Tag: Painting

Developing Artistic Style

Developing your personal artistic style can be fun with a little dedication and experimentation.

Once you know that all artist’s have a personal style, if you haven’t already, it’s time to develop a unique style. So where is the best place to start? Do you choose a topic to focus on? More than one topic? What about paint? Are you a watercolorist? Or maybe an acrylic painter? Oil may be your preferred medium. Pastel, charcoal, ink, the possibilities are endless. Then there is sculpture, ceramics, wood and more.

One of my favorite teachers, Ellen Soderquist in Dallas, TX said something to the effect of, “be sure you like what you choose as subject and medium because once people know and love what you are doing, it is hard to change.” In other words, choose something you don’t think you will get tired of. Does this mean you can never change? No, of course not. It means if you gain some success with a particular style you will probably want to continue with it. If you like what you are doing, then it won’t be difficult to continue. You’ll enjoy your art and so will other people.

  • Concentrate first on knowing what you like.
  • Test different materials and mediums.
  • Experiment.
  • Try out various subject matter or no subject, (abstract).
Oil Pastel

Now that you’ve narrowed down the medium and subject, it’s time to get to work. Christine Nishiyama, in a post on her blog, Might-could.com, says one way to develop your style is to make lots of art. She goes on to say that it is important to pay attention to any patterns or repeated elements you may notice developing in your work. When you see patterns or anything that repeats, focus on it. Spend more time working with those things that are repeating. See where they go. As Nishyama says, “Make lots of art.”

In a podcast for Laura Horn Art, Australian artist, Amica Whincop says she gave herself 6 months of painting everyday. That may be a bit stressful to put a goal that strict. A more casual goal might be to plan to spend some quality time making art for the next 6 months and see what develops. During that 6 months, you can experiment more with the different materials you have narrowed down, as well as subject matter. Take photos and look at them for comparison. Sometimes you see things in a photo that you don’t notice in the physical.

It’s important not to stress over any of this. The goal is to make art and enjoy the process. If it’s pushed to the point of becoming a burden, you will risk burn out.

So get going with your art making. Find what you like and run with it. Don’t think about it. Just do it and see what happens. You may come up with some interesting surprises. Think how exciting it will be when you begin to see your style emerging! Have fun! Happy painting!

Inspired Art

As Painting during church grows in popularity, many are asking is it, “Prophetic Painting” or “Worship” visual art?

Painting during church services and similar events is growing in popularity. As visual art during church flourishes so will the attempts to define this type of painting. One name which has been frequently used is “prophetic painting.” Another common description is “Worship Painting.” Both names are correct although there appear to be some differences. While the names aren’t necessarily important, the art and the process are. Visual art was vital to the worshipers understanding of God and His ways during the age of the Renaissance. As churches became more utilitarian in appearance, visual art was lost as a vital part of the church. Is it now making a comeback?

oil on canvas-live event

“Prophetic” visual art appears to be more defined in its meaning. In an article one her website, The Prophetic Artist, Wendy Manzo makes three specific points about how Prophetic Art is defined:

  • God may speak to many different people through the one piece of art.
  • Prophetic art is an invitation into a divine partnership. 
  • It is art that carries a message from the heart of God to strengthen, encourage or comfort.

Helen Calder of Enliven Publishing, says, “It takes more than skill or talent to be a prophetic artist. The prophetic artist is someone who has a spiritual gift of prophecy, and who is also gifted and called by God to minister through art.” In Prophetic art, God is relaying His Love and direction through the work of the visual artist. The visual artist receives what the word is through images of some kind in spiritual form. As Calder further says, “A prophetic artist reproduces that picture, vision, or concept in art form.” Basically, the prophetic artist translates the message through visual artistic means.

Praises

Painting during church services can also be called “Worship Painting” and is created as an act of worship with the rest of the worship team. In a wonderful article for Experiencing Worship, author Manuel Luz, refers to painting during church as, “Live Painting,” and makes a number of important points:

  • Live painting is an act of creativity. And the act of creativity reminds us that we worship and are made in the image of an Eternally Creative God.
  • Live painting is a non-verbal expression of the sermon. 
  • God meets us in the act of creation. The Holy Spirit is our Inspirer. He works not only through the artist to express each brush stroke, but also works through the audience to ascribe meaning to that colored canvas.
  • Art can be Prophetic. The artist of faith has the ability to tell the story of God, and share the heart of God, through means beyond mere words.
  • The painter (or other visual artist) is considered a worship leader, and often stands alongside the other members of the worship team. 

