So you started to paint a few years ago…you dabbled and played around with paint. You went to the nearest art supply store; the clerk had you buy a handful of brushes, a few tubes of paint, bottles of liquid ‘stuff’ and several canvas surfaces. Now what?

There were a few pictures you really wanted to paint, but when you realized there was more to mixing colors, and rendering what you saw, you gave up! After a few unsuccessful attempts at painting on your own, frustration set in as you really didn’t have a clue where you were going or what you were doing. Bummer!

Sound familiar? Well don’t feel badly, it happens to many folks who have had the same inclination to paint. Today we can make your first painting experience a much more positive and successful one. Say thank goodness for the internet and Art Apprentice Online. Here’s how you can save time and reach your painting goals a lot faster…

1. Get to know your supplies and tools of the trade – We can’t drive a car if we don’t understand how the gears work, or what the foot pedals do. When we learn to paint, it’s the same…we must know the important basics about our supplies. We must know how to use paint , which kind of paint and the differences between colors and pigments. We also should know about mediums and how they work. We should also know about the tools we use, brushes, easels, and palette knives etc.
2. Surface preparation – knowing what surface to buy and how to prepare it correctly will make the painting experience so much more fun. Painting on rough canvas is no picnic…but painting on a smooth well prepared canvas is a dream…Can we paint on wood or glass, or tin or tile? These are all potential surfaces we can decorate with paintings…Knowing when to choose one and how to prepare it is the key to successfull craftsmanship.
3. Understanding value – Even more important than color is ‘value.’ A successful painting depends on our understanding of light and dark. After all, painting is all about interpreting how light affects an object and how we see it. Many new artists struggle to create basic shapes and forms because they didn’t realize how important this concept of value and form is.
4. Color  Mixing – here’s where we can get so frustrated that we pack it in! But not if you have a good foundation in color and color mixing. It doesn’t take a university degree to learn some basic mixing skills. Knowing how to lighten, darken, or  brighten a color will become second nature when you know how to take the fastest approach to color mixing. Changing from one color to the next will be  so much easier than you ever though…ONLY IF YOU KNOW HOW! We can teach you a very easy method to do this.

Understanding Pigments and Paint - Learn to paint - Art Apprentice Online Art School

When the new artist has a well thought out plan…they can move forward with confidence knowing they are pointing in the right direction. Build a strong foundation right from the beginning. For more information on these or any other types of artistic instruction…contact any teacher at the Art Apprentice Online.

Email: info@artapprenticeonline.com

Many artists want to paint their own original art. They want their canvas paintings to be unique and different right from the start. This is an excellent goal to work towards; however as a new artist just starting out, using painting patterns and online art classes can be a great stepping stone to creating your own original designs.

The subject has been discussed many times…Decorative painters know it too well…’does painting a design created by another artist seem like cheating?’ The answer is a big fat ‘no’! The Old Masters taught their apprentices by allowing them to copy or reproduce their work so they could learn their painting techniques and methods. Using Painting Patterns are simply just another way to do the same thing. An example of this is featured below…Artist Susan Abdella created an acrylic painting pattern  to be use in this same way. The student can learn to paint roses in a successful composition, with the help of written instructions from an experienced artist and teacher. Today painting patterns or (e-packets) are easy to access as they are easily down-loadable to your computer in a few minutes.

Two Roses on a Ledge - Acrylic Painting with Susan Abdella

Building confidence is one of the most important things when learning to paint. Struggling on your own, trying to figure out how to create a special painting effect is not always fun…and is certainly no way to gain confidence. getting frustrated can be very destructive when it comes to developing your creativity! Painting patterns can become a very helpful resource for the new artist. They’re a way to learn how to achieve a certain ‘look’ , learn a new technique, or explore a new subject. At the same time, they help the student artist develop a sense of satisfaction because the guidelines lead to a successful painting in the end. The greatest reward comes when you learn something new you also build your artistic confidence!

Painting patterns are like proven family recipes. They provide you with instructions for a successful painting! They give you painting ingredients and tools (paint and brushes) provide you with step by step written instructions, step photographs, and many of them also go beyond that to include explanations of certain theory concepts.

Using good designs for painting will be helpful tools as you learn to paint, they will also move you, the aspiring artist closer to achieving your painting goals. To see a large collection of these, visit our the Art Apprentice online store where there are several patterns offered in many different categories such as floral, still life, whimsy, holidays, and landscape…

Tulip Folklore and Legends:

- In ancient Persia, known today as Iran, the tulip was recognized as the symbol of ‘tragic’ and also of ‘perfect love’ It is said that two lovers, Shirin and Farhad were deeply in love, the young man, mislead by a rival, fell to his death when he rode his horse over a cliff, he thought the girl he loved was dead. It was a lover’s trick and it’s said that red tulips began growing on the spot where he died unnecessarily. The red tulips represented the drops of his spilled blood.

