Hitting the right value
Tone, Value and Hue are important words for any artist who wants to paint realistically. “Tone” in art it refers to light and shadow. There are three basic tone divisions: Dark, light and...
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Why and how artists sight off a pencil
Illustration by Kay Sluterbeck When an artist is shown in a cartoon, he or she is often shown with their arm stuck straight out, holding a pencil straight up and looking at it. Just about...
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Hands up!
When it comes to drawing people, many artists do pretty well at getting the head, body, arms and legs to look natural, But then they have to deal with hands and feet. These are probably the...
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He creates visual works of feelings
Minjae Lee is a 23-year-old self taught artist who produces work that reflects his signature of powerful colors and creative movement. He uses seemingly old-fashioned tools, such as markers, pens,...
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Fresco isn’t just a wall painting
“Daniel,” a detail from the Sistine Chapel Ceiling, a fresco painted by Michelangelo between 1508 and 1512. If you read “The Da Vinci Code” you probably saw the word “fresco” in reference to...
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Style in art is a personal matter
Picasso. Thomas Kincade. Mary Cassatt. Norman Rockwell. Georgia O’Keeffe. Can you visualize a certain kind of artwork for each name? This is because each of these artists has a unique personal...
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Shape up a painting
For beginning artists, the most difficult part of a painting or drawing is often the beginning. When you look at a subject, it’s hard to decide what should be included in the artwork. There are...
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What’s going on here?
“Las Meninas” means “The Maids of Honor” hangs behind bulletproof glass, probably the greatest treasure of the Prado Museum in Madrid, Spain. This beautiful and impressive oil painting was...
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An artist looks at the railway station
In 1876, Claude Monet moved into a studio apartment in the Rue Moncey, close to the Gare St-Lazare. At the time he also had an apartment in the Rue d’Edinbourg which was even closer to the...
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Rubens paints Daniel in the Lions’ Den
“Daniel in the Lions’ Den” (c. 1614/1616, oil on canvas, 88 1/4 x 130 1/8 in) by Peter Paul Rubens. In the mid-1600s the Flemish artist Sir Peter Paul Rubens (Flemish; 1577-1640) spent quite a bit of...
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Rabbits, eggs and springtime are tradition
“Madonna with Rabbit” (1530) by Titan. Here the rabbit symbolizes chastity and purity, from the belief that female rabbits could conceive and give birth without contact with the male of the species....
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Getting revenge through painting
“Judith Slaying Holofernes” c. 1620, Artemisia Gentileschi. Artemisia Gentileschi (1593-ca.1656) is today considered one of the most accomplished painters of her generation. She was also the most...
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Looking at Botticelli’s Primavera
“Primavera”, 1482, 80 x 124 inches, tempera on panel, by Sandro Botticelli. In the Middle Ages, there were no mandatory birth certificates, and many records have crumbled to dust. However, it is...
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‘Small’ painting began with illustrated books
Miniature paintings started with books known as “illuminated manuscripts.” These are handmade books where the text is illustrated or enhanced with decorations. This includes fancy decorated...
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Article 7
About the Cover art when as published then 2008/09 Fall/Winter Edition. “Treasured Things”, 23″x 22″ 140 lb. cold press paper, Artist Trish McKinney of New Carlisle, Ohio. “This piece is about how...
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Grisaille makes realistic painting easier
Many artists have difficulty creating a full range of tones (lights and darks) using color. They spend a lot of time adjusting lights and shadows because they just can’t seem to get them right on the...
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The art of the Crèche
An elaborate Neapolitan Nativity Scene (detail). Christmas is one of the most important holidays of the year for people of the Christian faith, and many Christian homes feature prominent display...
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French Revolution’s official artist
“Death of Marat” by Jacques Louis David. No one’s neck was safe from the guillotine during the years following the French Revolution in 1789. This period was called “The Terror,” for good reason. The...
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The Bad Boy of Renaissance Art
He lived not quite 37 years, but in that short span he was a rebel in both life and art, with a reputation for disorderly behavior unmatched by any other major painter. From his birth — September...
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Illustrating your life
"Metro Airport" by Kay Sluterbeck, ballpoint pen sketch while waiting for a plane. Artists’ journals and sketchbooks are doorways into a secret world. They are packed with drawings, paintings,...
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Insight from literary artists
By definition, a “unique” object can be produced only once. Therefore, an artwork produced by any person at any skill level is unique. Whether it is painting, drawing, sculpture, pottery fiber...
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An in-depth look at landscape
“The Road Home” watercolor by Pat Rayman Many artists enjoy painting landscapes, but painting a convincing landscape is more than just finding a pretty scene. The best landscape paintings have a...
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Art is full of space
“A Brand New Day” by Pat Rayman. How can a mark on paper be called “space,” when space is empty? One of the more confusing concepts of art is the concept of positive and negative space. It is...
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Colored pencils are fun as crayons
When we were very young, we drew and colored with absolute confidence and joy. As adults, we’d like to return to that level of enjoyment. Many people have chosen colored pencils as their medium for...
