Watercolor Basics for the Beginning Art Student

Today's article is about the basic techniques that are used in creating interesting watercolor paintings when applying paint to paper. These techniques are typically the most commonly used by artists used in painting watercolors. 

These basic techniques  essentially include wet on wet technique , wet on dry, dry on wet and dry on dry. 

Moreover, wet on wet, is where the paper is wet and the paint is wet. Wet on dry techniique is where the paper is dry and the paint is wet. Dry and wet technique is where the paint is dry in the paper is wet. Lastly, dry on dry technique is where both the paper and the paint is dry.

Each of these basic  techniques can be used to create various effects in your watercolor painting. It is a good idea to experiment with each method of applying paint to find out exactly what you can do with all of the various techniques.  Also, the amount of water in the paint or on the paper as used in each of the these basic methods can be varied to create different effects.  For example, excessive water in wet on wet can used to be create paint blossoms or wet paint can be allowed to run to create dripping or run effects and so on.

 Timing is often critical when applying paint to wet paper and the degree of drying which has occurred on the paper and brush. It is important to remember for the beginning artist that as more water is applied transparency is increased and as the amount of water is decreased the degree of opacity of the paint is typically increased. Again it is important to experiment with and to combine the these basic methods in discovering new avenues of expression.

In conclusion , understanding these basic techniques can help you create better watercolor paintings and  how they can used independently or together in your works and  furthermore to add to your awareness of each method to better realize and be successful in your artistic  efforts.

Recommended Watercolor Instruction:

Start to Paint With Watercolor Book

How to Make a Watercolor Paint Itself Book

Charles Reid's Watercolor Secrets -- DVD

Ten Minute Oil Sketch

10 minute oil sketch from David Dunlop.

Coming to Light: Long-Lost New Media Pioneer Thomas Wilfred Dazzles in Yale Retrospective | ARTnews

Coming to Light: Long-Lost New Media Pioneer Thomas Wilfred Dazzles in Yale Retrospective | ARTnews

Collecting Astronomy Art Posters

Whether your interest in astronomy posters is for educational reasons or simply for the beauty and aesthetic aspects of astronomy as artwork, the purpose of this article is to supply you with an overview or survey of available options for assembling a collection of posters for the home. With this said here are our suggestions.

1. A good place to start is with a basic map of the stars and constellations. Most preferable here are posters offering star and constellations viewable from both hemispheres north and south of the equator. A good star map will be an excellent indoor reference and a good supplement if you already have star charts on hand.

2. Secondly, and a very popular option and for good reference is a map of the solar system including all the planets. Another option are individual posters featuring each of the planets of our solar system.

3. Next on our list would be posters concerning famous astronomers/scientists such as Galileo Galilee, Archimedes, Albert Einstein or Copernicus.

4. A map of the moon on poster. A good overview of the moon with geographical names of the lunar landscape should be another good reference tool.

5. Poster or posters of the Sun is another good possibility. The nearest star to the earth is not to be overlooked.

6. Galaxies, nebula and star clusters and more. Posters such as these will be more specific and more limiting in their scope, but can be particularly interesting to many in terms of aesthetic or artistic qualities. Some suggestions here include the Andromeda Galaxy and the Sculptor Galaxy. Some important nebula’s include the Orion Nebula, the Ring Nebula in Lyra and the Horsehead Nebula in Orion are just a few. As for star clusters the most well-known is the Seven Sisters or Pleiades cluster comes to mind. There are many further options available including global clusters, super novas, black holes in space, and binary star posters.

7. Eclipses. Included in this category are solar eclipses and lunar eclipses. Many posters are available in this category.

8. Hubble space telescope posters. Many posters are available including posters of the Hubble space telescope itself as well as many astronomical images taken by Hubble.

9. Other related astronomy posters include famous astronauts, many fantastic posters of the Apollo mission space program and posters of Apollo moon landings, the Kennedy Space center and the Space Shuttle.

10. The Earth from space and earth observatories. Interesting posters of the Earth from space as well as numerous posters of astronomical observatories are available.

Summary:

 In concluding this article we have covered some of the possibilities for finding interesting astronomical subjects as art on poster or simply as a means of supplementing an interest in astronomy.   

Sun, Earth and Moon Art Poster

Digital art entitled "Sun, Earth and Moon" on printed poster paper.

Sun, Earth and Moon Poster

by MOVEIT5150

Canvas Painting for Beginners: Everything You Need to Know

Canvas Painting for Beginners: Everything You Need to Know: Is a cheap canvas worth the savings? Artist Johannes Vloothuis addresses this topic and more in this article on choosing the right painting surfaces.

Educational Posters for Teachers and Students

Today’s article is all about supplementing your teaching efforts with educational posters. We will cover some of the possibilities available in aiding the learning process with posters in the classroom or home.

In our search for subjects for this article we have arrived at an overall cross section of available posters and in doing so we have come up with a general guide (however simplified), to finding suitable educational posters.

1. Preschool or elementary level school posters. Typically featured posters are simple alphabet posters, world maps, posters concerning flags of the world, historical figures, United States Presidents, solar system posters, animal posters and the like.