- It was also known in ancient Persian folk lore that the tulip was born from the tears and blood of a young girl who ventured into the desert looking for her lost love.

- There are so many folklore tales related to the tulip, some quite funny. One story tells of a trader in Amsterdam who had just purchased a very expensive bulb, by today’s prices he would have paid over $1200. for the single bulb.  A rare treasure for sure. A hungry sailor came by and the kind merchant offered him a meal, suggesting he go to the cook house to receive some sausage and bread.  The hungry sailor got the sausage and bread, but while in the cookhouse, he spotted a plate full of onions and thought an onion would go well with his meal.  You guessed it… he dropped the $1200. ‘Onion’ in his pocket and off he went.  A huge uproar ensued when the merchant realized his bulb was missing and went after the sailor who was found putting the last mouthful of bread sausage and onion into his mouth!!

- Another story tells of an unknowing English man cutting open several bulbs with a pocketknife to investigate the strange tasteless onions, only to be questioned by the irate owner of the bulbs.  The curious English man was soon tried in a court of law where he was found guilty and forced to jail until the debt was paid off!

Tulip paintings have also become a symbol of spring time in many parts of the world. Obviously the flower heralds the warmer weather as we shake off the winter’s chill. On a spring visit to a local flower market in Seattle, I came across these beautiful tulips, their spectacular color was simply amazing! The bright orange hues called to me from across the market place. Naturally, out came the camera, and a few months later the tulip painting below was born.

This canvas painting will eventually become available on DVD later this year, however the video painting lessons and directions are currently featured in two of the  Art Apprentice Online E-Magazine (e-zine) and spread out over both issues. The acrylic painting lesson was a joy to write and to film. Of course the beautiful tulip subject wasn’t hard on the eyes or the brush either! If you’ve fallen in love with the tulip flower like I have, and wish to paint this canvas painting below…here’s a chance to paint it right from the comfort of your home.

All the acrylic painting supplies and step by step photos are listed in the AAO E-magazine issues #8 and AAO E-Magazine issue #9.

Art Apprentice Online E-Magazine - Painting Lessons by Neadeen Masters

Painting Tulips - Art Apprentice Online - copyright 2011

So how did the ‘tulip’ first get its name ‘tulip?’

There is a legend for how the flower got its name. Here is but one of a few, but no one can be sure. Some believe that during the sixteenth century a misunderstanding took place and the real name for tulips was misinterpreted. Originally cultivated in Turkey, the tulip bloom is still known there by its native Turkish name of ‘lale’ pronounced lah – lay.  The story goes that a Flemish gent by the name of Ogier Ghiselin de Busbecq while in Constaninople (known today as Istanbul) admired the beautiful flower. The story suggests that since the Turks wore big turbans on their heads and were also fond of tucking a tulip into the turban for decoration; the Flemish gentleman soon seeing this flower showing up everywhere and turned to his interpreter one day, pointed to the flower in someone’s turban as if to ask what it was.  The interpreter misunderstood his intent and thought he was pointing to the red turban and responded to him, “Tolibam.” Or ‘Tulbend’ Some folklorists believe this is how the flower got its name, ‘Tolibam’ eventually evolved to what we know as ‘tulip’  some say unbeknown to the Flemish gentleman who happily went back home to the Netherlands telling everyone about the lovely ‘Tolibam’ flowers he had seen growing all over Turkey!

Historical sources suggest that de Busbecq who was the ambassador to the court of the Turkish Sultan by the name of Sultan Suleiman during that period and that he is the one who gifted the tulip bulbs and seeds to the now famous botanist Carolus Clusius from Vienna. It is also explained that the Latin meaning of ‘Tolibam’ translates to “tulipa”.

Regardless of the name…the tulip still tugs at our hearstrings and causes artists to paint her and dress her in beautiful colors. Artist Sue Pruett, uses the single tulip motif as one of the paintings in her refined blending class and her students love to paint this vibrant flower. The color streaks that create her petal patterns seem to attract us all and the more streaks the better we like to blend them.

It makes us wonder, if the great sultan of Turkey knew or ever imagined that hundreds of years later, his prized flower would be featured on canvas paintings around the world. Would he then have gifted the tulip flowers so freely? It does make us wonder….

