OIL PAINTING MEDIC

Check out my new book offering solutions for still life painting in oils. It is available on Kindle and now as a Pocket sized edition as well as a large edition. Book on Painting Still Life There is lots of advice inside to help with any issue with painting (and drawing) a still life, including overcoming childish style of painting, the Golden Section, drawing ellipses, drawing foreshortenings, composing a still life, lighting a still life, how to paint textures, how to draw perspectives, how to paint light from life, and how to make a rendering of objects appear as though they could be plucked from the canvas. Still Life Painting Tips In total, there are 26 chapters in this book including a demonstration on painting strawberries in the back and a glossary. Various art techniques are explored within, such as alla prima, oil painting glazing, scumbling, working impasto and working in detail. Common issues are tackled in depth, such as drawing foreshortenings, or objects with ...

Painting from life will present the problem of the constantly shifting light. The artist might be tempted to keep altering the shadows in accordance with reality, working over the painting until it loses its freshness. In other cases, the light might change before the painting is complete, the sun disappearing behind cloud or sinking behind the house. A painting that remains incomplete is the likely result. How can the artist capture the fleeting light in paint as did the impressionists? Natural Light in Painting Technique for Painting Quickly Rachel Shirley The beginner who wishes to take on the challenge of painting from life may overlook problems until the painting is underway. The following might cause problems. Not planning ahead for the painting session. Conceiving, sketching and preparing the composition all on the same day, leaving the artist little time to lay down the paint before the light fades. Employing one or at most two brushes during the painting process...

The artist struggling with ellipses in a still life may end up with a painting dotted with doughnut-like formations that are supposed to represent the rims of cylindrical vessels; some ellipses appear lop-sided, others look like UFOs. In other cases, the ellipses appear to inhabit a different space to that of the vessel concerned. How can the artist overcome the problem of painting ellipses on objects? Step by Step Drawing of Ellipses How to Draw Ellipses Rachel Shirley The still life artist may find painting ellipses difficult to avoid, as many household objects contain ellipses. The list is endless: vases, teacups, teapots, mugs, urns, saucers, eggcups, tankards, vanity mirrors, dishes, plant pots, pipes, cake tins, wine glasses and bottles. This can be a real headache for the artist wishing to steer clear of such challenging elements. But the hurdle of drawing ellipses is a common one which can be overcome. Before making improvements, the following practices need to be...

A painting featuring high tonal contrasts and an array of delicate shades between may confound the artist who is unsure of how to make each tonal value sit together in a convincing still life or landscape. Instead shadows resemble black holes in the canvas, colourful objects lack form, and pale objects simply look insipid. The result is a painting that lacks atmosphere. How can the artist produce a painting that has a strong sense of light and dark and therefore mood? Troubleshooting Lights and Darks in Painting How to Paint Tones Rachel Shirley Rendering tones in a painting will be made difficult if the artist fails to make sensitive observations of how light actually behaves in real life. Presumptions about tones may undermine any attempt at a painting that has an authentic sense of light. In this respect, the following approaches need addressing: Assuming objects of a particular local colour are always darker or paler than another. For instance, yellow objects are pale...