Contemporary Impressionist Art – The Basics of How to Paint Like the Masters
Posted by admin in Impressionist Art on May 10, 2011
Let me start off by saying that I’m not really sure why anyone would specifically try and paint in any particular style except for the one that comes most naturally. Then once a painting is complete, that would be a better time to look for a categorization. Still, I know there is a lot to learn by replicating a style and those studying art in school are often required to paint in the style of an artist you are studying. So, at a purely practical level and if your chosen artist is an impressionist, here are some top level pointers to get you going.
First Things First: Plan what you are going to do
As with any painting, it’s still a good idea to sketch out the main lines of your chosen subject. I generally use a long handle brush (so I can stand away from the canvas as much as possible) with some brown paint and mark out the main lines. I use brown since it dries quickly (oils only) and concentrate on the main verticals, perspective lines and horizon. I personally like the fundamentals of my paintings to be accurate. So perspectives, vanishing points, ellipses and relative sizing are all set out on the first sketch. Pretty good and informative approaches to perspective can be found by searching on Google under ‘vanishing points’. However, if you prefer abstract forms or you want to exaggerate some part of the painting, go with it, there are no points for copying a photo here.
Stop and think about it
After the initial sketch, I usually leave the picture a day or two, a) to dry, b) with fresh eyes to spot mistakes in my draft, but most importantly to map out the picture in my mind. Impressionist paintings are better if they appear more impulsive and preverbal flow from the hip. So, spending a little time before starting allows your sub-conscious to help out once you’ve started. Look at the draft on the canvas, start mapping out the colours in your mind, where the most distant points are, what the focal features will be and very significantly with an impressionist painting – what form and direction the brush or knife strokes will take. Since they are visible, their thickness, length, direction and shape are critical and can give the painting very different atmospheres purely on this one choice. You can go with dots or dashes, wavy lines, straight lines, hash marks and or anything else you can think up plus a combination of the above. Read the rest of this entry »
Beware of Art Print Scams
Unfortunately, scams abound for prints on artists’ web sites, dealers’ web sites, auction sites (unscrupulous sellers, not the sites) and also off line through frame shops, art fairs, shows and galleries that sell prints. Some of these prints may be for works of well known artists who may have absolutely no idea about the scam.
Basically, there are two print markets.
The first is unsigned, usually not archival and rarely a limited edition. This is decorative art, although you can find prints of work by Monet, Van Gogh, Da Vinci and Warhol in this market. This market can include Giclees. You can find this stuff at Target, Michael’s, posters.com, etc. easily and cheaply.
The other market is for fine art limited edition prints, that are most usually, especially if the work is Modern or Contemporary signed and numbered. These prints may be collected to decorate one’s home or office, but they are also thought to be an investment that may one day become profitable, or at least if the buyer has the print archival framed, will not lose value over time. This is the category where a buyer needs to beware. If the number of the print edition is over 750, including any extra prints, sometimes known as proofs or artists proofs, it is not a truly fine art limited edition print. In the second category hucksters, tricksters, greedy merchants and artists abound. When researching limited edition prints for my own work, I discovered more than I ever want to know and certainly take part in!
Collecting true fine art signed and numbered limited edition prints are a less expensive way to collect investment quality fine art. Many people can afford it and if one selects prints by good and reputable artists one has the opportunity to have one’s investment grow along with the artist’s reputation and market. Read the rest of this entry »