Painting With Glass

Are You Kidding?

Painting With Glass?

You read that right, but maybe not in the way you thought.

I have a good online friend/mentor I've never met.

She is an artist I follow online and we communicate, but we've never met face to face.

It's that way with most of my art friends.

Her name is Julie Ford Oliver and she is an incredible artist I learn something from with every blog post she writes.

Click HERE to go to her blog.

I love her work, because it's loose and bright 

and always interesting.

Several years ago on her blog she said when she has an area on a painting that she is struggling with, she paints what she thinks she wants on a piece of glass over top of her painting.

That way she can see if she really does like it, if the perspective is right, etc.

I know!

Genius!!!

I've been working on a 3 painting piece for my living room and I am getting near the end.

I wanted to add a dock in the foreground of the center piece, but I didn't want to screw up the whole thing.

Fortunately for me, I remembered Julie's lesson so I pulled out a small piece of glass to work on.  It was almost too small but I wasn't walking back to the house to get another one, so I made do.  

I did it three times before I got what I liked.

Oh Yeah!

This definitely wasn't it.

You can see the outline of the small piece of glass I used.

It's acrylic paint so I sprayed with water and wiped off with a paper towel.  Easy peezy!

This was better, but the angle at the top wasn't right.

Rinse and repeat!

Much better!

Then I used soft vine charcoal to draw the dock where I wanted using my glass as a guide.

I'me very happy with it.

This is the middle of the three pieces.

Maybe a few tweaks and it will be finished.

Thanks Julie.

If you have a home school family who would like to add art to their curriculum, you might want to share this link with them.  

I created a FREE Painter Nation Homeschool Art Club group on Facebook where I teach short art concepts, painting and drawing lessons, links to my videos on YouTube and lots of other goodies.

And it's FREE!

Click HERE for the link to the Facebook group.

Please share with anyone you think would like it.

They can ask to join and they'll be in to receive lots of FREE ways to add art to their curriculum.

Color mixing is another art concept that has a life long learning curve.  I've created a printable tip sheet just for you.
  Click HERE to download 7 Tips for Mixing Color.  
Print it out and keep it where ever you paint.

Beginning Drawing Concepts - 3 FREE Videos

You Have To Start Somewhere!

Learning to draw takes some time

and some knowledge

and some practice.

I created these three videos for you

to help you learn and understand 

some basic drawing concepts.

In this video you will learn how to draw an ellipse, how to create a shadow, how to seat the vase on the table and how to see all the aspects you see while looking at the vase.

I hadn't really planned on making a series out of this, but once I had the first one done, it made perfect sense.

In this video I'll show you how to put a table cloth on the table, how to create the front of the table shadow and why it's important.  Putting the stripes on the table at a diagonal gives the drawing a much more dynamic feel and adds movement. It helps with the perspective of the table also.  I also show you how you could add a very simple wall paper on the wall behind the vase.

Hope you enjoyed this short series.  

If you did, please click the thumbs up button on YouTube and subscribe to my channel.  If a little bell shows up near the subscribe button, click that and you will be notified whenever I upload more videos.  

Thanks a lot for stopping by today 

and let's paint together real soon.

Need a simple drawing supply list that you can download and only buy what you need?  I've got you covered.
Click HERE to get that list in your inbox.

For beginning painting instruction, visit my website at

www.paintingwithacrylics101.com
Go to the FREE daisy painting class and sign up and get the 4 video series in your inbox.  

Click HERE to join my FREE Facebook group for homeschool families who would like to add art to their curriculum.  

I have another FREE Facebook group for people who have it on their bucket list to learn to paint and/or draw. 
 Click HERE to visit that page.  

Visit my facebook page for more interesting

 painting and drawing info.

https://www.facebook.com/paintingwithacrylics101/

Another FREE Video - How To Paint Red Flower

Let's Paint a Red Flower Tutorial

Yep!

You read that right.

I recently released a FREE painting tutorial for this flower
on my YouTube channel
Sharon Durbin Graves
Click HERE to go to video 

If you enjoyed the video, please hit the thumbs up button and subscribe to my channel.  There should be a little bell near the subscribe button.  If you click that, you will receive a notification every time I release a new video.

Here's what's on my easel in the studio right now.

This is a three piece painting I'm doing for myself.

I'll keep you posted as I work on it.

Every artist needs to understand how color works.  I've created a printable with 7 Tips for Mixing Color.  
Click HERE to get this invaluable tip sheet.

Thanks for stopping by today and please feel free to friend or family member who you know would love to learn to paint.  

Free Video About Brushes and Their Uses

What Brush Does What?

When artists are first starting out,

a common question is...

What brushes should I buy?

Here is a video that shows you many brushes,

what they do, and how to use them.

If you liked this video, how about hitting the thumbs up button and subscribing to my channel.  If you click the bell next to the subscribe button, it will alert you when I post a new video.

Care for your brushes.

It's super important to take good care of your brushes.  

I recommend you buy the best brushes you can afford,

but don't go into debt for them.

Having said that, you want to take care of them so they will last.

When I am finished with a painting session I wash them in the kitchen sink with warm water and Dawn dishing washing liquid.  

