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Inspiration for Artists | |
Joel Osteen's book, Your Best Life Now, is the most inspirational and motivating book I've come across lately. I "read" the book by listening to Osteen read an abridged verson of the text on an audio CD. I listened to it while driving around town on my various daily tasks. Each day, I could hardly wait to get in the car so I could listen to another segment. I'll admit I was, at first, skeptical to even pick up the CD/book, thinking it might just be over-hyped prosperity teaching. But my doubts were allayed as I started to listen. Osteen presents a very balanced and practical understanding of what it means to live at our full potential. I was immediately drawn in by his challenge to "enlarge your vision". I think, as an artist, this motiviated me to set aside my self-doubts, to dream bigger painting goals and realize that God's resources are boundless. Another principle that Osteen drives home is gratitude, something that can truly change a person's outlook on life. Osteen also addresses the tough questions of how to handle the difficulties of life, both those brought on by external circumstances and those that result from our own choices. I hope your vision is enlarged and that you are living your best life NOW! |
Collage Papers Incorporating collage papers into a watercolor or acrylic painting can be a lot of fun. For the painting, On Wings, I used decorative paper napkins and assorted tissue papers. 
Here's a close-up: 
This pattern is from a decorative Thanksgiving napkin. I separated the thin tissues of the napkin and used only the top layer which holds the pattern. The image on the napkin was of a colorful turkey, but that is not obvious from the small portion of the tissue used here. One viewer thought the pattern reminded her of a baseball.  This pattern is from a decorative Christmas napkin. Notice in the painting that the various collage elements overlap each other. I use acrylic gloss medium thinned with water to adhere the collage papers to the painting.
Here I've used a collage paper which I purchased at a local art store. This particular paper had a pattern of holes in it, which is more obvious in the larger image above. The opaque white paper contrasted nicely with the red and orange hydrus watercolors used in this image. 
The white shape across this selection is also from a decorative napkin. The tissue is fairly opaque, allowing just a bit of the underlying color to peek through. For more information about the painting of On Wings, visit the Hydrus Watercolors demo page. |
Painting the Background While the background may not be the focal point of a painting, it is nonetheless very important. The background can contribute to the overall style, unity and interest of a scene. Consider using some of these ideas to create a background for a watercolor painting:  | This image, cropped from my painting, Morning Glow, illustrates two techniques for painting an interesting background: 1. A wet-in-wet technique was used to allow colors to move across the wet paper and blend together. 2. When the paper was moistened prior to applying pigment, small areas of the paper were left dry. When the paint was applied, it only moved into areas that were wet, leaving the dry white paper exposed. This resulted in a wonderfully creative effect for the painting. Note: Learn more about using the wet-in-wet technique in The Beginner's Watercolor eBook: Start Painting Today. |
 | This piece is a portion of the background in Girls' Night Out. This background was built up in layers. The first layer was created with a wet-in-wet technique. Since the painting is large, I only moistened a small area each time, immediately applying varying colors of paint next to each other in the wet area. I worked quickly, moving on to an adjacent section of the background in order to remain consistent with color and texture. After the first layer dried, I continued to apply paint from the same palette of colors used in the first layer. To avoid disturbing the first layer, however, I applied the subsequent layers of paint in more of a dry-brush fashion. When I was satisfied with the depth and texture, I applied a final glaze over the entire background. This final glaze was a thin dark blue which unified the background color. |
 | This background image comes from Bromeliad, a piece that uses both watercolor and ink. To create the background, I first applied a layer of thinned black ink. After that layer was dry, I used a crumpled paper towel dabbed in black ink to apply blotches of the ink to the grey background. Immediately, while the ink blotches were still wet, I dabbed them with a dry tissue to remove excess ink and leave the lighter grey textural marks. |
Tips for Photographing Your Artwork There are several reasons an artist may need to photograph their art: - To create slides or digital images for an art competition
- To create a portfolio to present to art galleries
- For review of artwork by a client
- To maintain a record of the artist's own work
For helpful and detailed instructions on how to photograph artwork, check out the three-part article by Ed Pointer posted at the Kansas Watercolor Society website. Pointer covers the process for photographing in both sunlight and under tungsten light. Another excellent source of information is Kate and Robert Burridge's Art Marketing Workshop, which includes a section on "How to Photograph Your Own Artwork with Goof-Proof Results Every Time". The Burridges' advice can also be found in their book, "Hot mARTketing: The Business of Selling Your Art" available at their website. This book is packed with helpful advice on a wide variety of marketing subjects for artists. |
Whitey's Patio by Janice Tingum 
The Steeples of St. Michael's
