Paint Brushes are an Investment
February 18, 2008
Paint brushes are the most important painter’s tools. Buying paint brushes is not just a random decision, but one that should be made carefully. Selection of brushes is personal and is based upon needs and level of investment desired. Because a paint brush will only last as well as it is cared for, proper cleaning and storage of brushes is probably even more important than the decision of what brush to buy. Because no matter how wonderful a brush is, if it is abused it will quickly be discarded. Types of Paint Brushes The hair of the brush is what primarily denotes what type of brush it... Read more »
The Life of Joan Miro
February 14, 2008
By Mike McDougall Joan Miró, the legendary Spanish painter, sculptor and ceramist, was born in Barcelona in 1893. Miró’s early life was nothing out of the ordinary, at age 14 he enrolled in the “Escuela Superior de Artes Industriales y Bellas Artes” where he studied for three years. After this he took on a job as a clerk In Barcelona but after suffering a nervous breakdown Miró decided that this wasn’t the career for him so he returned to his studies, this time at Francesc Gali’s “Escuela d’Art” where he studied for a further 3 years up until 1915. Miró’s first real breakthrough... Read more »
Quick Tips On How to Draw a Realistic Face
February 10, 2008
There are many artists who struggle with drawing a face and having it actually look like the person you are drawing. These tips should help you to achieve a more realistic outcome and have your drawings come to life. The first tip is probably the most important. When you are drawing, draw from a good source or reference. For instance make sure that your photo is a really high quality. Make sure that the photo is big and clear, and not a lot of different lighting sources. Choose a subject that is interesting to you. If you want, a good idea is to draw something of one of the masters, like Beugereau.... Read more »
Marcel Duchamp’s Objets Trouves - Are They Art?
February 7, 2008
By Jack Wilson Marcel Duchamp shocked the art world and, forever after, the thought processes and anger centers of most people who have come across his work. His best known painting, done before he turned to physical objects, is probably ‘Nude Descending a Staircase’. As controversial as that was, described by one critic as “an explosion in a shingle factory”, and his painting a moustache on a reproduction of the Mona Lisa, nothing quite outraged the art cognoscenti as his finding a urinal, turning it upside down, titling it “Fountain” and entering it in a major art show under the name... Read more »
Cutting-Edge Art — On Glass Art & Dale Chihuly
February 2, 2008
By Bronwen Roberts Art glass usually refers to the modern art glass movement in which individual artists work alone or with colleagues, creating works from molten glass in relatively small furnaces of a few hundred pounds of glass. Dale Chihuly It began in the early 1960s and showed an incremental growth through the end of the century. The glass objects created are not primarily utilitarian. From a creative perspective, they have to make an artistic statement. Their market value depends on the work and the artist involved, and prices range from a few hundred to tens of thousands of dollars. The... Read more »
Reverse Glass Painting - Centuries Old Art Form
January 30, 2008
By Alan Beggerow Reverse glass painting is the art of painting an image on the reverse side of a piece of glass or glass object so that the image can be viewed from the unpainted side. It has been done since early in the sixteenth century in Europe, and was known in China during the early 18th century. This style of painting has been used for religious art, abstract art, clock faces, realistic landscapes, and scenes with people and portraits. It is a very exacting art form, especially when done as a realistic painting. The image is actually painted in reverse order on the glass. The finishing details... Read more »
What to Look For in Monumental Sculpture
January 29, 2008
By Beau Smith Monumental sculpture is exceptionally large sculpture. It is called “monumental” because monuments are often large sculptures. But such sculptures are not just monuments. Any large public sculpture, or any large sculpture, for that matter, is monumental. What should you look for? It should be sturdy and long-lasting. It should have a powerful presence. It should be the product of a big idea. Last but by no means least, it should be safe. I will review these criteria. A public sculpture has to be a lot sturdier and a lot more structurally sound than a sculpture that goes... Read more »
Julian Beever - Video of Creating a Chalk Artwork
January 29, 2008
Julian Beever is a contemporary artist who has made pavement drawings for over ten years. He has worked in the U.K., Belgium, France, The Netherlands, Germany, the USA and Australia. The pavement drawings have included both renderings of old masters plus a wealth of original inventive pieces of work. We all have to live, and sometimes, Julian takes on corporate advertising projects. Whether you like his work or not, whether you call it art even, it is neat to see this time-lapse video of of how chalk artwork is created. See Julian Beever creating the Aveeno Fountain of Youth chalk drawing in... Read more »
The Art of Glass
December 7, 2007
Many groundbreaking discoveries came about by chance! In 1928, bacteriologist Alexander Fleming found a mould had contaminated one of his experiments. To his surprise, the mould turned out to be an antibacterial agent…and so, penicillin was born. Another remarkable creation is the multifaceted and challenging media of glass. By melting combinations of soda and sand, our ancestors found, upon letting the mixture cool, that its composition had changed into a transparent ‘glassy’ mass. Trial-and-error resulted in one of the largest industries to date. The creation of glass continually... Read more »
Rhythm & Balance
December 5, 2007
By Domen Lombergar Balance is the perception of visual equilibrium, and relates to our physical sense of balance. It is an appeasement of opposing forces in a composition that results in visual stability. Most successful compositions attain balance in one of two ways: symmetrically or asymmetrically. Balance in a three dimensional object is simple to understand. If balance isn’t achieved, the object tips over. Symmetrical balance means having equal “weight” on equal sides of a centrally placed fulcrum. You can also call it formal balance. When the elements are arranged equally... Read more »