Visual art painted during church can be “Prophetic,” an “act of worship”, or both. Manuel Luz makes another important point. Art during church must be professional, so to speak as the purpose is to focus on the message and worship of our Lord and cannot be undertaken lightly. And as such Luz says, “we cannot settle for art that is simplistic, derivative, superficial, propaganda-driven, or mediocre, for it reflects on the message. And our message is that of God’s love through Jesus Christ. If the story of God is to shine from our work, and we must be diligent and committed to pursue excellence, originality, and honesty as we express it.” 

All of these points are valid and important. My first experience with painting in church came at the request of a church who was seeking artists to paint on a particular topic during the lead up to Christmas. It was a very moving experience for me. The second experience was to paint a painting to be displayed on Easter. I painted the painting in my personal studio and delivered it to be hung the day before Easter behind the altar. The second one turned out to be as moving as the first. My third experience was painting during church in the sound booth while services were taking place. That started when I began getting visions in my head of the meaning of the sermon. I’m not sure whether I call my painting, “Prophetic” or an act of “Worship.” To me, the distinction doesn’t matter. I call them “Inspired by the Spirit.” I don’t know what the next step will be. I’ll just wait for inspiration from the Spirit of the Lord.

My next workshop is about creating Worship and/or Prophetic paintings. Join us HERE

Artfully Refreshing

Viewing art can supply a much needed refreshing for the soul.

Getting lost in a piece of art can provide a reprieve when the craziness of life gets to be too much. We can’t always get away to some quiet place. That’s when a piece of art can supply a much needed refreshing for the soul. Whether abstract, realist or Impressionist, a painting can take you away from reality for a while, give you something carefree to focus on. Even it’s only for a few short minutes, that may be all you need to get refreshed enough to tackle the next issue facing your day.

Oil on canvas

The Naples Art District has a great article on the healthful benefits of viewing art saying, “Art…can help take one’s mind off of stressful things in his or her life.” Park West Gallery cites recent studies and research that “have proven that a trip to the art gallery or a museum can positively impact your health and well-being in several essential ways, like lowering anxiety and depression and boosting critical thinking skills.” Well, I better get to viewing more art! I need some critical thinking skills!

Even better, ArtThou in the UK says viewing art can improve your mental health. “Looking at art can cause increases in dopamine, the pleasure hormone, to be released, which helps to reduce stress and in turn leads to lowered rates of anxiety and depression.” We better hurry and get more art out there because there are some serious mental health issues plaguing our world today. It’s encouraging to note that art can help. Anywhere art can be part of the solution, and not the problem is a good thing.

In my own research, the Art to Heart Project published in MedSurg Nursing we found healing benefits to viewing art in the hospital. Still the thing I am most proud of in my life, in the Art to Heart Project, we found viewing art created by the hospital staff made a difference in the lives of cardiac surgery patients, as well as the staff who created the art and the people who worked on the unit. With all this research floating around, it seems that the thing to do is get out and look at art. Or even better, make art!

Distracting the Distractions

Ideas to distract from distractions to painting can be hard to come by but here are a few possibilities.

In our crazy world today, distractions keeping us from our art making come at us from all sides, physical and digital. Distractions come in all shapes, colors and forms.  Its a daily battle.  What’s an artist to do to stay on track? This is my daily battle. Its not an easy one. For those who have no trouble shutting themselves off for studio time, I aspire to be more like you. Searching for answers from other artists, I came up with a few possibilities.

Belinda Delpesco has several good suggestions. Number 3 on her list is, “Make a date night with your art supplies. Ink in the time on the calendar, plan your pursuit for that slot, make some art, and then write down what you liked about it.” This, to me, is a great idea.  Its harder to give in to distractions when you have planned your time.  The drive is stronger when you are looking at your calendar and it is staring back at you.

In an article for Light Space Time Art Gallery, Carolyn Edlund speaks of the problem of “People Pleasing.”  This can be particularly difficult if you have a family at home or young children. Some of us have a difficult time saying, “No.” Edlund describes people pleasing as, “wanting to make everyone around you happy by doing whatever is asked of you.” Saying no may be easier if you have something specific planned.

