Mixing Different Mediums and Techniques in Painting
As a painter, you must have a thorough working knowledge of different mediums and painting techniques. This knowledge is essential not only to your commercial success but also to your ability to express your artistic vision. Here’s an overview of what you should know about mixing various mediums and using different techniques.
Introduction to Acrylics
Acrylic paints have a rich and fascinating history. The first acrylic resin was crafted by German chemist, Dr. Otto Röhm who originally intended it to be used for industrial applications. Many potent and popular painters have used acrylic paints in their artistry throughout history. From David Alfaro Siqueiros to Andy Warhol have turned to acrylics to bring their artistic visions to the world.
Acrylic Painting Techniques
The techniques you use have a direct impact on how your painting will turn out when using acrylics. Different techniques can be used to produce various effects. For the most part, the Old Masters knew best. Here are some of the most useful and interesting techniques.
The Splattering Technique
The flick of your brush can create a unique splatter that conveys a valuable artistic element, emotion. When you flick your brush you can harness the energy that you have at that moment and channel it into a feeling. That feeling will be projected into your piece as it splatters unto the canvas.
Try tapping into different emotions and see how they affect the outline of the splatter. An angry flick of the brush will make a different splatter than one that is careful, deliberate, and methodical.
Like Watercolors? You’ll Love the Washing Technique
Washing is a technique in which the paint is mixed with water to produce a translucent effect that mimics watercolor paints. While diluting your paints might sound counterintuitive, it can actually make for some very pleasing effects on the canvas. Don’t be afraid to experiment with it.
Dabbing
Another useful technique you can use with acrylic paints is called dabbing. As the name suggests, you simply dab lightly on the canvas. When employing the dabbing technique, you should use either a brush with stiff bristles or a paper towel. It is important that you apply only the lightest bit of pressure when dabbing.
Dabbing is a great way to weave small deliberate accents of color into your painting. Claude Monet, one of the greatest painters in the history of the craft often used dabbing to experiment with the worlds of light and color. He successfully brought those two worlds together with this technique.
The Palette Knife
Among the most unique techniques in acrylic painting, is the use of the palette knife. Artists who use a palette knife are often more advanced. This is a powerful technique that can produce spectacular effects for those who have either the skill or the will to possess it.
You can use the palette knife technique to create sweeping layers of texture that enrich your painting and give it more substance.
This technique can be exercised by using a palette knife or a painter’s edge.
Mediums
Now that you know more about the techniques that you can use when painting with acrylics, it’s time to introduce you to some mediums. The medium you choose will have a dramatic effect on the look and feel of your painting.
Matte and Gloss Acrylics
Two acrylic mediums that you should know about are matte and gloss. Acrylic paint is glossy by nature. A glossy acrylic medium can be useful when you want to make your painting more luminous and reflective.
Matte paint is comparatively much flatter and is a smart choice when you want to tone down the natural glossiness and shine of acrylic paint.
Texture Gels for Acrylics
Artists use texture gels to create distinct textures on the canvas. These textures range from sands and stucco to glass beads. While there is a wide variety of texture gels available for purchase, you can make your own if you so desire. A simple texture gel can be made by mixing in materials like sawdust and sand.
Using Modeling Paste with Acrylics
If you want to add 3-dimensional elements or make a collage. Modeling enables a bolder use of texturing. As a creative artist, you’ll likely find many exciting applications for this medium.
Most modeling paste is white after drying. It can be painted over and adjusted as needed to create the effect you want.
Unleash Your Imagination
You now have a rudimentary knowledge of acrylic mediums and techniques and are ready to start painting! Let your imagination run wild, never limit yourself. Take your best ideas and put them to the canvas. Whether you use the abstract powers of the splattering technique or the precision of the palette knife you are an artist, and you are free.
