Artist Strong Blog

Simplifying doesn’t mean it’s easy. For example, a great way to test your knowledge and understanding of the element of art VALUE is to do one of two things (or both!). Option One: Set up a still life of entirely white objects with a white background. Draw or paint...

I talk about measuring in art, especially when it comes to learning how to draw people accurately, but really, if you want to learn how to draw anything you want, measuring is a tool you should use all the time. I often have students bristle at this word “measuring.”...

When you think of drawing, do you think of outlining?  Deborah shared she had never really thought about drawing except as the act of outlining. It got me thinking: How many people reflect on the internalized and unspoken definitions they have of art, and in this...

What does accuracy mean for work that is decidedly NOT realistic? That’s the big question I try to answer in our short video today. We talk about: Drawing as a means to plan, How some artists never use a pencil on their paintings but do this instead and How avoiding...

In this art lesson I help fellow creative Tia Sunshine decide when her artwork is finished, and we discuss key things to consider when refining your own artwork. This includes: how to refine and do final touches on a work without overdoing it The value of feedback in...

In this feedback session on creating strong compositions (inside my course Self-Taught to Self-Confident) we talk about: (1) A quality tip from an en plein air artist about creating composition (2) How to use soft marks to layout your composition before you really...

Who you should really compare your art to... In this video we are going to look at a baseline, or pre-assessment, drawing from a student inside my program Self-Taught to Self-Confident. I discuss: the purpose of a baseline drawing, how long a baseline drawing should...

I encourage students inside my program Self-Taught to Self-Confident to explore different practice strategies to inform their original art. For example, musicians practice things like scales to warm up and develop tone, fingering, and other skills that improve their...