Refined Blending Class with Sue Pruett - Art Apprentice Online

Work with a Limited Palette

The ocean is a fascinating subject to paint, but with its array of changing colors, moods and constant movement and energy, it can be a tough one to master. We are better equipped if we approach painting seascapes with a well thought out plan. An important check list is for the color palette. Selecting pigments with a specific reason and purpose based on their pigment properties.

Once the location or compositional sketch has been created, next… think about color and your palette options…

What colors will I use? That’s one place I look to begin. We all have our favorite hues, and thankfully seascape painting doesn’t box us in. The sky is the limit when it comes to selecting colors for this subject. We naturally think of the ocean as being blue…or green…but is it really? It might be safer to say what shades of blue and green might I be mixing today? I usually reach for the following basic pigments and here’s why.

Color Palette – Pigments to think about…

When selecting the color palette think about what subject you are painting. Study your reference materials and look for specific hues and hue shifts. Watch to see what impact the light and sky are having on the water at that time of day. All this information will help you make good color choices.

• Ultramarine Blue – this is a warm blue, works well to create shades of blue violets and rich purples. Great for shadows and reflections between the waves.
• Phthalo Green – Blue shade – this is a reliable, all-purpose  green pigment with powerful tinting strength. A little goes a long way… so be warned! Add a complementary pigment like Permanent Alizarin Crimson and you can control intensity and make awesome dark values.
• Phthalo Blue – Another powerful pigment with amazing tinting strength. Combine this with Phthalo Green and you have a brilliant blue green master mix that will render amazing turquoise and aqua colors…especially  if your seascapes have a tropical theme. Can also be used where you require translucency for breaking waves.

Toned colors for Painting Seascapes

• Naphthol Red Light – This is a warm red, also helps to control and neutralize my greens, added to white with a touch of Hansa Yellow Medium it mixes subtle orange and yellow/orange hues for warm sea  foam and clouds.
• Permanent Alizarin Crimson – A beautiful cool red pigment that works well with Ultramarine Blue and makes delightful violet hues. Also great for tinting foam whites, glowing clouds and controlling the green mixes for the ocean.
• Hansa Yellow Medium – I use this in place of Cadmium Yellow. Yellow helps us brighten and shift our whites, warms for brighter greens and it will inject life into sunshine areas.
• Yellow Oxide – This is a dull yellow, it’s an earth color that helps dull some of our greens for foreground waves. Not too powerful so it’s easy to use.
• Titanium White – Nice clean white…I love to use this as my control for light values.

Naturally this is just a starting point. With this pigment selection of both warm and cool colors, we can pretty much mix anything when it comes to creating ocean/sea and sky colors. This pigment combination will certainly help not only the new painter, but anyone control and adjust hue, value and color intensity quite easily.

Join me for an in-depth online art class to explore the subject of seascape painting. Discover the secrets for painting breaking waves, moving water, foam patterns, wet sand, tidal pools, and so much more!

Hue – What does it mean? 

The word Hue is a term used in the art world to define the family of a color. …. For example, if ‘Robin’s Egg Blue’ is the color we want to suggest, we might also say that Robin’s egg blue is a blue ‘Hue’ or it belongs to the family of blue colors on the color wheel. Relative to the other colors found on the color wheel such as red or yellow they are all Hues. Generally we can also use the term Hue when we refer to the spectrum of color that runs around the color wheel.

Yellow Hues Belong to the Yellow Family of Colors

The word ‘Hue’ is used in two separate ways.

Shown in these two visual examples are several ‘Hues’. These yellow colors above, all come from the yellow group of colors on the color wheel. If we describe them, we would say they are the Yellow Hues. The same goes for the Blue colors we see below.

What is Hue - Blue Hues from the Blue Family of Colors

The word ‘Hue’ is also used to label the color of a pigment.

Paint manufacturers will use the term ‘Hue’ to designate a pigments color. Here is an example of this.  In the acrylic paint line from DecoArt Traditions Artist Acrylics, Prussian blue is referred to as a Hue because it is a mixed color. This color is labeled Prussian Blue Hue. This choice of wording communicates to the user that the color of the paint has been carefully matched to replicate the original pigment that was historically used to make Prussian Blue.

Often a paint manufacturer will select another specific pigment or a combination of pigments to copy the historical ‘color’ because the original pigment might be fugitive or toxic, or may not work as well. The pigment that was historically used to make Prussian Blue was fugitive (it fades easily). The paint manufacturer chose to implement a new pigment in its place, using a different pigment with a much higher light fast rating and it has the same hue.