My favorite suggestion comes from Vicky Rubin for Skinny Artist. Rubin’s suggestion is “a change of scenery can help you focus.” The article goes on to say, “Taking a walk or a workout is a healthy and inspiring distraction.”  Being Mindful is another recommendation, “enjoy and experience sensations of smell, feel, and touch.” Healthy and inspiring all at once.

All three of these articles articulate why I began putting together the artist’s retreats.  The retreat forces people to make a date on the calendar for the retreat, For one week end, people pleasing comes to a halt. Lastly, and more importantly, the change of scenery connects to nature, with all the sights, sounds, and smells of growing things.Taking a break from the hustle and bustle of daily life may be just what is needed to give your art a new kickstart. I always try to bring back, a leaf, a twig, a pine cone, an acorn or some other artifact to remind me of the sensations of being in nature. Sometimes just looking at that tiny bit of nature is enough to get inspiration flowing.

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Bird Loving

Birds are special. There is something about birds that fascinates and inspires our curiosity. Songs from birds in the trees can spur the urge to stop a few minutes to listen to the happy sounds. The sight of an unusual or uniquely marked bird brings up the birding app on the phone or google for identification. You don’t have to be a bird enthusiast to enjoy moments of pleasure from a bird encounter.

There are names of various levels of bird enthusiasts. Wiktionary says a person who loves birds is an ornithophile. Thayer Birding says there are different types of people who watch birds. An Ornithologist is a studier of birds and likely has a professional degree in biology. Clinton Atkins for Thayer Birding, describes the rest of the bird watching types as:

  • Twitchers
  • Birders
  • Listers
  • Dudes
  • Protobirders
Bluebird

From this list, my shortened description is that Twitchers are knowledgable bird chasers, while Birders are people who simply love watching birds as a hobby. A lister does exactly that, make extensive lists of birds from birdwatching. A dude just likes to watch birds but doesn’t go out of the way to watch. The newest term, Protobirders, is someone who enjoys watching birds and may have some bird knowledge.

After studying the list, I’m puzzled as to whether I am a Birder or a Protobirder. I love watching birds. I take a lot of bird photos. And I paint cute little birds. Definitely not a Twitcher, as I don’t chase them. Probably not a lister, but I count my photos as a list of sorts. I think I’ll go with the Wiktionary description of ornithophile. I am a lover of birds.

If I did decide to become more of a bird watcher, like maybe a twitcher, Clinton Atkins has a great list of items that are helpful to have on hand:

  • Birding Vest
  • Brimmed Hat
  • Bird Song App
  • Birdwatching Journal

Several years ago, I went on a couple of Bird Watching tours at the Saint Marks Wildlife Refuge in Florida. Most of the people on the trip could probably be classified as either Twitchers and/or Listers All of them had the above listed important items. I had only camera and binoculars. I definitely could have used all of the things on the list. The group was wonderful to me and were enthusiastic about pointing out various birds and letting me look through their telescopes. If some were a little condescending about my novice status, the others made up for it with their joy in sharing their knowledge. I came out of the adventure with many lovely photos, a whole lot of knowledge and a terrible sunburn, (no brimmed hat).

Roseate Spoonbills at St. Marks

Jeff Mann of Because Birds says, “Nature has a way of surprising us, and birding is no exception.” That pretty much sums it up. Birds are a constant surprise so I’ll go on painting them, casually watching them and taking the occasional birding tour. With that, I’ll refrain from typing myself and just say, I love birds!

Summer Wonders

As summer heat slows everything down, 2 beauties begin to proliferate, flowers and butterflies. So many things are wilting in the heat but Black-eyed Susans are taking over the flower beds. The lantana also seems to love the heat. There among the flowers are where the butterflies are too.

Tiger Swallowtail

Former First Lady, Lady Bird Johnson is quoted as saying, “Where flowers bloom there is hope.” Letterpress Play says, “They represent joy and growth, and they bring color and wonderment to everything they touch.” Letterpress Play has a paper toy and greeting card that turns into a vase with paper flowers. 15% of proceeds they give to the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center. When things continue to heat up through July and into August, the flowers do give us hope.

As the butterflies flutter all around, they remind us of the cycles of life. While they are flitting around they are laying eggs so the next generation can begin the process of overeating to building a cocoon to transforming into a beautiful butterfly to giving joy. In a post about butterflies, Everyday Power. com tells us, “We can learn a lot of lessons about our own growth process from the butterfly life cycle.” That is so true.

