Tagged: canvas

The Most Reproduced Oil Paintings in the World, Part 2

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Le Rêve by Pablo Picasso, 1932.

Here is the rest of the list of the most reproduced oil paintings according to Overstockart.com. You can read the first half here.

6. Le Rêve (The Dream) by Pablo Picasso
Le Rêve is a 1932 oil on canvas masterpiece by Pablo Picasso. As one of the most illustrious painters, art students have used Picasso’s paintings in training. Picasso used oversimplified lines, contrasting colors, and distorted depiction of his mistress. It was painted during the period when he was using women as subjects, different from his earlier works in the the Blue Period and Cubism period.

7. Luncheon of the Boating Party by Pierre August Renoir
Luncheon of the Boating Party portrays a group of Pierre Renoir’s friends relaxing and having lunch on a balcony at the Maison Fournaise restaurant in Chatou, France. Renoir effectively used color, texture, and shapes to convey space among the characters.  He used mostly warm colors, from red to gold, the colors primarily used during the Impressionist period.

8. The Scream by Edvard Munch
The Scream shows a somewhat neurotic, hairless figure who is shouting. Edvard Munch created four versions of this piece (in oils, pastels, and tempera).  Many interpretations have been given to this painting — the iconic figure is in turmoil, desperate, shocked, anxious, or frightened. The painter used explosive strokes, contrasting colors and lines. He used soft curves in reds and oranges to represent the sky, and strong, straight lines in black and brown paints for the bridge.

9. Red Canna by Georgia O’Keeffe
Red Canna is an artistic representation of a flower. Georgia O’Keeffe depicted natural sources using abstract patterns. The painting shows the enlarged petals of the flower, as if under a microscope. Colors used are mostly reds, yellows, and blues. O’Keeffe said flowers are small that nobody notices them and this painting shows how she sees a flower, and she painted the size bigger than reality.

10. Persistence of Memory by Salvador Dali
Persistence of Memory is a surrealist painting, showing images of soft, melting watches. The presence of ants in the orange watch represents death. Looking at the painting, it seems like an image from a dream. It is the best example of Salvador Dali’s theory of “softness” and “hardness.” Dali clarified that contrary to some interpretations that this piece was inspired by the Theory of Relativity, the painting was just a depiction of a Camembert cheese melting under the sun.

If you are a beginner in painting, you can try to copy any of these paintings so you can experiment on different techniques and color palettes.

Image source: http://www.pablopicasso.org

The Most Reproduced Oil Paintings in the World, Part 1

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Poppies, Near Argenteuil, Claude Monet, 1873.

Art students can learn painting techniques and styles by copying famous paintings in art history. Copying trains your hand and eye coordination and lets you get a deeper appreciation of the arts. You can learn the different styles and painting techniques by studying these notable paintings. It inspires you to create something beautiful as well.

In 2010, OverstockArt.com, an online business that sells painting reproductions, revealed the top 10 list of most reproduced paintings. If you are thinking which painting to copy, check out this list for inspiration.

1. The Starry Night by Vincent van Gogh
The Starry Night is among Vincent van Gogh’s most celebrated works. The subject of the painting is the night scene in the village Saint-Rémy-de-Provence, southern France. It was painted during the time Van Gogh spent inside an asylum in the same village. The painting is filled with movements and contrasts, from the colors used to the quietness of the village vis a vis the swirling night sky.

2. Café Terrace at Night by Vincent van Gogh
Vincent van Gogh was fascinated with nocturnal motifs and Café Terrace at Night was no exception. He was known for his innovative use of lines, textures, and colors. You can see the contrast between the yellows and blues to black paint he used in this piece. The roughness of the cobblestone street is a direct contrast to the smoothness of the cafe.

3. The Kiss by Gustav Klimt
The Kiss is an oil and gold leaf on canvas. It depicts a couple embracing with elaborate robes and ornamentation. Gustav Klimt used the Art Nouveau style in this painting. The male figure is identified with squares and rectangles while the female figure has circles and soft lines. The couple is intimately entwined while the rest of their bodies dissolve in a shimmering flat pattern.

4. Poppy Fields near Argenteuil by Claude Monet
Claude Monet lived in Argenteuil, France from 1871-1878. The countryside became a great inspiration for Monet. The vast, bright landscapes around the region allowed Monet to experiment plein-air painting. In the painting, you’ll notice that he used blobs of paints to represent the poppies and trees, creating just an impression of the landscape.

