Create art to bless others. This is my favorite kind of work to create! I think the paintings that I make to surprise my friends and family are often my best paintings. There is a freedom in knowing that I'm not working for a client or designing a class sample for students. I'm just painting to ... READ the POST
My Favorite Brushes
Buy your brushes in bulk. I suggest these! Many of you have asked me what brushes I use and what to look for in a brush. I buy mine in bulk! I actually buy this classroom pack of brushes by Royal Langnickel. They are available here from Blick Art Supplies. I believe a new cheap brush is always ... READ the POST
Don’t Be Afraid of Contrast
Let the dark areas of your painting be dark and your light areas be really light. Creating dramatic contrast makes a painting feel more real and has life to it. This is why I will often turn up the contrast in my reference photo using a filter before I begin painting. When I start out a painting, ... READ the POST
Whites aren’t White!
I would say the number one suggestion that I want to make to any new portrait artist is to not paint the whites of the eyes or the teeth white! It can be so tempting to do but it can truly hurt a painting to make this mistake. It will give the portrait more of a cartoon effect rather than capturing ... READ the POST
Paint what you see, not what you think you see.
Painting what you see seems pretty straightforward, but it's amazing how much of a challenge it can actually be. Our brains want to take over and force us to start painting things the way that we have always thought they looked instead of what's in front of us. Let me explain this a little ... READ the POST
Technology for Painters?
Why you need more than brushes and paint to create! I think most painters would rather be behind the easel than the screen, right? I totally get it. If you are a right brained, tactile creator like me, you are probably used to coming up with an an idea in your head and then figuring out ... READ the POST