2. Pre high school and high school. Just some of the entries here include English grammar posters, historical events posters such as political figures or noted scientist or inventors, human physiology posters, music learning posters such as posters on musical scales or guitar or keyboard chords. Also, possible are the many variants of maps as posters.

3. College level posters. There are many possibilities here concerning various areas of study including the humanities, natural sciences, industry and technology, and the social sciences.

4. The last area of interest here is motivational posters. Not necessarily educational, but can be helpful in reinforcing the learning process. Many variants exist including famous quotes, historical events, famous scientists, religious figures, famous sports figures, noted music figures and so on.

Summary:

 In conclusion, while at the risk of being too generalized hopefully we have touched upon the multiple possibilities concerning the use of the posters as an educational aid. It ultimately depends are your field of interest and seeking out suitable poster art in support.  

Draw the Perfect Cat with These Easy Colored Pencil Tips

Draw the Perfect Cat with These Easy Colored Pencil Tips

Landscape Artist Johannes Vloothuis Answers 11 Student Questions

Landscape Artist Johannes Vloothuis Answers 11 Student Questions: Thousands of artists learn from landscape artist and instructor Johannes Vloothuis. Here are 11 tips from him plus how you can learn from him directly.

"The Sailboats" Art Poster

Original art poster titled "The Sailboats", digital artwork.  Also available on 20 x 16 inch canvas below.  For August 11, 2017.
"The Sailboats" Art Poster

by MOVEIT5150

"The Sailboats" Art on Canvas
by MOVEIT5150

Seven Tips for Choosing a Movie Poster

With the seemingly never ending array of movie posters available nowadays, it can be hard to decide on that perfect movie poster you have been looking for. Before you go ahead, and hang that new poster of yours on the wall we have come up with a few quick tips on narrowing down that process.

Tip #1:
The most obvious choice here is making sure you have a poster or posters that at least to some degree match the color scheme of your room. Try to avoid colors that will clash with your room's overall design and decoration.

Tip #2:
Decide on the size of your poster. Door posters, 11x14 inch lobby cards, common 24x36 inch posters, half sheet 22 x 28 inch posters, or even large wall murals are all possible options.

Tip #3:
Choose your poster based on a favorite genre of your such as sci-fi or horror movies. If you decide on more than one poster within an area in your home or office it’s nice to have a continuity of theme.

Tip #4:
Decide if you want to have a poster that can be considered to be collectible, original posters rather than the less expensive, poster reprint variety.

Tip #5:
Consider if your want your movie poster to be more artistic in nature. Classic movie posters were usually done by artists rather than the photo composites that are more typical of today’s modern movie posters.

Tip #6:
Frame your poster. UV filtered Plexiglas frames are best for protecting your poster investment.

Tip #7:
Don’t forget 3-D posters or lenticular posters. Nice for the kid’s room.

Summary:
In conclusion, we have to some degree narrowed down some of those difficult poster buying decisions and no matter what poster you decide on be sure to enjoy the process and have fun choosing a poster that is best for you and satisfies your particular movie poster interests. 

Pictures at an Exhibition | Andy Warhol at Museo Jumex, Mexico City

Pictures at an Exhibition | Andy Warhol at Museo Jumex, Mexico City

Hot Rod PinUp T-Shirt for Men

"Cool Blue" Hot Rod and Pinup T-shirt for Men
Original T-Shirt Design now available at:
by MOVEIT5150

How to Find the Best Deals on Movie Posters

Movie posters are a great way to spruce up that home or office space, but in today’s economy it’s nice to be able to save some money on your poster purchase. While not comprehensive, hopefully we can give you a few tips on cutting your costs and making your online poster shopping experience a more enjoyable one.

1. Look for online coupons. Seems like an obvious idea, but most poster store coupons are very time sensitive and typical search resources seems to lag behind here. If you can’t find a coupon at your favorite poster store, a good tip is to check related movie, fan or celebrity sites that offer movie posters.

2. Check for poster bargains or closeouts. While you may not be able to find the latest release many poster stores offer deals on older or hard-to-sell movie posters. Be sure to check the poster store search or site map if you’re having trouble finding any deals.

3. Look for holiday or year end sales. Some of the most active sales for movies posters other than year end holiday season are during back to school. College students are usually loading up on movie posters during this period so be sure to check for sales or offers during this time.

4. Contrast and compare poster stores. Not all poster stores are the same so be sure to compare prices on specific movie posters. Also, consider shipping into the equation. Free shipping can cut your costs and can make up the difference between slightly higher costs per item.

5. It you are really on a tight budget consider other options such as movie photos, lobby cards or smaller sized movie posters. Movie photos are a popular option and several 8x10 movie photos can be typically had at a lower cost than a common 24x36 inch movie poster release. 

6. Join an email list. Many poster stores offer exclusive deals and offers through email.

7. Lastly, many poster stores offer framing options for your poster, but it doesn’t have to be the only option. Consider online or offline framing stores and you might be able to get a more attractive frame at a lower cost.

In conclusion, have fun in your search for a better movie poster and with any luck some of these tips will save you some cash in the process.

Wild but True: An Expert Artist Shares Tips for Painting Light

Wild but True: An Expert Artist Shares Tips for Painting Light: Painting light in nature is a matter of observation and color control. Camille Prezwodek's work is part of a long lineage of painters who do just that.