The Painter's Path: Internet Resources

Monday, May 20, 2013

Internet Resources

When I first began to paint seriously back in the early nineties, the only sources of information aside from my teachers were books and magazines. So I bought tons of books and subscribed to all the magazines. Today, the Internet provides painters at all levels with an overflowing treasure trove of information about all aspects of painting, and much of it is free!

The following websites are highly recommended:

Art and Influence http://www.artandinfluence.com/
Painter Armand Cabrera's blog features demos, tips on methods and materials, free videos, historical items, and a great list of links to other websites.

Gurney Journey http://gurneyjourney.blogspot.com/
Author, illustrator, and plein-air painter James Gurney provides a potpourri of anecdotes, tips, videos, demos, conversations, and essays on all topics related to drawing and painting.

Marc Dalessio http://www.marcdalessio.com/
Painter Marc Dalessio includes valuable tips on materials, methods, and both studio and outdoor practice. His free one-minute painting videos are excellent. His landscape and portrait paintings are superb.

Painting Perceptions http://paintingperceptions.com/
This blog focuses on paintings done from life. It features an active forum, as well as videos and interviews with more than a hundred painters. A real treasure chest of information

The Painter's Keys http://painterskeys.com/
Twice a week, Canadian painter Robert Genn sends a couple of emails to his hundreds of subscribers, usually of a philosophical rather than technical nature. His subscribers respond eagerly, and their responses, called "click backs" are posted on his website, often along with their paintings. Whatever your artistic interests may be, you are bound to find plenty of stuff to keep you clicking back for more.

Painting Lessons: Beginner to Advanced http://www.livepaintinglessons.com/index.php
New Zealand painter Richard Robinson offers an extensive set of free videos. They are enticements to buy his more extensive DVDs and videos, but are excellent resources in their own right.

Wet Canvas http://www.wetcanvas.com/
A painter's online bulletin board with some 400,000 members. Membership is free, with the option of supporting the site by upgrading to a paid membership. Both types of members enjoy access to all the sites features. The most popular is probably its many lively forum discussions, where you will find answers to just about any art question you might have. The site also offers product reviews, videos, online courses, more than 10 million reference photos, links to other art sites, and many other features. If you frequent only one site, this is probably your best bet.

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About Steve Whitney

I spent most of my professional career as a writer and editor. I am now happily retired. Like most serious painters, I have dabbled in art all my life, but I began to paint in earnest in 1994, starting with watercolor, moving on to acrylics, and winding up painting almost exclusively in oil. I teach oil and acrylics to both beginning and intermediate students. I like teaching painting almost as much as painting itself. Some people would say I'm also better at it. I'm inclined to agree. To visit my website, click on the images above or below.

Paints and Mediums

In the world of painting, the word “medium” has two potentially confusing but actually related meanings. It refers both to types of paint (oil, watercolor, acrylic, etc.) and to the various substances (linseed oil, water, acrylic medium, etc.) used to dilute or otherwise modify those paints.

You have probably already seen the connection. All paints consist of pigment particles bound together by various mediums. The type of paint depends on the medium used to bind the pigment and often, as in the cases of oil, watercolor, and acrylic, the resulting paint is named for its binding medium.

The Masterpiece

We have all experienced the surprise and delight of creating a "masterpiece" that is significantly better than our usual work. We are elated to have reached a new plateau. But in the days and weeks to follow, we revert to our old standard. We are deeply discouraged and wonder whether we should hang up our brushes and take up, say, pottery or the recorder. No need. Our masterpiece shows that we have the ability and knowledge to produce work of that quality. Our inability to do so consistently shows only that we need more practice. With persistence our masterpiece will become our new standard.