Conscientious artists who are learning painting, also need to learn about the paint they are using. It is important for the successful mixing of colors, as well as helping when selecting or buying pigments.  Too often costly mistakes are made when we don’t understand the working properties of pigments. If learning about color and pigments is a subject you wish to learn more about, there are several in-depth online, color theory classes offered at the Art Apprentice Online Art School. Begin with Discover the Basics – Color Theory One with Instructor Gaby Hunter.

For some student painters, the subject of painting seascapes can seem very scary and intimidating. But like everything else, getting to know your subject is the key to your success. Knowing where to start and what to study is the first step. Not only do we need to learn about the anatomy of waves and the ocean, we have to understand the properties of water, wind, wet sand, and most important…light. Knowing how light reacts to water, wet surfaces such as rocks and beaches will make painting realism easier to describe.

We need to understand that the sky and the sea work in tandem; the ocean is a reflection of what is going on in the sky relative to clouds, wind, sunlight and the time of day. At first it seems like a lot to learn, and it is, but if there is a methodical approach, success is only a painting away! If you happen to live near the ocean, lucky for you, but if you rely on reference materials, taking time to study them closely will arm you with the right information. Observing the different colors, recording the depth of color, color intensities, color temperatures, and color contrasts between the waves is a start in the right direction. Next comes the study of the air and atmosphere as well as the time of day. look for the quality and quantity of light as this helps the artist make better decisions regarding the overall mood of the seascape painting.

David James 1881-1898, Atlantic Rollers

The ocean moves constantly, it changes with the tides and it reacts to wind and the natural contours of the coastline. These natural conditions all impact breaking waves, and the way waves roll in,  how swells are depicted and how the beach reacts to these surges. When the student artist knows what to look for and how to make decisions regarding the movement and motions of the ocean, success is just a matter of practise and time. The technical aspects depend on how much realism you want to portray. Discovering how to paint the delicate foam patterns, where to place shadows and how to render surface reflections can make your seascapes exciting and full of life. It doesn’t take long to paint beautiful and believable paintings of the sea if you only take the time to study it. Learning to paint seascapes can be a most rewarding subject to explore. The sea is ever changing, for this captivating subject there will be no shortage of materials to paint.

Painting crashing waves and over spray, knowing where to place important highlights and final sparkles takes a little planning. How do we learn this? Observation is one of the keys!

What is the first image you have when you hear the word Holland? We automatically think of the Tulip flower, correct? What is little known is that this radiant flower was first introduced to Europe in 1554 via Turkey and took Europe by storm during the seventeenth century. It has been a favorite amongst gardeners and collectors since it became popular back then and offers us the widest variety through its many hundreds of species.  It is now available in over 4,000 varieties, a sure testament to its modern popularity. Tulips have been found decorating ancient pottery since 2200 BC. However, not too much was mentioned in early writings about this flower.

Tulip Trio DVD by Sharon Hamilton, MDA - Art Apprentice Online

The tulip is still the national flower of Turkey and is the first flower to be cultivated and grown for the single purpose of its beauty.  Until the sixteenth century, the land around personal dwellings was used for practical purposes only, to grow plants that produced food and used to feed animals.  This land was too valuable to grow something that could not contribute to human survival, for example to produce food or grow plants to be used for medicinal purposes. It is believed that the Ottoman rulers of Turkey were the first to begin cultivating the tulip for its simple beauty. Historians tell us that the Turks first traded these tulip bulbs from adventurers who were trading with the peoples of northern China, and countries like Armenia and Azerbaijan.

The Turkish Sultans held this flower in high esteem and celebrated many festivals with it. Tulips were grown by the millions, laid out in patterns and resembled the patterns typically found on carpets. In fact, the elaborate gardens of some Sultans actually looked like giant colorful carpets when they were in full bloom.  It is believed that the tulip made its way into Vienna in the sixteenth century, brought by the Austrian consul to Istanbul.  It then made its way through different parts of Europe and was eventually embraced by the Dutch painters of northern Europe. Thus began artist’s love affairs with the tulip flower!

Painting Tulips - Online Art Class with Donna Richards

Paintings of tulips are still popular with artists from around the globe. The tulip motif is by far one of the most popular flowers embraced by artists of all skill levels even today. Here are two examples of the delicate and elegant flower painted by two teachers of the Art Apprentice Online Art School. Sharon Hamilton has created an in-depth tulip study using the painting technique of the Old Flemish Masters, known as the Flemish Technique. Sharon’s painting approach is an indirect method where the layering of transparent color is applied over the dead layers and underpainting.  Donna Richard’s approach is different yet just as effective. Donna has used a more direct approach as she paints and teaches this tulip painting using a wet-in-wet method in her online art class.