Monarch

As the summer heat drags on limiting many outdoor activities, it’s an easy thing to look out the window and marvel at the butterflies among the black-eyed Susans. It’s also a great time to paint flowers and butterflies. Not a bad idea to contemplate the cycles of life while painting the summer beauties either. And maybe wonder with hope for fall and the next cycle of life.

Artful Fellowship

Making art together is one of the best ways to get inspired and break through artist block.

Making art together as a group is one of the best ways to get to know each other, foster friendships and tear down artistic blocks. There is something about making art with other artists that pushes the barriers aside and gets people talking. At times, artists need help and encouragement from other artists especially in those dry spells that happen to every one. Spending time together can make the exact breakthrough that is needed when inspiration and ideas seem hard to come by. The sense of camaraderie of making art together leads to making more art and thus to deeper friendships.

One of the best things art making in a group can provide is the sharing of inspiration and ideas. During those art making dry spells, getting in an art group may be just the ticket to get the waters flowing again! The Selma Times Journal has a great article on The Selma Art Guild’s mission to bring the Selma art community together by connecting artists and patrons and more. The Selma Times quotes Selma artist, Jo Taylor, “We get together and learn from one another’s point of view.

The “Imagine Art” project in Austin, TX has a vision to transform the lives of artists with disabilities for the Glory of God. The Imagine Art website has John Molina quoted as saying, “By talking to my peers, I get ideas for my artwork, and I can also give my fellow peers great ideas to them as well.” Imagine Art’s goal is to encourage art making in community to create transformational life change among these artists.

All artists go through those times when not only is inspiration hard to get to, but also staying focused and disciplined to push on can be difficult. Renee Phillips of renee-phillips.com says, “The importance of belonging to an art community and fostering camaraderie have been guiding principles through out my long and rewarding career and that of every successful artist I know.”

As we found on our Art of Nature weekend, getting with a group has multiple benefits. Add nature into the mix and its hard to see why everybody’s not out there making art together with friends, new and old!

An Art and Nature Tonic

An artist’s retreat in the beauty of nature is better than a tonic for refreshing the soul and creating new inspiration.

The first artists retreat, The Art of Nature Immersion Weekend, was a wonderful and refreshing time spent in beautiful surroundings with fellow artists and some family and friends too. Reelfoot Lake State Park and Reelfoot Federal Wildlife Reserve were packed with inspiration at every turn. The most important factor was the time spent in gearing down and taking it all in. It was better than any man-made tonic!

Humans in Nature.org says. “The combination of art and nature allows people to explore the natural world, create more profound meaning for themselves, and connect people through understanding and viewing their artwork.” I couldn’t agree more. There is just something about being out in nature that inspires in so many ways and brings us humans closer together.

Somehow creating art out in nature rather than in the studio changes everything. It seems to make everything more vivid, more real. More inspiring. Our whole approach to art can change when spending time in nature. Nature becomes the art in all its myriad of possibilities. Art-is-Fun.com says, “The exploration of nature in art can take endless forms, because nature provides us with such a vast wealth of inspiring phenomena.”

Seeing what we did on our Art in Nature Retreat speaks for itself. The following are photos from our time at Reelfoot Lake State Park in West Tennessee and Reelfoot National Wildlife Refuge. Our pontoon boat captain and guide, Colton, a recent graduate of Murray State University, shared a wealth of knowledge. He pointed out trees, birdsong, all manner of aquatic life and even a water snake (yuck!) sunning himself on a fallen log.

Enjoy the photos as they tell the story better than I can.

Paper Tales

Choosing the best paper for watercolor painting comes down to what the goal for the final outcome is. A little knowledge makes the process a snap!

Mixed media

Paper choices can be as difficult as which pencil to use when going for the watercolor over pencil technique. Cold press, Hot press, smooth finish, rough finish… the list goes on and on. The most popular watercolor finish paper is cold press. Hot press and Rough are fairly popular as well but may be a little harder to find. Artists will differ widely in their opinion on hot press vs cold press vs rough. Their are any number of reasons for each paper.

Cold pressed and hot pressed papers are named for the process that produces them. ArtNews says, “Named for a fabrication process that involves smashing pulp in heated cylinders, hot press papers present smooth surfaces with virtually no tooth.” Rough is paper known for its heavy “tooth” or very bumpy surface. ArtNews goes on to say that, “choosing a product for your needs is highly subjective.” It is subjective but also dependent on what you are painting. The surface can be as important to the painting as the paint.

