium dioxide is used both as a pigment and a thickener. It is also used as a tattoo pigment and styptic pencils

This pigment is used extensively in plastics and other applications for its UV resistant properties where it acts as a UV reflector.”

White paints can also be made from other white pigments such as chalk (not in oil) and zinc white, as well as titanium white.

This explains why white acrylic paint is opaque and not suitable for a lot of the watercolour techniques, as discussed in The Acrylic Painting Course. And how it can be used to over-paint any areas that do not turn out!!

Do you want to learn to paint? Find out more about The Acrylic Painting Course at

http://www.LearnAndDo.com/acrylic.asp

Some Meanings for White -

The white flag is the universal symbol for truce.

The ancient Greeks wore white to sleep in so that they would have pleasant dreams. The ancient Persians believed that all gods wore white.

A white sale is a sale of sheets, towels and other bed and bath items.

In the 20th century western brides have worn white to symbolise innocence and purity.

In China white is the colour of mourning.

It is worn by doctors and nurses to show that cleanliness is important and to ensure that their garments are clean and dirt-free.

A white knight is a rescuer.

To whitewash over something is to make it seem presentable when it is not!

White reflects light and is considered to be a summer colour. It is popular in fashion and decorating as it is light and neutral.

Making Your Own Custom Artwork using Aperture Frames

Original painting and the final framed picture

Some of the options that could be used from the original painting.

Making artwork to match your décor is an interesting and easy project. This article looks at different options when using aperture frames. Aperture frames are widely available from home furnishing shops and other household stores.

An aperture frame comes complete with a mount (mat) cut to display photos. The size of the aperture can vary but usually they are photograph size, often 6 by 4 inches. The frames can be suitable for a single photo or for a number of photos to be displayed in the one frame.

These frames are a handy way to make your own artwork to display in your home. There are a number of options when using these frames, not including the intended method of using photos!

Landscape Option

For this idea you paint one piece of paper that will fill the whole of the frame. This works particularly well with frames that have more than one aperture. Once your painting is placed behind the mount it will give the effect of a range of matching landscapes.

You don’t need to get too worried about the actual landscape because the final piece will only show a few sections of the painting. I like to use a horizontal looking landscape with the sky, distant hills, closer areas painted in very simply.

Once the paint is dry you can place the mount on top to check the result. You can always add more detail if you want.

Top Tip – Make your painting larger than the final picture. This will allow you to move the pre-cut mount around your painting to give you a range of options to choose from.

Abstract Version

Using the same technique you could use just horizontal stripes instead of a landscape. If you include similar colours to ones used to decorate your room you will have a quick and easy method for creating matching artwork.

Paper Version

If you don’t want to paint anything yourself you could use a piece of gift wrap instead. Find a wrapping paper you like and use it, in the same way, in the aperture frame instead.

You could always try a piece of wallpaper from the room.

Fabric Option

It doesn’t have to be paper! Try using a thin fabric behind the mount for a different effect. Perhaps you could try some of the upholstery fabric from your room if it is not too thick.

Another option is buying an off-cut of a fabric you like or that has the colours you want to include in your picture.

The Final Finish

These ready made frames provide a range of possibilities for making your own unique artwork. The frames come in a good range of colours and woods too. Select the frame that will match the style of your room for a pleasing result.

The best part is that once you put the frame back together it is beautifully presented too. Amaze your friends with this easy way to make an original display. This would make a great gift too.

Using Texture Paste - an Acrylic Painting Technique

Use texture paste to add extra interest to your pictures.

Impasto Pictures

For impasto pictures it can be very cost effective to use texture paste rather than huge amounts of acrylic paint.

Texture paste is a white product. While you can add colour to the texture paste to colour it, a better way is to apply the white paste to the picture, let it dry and then add the colour over the dried paste. This technique uses a lot less colour too.

You would need to use a lot of paint to achieve a dark colour of texture paste!

Not Just Impasto Pictures

However, you can use texture paste in ‘normal’ paintings as well. I like to use it for things in the foreground and help to give more depth to the picture.

In the photos you can see where texture paste has been used in quite a subtle technique. I could have used straight paint for a similar result, but I find that using a palette knife and taking the paste from its jar–like container a lot easier. I think it gives a better result as well.

In this example I used the paste to add texture to different sections of the front edge of the stone pillar. This particular picture is painted using the acrylics in a watercolour style, but because I’m using acrylics it is possible to add this extra quality to the picture.

(This painting is “The Old Man of Hoy in the Sea Mist”. This stone stack is found in the Orkney Islands at the far north of the UK.)

Other Ideas

You could use this technique for bushes in the front of your landscape pictures. It is handy for stony foregrounds too.

Top Tip - When you paint over the dried paste add darker colours to the hollows to give added depth. A good effect for the minimum effort ;-)

This is a great technique for adding interest to your pictures.

Top Tips for using Acrylic Paints – Number 10

Use Acrylic Mediums to Extend the Range of Effects

Adding an acrylic medium to the paint allows you to create a further range of effects.

For example – the glaze medium can help to produce watercolour effects. Glaze mediums are available in both gloss and matt finishes which will give different results to the final picture. A good idea is to use a gloss medium on the highlights, especially on water, for a lovely finish.

There are also gel mediums and texture paste which will give extra body to the paint for three dimensional effects. Rather than use a lot of paint to achieve a 3D look you can add the gel medium to the paint and it will bulk it up, this is a lot cheaper than using straight paint.

When using the texture paste is easiest to apply the texture paste to the painting surface and let it dry. Then paint the colour you want on top of the dried texture paste. You can add a darker colour to the ‘valleys’ to add to the textural look too.

Using 'Light Reflecting' Paint

The How to Paint Abstracts for Pleasure and Profit report discusses how to use water-based paints to make your own unique artwork. This free report is available using the link above to the free report on painting. In the report I talk about how to use the same paints (that were used for decorating the room) in the painting so that your final picture will be a perfect match.

I’ve found that mixing different types of water-based paint works well. I usually seal the final picture with a thin coat of matt acrylic varnish or acrylic medium. This will ensure that the artwork can be wiped with a damp cloth to remove any household dust.

A New Paint

I recently discovered a Dulux paint called Light & Space. They say it “reflects up to twice as much light around the room using our unique LumiTec (tm) technology. It’s an amazing effect …”

I wondered what effect it would have in a landscape painting. Could it make the light glow and add to the impression of the reflections on the water?

What I Did

I bought a tester pot in Pacific Breeze (tm) - they seem to have trade marked all the names! I painted this (quite roughly) in the centre section of a stretched canvas. Hoping to be amazed I let it dry and then took it indoors to see the effect. ;-)

To be honest it isn’t a huge effect but there is a little more light reflected in certain low light levels. I was hoping for more but decided to carry on with the painting in any case.

Limited Palette

I like limited palette painting - that means just using a few colours and adding white and black to get the range of tones.

In this case I wanted a subdued blue. I mixed some ultramarine blue with some black in a small container. This was my main colour and I only added white and black to the main colour for this painting.

Technique

With this technique it is best to mix up a good amount of the main colour so that you don’t run out and have to remix your main colour. Trying to match the original colour can be a real nuisance.

The Result

There is a difference in the water and the cloud areas where the original Light & Space paint is still visible. In low light levels it gives off a slight glow, and I think this is what keeps you looking at the painting. It is not an obvious effect but it is something that seems to catch your eye.

Why not invest in a tester pot and try it yourself? You could use it in an abstract painting too if you wanted.