art secret 20 - it's ever green, watercolor fir trees

art secret 20-it's ever green, watercolor fir trees


Here is a simple and effective way to create an evergreen tree in snow.

1. Holding your paper vertically, draw a hilly horizon line.

2. Do a wash in the sky area and add some blues. While it is still wet, lightly sprinkle some salt on it here and there. Let your painting dry. After it's dry brush the salt off and there you have a nice snowy effect.

3. Now we start doing a light underpainting with the side of a round brush using a very light mixture of sap green and prussian blue. Make sure you overlap into the snow.

4. Using the same color mixture start at the center of the tree and work towards the edges of the tree but-Art Secret-stop a little before the edge so you can still see some of the lighter color underneath!  I do go to the very edge
at the bottom of the tree to create a cast shadow on the tree.

5. Now you will add a darker and final layer from the center out, again keeping in mind that you don't want to go out too far. Make sure you can still see the first and lightest layer of color and the second layer as well. That way you create color perpective and now...

6. ...for the details. I made sure that the center of the tree was the darkest and I created a light source by painting a shadow under the tree. And for the final touch, I loaded up a toothbrush with white paint (tempera will do) and splattered the whole painting with the white paint for a snowy effect. Make sure you have a lot of newspaper under and around your painting or you'll splatter everything. These are great little paintings.Enjoy!!!

art secret 19 - creating the black value: acrylic

Mickey Mouse looks good in black but black is not always the best choice in a painting...so let's create the illusion and mystery of black without actually using it.

I used a combination of colors sometimes just mixing two and sometimes all of them. The first one in the top row is Dioxine Violet and Burnt Umber mixed together and directly underneath is a tint (adding white) of that mixture. 

 

So you'll see that the top row is a mixture of colors and the row directly underneath is that mixture's tint. Try mixing them yourself and add new colors. It is a mystery and one for you to solve, so go create the black value!

art secret 18 - maryellen minute #4

geranium joy

Warm up with a quick watercolor wash, flowers and more.

Mundane Creativity

I came across a wonderful article on THE MAN'S COACH at HeartCenter Coaching Blog. 
Mundane Creativity is a must read!

Susan and I have been friends since 1996 when I first went to her studio for art lessons. This week she’s turned 65 and is younger than ever. She’s constantly recreating herself. Whenever Susan gets feeling low, she either goes out for a brisk run, or, in the winter, goes speed skating on a frozen pond. She makes it a point to get her friends together for a few drinks and long, therapeutic chats. Susan is more than a survivor; she’s a thriver.

The best thing Susan has taught me is to recalibrate my creative energy whenever I feels I’m getting stale. She’s amazing. Lately she’s been making one-minute videos to put in her art class newsletter and on YouTube. These videos are brief art instructions, pithy “quickies” that extend her influence to reach out and encourage budding artists to pick up a brush or a pencil and just start expressing themselves.

Don't Stop Now........Continue reading at HeartCenter Coaching!

art secret 17 - maryellen minute #3

Maryellen Minute #3 horizon line hint

art secret 16 - maryellen minute #2

going green

The secret to painting a wonderful green color.

art secret 15 - maryellen minute #1

Art Stretchies!

art secret 14 - inspiring creativity using watercolor or acrylic

....and Helen Frankenthaler

Suffering from painter's block?? Out of ideas? Time to loosen up and and be freeeeeeee!

1. Get a piece of watercolor paper 12x18" or larger, some watercolors or acrylics, water, brushes and a spray bottle. Then.......

2. Without thinking about it, start painting random shapes using random colors and the only rule is....there are no rules, right or wrong.

3. You can overlap shapes and have them go off the paper, use your whole body as you move the brush, stand up if you want.

3. Turn the paper upside down and continue painting. Turn it on its side and paint some more. Keep painting because Helen Frankenthaler said:

"For me, as a picture develops, color always comes out of drawing. I start out as a spacemaker on a flat thing with four corners. But color is the first message on the picture plane."

"Color is extremely important to my process. It's born out of idea, mood, luck, imagination, risk, into what  might even be ugly: then I let it tell me what might/should be next, until I get the light and order that satisfies to perfection. The result is color and space and, I hope, a beautiful message."

Helen Frankenthaler  1928- 2011

Here are some spontaneous studies that my students are working on:

As you can see, everyone has a different way of expressing their creativity.

Give it a try and have some fun!

art secret 13 - how to draw an ellipse

Ever have trouble drawing a proper ellipse in a still life? 

Here's a good way to get those ellipses even...

1. Draw the entire structure of each object in the still life, even objects hidden behind others. 

An ellipse is horizontal at its top and bottom points and vertical at its left and right points.

2. Start by blocking in the basic height and width of the object.

3. Roughly sketch the shape of your ellipse at the top.

4.  Measure to create a symmetrical diamond shape.

5. Adjust your ellipse around the diamond so your ellipse is even 

(according to the symmetrical *diamond shape).

*Note: if you have squashed a square, you'd get an even diamond shape.

6. Repeat for the the bottom and your ellipses will be equal.

7. Erase your guidelines, start shaping your object and voila!!!

inspired by Sadie Valeri