Articles offering advice on a variety of visual art subjects, including plein air painting, equipment, business practices and more.
Occasionally someone will say to me, “I can’t draw a stick figure.” The intended meaning is that they have no artistic talent. This may be true or not, but the real reason is most likely they don’t have the desire to learn or have not been instructed properly. […]
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 are 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 Teresa […]
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. When choosing a first value, the artist must have a standard to choose from. In other words, just any value won’t do. That […]
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.