by Janice Tingum | Paint Your Hometown Inspiration and painting ideas exist in our own backyards, neighborhoods and hometowns. Consider these reasons for painting local scenes: * Connect with local viewers. Local residents often enjoy seeing their favorite street scene, park, church or school featured in a painting. When they recognize the scene, there's an instant connection with the painting and with the artist - a shared appreciation of a meaningful place. * Reach out to tourists. Visitors to your region may be looking for a special way to remember their visit to your community. A small piece of original art depicting a place they visited can meet that need. Consider postcard or greeting card reproductions to widen your market. * The price is right. You don't need to make a plane reservation to capture the local scenery. The convenience of painting locally also allows you to pick the time of day when the lighting is best and return to the spot as often as necessary. * Paint on commission. When you exhibit art depicting local scenes, invariably someone will ask whether you've painted a particular location they are especially interested in or whether you might paint a scene on commission. This can open the door for additional painting opportunities for you. |
Using a Computer to Design and Compose A Painting 
Unedited digital photograph | 
Edited digital photograph |
I wanted to make the colorful tents in this scene the subject of a painting. However, as the photo on the left illustrates, the scene contains several distracting elements. I took photographs to capture details and to generally identify a pleasing composition. But later, after I had uploaded the image to my computer, I used Adobe Photoshop Elements 4.0 to edit the picture. The day of the photo, the sky was overcast. I wanted to bring more light to the scene, so I used Photoshop's auto levels and equalizer option to add light and slightly colorize the entire image. Next, it was time to remove distracting items. The first thing to go was the signal light. Its over-reaching dark shape drew attention away from the tents. Next was the blue banner and light post on the far right side. Although the light fixture is intriguing, I knew I would either need to move it further into the scene or delete it altogether. I opted to focus on the two smaller light fixtures in front of the tents and removed the larger fixture. Most annoying, though, was the traffic sign in front of the globe light fixture on the right side. The sign had to go. I deliberated for a while, however, about the flags on the left side. Their existing location was too close to the edge, but perhaps they could have been nudged a bit further into the image. I decided to remove them completely at this time, leaving open the possibility that they could be added back in later. I eliminated these distracting items with Photoshop's clone tool. This tool works similar to a copy and paste feature. For example, to remove the traffic light, I cloned (copied) bits of the adjacent sky and copied those sky pieces over the traffic light. The repair work for the globe light fixture obstructed by a traffic sign took a little more time, but it, too, was done with the clone tool. After deleting distracting elements, I decided to change the season. I appreciated the fact that in the original photo the trees were bare, as this allowed me to see more of the tent structures. However, I didn't want to paint it that bare. It was time to add a few more splashes of color. To add leaves to the trees, flowers and shrubs, I used an assortment of "natural" Photoshop brushes and colors. I've painted a small preliminary draft of the edited scene and am now in the process of examining that painting to decide whether I need to do any more editing. The decision to edit a scene is a personal one. No doubt, some viewer of the finished painting will note that the flags are missing or the flowers are the wrong color from those that typically grow there. But I'll be content that I've made the painting my own, communicating my own impressions of a lovely scene. |
| Artist to Artist By networking with other artists, we learn new skills, find encouragement and find opportunities to grow in our creative journeys. Consider these networking possibilities... Join an art society, attend their regular meetings and get involved. For a list of societies, visit the Links page. Attend artist receptions for gallery and exhibit openings; mingle with the other artists. Volunteer your time with a local arts council. Participate in online art forums. Talk about your interest in painting with your friends and co-workers. You might be surprised to discover others who share your passion for painting. Attend at least one painting workshop each year and use the opportunity to not only learn about painting. but also to become acquainted with other artists in the class. Offer to assist in setting up an art exhibit. You'll get a chance to meet artists as they bring in their art, as well as the gallery staff.
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| Elements of Collage
Collage is a wonderful way to add texture to a painting. Consider these tips:
* Use an adhesive, such as acrylic matte medium or Yes! brand paste to secure your collage items to the watercolor paper.
* Apply the adhesive to the back of the collage material.
* If applying the adhesive directly to the watercolor paper, avoid getting excess adhesive in areas not covered by the collage material.
* Immediately wipe up excess adhesive from the paper.
* Watercolor paint will not absorb into the paper in areas covered by an adhesive, although the collage materials themselves may still absorb some paint.
* Vary collage materials to add interest in the texture.
Examples of collage:
On Wings and With Feathers in the Celebrations Art Gallery both use collaged table napkins, along with other specialty tissues, to add dimension.
The Lord is My Salvation in the Landscapes Gallery uses collaged papers in the tree line on the horizon. The top of the collaged materials were kept free of adhesive so that they could be painted with the autumn colors.