5 Tips to Help a Clouded Mind from Grief
I've just been thinking about this topic a lot lately of the lack of clarity from the result of grief of losing somebody, and I've been talking to a lot of people, and what I've noticed this common pattern of is people having a lot of thoughts around their loss, and there are so many thoughts, they're overwhelming. And those thoughts really don't go anywhere, except they get shoved down deep into your brain probably, or somewhere into your psyche, but what happens is they just keep building up, building up, building up, and that's where you develop anxiety and a lot of that kind of stuff. But I thought I'd just share three easy creative ways to get those thoughts and those feelings out of you because they have to come out somehow, right? Otherwise, it's a pressure cooker.
Full transcript below:
1. Write in a Journal
So the first one would just be writing, and I think a lot of you probably start writing, or maybe you do it once after someone passes away, but then you get too busy and you're like, "Ah," you get out of the habit. So I'd encourage you to go pick up your notebook, start writing, get those thoughts out about the person you lost, about how you're feeling, about what you're angry about, what you're sad about, the things that you're missing out on, things like that.
2. Pencil Drawing
The second one would be to go get a sheet of printer paper or just some kind of paper around the house, and get a pencil and just start drawing, drawing literally how you're feeling. It could be a picture, it could be a symbol, it could be anything like that, but literally, just start drawing. So, that creative practice is a lot of what I do, and it's helpful just to feel something. You're feeling those emotions in some way, and it's transferring to this. It could be a crude drawing, who cares? You could tear it up and throw it away afterward. It's not for anybody, it's for you. But anyway, it's something to help.
3. Painting
The third one would be, of course, painting, if you have any kind of paints around the house or you live by an art store, but I mean, painting is my preferred method because it's so tactile and you can just push paint around a canvas, you can pick the colors you want, you can just do whatever you're feeling, but again, it's just something to get those emotions out.
4. Take a Walk
I'll add another one in, and that's just taking a walk. I think we really underestimate the value of taking a walk around the block, even if it's 10 minutes, whatever it is, five minutes, whatever you have, but a lot of us spend way too much time on Netflix, and things like that, and that's time you could spend alone to yourself doing somewhere around the block.
5. Have a Good Cry
And then I'll throw in one more too, and that's just going and crying somewhere. I've done this many times myself. I had to learn how to do it after my brother passed, but that's also a good way just to process those raw emotions in a way where you don't want anyone watching you do that, that's fine. I'm not a big fan of that either. But I go where I feel the safest to do that, so go in a closet, or wherever that is, in your car, and just let it out.
Conclusion
But I think that the key point is that doing any of those things, or a combination of them, I've found to be pretty helpful in just processing that emotion, versus getting stuck in that busyness cycle, and then you keep making excuses for yourself, and before you know it, just everything's difficult to deal with, and you're a ticking time bomb at that point. Something's going to snap. You're just going to be angry at everything.
So, these are all things you could do, really accessible. They don't take very long and just do it more often than once. Do it, try to make some kind of practice out of it, even once a week to start. But anyway, I hope this is helpful. Yeah, I just wanted to share my thoughts here. So, thanks.
How to Handle the Death Anniversary of a Loved One
Transcript:
Hey, this is Preston Zeller. I am just going to probably ramble here a bit about anticipating the anniversary of when you lost somebody. I think there's something about getting closer to that day that makes a lot of us restless. So I have my brother's three-year anniversary of him passing away coming up tomorrow. And this week's been kind of weird, for sure. A bit like thinking about what I want to do to remember him and what my family's going to do.
And so I just thought I'd share what we're going to do, and then also some other ideas. Because I see a lot where, it's coming up ... especially the first year. That one-year anniversary, where it's just really, a year marks this pivotal point of that very early period, right? Where you're just in such distress and feeling all these crazy emotions from grief and trying to figure out what it all means for you still.