I rub the soap all the way through and rinse thoroughly.  

I reshape them between my fingers to get out any excess water and dry them flat on paper toweling.  

Never dry or store your brushes with the bristles down.

If you will take care of your brushes you will have them for a long time.  I've had some of my brushes for 17 years. 

Brushes do wear out but they can still be used for specific things even when they are past their prime.  I seldom throw a brush away.

That could be my pack rat nature though.

Enjoy the video.

If you want to learn to paint, check out my website at

www.paintingwithacrylics101.com.

There you will find single subject classes, my full blown art course and my latest and greatest addition

the Painter Nation Members Club.

Have a great day and let your creativity flow.

Paint, Even If You Haven't Painted In A While

Haven't Painted In A While???

Do NOT let that stop you!

Often times we paint a lot,

and then not so much.

Not sure how or why that happens, but it does.

Then when you're ready to pick up your brush again,

the "voice" comes to you telling you,

"well you haven't painted in a long time, may as well just forget it".

Ignore that voice, just like it's your three-year old asking "why" for the 1,000th time this morning.

Here is Aidan painting after not painting for a long time.

Dig out some reference photos, set up a still life,

put a flower in a vase, or paint something from your imagination or from memory.

Just sit down, spend an hour and play in the paint.

My grandson Aidan hadn't drawn or painted for a while,

but he was in the studio the other day while I was making a video for my youtube channel.

Click HERE to view my channel.

He got inspired and wanted to paint.

I taped some 140 lb. water color paper to a board,

set him up a palette and gave him 3-5 brushes and a pencil

and let him alone.

He drew a car, he's a boy, he likes cars and he has

 learned how to draw them.

Then he painted the car using a lot of color.

Then he asked me if he could mix colors.

I said, hey it's your painting and your paint.

Knock yourself out bubba.

He's 9 so I left him alone to paint anything he wanted,

any way he wanted.

You can tell by that smile, he was pretty tickled with his art.

We should all be tickled with our art,

even if it's just that we

 learned a way how not to do something.

Don't let the "voice" talk you out of 

learning and improving your art.

Regardless of your art form.

Don't let the "voice" tell you you can't do it.

Don't let the "voice" tell you you don't have time.

Don't let the "voice" tell you you don't have talent.

Don't let the "voice" tell you you don't have

 a creative bone in your body.

Don't let the "voice" dictate your life.

Much of art is learning how things work, or the rules.

The rest is practice and learning how to break the rules.

This was Aidan at age 5 learning how to paint the rooster that is in my full blown art course.

He has always loved creating anything, and he wanted to try his hand at the rooster.  

Practice and trying again and again is when the real magic happens.

Have a great creative day.

If you want to learn how to paint,

visit my website at www.paintingwithacrylics101.com.

I created 7 Tips for Mixing Color and you can get it in your inbox, like right now.  
Click HERE to get your FREE Printable.  

How To Stay Motivated When You're NOT Motivated

Staying Motivated When You're NOT!

I know I should do ________(fill in the blank)

But I just don't feel like it!

Ever feel like that!

Yep!

I'm right there with ya.

How do you get your mojo back?

Here's a list of ten things to do to get it in gear.

1. Read something inspirational
2. Look at your work when you were inspired.
3. Look at your best work.
4. Look at things that inspire you
5. Look at things you want to create
6. Listen to a meditation or affirmation on youtube.
7. Piddle around with your medium
8. Create something not in your medium
9. Go to a museum, gallery, or other venue
10. Find and take a class or join a group

When I can't decide what to paint

I practice something I'm fairly good at.

Or I read about famous artists.

Click HERE to read about some famous artists.

It's natural to fall into a slump,

But it also can be something you can work your way out of.

Don't give up if you aren't currently motivated.

You can get it back!

WOW! Haven't Written in a While

Can't Believe I Haven't Written

in Almost A Month!

I believe that is the longest I've gone all the years 

I've written this blog.

Life really ramped up over the last several weeks

but I'm trying to get my ducks back in a row.

Insomnia has been just about unbelievable

triggering migraine after migraine after migraine.

I've been using hypnosis/meditation videos
on YouTube to help me calm my mind.

I've listened to a lot of them
and there are tons to listen to.
Go to YouTube and put hypnosis for sleep or migraines in the search box and you will be amazed
 at how many there are.

I have found myself returning time and again to
The Mindful Movement.

Click HERE to check it out.

Their videos are usually under 35 minutes and very calming and soothing. 

Others I really enjoy include
David McGraw
Paul McKenna

Back to art.

I took this photo several years ago in our orchard
and always wanted to paint it.

I used it for my reference for this fun painting.

SOLD

This fun painting headed off to its forever home recently.

I had a wonderful time painting this 
and I love that little baby bird.


If you're having trouble with insomnia or migraines,
I can't sympathize enough,
and I really would check out the videos
on YouTube for hypnosis and meditation.
I have a really hard time shutting off my mind
when it's time to sleep
and these have helped.

I've created 7 Tips for Color Mixing, a printable tip sheet anyone can download and print out and keep where ever you paint.  Click HERE to get it, like now.