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‘Oldie’ subject still challenges artists
From prehistoric times to the present day, artists have returned to one subject again and again. It has been scratched on cave walls; carved from riverbank mud; painted and drawn and sculpted in...
View ArticleColor me red, yellow and blue
You only need three colors of paint to make a painting. If you have red, yellow and blue, you can create almost anything you need. All the other colors make painting easier, but they aren’t...
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‘Muffler people’ brighten up a highway
When a small muffler shop on the highway near Walters, Oklahoma, started piling old, beat-up mufflers around their store sign, they didn’t realize they were laying the foundation for an...
View ArticleLittle people art projects
For ages 3 and up, “Cinnamon Drawing” is fun, and it smells good too. You will need cinnamon sticks, sandpaper and scissors. Cut the sandpaper into any shape (star, circle, etc.) or use it as...
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Calligraphy is more than just letters
The art of beautiful writing is well defined by this following quote from an unknown author. “Geometry can produce legible letters, but Art alone makes them beautiful. Art begins where Geometry ends,...
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Changing tools made all the difference
When we think of oil paints, we automatically think of brushes. Artist Ken Gore, however, applies his paint with knives – not just ordinary kitchen knives but the specialized tools known as painting...
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Brushstrokes are the artist’s ‘handwriting’
Everyone knows that painters use brushstrokes. But did you know that each brushstroke is important to the success of the painting? Brushstrokes can be thought of as the “handwriting” of an artist;...
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Practice makes a ‘fast draw’
Sometimes if someone asks me a question along the lines of “how should we hang these decorations,” “how do I get to such-and-such a place,” etc., I find it easier to draw what I’m trying to get across...
View ArticleRun for the hills! It’s abstract art!
When confronted with “non-traditional” art (abstraction, surrealism, non-objective art, etc.) some people are shocked and confused by it. But we can learn to look at this art with appreciation....
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Miniature painting began with illustrated books
Miniature paintings are very small works of art, usually 8 x 10 inches or smaller and probably started with books known as “illuminated manuscripts.” These are handmade books where the text is...
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Suggestions for watercolor beginners
If you’re just getting started with watercolor, you might find that it’s difficult to know how to start a painting, and then how to keep it going. Perhaps you’ve struggled with paintings until...
View ArticleBe your own critic
If you are an artist you probably know when you’ve done a good painting. It just “feels right.” But sometimes you feel there’s a problem and you don’t know what is wrong or even whether the...
View ArticleCreativity is ageless
When you think of yourself, does the word “creative” come to mind, or do you reserve that word to describe people who “make art”? Creativity is actually what we do with our abilities. You...
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Keep it moving!
Kay Sluterbeck shows how it is possible to show movement even in a simple line drawing. Although still life, landscape, and portraits (which all show things that are NOT moving) will always be...
View ArticleQuick, easy and fun art
Have you ever used one of those Easter egg coloring kits from the supermarket, the ones that come with a small assortment of food dyes and a clear wax crayon? You use the crayon to make invisible...
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Art not publicity was his goal
“Still Life with Apples and Oranges” 1895-1900, Paul Cezanne, collection the Louvre, Paris. 28 3/4 x 36 1/4 inches. “I curse the b******* who for the sake of writing an article for fifty francs,...
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Framed! And lookin’ good…
All right, you’ve purchased an original painting – but it isn’t framed. Now what do you do? If you want your picture to look its best, please don’t think “Well, this is an 11 x 14 artwork, so I’ll...
View ArticleFraming great-great-grandma, etc.
Previously, we discussed framing paintings; this week we’re moving on to the challenge of framing photos. Framed photos, including those old sepia pictures of great-great relatives and family...
View ArticleStylin’!
When people begin to make art, the first impulse is often to find the work of artists they like, and then try to paint like that artist. Some people never get past that stage; at any art show you...
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The original ‘color’ of Snow White
Franz Jüttner (1865â1925): Illustration from Sneewittchen, Scholz' Künstler-Bilderbücher, Mainz 1905     Most of us know Snow White as the heroine of Disneyâs 1937 film, âSnow White and...
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What’s in a Chinese name?
âTigerâ by Wen Ning. The artistâs seal along with calligraphy describing the painting is at the upper left. Notice how the calligraphy and seal are an integral part of the painting, serving to...
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‘Snowflake Doc’ tells stories with his paper artistry
(AAPNW-MI) – English Statesman and writer Benjamin Disraeli (1804-1881) said regarding preparing for the future, “The secret to success in life is for a man to be ready for his opportunity when...
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The subject really doesn’t matter
“Arrangement in Grey and Black” by James McNeill Whistler. The power in this painting comes from the artist’s skilled manipulation of composition and color, not from the subject matter. Have you...
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Use a soft pencil to make easy, unique prints
“Roo Sleeping” by Kay Sluterbeck; tracing paper transfer on Bristol paper. This transfer picture is a small part of a detailed drawing in my sketchbook. When making the transfer I left out the...
View ArticleDrawing for a painting
It’s fun to watch the late artist Bob Ross on television. In a half-hour, he whips out a beautiful landscape painting and makes it look easy. Not everyone realizes that in order to paint that...
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