Watercolor Affair gives a good description of cold vs hot as, “Cold pressed paper has a slightly bumpy, textured surface. But hot pressed paper has a smooth surface finish,” and “rough paper has a highly textured surface and a very pronounced tooth.” Cheap Joes Art Supply says, “The rough finish has an effect close to that of handmade paper and encourages a loose style.” Knowing the different attributes of each paper will help you decide which paper is better suited for what you want for the outcome of the final project.

When looking for which brand to buy, Kimposed has a great rundown of each brand. All of the covered papers are wonderful choices and here is where I’d say subjective reasons are the main ones to consider. Price may be a big consideration when all factors are weighed. Cheap Joes is a great option for comparing prices.

  • Mixed media
  • watercolor

No matter what paper you choose, here are some possible issues you can consider. The red rose is on “rough” paper. It’s fairly easy to see where the paint bleeds out around the edges making it difficult to create sharp finished edges. The softer edges give the painting more of a romantic look. The dark purple iris is on hot pressed, smooth paper. Because the layers don’t absorb into the paper, the layers of paint can be more visible. One great option for the smooth surface is mixed media as colored pencils, ink and other media work well with the paint. The pansies and the variegated purple iris are on cold pressed paper which makes it easy to do to about any finish you you want. Versatile is a great word for the cold pressed finish.

Whatever paper you choose, having a little knowledge about the papers makes the choosing easier. Below is a you tube demonstration by Jenna Rainey. She is very knowledgeable and her videos are easy to follow.

Happy Painting!

Pencils and paint

When looking for a way to cut through hours of practice consider using the watercolor over pencil technique for Botanical style painting.

The technique of watercolor over pencil or graphite is a great way to get fine detail in botanical style painting. The finer points of a flower or leaf can be tricky requiring a good bit of practice to perfect accurate brush strokes. Basic drawing skills are somewhat necessary but patience is not. Patience is a valuable trait in an artist. Not everybody has it. When looking for a way to cut through hours of practice consider using the watercolor over pencil technique. Many hours of frustration can be avoided. Plus you’ll fool lots of people with your eye for detail!

A wonderful book, Botanical Illustration with the Eden Project outlines this technique in an easy to follow instruction with several examples. According to the examples, a detailed drawing of a plant is made including all shading. A beautiful finished drawing will provide the best base for watercolor to be laid over. One of the biggest considerations is the use of the proper pencil.

Knowing which pencil is which is one of the best tips for the watercolor over pencil technique. As Kevin Hayler of the Wildlife Art Store says, “Choosing the wrong pencil for an underdrawing will ruin your watercolor painting.” He has a great article on different pencils that is well worth a read here. Knowing your pencils can make the difference in a successful painting or one that looks like mud!

It was very discouraging, when first looking at this technique without knowing how vital the pencil issue was. My first effort, this delicate peach colored rose, resulted in particles of graphite coming up in the paint. The beautiful color was lost. Back to the drawing board. It looked like a total failure but instead of giving up, a pencil study was in order. And it was revealing. One of the biggest things I discovered was the use of H pencils instead of the standard drawing pencils in the B’s.

The H pencils are more commonly found in mechanical and architectural drawing. In art and office stores, that’s where the widest range can be found. Drawing supply areas in stores will usually just go up as far as 2H or 4H. The higher the number, the lighter the pencil. My experiments led me to stick with 6H up to 9H for most of the drawing. 2-4H pencils were better for the darker details. This technique has become the only one I use for botanical painting. Experiments are ongoing so that could change!

Until then, enjoy this video on watercolor over pencil. Happy Painting!

The Painting Tube

Here’s the book: https://www.amazon.com/Botanical-Illustration-Course-Eden-Project/dp/0713490748?crid=15XN3ZBEJODUF&keywords=botanical+illustration+course+with+the+eden+project&qid=1685996672&sprefix=eden+project+botanical%2Caps%2C98&sr=8-1&linkCode=li2&tag=marygwynsart-20&linkId=268cf1671e7e422b5f486504f2df5c73&language=en_US&ref_=as_li_ss_il" target="_blank">""Eden Project

Learn more about The Eden Project

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