And so three years out, one thing that we've decided to do is ... my brother's favorite food was pizza. Like a lot of people. Who doesn't like pizza? But he definitely enjoyed it some more than others. And so we grew up making homemade pizza. So that's what we're going to do. We're making homemade pizza. I got some really good slow-rise dough in the fridge. And so yeah, that's one thing we're going to enjoy. We don't all get to be together physically, but we're going to do that.
Opportunity to Be Better
But instead of the day, maybe being this ominous, fortuitous ... or foreboding, I should say, day. I do think it's an opportunity to reflect on, how have I been living my life? How do I want to live my life? Because the reality is, your person's not coming back. And that's a really hard thing to swallow for, I think a lot of us. Maybe you're still in this denial phase. Or maybe you are just still embracing all of the downward-feeling thoughts and emotions versus embracing the joy and the happiness that you can have. And certainly, I hope you don't feel guilty about feeling any kind of joy or having a laugh. That's another thing that I think can often be weighing down on someone is like, I'm not allowed to feel happy. It's like, yeah, you are. Laughter and crying are, are releases of emotion. And so, why wouldn't you embrace that?
But the way I've looked at it over the years, for sure, is that I want to live a life that my brother can't live. I want to live doubly, right? Not that I'm going to these extremes, but I'm also that much more, not going to let anything hold me back. And I think it's a disservice in a way, to the person that you lost, to let that death hold you back. And to some degree, I think we can feel guilty for trying to live an abundant life, because we want to continue to hold on to the pain and the misery that it has caused us, especially in the early days. And somehow letting that go means you're going to forget about that person.
But I think it's quite the opposite. By just embracing the actuality of them being gone, you're more so using that as a way to honor them and that they're not there, and living your life in a way that is going to be fruitful. That's going to produce something of value. And what is that value? It could be just being a good person to your family, to your friends. It could be some kind of aspirations you have, and going and pursuing those. But whatever it is, using this anniversary of your loss to move into that mode, I think is super important. And I do believe the sooner we do that, the sooner you can move into this mode where you're, again, using this loss as something to be ... to motivate you. And to bring a bright spot amidst the darkness.
Turn Grief into Greatness
And there's a saying that I came up with, but it's just, to turn grief into greatness. And I think we do have a bit of a responsibility to do that versus just staying in those early days of the shock and the sadness. There will be that, for sure. There is sadness, but it doesn't have to all be sad. It doesn't have to all be depressing. It doesn't have to all be something bad. It could be something that really works in your favor, in a way. And again, using this anniversary day ... if you had music you listened to with that person. If you had certain games you played. Certainly food, that's a really big one. And doing that with family and friends. But being communal about it.
And remember that no one just leaves behind one person. I think in the US it's, they leave behind an average of five people, five close relationships. So that was in a report I read somewhere recently. So there are other people I think who want to share this with you may be more than you know or realize. Seek those people out. And even if just other grieving people who you've connected with, go do that. And I think you'll be better off for it.
And, yeah. Anyways, I hope this was helpful. If you have any comments, leave them below. I'd love to hear from you and just see what you have to say. So have a good day.
Choosing the Right Artwork for Restaurants
Finding the right decor for your restaurant can be almost as important as the menu. Adding some artwork can really bring the place together and give it that extra bit of wow factor.
While it is your choice, there may be some pieces that don’t work very well. You want your restaurant to do well and look good, so putting some thought or research into the artwork you choose can make a big difference.
Here are a few ideas to get you started:
Sourcing Artwork For Your Restaurant
One of the biggest questions any restauranteur will have is "how do I find the right artwork?" Typically, your interior designer should be sourcing the artwork from local stores, or better yet, local artists. Some of that is covered below. Aside from this, depending on how high end your restaurant is, you may want to use an art buyer who can source original fine art for your restaurant. This can not only elevate the feel of the restaurant but will give your patrons another unique feature to tell their friends about.
Color Theme
You don’t need to be a fine dining place to take a bit of pride in the decor and artwork. Finding a few nice pieces that accentuate your color theme can really bring out certain aspects of your wallpaper, your upholstery or even your dishes and even uniforms.
