I enjoy painting alla prima and my best paintings are painted in one session with a minimum of adjusting after they dry. However, nearly all paintings can benefit from some minor adjustments using scumbling and glazing. Used correctly these two related techniques can give startling results. Watch the following video to learn some of the best practices regarding these intriguing techniques.
I decided it would be best to reformat the book. Using InDesign I changed the font to Times and reflowed the text to eliminate wrap-arounds. I felt the overall effect was somewhat diminished so I added two of the most popular Thick Paint videos (Loading the Brush and Getting Greens Right, which together have over 75,000 views).
By selling the book on Blurb the digital book was automatically uploaded to the Apple iBookstore (see it here). It sells for $4.99 and is available on iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch. I suspect the ideal device to view it would be the iPad. But I don’t know since I don’t have an iPad yet. If you download it for the iPad let me know how it works. I’m especially curious about the videos.
Many thanks for the positive emails I’ve received recently. They keep me going! It looks like its going to be a beautiful Spring. I hope to have some videos about painting en plein air soon.
Brad Teare April 2013
Brad Teare April 2013
I recently read the book Digital Disruption. The basic premise is that the economy has changed dramatically, which everyone knows, but few realize the positive nature of this change. The book posits that we no longer live in a capitalist society, that is, a society where those who control capital control the economy. But rather we now live in a society where the economy is controlled by those who control knowledge and information. Previously it took money to make money. Now it takes knowledge to make money. Why? Because technology has pushed the cost of production so low that virtually anyone can use technology to promote their ideas with little or no capital. Createspace, Blurb, and Graphicly are manifestations of this new, evolving economy.
Many thanks! I will share the results of this experiment in a future blog.
Brad Teare April 2013
I was honored to be featured in the art and design section of the May edition of Gulf Connoisseur magazine. Gulf Connoisseur, published in Dubai, is the premier lifestyle magazine of the Gulf region. It was a pleasure to work with Meena Das Narayan, the editor-in-chief and publisher. In addition to her duties at the magazine she is a filmmaker, painter, and poet. She did an excellent job showcasing the paintings as well as writing the article. I take my hat off to both her and her staff.
The magazine has extremely high production standards. I was surprised the magazine was printed at 350 dpi (most publications print at 300dpi) but the results were well worth it. The magazine has a sumptuousness that few American magazines achieve. The paper quality is exceptional and the colors are amazingly accurate. The magazine is published in English, Arabic, and Russian.
It was an honor to be included in the 10th anniversary edition. I hope you enjoy the magazine as much as I did.
Brad Teare May 2013
In my continued effort to leverage digital communication I‘m currently making what I hope will be an entertaining multimedia website using Wix.
Wix is a HTML5-based site building tool that promises to be an inexpensive alternative to other website creation options. The main problem with my previous website was it didn’t fully communicate the unique aspects of my artistic project. In order to deepen communication I need to fuse the best aspects of a website with the strengths of a blog.
The days of posting a site with your name and image linking to a series of stamp-sized paintings are over. At its best a website should explain your artistic project in as many ways as possible as clearly as possible. Adding the social media of a blog increases the site’s potential. On my new site I plan to have this video as well as audio clips to further explain how and why I paint landscapes the way I do. Each page will also include various social media apps allowing for user feedback.
Let me know what you think.
Brad Teare May 2013
I recently finished teaching an illustration course at Weber State University in Ogden, Utah. I’ve heard teachers say they learn more than their students. It was true in my case and I found my painting improving significantly over the semester. As I reflected on why the teacher learns more than the student I realized it was the first time I consciously formulated the most efficient steps to artistic improvement.
I’ve been experimenting lately with abstract painting. I find it an excellent way to focus on design and color. I think of my abstract painting experience as my paint lab. It’s an exciting way to try new color schemes and to relax and let the paint do the painting. I got the idea for these thicker oil abstracts while taking closeup photos of my realist landscape paintings to show the broken color. I loved the profusion of intermingled color without the distraction of reality. Each square inch looked like a large abstract painting. For more info on painting with broken color go here.Brad Teare 2013
In this latest abstract, The Center Will Hold, 24″ x 24″, a large landscape was sitting behind my easel as I painted this new piece. I was shocked by the contrast between the two methods of painting. The abstract was fresh and bright. The landscape by comparison appeared gray, washed out, and the brushstrokes seemed uncertain. It was a sharp reminder that one of my major goals in landscape painting is to get the kind of freshness I’m currently getting in my abstract paintings. It also reinforced my conviction that taking time to develop the abstracts is an excellent method to reinvigorate my landscape paintings.
When painting with thick paint, when layers can be half an inch thick, it’s important to have access to good quality, inexpensive paint. In a recent post several readers made comments that alerted me to sources of very inexpensive supplies. I checked the sources and discovered they were much cheaper than the supplies I have been using. I review these price saving sources and tips in the following video (with links below).If you order from RGH Artist’s Paints please mention my name. I appreciate your support.
Special thanks to Robert Britton, Jr., Robert Votch, Steve Ladd, and Mark Robison.
Brad Teare June 2013
As mentioned in previous posts I’ve been buying paint in bulk from RGH Artists Oils. With my last order I ordered all pigments in pint jars (473 ml). I like the jars because it is easy to use a spatula to scrape the paint out. Using the spatula I can keep the surface of the remaining paint flat which dries slower. If I’m still worried about drying I can add a few drops of walnut oil to seal the top layer.
Fellow artist Steve Ladd suggested buying in bulk or making your own paint from dried pigments and tubing your own paint. He places paint onto a piece of aluminum foil which he then rolls into a tube. The foil tube is then placed within the empty paint tube. A roller is then used to squeeze the paint from the foil into the tube (I use a brayer used in block printing). The slanted board helps the paint fill the tubes without bubbles but is not absolutely essential. I include some photos Steve made to illustrate his methods. (Click here for cheap tubes: Jack Richeson 150-Ml Empty Paint Tubes, Case of 144
).
In this video I paint a small 8″ x 10″ landscape using a purple couch (or layer of medium). I used a colored couch because it imparted the purple hue into all of my colors giving a unified color scheme. Purple is a good color to use in a composition with a lot of green because it tends to mellow and harmonize the greens. I used Cobalt violet because it is a very weak color. If I had used Dioxazine purple or Carbazole violet the couch probably would have been too insistent and would have overpowered the other colors.Brad Teare June 2013
When we say artists have found a style it means they have arrived at a decision about their artistic expression. Style encompasses technique, composition, and attitude. It is an expression of your personality. In the best sense finding your style implies self knowledge fused with a technique that best expresses that individuality.