5. The Mona Lisa by Leonardo da Vinci
One of the most famous paintings in history, The Mona Lisa has been reproduced and copied by many artists. Leonardo da Vinci used the technique called sfumato wherein he used subtle gradation of tone and color. This technique blurs and softens the contours of the outline, creating an atmospheric effect and the facial features seem real.

Image source: http://www.webexhibits.org

The Beauty and Popularity of Photorealism

American author and art dealer Louis K. Meisel coined the term “photorealism” in 1969. It refers to a genre of painting based on using photographs as basis for a realistic and photographic art work. This movement started in the late 1960s and early 1970s. During that time, artists captured images of their subjects to gather visual information and used these photos in their paintings.

To give a definite definition for an artist to be considered as a photorealist, Meisel released these 5 points:

  1. The Photo-Realist uses the camera and photograph to gather information.
  2. The Photo-Realist uses a mechanical or semimechanical means to transfer the information to the canvas.
  3. The Photo-Realist must have the technical ability to make the finished work appear photographic.
  4. The artist must have exhibited work as a Photo-Realist by 1972 to be considered one of the central Photo-Realists.
  5. The artist must have devoted at least five years to the development and exhibition of Photo-Realist work.
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Crayola by Audrey Flack, 1972-73.

The cool thing about photorealism is that you can mistaken a photorealistic painting as the actual photo. You’ll be surprised how a painting can look fantastically as the real thing. Many artists who are called photorealists have experimented and became popular in this painting style such as Charles Bell, Audrey Flack, Tom Blackwell, and Raplpf Goings. They use ordinary, mundane objects as their subjects such as food, flowers, beaches, diners, etc.

Before creating a photorealistic painting, artists create several studies of the subject to learn its composition, colors, shadows, form, and perspective, much like a mock-ups. From these studies, they can try to tell which element or area could become a problem when painted in large-scale and they try to find a solution. These artists gave attention to the minutest details of the subject and they try to portray subjects as accurately as possible, a total opposite of the Abstract Expressionist movement.

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Between Two Places by Eric Zener

You may ask, why create a photorealistic painting that take days or even months to finish when you can just take the subject’s picture? The answer: technical virtuosity and enigma. It’s fascinating to look at these paintings because you’ll think they’re “real” but they’re not, because they’re paintings.

Many contemporary photorealists have created art works using water (swimming pools, bathrooms, water splashes), reflections (mirrors, glasses, bottles), food from freshly cooked to packaged ones as subjects. The colors are vibrant, vivid, and intense, it looks like you can almost touch the subject of the painting. Amazing, right?

Image sources:
http://www.audreyflack.com
http://www.escapeintolife.com

Learn the Oil Painting Technique: Wet into Wet

Also known as Alla Prima (Italian for first attempt), wet-on-wet means you simply paint over wet paint. The goal in this technique is to finish the whole painting before the first paint dries therefore working fast is the key. Here are some things that you need to know about wet-on-wet painting.

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• You start the wet-on-wet technique using thinned oil paint for drawing. Then you place spots of colors all over the painting to fill it in because the sketch usually dissolved or over-painted as the painting progresses. The painting can be adjusted slightly with glazes and highlights after it dries.

• Blending colors is easy with wet on wet technique. You can directly place one color onto your canvas, and then add other colors and blend with brush or knife to you desired shade. But you have to make sure that you mix colors rapidly and with clear understanding of color theory and keeping in mind the form that you’re trying paint. Expertise with brushwork is very important to do the trick.

• The beauty of wet-on-wet technique is that it sustains the fresh and spontaneous inspiration that come as you paint. For me it is the most intuitive way to paint. Creating a portrait with the technique will require expertise in mixing colors to match your subject.

• It may require few layers of paint to complete the painting, in which case it is easy to overfix the paints, which can look labored and weak. This is the stage where many beginners give up, but if you press on, you can master wet-on-wet technique and create works with the amazing freshness and spontaneity that only wet on wet can provide.

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• When working wet-on-wet pull the brush along its length with the handle close to the surface. You get two strokes with a flat bristle brush, one side then the other, look at the brush for any paint it picked up and wipe it. Think of the brush hairs as if they were the fingers on your hand stroking the surface. This method allows wet paint to go over another (wet) color with clean results.

