Articles offering advice on a variety of visual art subjects, including plein air painting, equipment, business practices and more.
Simplifying the Process Organizing your gear to make the most of your time in the field by John Hughes Painting on location is a demanding activity that requires lots of concentration, forcing the artist to devote maximum intellectual resources to the task. For this reason, it makes sense […]
John Hughes has been writing for our Hints & Tips column for over three years now, providing advice on everything from painting in the snow to choosing an easel to how to get out of an artist rut. We decided it was finally time to see him in […]
John Hughes discusses using positive and negative space to give objects in your paintings full shape.
The more I paint the more I enjoy the very nature of the experience. Someone once told me painting doesn’t get easier, but the results get more rewarding. It’s true and I guess the reason is that to be painting from the heart and soul an artist has […]
Sue Martin discusses art and presentation with art consultant Janet Hill.
Critiques are interesting animals; some are big and hairy while others can seem small and cuddly. Like judging in an art competition, they are all dependent on the artistic paradigm of the person doing the critique. Sometimes the best critiques are the simplest ones, like when my wife […]
In his new Salt Lake City location Travis Tanner, owner of Tanner Frames, talks with Sue Martin on Making a Good Presentation.
When starting a painting, it is important that the first few values get put down on the canvas correctly before any other brushstrokes are recorded. I say value with the understanding that we are talking about color here — of course the color isn’t correct unless it […]
Being an artist means you belong to a profession. Unfortunately, the public does not always perceive artists as professionals, and sometimes artists do not rise to an appropriate level of professionalism in their own practices. Read our Best Practices article in the June 2012 edition of 15 Bytes […]
by Nicholas Wellls Do you own the copyright to any creative works? If you’re an artist, you do, whether you’ve registered the copyright or not. Anything you create is copyrighted. These days, the place where your copyrighted work is most likely to be used without your permission is […]
An art professor recently told his class, “You can’t be an artist in the 21st Century if you don’t know Photoshop.” The truth of this statement is borne out for artists who aspire to enter competitive (juried) shows or apply to galleries that request digital images. You must […]
John Hughes sees learning to paint as a metaphor for life.
by Nicholas Wells Trademarks and copyrights are two very different types of intellectual property rights. You may need both, but first you’ll need to understand the difference between them. The short answer is that a trademark is a “brand” and a copyright protects a creative work. But that’s […]
Snow scenes have a natural appeal, to artists and patrons alike. But as John Hughes explains in this month’s Hints ‘n’ Tips article, when working with snow, some artists see too much white.
Copyright is a legal right that gives the creator of a work an exclusive right to control how that work is used. Copyright only covers the tangible expression of an idea, not the idea itself, but copyright lasts a long time — until 70 years after you die, […]
John Hughes gives tips on painting architecture in plein air painting.
John Hughes reflects on the joys of being a plein air painter.
“Over the years, I have left everything from brushes, palette, white paint and even a canvas back in the studio in my zeal to get out and paint. It’s really bad too — you get all set up, the scene is great and duh, no palette knives! I […]
In the June 2011 edition of 15 Bytes John Hughes discusses the difference between painting things and painting the way things look.
