Painting with Colored Pencil

Still life with Pumpkin and American Flag: Step-by-Step Demonstration by Veronica Winters.  Veronica uses Prismacolor Premier Colored Pencils (not Verithin) to create her realistic drawings. She says other pencil brands that are either wax based or oil

Painting Glass with Robert Burridge

"Art Materials" Bob Burridge, acrylic

Here's a couple of 5 minute videos from professional artist and instructor Robert Burridge, who is famous for his "Loosen Up" techniques.    In these exciting lessons, Bob demonstrates how to paint glass.   Using acrylics, he paints wine bottles, a drinking glass and a glass vase.   He begins by painting the basic shape of a wine bottle and then adds highlights using brushes and even his fingers! Bob shares some fantastic tips useful to any artist having trouble painting transparent objects.

Palette Knife Painting Demo by Leonid Afremov

In this video we get to look over the shoulder of Leonid Afremov as he paints this Fall scene, an oil on canvas.  The video is sped up 16 times.   Afremov says he only uses a palette-knife for painting and has not used a brush in this painting.

Woven Strawberry - Watercolor Weaving

Looking for something different to do?   Kay Smith presents a unique way to create texture in your paintings.   This demo is a very large strawberry painted twice on separate 140 lb cold press paper, then cut one into horizontal strips and the other into vertical strips to weave together. This "Watercolor Weaving" tutorial shows the step progression from beginning to end so that you may get up the courage to try a weaving yourself.

How to Paint Realistic Water Drops

Transparent water drops are very appealing things to paint. With a bit of practice and careful planning you'll find they're not as impossible to paint as you might have thought.  View this tutorial from about.com for painting realistic water droplets.

How to Mix Color Using Color Wheel

Click to enlarge or print

How to mix color and color theory using the color wheel.   A video lesson from PaintBasket.com.   Learn about primary colors, secondary colors, what colors to mix, how to mix them and how light affects objects.

Romantic Painting Demo by Robert Hagan

Late Night, 30"x40" oil by Robert Hagan

"Backlight paintings are a delight to do", says Robert. "But they must be sneaked up on-like catching a monkey, otherwise they just get away from you. The secret in painting this type of painting is patience. It's working from the middle tones up and then down, then up and down again a few more tones, until the full range of tones from light to dark is covered. When they are done with care and flair they can be stunning. "

Acrylic Seascape Lesson for an Absolute Beginner

Art instructor Will Kemp offers lessons for the absolute beginner in this 4-part video series on acrylic landscape painting techniques. Kemp says.....when we combine the principles from classical painting with the new modern materials of acrylic painting...we can...create a method of painting that is both simple for the beginner to create pleasing results and broad enough for more practiced artists to continue their study."

A Guide To Acrylic Painting Additives

Shipyards, acrylic by Bob Davies

In this video, Bob Davies gives us a quick guide to the various additives used with acrylic paints for priming, glazing and texturizing.

How to Apply a Colored Ground

Will Kemp says: "Using a ground does a number of fantastic things that are not to be underestimated when starting to learn to paint. It can transform your paintings by making them look more professional, more finished and can drastically increase the

It's in the Bag!

A Gem of a Bag by Jaye Schlesinger

Wouldn't a painting of this recognizable bag be a nice accent to a bedroom or bath?  Jaye Schlesinger and Artists Network share some step-by-step photos demonstrating the techniques needed to paint this Tiffany & Co bag in oils.  The artist says that she wanted to create a trompe l’oeil effect with this painting.  She also points out that, for the painting to read correctly, it's necessary to re-create that particular shade of robin’s egg blue.

Paint Lake with Distant Cliffs

"Quiet Morning: Ramah Lake" by M.C.Johnson

In this step-by-step tutorial, pastel artist Michael Chesley Johnson describes his methods for painting with a local color underpainting.  Johnson says:  "I want a quiet, very harmonious finished piece, so I try three values of a cool, purple-violet for the underpainting and layer cool "local" colors on top of this, saving my warm touches for the red cliffs."   Johnson gives us valuable advice about using a limited palette and sticking with a value plan.  He says:  "I mark my lightest and darkest areas. This shows me at a glance the range of values I must stick with in the painting. No color will be lighter or darker than these."

The Art of Ann Templeton: A Step Beyond
by Michael Chesley Johnson and Ann Templeton
The Art of Ann Templeton explores the world and work of Ann Templeton. With over 120 full-color plates, the book illustrates her use of materials and techniques, her travels, and her approach to workshops, as well as her take on what it is to live the life of an artist. Primarily a plein air painter, Ann Templeton has developed techniques over 30 years of painting to capture the landscape quickly and to interpret it with her unique vision of color and design.