Using this technique have its advantages. One is you don’t need fine drawing skills. Blending is also quite easy in this technique so you don’t need extensive blending of colors. Lastly, your paintings can be completed quickly (about 2 hours to 2 days only) because you have to make sure that you’re working on wet paint.

This technique is quite advanced and requires a bit of painting experience. Using the Wet-on-Wet method, a dedicated practice and experimentation are all that is necessary to achieve masterpieces that you never imagined you can possibly do.

Paintings by Morris Hinson http://www.thumbartsguild.com/artist/mhinson.html

Learn the Oil Painting Technique: Blending

Color blending is a technique wherein two colors are combined to create another color. Each color has a separate blend factor that determines how much of each color is combined into the final product. There are different ways to blend colors and different ways with different medium. Today, I will share some techniques in color blending using oil paints.

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How to start?
Once you’ve decided what colors you want to blend to create an effect, you might want to blend small amounts of each and check if it’s the color you’re looking for then you can make necessary adjustments. Move the brush in a way from one color into the other and back or in a zigzag motion. Wipe off any paint from your brush before you start blending or better yet, start with a clean, dry brush so you won’t add any extra paint that is not part of your color scheme.

Indigo sunset original oil painting, seascape by Gina De Gorna
Indigo sunset original oil painting, seascape
by Gina De Gorna
Image source: http://sunsetartonline.com

How to blend on canvas?
You don’t want the colors mix equally so stroking your brush sideways at least initially or else you’ll have strips of concentrated colors in your blended color. Remember to keep your strokes short and picking different percentages of blending. Keep repeating until it blends. As your tip gets thinner you get a smoother result, and once is smooth enough you can use blur or smudge tool to finish the job in case you want perfect gradients. If you think your blended color is not blending well or it’s too concentrated on canvas, all you need to do is to pick up a little fresh paint in the color that’s at risk of being lost then work from the outside or the darker shade until its blended. You can take your time blending with oil paints because they dry slowly unlike with acrylic paints.

flat-brushWhat type of brush and brushstroke is best to use in blending?
Create a transition between the first two shades using a crosshatch stroke. Flat brushes tend to work best for blending. Smooth the blend by using parallel strokes along the transition you just created. The parallel strokes should be perpendicular to the lighter shades. Use a clean brush to blend the next shade, and repeat the technique using first crosshatched strokes followed by parallel stokes. A clean brush should always be used when working with a new shade, even if the actual color is the same.

 

Learn the Oil Painting Technique: Underpainting and Glazing

Underpainting

It is an initial layer of paint that will serve as a foundation and help define subsequent layers of paint for your painting. Underpaintings are usually monochromatic which reflects light through the over-painting layers and gives a painting the luminosity. There are several different methods of underpainting were used by the old masters.

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underpainting

 

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underpainting effect

· Grisaille
Pronounced as “griz-eye” this is a method of underpainting with different gray paints.

· Verdaccio
It is a method of underpainting with colors of olive or green gray paint in the light areas. It often resembles a moonlight effect.

· Imprimatura
This underpainting method usually uses transparent layers of earth colors (ra umber or burnt umber). It is used as first stain to tone the canvas.

· Wash-in Underpainting
A variation of the Imprimatura underpainting. The subject or composition can be drawn into a thin semi-transparent layer of raw umber or burnt umber. Rags, paper towels and paint brushes are used to lift out the paint exposing the lights to illuminate the subject.

Glazing

Glazes can change the hue and texture of a surface. Drying time will depend on the amount and type of paint medium used in the glaze. Different media can increase or decrease the rate at which oil paints dry. Oil paits usually takes longer to dry. If a paint is too opaque, painters will add special media or a lot of medium to the paint making them more transparent for the purposes of glazing. Glazing has the strongest impact on showing middle tones and dark colours.

Reproduction of Girl with a Red Hat by Jan Vermeer
Glazed reproduction of “Girl with a Red Hat” original by Jan Vermeer

Here are some tips on how to glaze oil paintings.

· Begin the oil painting as usual by sketching and putting visual resources as necessary, but do so as though the painting were going to be complete in one layer.

