Arttutor.Com

A definitive 2019 guide to choosing an easel >> https://bit.ly/2Mb3wr5

Wonderful portrait commission by Peter Keegan. An explosion of colour and a terrific example of how an artistic style can create something totally unique and personal!

New blog 🙌 Check it out here >> https://bit.ly/2Skb7V9

Horse portraits in graphite for a commission by Phil Davies. Definitely too long for a lesson!

It's that time again! We had so many fantastic entries for the June Challenges, a big thank you to all who took part.
And Congratulations to our winners!... Adana, Chapter3, Dutch, EvelynS, Gill Farquharson, Grandmasilver, Ising4pc, Jagsgirl, Julianfem, Laurenjb, Marilyn Janet, Muriel44, Nancy Bentley, NickyJChadwick, Rachie, Tam-tam, Violetlilyquist & Young.
You can see all of their brilliant artwork below or view the full breakdown of results here >>https://bit.ly/2xzOiDx
... We look forward to seeing what you come up with this month :)
See More

Look at this figure sketch in oils by Peter Keegan. Very loose and painterly with big, obvious brush marks. Now look at it again but this time really scrunch your eyes up as though you were looking at something very bright.
This loose sketch suddenly looks almost photographic!
Don't obsess over the details. They aren't what make or break a drawing or painting. The lights and darks, on the other hand, can make or break a piece of art. Focus on those first and if you need help seeing them, scrunch up your eyes.

Quick video blog on using the "rule" of thirds to make a piece of art more visually engaging >> https://bit.ly/2FPoiIZ

Fantastic watercolour river scene from artist Rob Dudley. These images were taken from his new book "Painting Rivers - From Source to Sea.
With over 200 images, Rob shares his methods, techniques and ideas on how to paint a river and capture its life, light, movement, colour and interest. It's a must-have for all landscape and en plein air artists.
You can get a copy here:
... UK & Europe (paperback signed by Rob): https://bit.ly/2Jniyaf
UK Amazon (Kindle or paperback): https://amzn.to/2KRfne3
USA Amazon (Kindle or paperback): https://amzn.to/2ROLc7T
See More

Hands are one of the trickiest things to draw so Carole Massey has created this short video for our blog to help you out >> https://bit.ly/2XcffMM
You'll get tips for achieving the right shape, proportion and gesture that you can apply to other drawing and sketching subjects too. A great watch for all levels of artist >> https://bit.ly/2XcffMM

New Blog: A Guide to Oil Mediums by Bob Davies. A great read for anyone confused by the plethora of mixable products on the market (turps, linseed oil, poppy seed oil, alkyd mediums, Liquin and so on). Read it here >> https://bit.ly/2WSTf9r

Stunning watercolour florals by tutor Siân Dudley. These images were taken from her new book "Painting Flowers - A Creative Approach.
As you might guess, the book is about painting florals in watercolour. But it goes beyond that. Siân wrote it to answer one of the questions her students most frequently ask...
"How do you go beyond simply 'copying' exactly what's in front of you, so you can produce your own creative and original images?".
... Siân's book answers that question in a very practical and inspiring way. If you'd like a copy, follow the link below:
UK & Europe (paperback signed by Siân): https://bit.ly/31Du1uz
UK Amazon (Kindle or paperback): https://amzn.to/2L2e2Ax
USA Amazon (Kindle or paperback): https://amzn.to/2XUoo8Z
See More

A figure study commission by Phil Davies in charcoal, which he turned into a class on ArtTutor. More details here: https://www.arttutor.com/class/Diane

There's a lot you can learn compositionally from this fantastic oils portrait by Peter Keegan Artist, called "David & Tilly'...
Where's the focal point? It's David's face of course. And Peter uses multiple tools to pull your attention towards it.
Look how it's been placed a third of the way across the width of the painting ('rule' of thirds) - an area your eye is naturally drawn to. Then you have the pose of the dog that's almost arrow-like, pulling your gaze back to that foc...al point as your eyes move around the picture.
Next, look at the contrast in detail. The most careful and refined brushmarks have all been used around the face. As you move away from David's head, the marks become larger and looser. Detail and lack of detail is a great way of creating contrast between your focal point and everything else.
Now look at the background, and, in particular, the values (lights and darks) compared to David and Tilly. The tones are pale and washed out and in complete contrast to the powerful darks of David's clothing, the chair and Tilly. Photographers and filmmakers use a similar technique called 'depth of field' to defocus and flatten the background around their central subject.
And finally, can you see a number of diagonal lines throughout the composition? See my comment below where I've highlighted these more clearly. Some of these diagonals occur naturally as part of the pose and others are a clever construct of the background and how Peter has chosen to position the figures. Any time you can, make use of strong diagonal lines, especially those that point towards your main point of interest.
See More

Use this simple tip and examples from art tutor Carole Massey to make ensure you place your landscape figures in the best position and at the right scale >>> https://www.arttutor.com/…/how-place-fi gures-your-landscape…