Try to find artwork that is going to highlight the lest dominant color in your place. If you have blue upholstery, say, with small accents in another color, find artwork that will highlight the lesser colors.
Food Themes
Artistically drawn or painted pictures of food that you serve or reasonable likeness is abstract can encourage people to order those items. If you are an Italian place, have interesting and even actual pictures of your food. People do it all the time, anyhow.
You could also have paintings of wine, cheese, wheat fields, fruit and vegetables. It’s a nice way to advertise your menu and still have interesting pieces of artwork on display.
If tomato sauce is a major item you use, there are plenty of ways you could use tomatoes, the color red and pictures of prepared food to display your menu and still make the artwork, work.
Locations
It’s also nice to have landscapes or pictures of certain locations or historical sites for your artwork. A Chinese food place can have pictures of the region the food originates or a Mediterranian place could have olive trees, locations in exotic locations and images of white buildings and the sea.
Even older pictures of what your building used to be, how the street looked when the city was first built and other historical pictures of the neighborhood are always interesting to locals and newcomers, alike.
Artist Theme
If you have an Italian restaurant, images of Italy or prints from the old masters can really add a nice bit of class and sophistication to your room. You can find prints for a very reasonable price and they would definitely add to the decor and theme.
Your Own Theme
If you are a sports pub or casual restaurant, you can get fun or funny artwork to fit the theme you have going. Pictures of local sports figures, sports memorabilia, jerseys, baseball cards, or artifacts that add to the flavor of the place.
Maybe your restaurant boasts ‘home cooking’. Pictures of family dinners, a Norman Rockwell-type of artwork or even a collection you may have that was done by your own family.
Support Local Artists
Many restaurants rotate their artwork by allowing local artists to display their own work for a limited time. It’s a great way to get free artwork, get people interested in their local artists, and help out someone who could likely really use it.
Rotating the artwork, say every month is also interesting to your regular customers and they will often come back just to see what’s new. It can give them a great opportunity to showcase their work and give you an ever-changing decor.
Things to Avoid
While it is up to you, using artwork that has overly heavy religious themes, war depictions, and other acts of violence are not often recommended. You honestly never know what might set people off or offend them.
Pictures that show animals can be nice but not if they are actually offered on the menu. People often find this upsetting. You also would likely want to avoid cutesy pictures of kittens or puppies. They are fun but better suited for a place for children, not a restaurant.
Pictures that show gore, blood, and other acts that are of a violent nature should also be avoided. People want to see nice images and while they are not there for the artwork, you do not want to put them off their meals with upsetting images.
Artwork Matters
Of course, whatever you decide to do is up to you. Just have fun with it and be aware people will get offended and want to express an opinion, even where it isn’t needed.
How Artwork Influences Purchase Decisions
Art has been successfully used to influence emotions and minds for centuries. Visual expression of all types has the ability to impact how we think. Whether you’re visiting a museum or simply staring at an advertisement, art can be a powerful tool in shaping desire.
The Role of Art in Business
The role of art extends itself across all different businesses. From high priced original paintings to the pop art of Andy Warhol’s generation, the power of visual interpretation can be found in offices and grocery stores alike.
One of the most obvious areas in business depicting art’s impact on consumerism is advertising. By using several different visual techniques, art can shape the importance of a product in anyone’s life.
How Does Art Impact Consumerism?
Color, lines, and the suggestion of something unobtainable have all been known to create human want and desire. Since consumerism is based around making people want what somebody else has, art is highly valuable in the process.
What is Color Psychology?
Color psychology is the study of different hues and how they influence human behavior. One study found that people in management positions can effectively use color to increase or decrease appetite. Researchers also found that approximately 90% of immediate judgments made about services or products can potentially be based exclusively on color.