· Once completely dry, after a week or so, begin the next layer of paint. The glazes will soften the colours and deepen the tones. Each “glaze” slightly modifies the colour of what has already been painted on the canvas. When you look at it the colours are automatically mixed optically giving a rich deep colour.

· Putting a little linseed oil into the oil paint will create a translucent colour. Oil paint comes in transparent, semi-transparent, and opaque and you will learn which is which the longer you paint with oils. All paint colours can be used as glazes, even opaque paints, used as glaze to paint mist or fog.

· Apply the oil paint glaze onto selected areas. A second layer of slightly darker colour will deepen the colour without changing it completely.

Image source: www.easy-oil-painting-techniques.org

Guidelines for Artists Before Starting to Work on Commission

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Reading A Letter On The Beach by Dominique Amendola

Doing art on commission is a big step in an artist’s career. It boosts an artist’s pride in his work, knowing another person aside from his mother appreciates and is willing to pay for his work. It can be a very exciting and thrilling experience, especially for first-timers. Before you get all excited, here are some important things that you have to keep in mind before you start creating art on commission.

Communication
As with any relationships, communication is vital between an artist and the party commissioning his work. Meet with the other party to discuss the project. Make the specs of the project clear from the beginning and ask questions if some details are not clear to you. It’s best if you meet at your studio, gallery, or cafe where your art works are displayed so he’ll know your style and the types of work that you do.

Here are some ideas on what to ask the other party:

  • Have you commissioned art before?
  • What are you looking for in a commissioned art?
  • What do you want and don’t want to see in your art?
  • Who will approve the art?

Contract
In any business deals, a contract is very important. If your meeting goes well, you have to prepare a contract for the painting which both of you must sign. Be concise and clear with both your expectations. Define what the project entails, the characteristics of the painting, payment schedule, milestones, completion time, and delivery time. This contract will protect both parties and hopefully prevent disputes in the future.

Payment
If it’s your first time to do art on commission, asking for an advance payment may be intimidating but you have to ask for it and discuss it on your meeting. Normally, 1/3 of the commission can be required upfront and should be non-refundable. This is a great incentive for you to start with the project and obligates the other party to push through with your agreement. An advance payment is non-refundable so if the other party backs out of the agreement, the time, effort, and materials you’ve used are still compensated.

Revisions
A painting can take days or months to finish, it’s natural that the other party would like to see the developments in the project. You can make it clear in the contract when the other party can visit you and your work so if there are issues to answer, any revisions, or concerns, both of you can discuss about it right then and there. It’s a waste of both your time and resources if you present an artwork which is entirely different from what’s on the other party’s mind.

Image source: www.fineartamerica.com

5 Best Canvas Manufacturers

1. Winsor and Newton, London
Founded in1832, Winsor & Newton has always been “The World’s Finest Artist’ Materials” . Up to this day, they strive to keep up with the latest developments in the art world and take an active interest in what artists say. They have built their reputation on the quality and reliability of their products, combined with continual product development, improvement and innovation.

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2. Top Value Fabrics, US
Established in 1974, Top Value Fabric is a leading international supplier of Industrial, Recreational and Print Media fabrics for a wide variety of applications and industries. They carry an impressive collection of stock programs in addition to finishing fabric to meet clients’ specifications. Their product lines include Nylon, Vinyl, Canvas/Duck, Print Media, Activewear, Marine, and Polyester.

3. PICASSO, Indore, India
They manufacture canvas rolls from 100% cotton fabric with a double coating of acid free acrylic titanium priming. They also give an extra anti-fungus treatment to ensure safety from fungal infections for a long time. Artistic canvas rolls are widely used for acrylic and oil paintings by students and artists. Offered at industry leading prices, these canvas rolls are highly demanded by artists and students.

4. Russell and Chapple, London
Specialise in supplying the highest quality Fine Art, Scenic, and Digital canvases, sourcing and importing our canvas fabrics from all over the world. They have themost comprehensive range of these canvas materials in linen, cotton and polyester, and they supply the professional and amateur artist with the best art supports at the most competitive price. Whether you are making a mural, painting or miniature they have thecanvas for you.

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5. Deasung, Shanghai, China
Provides linen canvas, wholesale canvas rolls, hemp canvas . If you are looking for the good quality of canvas that is available you should shop for linen canvas. Linen canvas makes for a superior painting surface and its strong fibers hold together and last longer than other materials. A range of canvases is available from the tightest weave, finest tooth quadruple primed handkerchief linen to robust heavy toothed linens ideal for large format works.