Read more about collage:
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Floral Weave by Janice Tingum 2005
Watercolor and acrylic, woven strips
23" x 20" matted and framed size $275
To create a woven painting: Choose two paintings, one with a definite design and one with an abstract pattern. In this case, one is a watercolor painting of a flower. The other is an abstract design created by random strokes of acrylic paint. The abstract piece also has more light areas than the floral piece. The paintings must be of the same size. Cut one painting into horizontal strips; the other into vertical strips. Secure one end of the strips with painter's tape to a sturdy support and weave the pieces together. After the paintings are completely woven together, tape the edges to the support. It is helpful to use a support that can be trimmed to fit in a frame. |
| Stuck in a Painting Rut?
Try one of these ideas to get unstuck . . .
- Change the size of your paper or canvas. If you typically produce small paintings, significantly increase the size - at least double it. If you are losing momentum with your large paintings, try something really small, like an art trading card of 2.5" x 3.5".
- Change the shape/orientation of your paper or canvas. Take a look at your most recent work. Is it predominantly horizontal, vertical or square? Once you've identified the typical orientation of your paintings, set that shape aside and explore a different one.
- Too many color choices on your palette? Reduce your palette to the three primary colors of red, blue and yellow. Create a series of paintings using only those three colors.
- Experiment with a different type of paper or canvas. Is there a different product you've wanted to try? Do so now. If you generally paint on traditional watercolor paper, try Yupo paper, illustration board or watercolor canvas.
- Find 11 more ideas here...
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|  Learning to Paint: How to Get Started and Keep Going
* Acquaint yourself with the basic terminology, techniques and materials of watercolor painting. The Beginner's Watercolor eBook: Start Painting Today provides this introductory information, along with step-by-step instructions for two complete paintings. Click here to learn more.
* Learn from other artists through books, magazines, workshops, classes and videos. Check Chapter 15: Resources of The Beginner's Watercolor eBook for a list of helpful books and magazines. For additional book reviews, go to Reviews. Consult your local television guide for demonstrations by artists, such as Terry Madden, often seen on public television programming.
* Join an artists' organization, such as a watercolor society. This will provide more opportunities to learn and develop your skills. For a list of watercolor societies and other art organizations, go to Links.
* Share your work. I know it feels risky to show your work to others, but it is a huge step in growing as an artist. It will build your confidence, spur you to do better, and allow you to see more objectively what you like about your own art and what you wish to improve.
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22 Uses for Watercolor
 - Create art for your home
- Add color, shapes and textural looks to scrapbooks
- Make a personalized piece of art as a gift
- Illustrate greeting cards
- Enhance stamping projects
- Sell your work at art festival (see listing in Links page)
- Scan watercolor designs and incorporate them into digital art
- Decorate name tags
- Be a fine art watercolor artist
- Design cover art for books
- Make and exchange art trading cards (see the ATC gallery)
- Illustrate children's books
- Exhibit in art galleries
- Sell art online
- Donate art to non-profit fundraisers
- Use a watercolor sketch as foundation for an acrylic or oil painting
- School poster projects
- Experiment painting on Yupo paper (see demo for painting at right)
- Make a collage
- Enter competitions sponsored by watercolor societies (see Markets)
- Paint miniatures
- Create an altered book
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| World Vision Hunger Relief Benefit - Jerry's Artarama contributes 25% of specific purchases to world hunger relief efforts.
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| Chart your colors
If you use Winsor and Newton paints, visit their website for helpful color charts. The watercolor charts, for example, include a color sample of each paint, its ASTM rating, and information regarding permanency, transparency, opaqueness and staining properties. The site provides definitions of the paint terminology, as well as health and safety data sheets.
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| Inspiration on Vacation
Did you take a summer vacation? Were you riding roller coasters, volunteering at a camp, or visiting relatives?
Take a few minutes to browse through your vacation photographs and let them inspire your next painting. Look for these elements of a painting in your photos:
...Pleasing compositions
...Dramatic colors
...Interesting shapes
Instead of painting an image that duplicates your photo, consider these creative uses for reference photos:
* Combine elements of several photos to create a new scene. * Use a computer program, such as Photoshop Elements, to edit your photo. * Experiment with cropping the photo to achieve different compositions. * Using the same photo editing program, delete the color from the photo to obtain a black and white image for value studies. * Play with the colors, shapes, hard and soft edges, filters and special effects. Now use the modified photo as the basis of a painting. * Collect numerous photos of a single subject and arrange a collaged image to paint. * Transfer photographic images (edited or unedited) to your paint surface. See example in the demonstration of Your News.
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