Using color to create emotion may seem straight forward. In some fast-food restaurants, specific colors are used with the intention of getting their customers in and out as fast as possible. Although yellow may make some people happy, it doesn’t necessarily make all people feel happy. Depending on the culture, people in other countries may feel differently about art when it is used for business or marketing.
The Power of Suggestion
Shapes and lines are used just as much as color to sway consumers. In addition to print advertising and paintings, furniture has shaped how we feel about a room or even the people in it. The amount of space given to an area can make somebody feel more or less comfortable.
Office decor has become a lucrative business for interior designers. Every detail inside a room can create a larger story. Conducting a meeting in a room with sloping lounge chairs and floral curtains may have a different feel to it than one with a marble conference table or several mahogany bookcases. Depending on the goals of the individual business, the design of its overall look can greatly impact its success.
Texturing Art
The texture of a piece of art can tell us what to identify with. For instance, car advertisements may depict a different kind of ride when using printed photographs or illustrations. A rocky terrain may suggest what type of driver would choose a Jeep over the smooth road of a luxury convertible. Subtle differences in landscape can project a desired personality into the subconscious.
How Does Art Impact the Corporate World?
The design and artwork in a workplace have the ability to calm employees with stressful jobs. Many workplaces that require a high amount of concentration for long periods of time can feel dreary or tense. By using art in the right way, employees can actually feel more relaxed while working throughout the day.
Paintings of nature scenes can actually lower levels of anger when used in certain settings. For places of business that have a high rate of turnover, art can lead to better work performance, calmer employees, and a less hostile environment.
On a social level, art can spark discussions among colleagues. Art does not have to be controversial to be provocative. Many people feel intense emotions after seeing shapes and colors that don’t necessarily represent a concrete object or landscape. By bonding over the feelings that art can represent, people are more likely to feel closer to one another.
Corporate art buyers often specialize in finding artwork for specific types of environments. In this way, they can match the right tone and mood to what the owner of the space wants to convey.
How to Choose the Right Art
Art is as versatile as personality. Depending on the type of business, art can influence people in a variety of different ways. There is no wrong way to create, buy, or share art, however, the setting does matter.
For highly intense settings, artwork that shows people performing caring acts for each other can actually reduce angry responses. Impressionist paintings are frequently used for their calming effect. Branding, on the other hand, usually requires bright and bold colors that are used to excite the brain rather than relax.
Art has been specifically designed and chosen to sway the emotions of others. This can be a calculated decision based on the artist’s goals or it can come from a deeper subconscious part of the brain. By mixing the two together, an artist spends his time in both business and psychology.
Why Do People Buy Art?
There are plenty of reasons why people buy art. Owning a nice piece of art can not only enhance the room where you put it but it can be a nice investment, as well.
Sometimes people just buy something because they need to cover up a mark on their wall or a need to decorate their new office.
Why Do We Buy Art?
1. Emotional Attachment
People buy art because they like it. They see a painting or a sculpture and are moved by it emotionally. It could evoke a deep, happy memory, it might remind them of a place they have been or they just really like how it looks visually.
It could be the colors they like or a combination of the colors. We often look at art and are transported back to a place in our childhood or a happier time in our lives.
Sometimes the scene the artwork represents is familiar and comforting. It might remind you of your Grandmother’s house, visits to the lake or a place you used to live many years ago.
People who buy art for the love of the piece often don’t care about the price. That can also mean that they see a copy of something they like at the local framing shop for $20 and buy it simply because they like it.
2. Support Local Artists
People will also often buy a piece of artwork to support a local artist, be it a stranger or a friend or family member. This can happen frequently if the artist is having a local showing of their work.
People don’t always buy the art for themselves. They may buy it and then pass it on as a gift for a friend or loved one. They could pass it on to a charity as a donation like a hospital or some other non-profit organization.
It’s a lovely gesture and by displaying the local artist’s work in your home or office, you will encourage conversation and interest about the artist to other people who see it. It’s a great way to get a nice piece of artwork and support your local community.
