An Explanation of the Fat Over Lean Rule

The concept I found most confusing when I was learning oil painting was how to follow the Fat Over L...

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Underpaintings: Imprimatura and Grisaille Explained

If you're a new painter looking to understand terms related to underpaintings that look like Greek t...

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Tips for Creating an Art Practice

A reader wrote in with a question about how to create a regular time to create. Sara writes:

Any tr...

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How do you draw hands and feet in proportion to the head when life drawing?

A subscriber wrote in asking a question so many of us have encountered when figure drawing: How do y...

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Tips for Translating Color to Value When Drawing

One of the challenges of drawing is to translate color into values. Can you identify the value of a ...

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Learning Realistic Art is Like Learning a New Language

A question came in recently about using abstract shapes and straight lines to plan out realistic dra...

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Tips for Your First Life Drawing Session

Is it awkward to be in a room with a naked person? What materials should you bring? Should you draw ...

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Why do artists draw nude models?

For nearly 25 years, I've been in the practice of drawing nude models. Sometimes I forget that for m...

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5 Reasons You Should Copy a Master Portrait Painting

Art students and amateurs alike have been copying the works of masters for centuries. Some people th...

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Should you study anatomy, general drawing, or life drawing first?

Recently I received a question by email that I think a lot of us have had at some point: Does it mat...

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What's the Difference Between Alla Prima and Indirect Painting?

It's said that painting approaches can fall into one of two categories: Alla Prima (also known as Di...

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Painting Landscapes with Atmosphere

I love how atmospheric perspective can make orange look purple and green appear blue in the distance...

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