Oiled Charcoal

Tip for Drawing from Winsor & Newton

I especially like the Winsor & Newton brand. I used it many years ago when I first began painting. Interestingly, the paints I had left over from that time were stored away when I began work full time and didn’t have the time or a place to set up to paint have lasted to today.

When I pulled out my old art kit about ten years ago to start drawing and painting again on the weekends I found that my Winsor & Newtons were still mostly useable! Only a couple that I hadn’t sealed properly had dried out. The same was appliccable to my left over drawing materials, all still good to go, even my small jar of Indian ink.

Views of the Universe from Van Gogh to the Hubble Telescope: A Comparative Study of Sublime Beauty

Essay for Bachelor of Fine Art and Visual Culture Curtin University 2017

The sublime fascination with the night sky began very early in human history, evidenced by early records of the movement of the stars, moon and sun in stone monuments. The dwelling place of the gods in ceilings of the tombs in Egypt later became the firmament of heaven for Christianity, and with the advent of the telescope, the night sky increasingly became a place of investigation into our place in the universe. During the 19^th century, the paintings of Vincent van Gogh (1853-1890) revealed his fascination with the night sky inspired by literature, religious beliefs, and prominent artists like Rembrandt (1606-1669) and Whistler (1834-1903). An examination of van Gogh’s three most prominent night scenes contrasted with contemporary 19th-century paintings, historic and contemporary sources, and current views of deep space will argue that the Sublime beauty of the universe is clearly evident in his paintings and that they are forerunners to the images viewed by the Hubble telescope. It will provide evidence of how visions of the night sky have expanded from ideas based on myth or religion to a broader interpretation of the Sublime, and comprehension of a universe in which the earth is but a tiny spec.

Using White Oil Paints

White, like black, is an under estimated and misunderstood tone in oil painting. Most people think you just add white to any colour to lighten it. this is a basic and common mistake. By adding white to your colours too early and by too large an amount, you will will end up with what is called a ‘chalky’ finish.

If you have ever noticed that the colours in your paintings looks dull and lacking in tonal depth and contrast, this could be because, as I did in the past, you have been adding the wrong white, too early, and in the wrong quantity.

Painting Nudes 2017

The First of Five Workshops with David Chen

Learning to paint nudes, like learning still life, is an important part of training as a painter. It teaches observational skills, how to recognise patterns, form, colour and tone. Once you master these things you can look at any subject and be able to interpret it into painting.

A common problem that artists face when painting is painting continuously and repetitively around edges. this effectively isolates your subject from the background and surrounds. It then loses context.

Repeating brush strokes creates a ‘stiff’ and boring result, so knowing where to break lines so that your focal point or main subject connects with the area around it is important. The solution lies is learning where it is best to break lines and change brush direction.