3. As An Investment
People love to buy art as a great way to make money. They often have no emotional attachment to the piece, only a certainty that it will increase in value.
People investing in art as an investment may also love the piece. It could be an investment they plan on handing down through their family as an inheritable asset.
This is done when a famous piece goes to auction, a new artist is getting a lot of attention or there is a sudden peak in a certain artist’s work. It can often happen if a certain celebrated artist passes on.
4. For The Clout
Imagine the envy of all your friends when they see that Picasso or Rembrandt print on your wall. Often, the name and reputation of a famous artist are enough for people to buy it, regardless of whether they actually like it or not.
These are often purchased by people who can afford the piece without worry. It might be an investment, also, but often, it’s all about the bragging rights about owning a certain piece that matters most.
They will often have the piece on display so everyone will be able to see it. Many times, people will know very little about the piece itself, only that the artist is famous and they want to have it.
5. Collectors
There are art loves who like to collect art for the sake of completing their collection. It can be from a local artist they appreciate or famous pieces that surface and come on the auction market.
There may a desire to own certain pieces because of the period they were done in, the artist, themself or simply because the collector likes the work. Sometime people will display it, often time, they will donate it to a museum.
Art For Art’s Sake
Whatever your motivation, art will continue to be made, loved and purchased. The old maters will continue to resurface and be sold again and again, all for more money.
Investing in any art at whatever level is always welcome. Sharing beautiful things with yourself, your friends and loved ones makes life a little more bearable. Investing in a local artist makes their life more bearable, as well.
There is no accounting for taste, so buy what you like. If you like it and it moves you, there is more than enough motivation to buy a piece of artwork to love.
When Does and Doesn't Abstract Art Work?
If you are looking for some interesting art pieces for your home or office, abstract art can be a fantastic addition. However, there will be times when it is not a great fit, either.
Artwork in a room should either be the focal point or an enhancement to the room’s decor. While it will always be your own personal taste, there are a few things to consider before using abstract art pieces.
Abstract Art At Home
It’s your home and you should decorate it however you see fit. But abstract art, as painting, as sculpture or any other medium, can take up a lot of space and attention.
If you choose something like a painting that has a lot going on, it’s a good idea to have the rest of your decor minimal. Plain, solid colors will keep the room flowing and ‘quiet’.
It will also depend on where you are placing it. You don’t want a piece that represents violence or mayhem in a room meant for relaxing and calm. Likewise, if you are decorating a man cave, you don’t likely want fluffy bunnies or calming pastels.
Abstract Art At Work
A nice piece of abstract art can really pull your office together. It can also say a lot about its inhabitants. Keep in mind, however, that certain pieces might not work.
If you are someone meant to command respect and trust, the artwork can say a lot about that. Again, violence and destruction depicted in your office can be very off-putting for people and give them the wrong idea.
Certain, very busy pieces can look great but be a great distraction for clients or guests in your office. If you need to have people really listen and understand what you are telling them, don’t distract them with loud or busy artwork.
Other Factors
Of course, none of this means you shouldn’t buy the piece of art you like. It just means you need to find the right space to hang it. If you work from home, hang whatever you like, as you are likely the only one who will see it.
But artwork depicted with heavy religious overtones or anything else that may be considered inappropriate, like overt sexual nature or something anyone could deem racist or insulting can do damage to your career.
The Choice is Yours
Again, it is up to you and if you like the piece, buy it. But understand there may be things in the piece that you don’t see and others may interpret as offensive or demeaning.
Supporting your local artists should always be encouraged and your taste is your taste. It is important to consider who will be seeing the pieces and how they may react or interpret them.
Often, the title of the piece may not resemble what you see. That is the beauty and the disadvantage of abstract art. Different people can see beauty and horror in the same piece. One may love it, as you do, and one may hate it and make judgments on you, based on their own interpretation.
But buy it anyhow