Drawing Perfect Freehand Circles

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Drawing perfect freehand circles is never an easy task. However pencil artist, Nemo makes it look easy. Nemo’s popularity has grown to where he has given up his 40 hour a week career as a graphic designer to be a fulltime artist. Some of you might remember Nemo from the Fine Art Tips #PowerArtists series which showcased many of the art rockstars of social media. He also wrote the popular post, "How to Find Your Own Artistic Voice." I hope … [Read more...]

Drawing and Painting for My Holiday Art Show

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Over the past four months, I have been busy drawing and painting for my holiday art show that is currently hanging at Kneeland Gallery in Sun Valley, Idaho. Lately I have been feeling in an artistic rut.  So, for this art gallery showing I have been experimenting with many new painting techniques and mediums. Most of you who follow this blog are familiar with my landscape and still life paintings. Without abandoning my artistic roots, I … [Read more...]

Be Brave: Make Art!

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Once I took a workshop by Michigan artist Donna Zagotta who claimed, “All life's problems can be solved by more paint or painting more.” I think she was on to something! This world can be a scary place. There are plenty of people making very good money stirring up fear and hatred and calling it entertainment. Or even news. But there’s at least one way out of fear. Be brave, make art! Why? Because art teaches us not to be afraid. Because … [Read more...]

How Long Did It Take To Paint That?

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 If you have ever created anything more complex than a stick figure, you have probably been asked this common question, "How long did it take to paint that?" This seemingly simple question can actually be complex for the artist to answer. For me, each painting seems to have a mind of its own, with its own personality. Literally, some paintings paint themselves, while others are a slow, and more labor intensive. Self-employed artists work hard, … [Read more...]

5 Steps to the Perfect Portable Watercolor Painting Setup

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An artist's equipment is as individual as the person who is using it. After several years of striving to find the perfect, portable watercolor painting setup, I became increasingly disappointed with the commercial offerings for watercolor painters. So, I chose to create my own design that is defined by portability, compactness, and versatility. As a watercolor painter, I have found that most easels and plein air pochade boxes that are … [Read more...]

Painting with a Putty Knife

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Lately, I have abandoned my expensive oil paintbrushes for painting with a putty knife and other inexpensive painting tools. This all started last month when I began taking some 'abstract' painting classes with fellow artist, David deVillier.  My goal has been to add to my own artistic repertoire in order to more texture to my paintings - and the putty knife sure does the trick! Last week, I posted an image of my recent 'putty knife' … [Read more...]

Cruising and Plein Air Painting Alaska!

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 Traveling, the outdoors and plein air painting are a few of my favorite passions in life. Two weeks ago, I had the opportunity to visit Alaska aboard a very large cruise ship. My plein air painting time was very limited, nevertheless I didn't want to miss the chance to record beautiful Alaska in paint as you can see in the video below. As a novice photographer, I also enjoyed photographing the many amazing Alaskan wonders with my new Canon 60D … [Read more...]

10 Ways to Expand Your Artistic Repertoire

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This guest post is especially relevant for me right now due to the fact that I am working on expanding my own artistic repertoire. Although I still enjoy painting my artistic subject matter, I have become a bit bored and I want to spice it up! To do this, I have begun taking private abstract painting classes as well as an encaustic workshop that starts later this week. My goal is to learn a few new techniques that will add a new dimension to my … [Read more...]

Top 10 Ways to Improve Your Art

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A few months ago I had the honor of writing a special Expert Series post for Tony Hastings very popular blog, The Top 10 Blog. Tony asked me to write about my favorite subject, art. Condensing such a big subject into a top 10 blog post way no easy task! Nevertheless, I think you will find it packed with useful information. Below are my Top 10 Tips to Improve Your Art. You might also like to check out another post I wrote for Tony,  Top 10 Ways … [Read more...]

How Not to Clean an Oil Painting

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To help preserve your oil paintings for prosperity, thy need to be kept clean to protect them from dust, pet hair, smoke, and environmental residue, however, improper care and cleaning can damage finished paintings. Melanie Smith from Seaside Art Gallery, accredited fine art and animation art appraisers, shares how NOT to clean an oil painting. ~Lori ***** Through the years there has been a number of myths concerning how to clean your oil … [Read more...]


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