Five Tone Shading

My morning drawing practice was interesting. Not too hard, but not too easy. It was centered around values — using … More

The Great Frame-Up

Recently I sat down with a notepad, lined all my “good” paintings up, and proceeded to evaluate them. I used … More

Art – Simplified

I’ve been fortunate in that one of the lessons I’ve learned in life is the value of simplicity. Of course, I … More

In Praise of the Lowly Pencil

My foray into the art world began with a pencil. I think that’s how most of us begin, isn’t it? … More

Tools of the Trade

There are lots of artists who don’t like using brushes, or who may use brushes but also reach for many different tools of the artistic trade.

Five Things

What five things do I consider essential for creating art?

A Treat!

We often hear about the need to push ourselves, to step out of our comfort zones, and to do things that … More

The Graphics Fairy

I’ve probably shared this site before, but I wanted to take a moment to share it again because it has … More

My New Drawing Pencils

I’ve had my new Tombow MONO Drawing Pencils for several weeks now. If you’ve been following along on my art … More

Hold It Right There!

I haven’t done a lot of serious drawing and painting recently, but I have done a lot of reading, a … More

Do I Have an Egbert?

I wrote about brushes once before — when I was first doing watercolor painting. That was a little over two … More

Going with Graphite

I’m excited by the drawing work I’ve done over the summer. I’ve learned a lot, and most importantly I’m realizing … More

The Age of Innocence

When I was growing up, a beautiful framed reproduction of The Age of Innocence hung above my bed. Even as a young … More

The Finer Things in Art

In my on-going quest to paint more realistic trees — meaning trees that actually look like trees — one of … More

Picking My Palette

One of the most valuable practice exercises I’ve done lately had little to do with actual painting, but a lot to … More

Back to the Drawing Board

Yes, I’m back to my art studies now, and it’s almost like beginning again. After nearly three months away from … More

Sketchbook Memories

Every artist — and every aspiring artist — should have a sketchbook. Although it might seem like an insignificant little thing, it’s one of the most important tools in our art arsenal.

Nightmare in Phthalo Blue

This particular scene was going to have a river running through it. As you know, I’m not good at rivers. And just as happened with my earlier attempt, a river doesn’t run through this painting either.

Playing Favorites

I think, at this point, it goes without saying that I’ve figured out what medium I most enjoy. While I still like charcoal and graphite, oil painting has become my favorite form of artistic expression.

What I’ve Learned

…one week isn’t long, but I have already learned a lot.