For artists, there are a number of ways to thin oil paint. However, the best thinning method will depend on how thin you want to make your paint, your painting technique, and how much gloss you want to achieve. So what are some of the best ways to thin oil paint? Thinning oil paint with […]

Charcoal powder is a very exciting and versatile medium that can create a number of different effects. But it can also be pretty messy if you are not careful. Let look at some different ways of drawing with charcoal powder. Background Effects with Powdered Charcoal Powdered charcoal is one of my favorite ways of creating […]

Charcoal is considered to be the oldest drawing medium in the world. Charred sticks were used to make marks on ancient cave walls. Despite this being the most primitive medium, there are an array of additional tools that make this enduring medium very modern. So let's look at a list of items that are needed […]

Good oil painting brushes are not cheap. Yet if they're properly cared for, they can last you for many paintings. Letting your brushes get stiff with dried oil paint will ruin your investment and your ability to paint. Let's look at some methods for how to clean your oil painting brushes during and after your […]

One of the most intriguing and pleasurable things about painting with oil paint is the ability of the artist to create a variety of textures ranging from watery drips to thick impasto brush strokes. Numerous things can affect the texture of oil paint, depending on what you desire. Oil painting with texture is achieved primarily […]

When we were children, most of us would draw the human eye with two arched lines containing a circle in the middle. But for the serious artist, sketching or drawing a realistic human eye requires more knowledge and refinement, especially if you want to draw the eye from different angles. So what is the best […]

Knowing the principles of linear perspective is a must when sketching architecture or most any other subject. However, using some of the methods of linear perspective when drawing or sketching is often be unpractical because you either have vanishing points that are beyond the drawing surface, or you end up with exaggerated and unnatural angles […]

If you are starting out, or even if you have been an artist for a while, it can be challenging to know what skills an artist should have in order to create beautiful and great looking artwork. Know what to work on can be a tremendous help. In this article, we will discuss the 16 […]

Artists call it different names, sinking-in, dead spots, ghosting, blotchiness, and it can be one of the biggest frustrations for oil painters. When your beautiful painting dries, certain spots appear dull and devoid of color. So how can you prevent dull patches from happening in your oil painting? You can prevent oil paint from sinking-in […]

It professional art circles it's called Alla Prima, others call it wet on wet. But no matter what you call it, wet on wet oil painting can give you results that cannot be achieved with other techniques. So what is wet on wet oil painting and how it is done? A wet on wet oil […]