How to Choose Quality Canvas for Painting

Artists have used several materials of canvas in painting such as linen, jute, hemp, or cotton. Nowadays, linen and cotton are the most popular fibers in canvas. Linen is more expensive compared to cotton and is often used by professional artists who have years of experience in perfecting their craft. For beginners, a cotton canvas is more appropriate since it is less expensive.

When choosing a canvas, you must consider these two important factors: the support and ground. Support is the material where paint is applied while the Ground is the gesso or primer. These two are important to the success or failure of your painting. The support and ground are determined by the type of paint and method of applying the paint. For example, if you are using a staining technique in painting, when you do it on a raw canvas, it will give a different result when you do the same technique to a primed canvas.

The Support
Choose a canvas that offers strength and stability, depending on your needs for a certain project. As you paint, the support will have to undergo much movement and stress from the environment such as temperature, humidity, and constant stretching/restretching.

Canvas is available in different weights: lightweight (4-5 oz),  medium weight (7-10 oz), and heavyweight (18 oz) per square yard. Support with lower weights are not as smooth or sturdy as heavier weights. Medium weight is a good weight for painting since it gives good support to your painting.

The Ground
Why ground is important in a canvas?

  • Protection of support. Ground protects your canvas from being damaged by harmful ingredients in paint. Natural fibers such as cotton absorbs moisture and when the paint dries, it will release this moisture, causing swelling and shrinking of the canvas. If you are using oil, the fibers will absorb its moisture, leaving the surface brittle.
  • Adhesion of paint. A properly primed canvas allows sufficient adhesion of paint to the support. A correctly primed canvas should accept paint and give a degree of absorbency. Too much absorbency can soak up all the oil from the paint while a non-absorbent ground can leave a weak paint film that can be peeled off. Good thing, pre-primed canvas is available online and in art supply shops.
  • Color enhancement. If your project involves transparent painting technique, the ground provides a white background that intensifies the colors. Ground is useful when you are underpainting, or applying the first layer of paint to a canvas.

A chosen canvas varies depending on an artist’s needs. Some may use raw canvas, pre-primed, or a heavyweight canvas. Keep in mind that whatever canvas you choose, it has a big effect on the outcome of your painting.

Tips in Finding the Best Art School for You

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Planning on studying at an art school? Consider these tips to help you decide which art school is best for you.

1. List the pros and cons of each art school you are considering.
Learn about the art schools that you are interested in. Key factors to know include the school’s location, cost, studio space, dormitory, transportation. Check the school’s website for these important information and you can send inquiries to clarify some things that you are not sure of. Be objective in listing the benefits and drawbacks of each school.

2. Visit the campus.
Visiting the actual campus can give you another dimension of appreciation for an art school. Information that you got from their websites differ from getting the “feel” of each campus. Walk around the campus to see how big the school is and see the demeanor of students. Join a campus tour, if available, to get insider tips and additional information about the school. Visit the classrooms, housing facilities, studios, and dorms to check out current rental fees and conditions of these establishments. You can also see the art supply stores near the school and know where art students buy their materials.

3. Courses available for artists.
Some art schools offer courses in entrepreneurship. According to the National Endowment for the Arts, compared to the rest of the US workforce, artists are three times more likely to be self-employed, having their own businesses. It’s good if your school provides courses which will teach you about setting up and managing your own business, whether an online art business or an actual art gallery. These courses can also help you network with other business-minded artists. You can share your art works among your peers so whenever someone opens an art shop or organizes an art show, your pieces can be included, and vice versa.

4. Support for graduating students.
Know if the school helps graduating students find internships and is there support available to help students transition from school to the work world? Ask about where the school’s graduates are right now, what are they doing? Are they employed in the art field or have their own art business? As a student, you want to pass school and also have something that will generate your income after school.

5. Trust your instincts.
If you’ve been given offers from several art schools, it may be overwhelming and confusing which school is best for you. If you can, just limit yourself with just 2-3 schools and determine which you think is best for you. It may be a hard decision to make so ask your parents, friends, and other people close to you for their opinion. Know what they have to say why this school is better for you. Weigh their points of view with your own, but in the end, follow your heart.

Image source: http://unknowninkdesign.com