As long as we grow tulips, there will be tulip paintings and artists will find ways to render this dramatic flower in unique ways…

The Tulip in Holland

As stated in the previous blog post, the gentleman, who visited Turkey, was a botanist. The Emperor Maximilian II from Vienna had requested that he create a botanical garden in Vienna. He was so enamored with the flower, that he brought bulbs back from Turkey. He later accepted a position as a botanist to look after the botanical garden at the University of Leiden. This botanist, a man who went by the name of Carolus Clusius, had studied plants for their medicinal purposes but realized that these were different; he brought with him the bulbs from Vienna.  Rumor has it that he was also very protective of his findings; he refused to sell the bulbs believing that those who wanted them did not share the same interest in them and only thought of making a profit on resale. He refused to share his treasures with others. Rumor also has it that some folks realized he was onto something bigger and invaded his protected gardens to pinch some of the bulbs he planted! From that time to now the mania for tulips bulbs was started and grew.  This love affair with the tulip flower has continued amongst gardeners and artists ever since.

Parrot Tulip - Online Art Class with Neadeen Masters - Art Apprentice Online

Trading Tulips

And the story continues…Amongst the many speculators was one man by the name of Conrad Guestner who began importing tulip bulbs into Holland from Constantinople and thus began an important trade that eventually took the Netherlands by storm. The tulip became a sort after status symbol amongst gardeners and soon prized amongst the elite rich of Europe. The tulip was first made very popular in wealthy circles of nobility and scholars in cities such as Brussels, Antwerp, Paris, and Prague to name just a few.

Because this tulip flower was so different and unique, the flower gained in popularity and during the sixteenth century, Europeans, especially those from the Netherlands created demand for the flower which soon turned into a tidal wave of trade for these flower bulbs. What is now historically known as ‘Tulipomania’ or Tulip mania had begun…

Do you love the tulip flower motif?

If you are like millions of others who love the tulip flower and are still part of tulip mania, here is an opportunity to paint one for yourself. This Parrot Tulip canvas painting by artist and instructor Neadeen Masters is a large acrylic painting on a 24″ x 36″ stretched canvas surface. This tulip painting class has been created just for the first time painter who has never painted before! Like we said, no prior skill or painting experience is required. Neadeen has designed this oversized and colourful tulip flower to make a daring statement! Her students are loving it!  It can also be painted on a smaller canvas surface if you so wish. When displayed as wall art, this large contemporary painting will add cheer and life to any space in the home.

Have you ever wondered where and how folks started to make canvas paintings? It’s a long story, and art historians have recorded it well, but it all started in Venice Italy. Since canvas is made out of fabric, canvas was first used to make the strong sail for the big merchant ships and other sea going vessels…Somewhere along the line; early Italian artists were inspired to use canvas as a surface to paint on. In its early use, canvas was very rough to paint on and had to me made smoother to accept the oil paint. That’s when ‘gesso’ was first invented. Gesso is a semi-liquid substance used to prepare the canvas prior to paint application. This made the canvas much more attractive as a smoother painting surface.  Modern gesso is still used today (commercially made of course) to help artists create an extra smooth surface if they so desire one. Because canvas was much easier to transport than wooden surfaces, its popularity soon spread across Europe and north to the Netherlands where it was gladly embraced by the Dutch Painters of that era.

Floral Painting By Susan Abdella - Art Apprentice Online

Over the years many  have come to associate canvas painting with oil painting. This is mostly because paintings hanging in the museums and modern art galleries are indeed oil paintings on canvas. Not only does this prove its durability, longevity and popularity among artists over time, it also suggests that no other painting surface seems to have outperformed its popularity.

Today artists have also embraced acrylic paint as a very popular and modern painting media. While straying from the traditional oil media, these acrylic artists have not strayed too far  from canvas. They too also readily embraced canvas as their surface of choice. Canvas, or ‘cotton duck’ as it is known, comes in many different weights and thicknesses. While many artists still stretch their own canvas onto sturdy wooden frames, commercial canvas supports can be purchased in art stores across the globe. This convenience makes it very easy for the new painter who is learning to paint, to have easy access to prepared surfaces and to embrace canvas paintings in the same way. New and student artists can be just as proud to showcase their first  canvas paintings as the professional artists who sells their art work in the local art galleries.

The result…canvas painting lives on…