Paint More! Challenging Myself | Liron Yanconsky’s Podcast – Episode 53

Hi there, Liron here!

Today I wanted to talk to you about a little challenge I have for myself, for the month of December 2018.

Paint More

My challenge is to paint more than I usually do. I would say I average at about 2 hours a day, for 4-5 days a week. I want to increase that to around 4-5 hours a day.

So far it’s been working really well! ^_^

Reasons for Painting More

There are a few really good reasons for me taking this challenge upon myself.

Accelerated improvement – I have experienced a significantly accelerated growth of skills in the past 6-12 months. I feel like I have a really strong momentum that I’d like to capitalize on.

I still learn a lot – I’m still learning so much with each and every painting I do. It keeps surprising me actually.

This is also noticeable when starting to work on a new painting. I always feel like I’m better prepared “this time”. And that’s because I am increasingly more prepared with each and every painting I do.

No Plateau – I haven’t plateaued in my skills in a while now. I honestly don’t remember the last time I felt significantly uninspired / demotivated to paint. Nor do I don’t remember the last time I feared the blank page.

I want to really maximize and capitalize on all of the above, to make the most out of this time period.

My biggest fear, always, is regret. And I don’t even want to give myself the opportunity to regret anything I’m doing now (;

Painting More – Results So Far

So far I’ve been doing decently on the challenge itself, in terms of time spent painting. I’m definitely not at 4-5 hours a day like I wanted to, but it has increased to around 3.

In terms of the process, I feel BRAVER. I’m happy to test my comfort zone and try new things, and I create in a very spontaneous yet immersed way.

I will keep at it and let you know how it goes around the end of the month (and year!!).

And with that being said, let’s move on to the artist corner!

Artist Corner

In this episode I featured Dax, an up and coming rapper.

When I started this podcast I made a decision to feature a large variety of artists, and different types of them. And this is an example of that.

You may or may not know, but I love rap. And this guy is someone I stumbled upon rather recently. I could immediately tell he is very talented, and probably also works hard to create his music.

Just about 1-2 years ago he was a night-time janitor, and now he’s starting to gain some success.

If you don’t like profanities, don’t look into his stuff (as most rap has lots of it). My apologies if that’s the case.

But if you don’t mind, I would definitely check out his songs. My favorite is a remix of a song by Tupac Shakur: Dax – Hit ’em Up

And here’s where you can find me

Check out my YouTube Channel – Liron Yanconsky

Or ask me questions on Instagram – @LironYanIL or Snapchat – @LironYan3

I hope you enjoyed this one. Take care, and we’ll talk again really soon,

– Liron

What Makes Art Good? | Liron Yanconsky’s Podcast – Episode 51

What makes art good?

Hi there, Liron here – and today I wanted to share my insights after listening to Antrese Wood’s podcast episode with Alvaro Castagnet.

In the podcast (The Savvy Painter) episode, they were talking about what makes art… well – art!

Alvaro shared his perspective on what is important when creating, and what separates good art from rare / great art.

Impressed By Castagnet

First off I want to say how impressed I am with Alvaro’s dedication to ART. He seems to be an artist through and through, and not “just” a painter.

I didn’t know he had such a developed outlook and perspective on this topic.

My Main Takeaways – What Makes Art Good

Here are the points I found important here:

1. Creating with innocence. We know how to make beautiful art, but then we learn and internalize a lot of excessive baggage. Unlearning is the key. Children’s paintings are beautiful and fully authentic.

2. Being present while creating. Something I mentioned here many times in the past.

3. Sensitivity to the world. This is something I’ve been talking about, but never phrased this way. Alvaro is a GENIUS. It’s such a good way to put it. Sensitivity. The ability to see more, where others see nothing.

4. Spontaneity. This is especially true with the wild medium of watercolor. At times you have to be able to be flexible and react to what the paint does.

Vision & Techniques Work Together

The above help you develop a clear vision.

What techniques do is help you execute on that vision. This is why techniques are important, but have their place.

A spectacular vision, imagination and perception, together with mediocre technique – can actually do wonders.

Excellent technique with complete lack of vision may produce boring work that has no soul.

And this is it for today. Would love to hear your thoughts on this in a comment below!

And with that being said… Artist corner!

Artist Corner

Today, I’ve featuring Antrese Wood! I mentioned her podcast and wanted to share more information about her.

She actually has an interesting life story, and art played a very significant role within it. She’s a painter, working mainly in oils and watercolor. From what I’ve seen she focuses on the A-la-prima approach (finishing the painting in one go).

She created a body of work called “A Portrait of Argentina”, which I highly recommend you check out. As someone who visited some of these places – she did a FANTASTIC job.

Antrese’s website: http://antrese.com/

Antrese’s podcast episode with Alvaro Castagnet: https://savvypainter.com/podcast/alvaro-castagnet/

A painting by here that I absolutely LOVE: https://shop.antrese.com/original-art/original_art_products/persistence-pmb4gqkh1da

And here’s where you can find me

Check out my YouTube Channel – Liron Yanconsky

Or ask me questions on Instagram – @LironYanIL or Snapchat – @LironYan3

I hope you enjoyed this one. Take care, and we’ll talk again really soon,

– Liron

Alizarin Crimson Permanent – SAA Watercolors | The Paint Show 27

Hi there, in today’s episode I want to review Alizarin Crimson Permanent by SAA watercolors.

Here’s the full review, scroll down for additional paint info.

SAA Watercolors

So far my experience with these was great. Their colors are strongly pigmented, lightfast and handle nicely.

This one is no different.

Alizarin Crimson Permanent Paint Info

Pigments: PR177 (Anthraquinone Red) and PV23 (Dioxazine Violet)
Transparent
Lightfastness: A (best)

The SAA brand doesn’t have any series. All paints are equally priced.

They do have discounts for members of the SAA. You can learn more here: SAA Membership.

If you live in the UK, I would especially recommend checking this out.

I hope you enjoyed this one, and I’ll talk to you again really soon!

– Liron

Hansa Yellow Medium – Daniel Smith Watercolors | The Paint Show 26

Hi there! Today I want to review Hansa Yellow Medium, by Daniel Smith Watercolors.

You can view the full video review here, and scroll down to read more.

Hansa Yellow Medium

My story with this paint is so funny.

I originally got it with Daniel Smith’s Primary Set.

But I wasn’t too keen on the actual combination of paints in that set (together with French Ultramarine and Perylene Red – Which I reviewed here).

So I kind of stopped using it. For the longest time this tube took a nap in my drawer.

But then I decided to take it out and give it a try. And I re-fell in love with it instantly!

I guess I just needed more experience to see how useful it was.

Hansa Yellow Medium – Paint Info

Here’s some additional info about this tube.

Pigment: PY97 (Arylide Yellow FGL)
Series 2
Lightfastness: I (excellent)
Semi-transparent
Low-staining
Non-granulating

I find it to be quite useful. It mixes well with many different blues and reds.

My favorite yellows lean to orange, but if I had to go with a more neutral yellow, this would be my choice.

Results of Using Hansa Yellow Medium

Here are some quick paintings and sketches I did using this paint.

Quick avocado sketch with Hansa Yellow Medium

Hansa Yellow Medium and Hansa Yellow Light Tubes

Where to Purchase It

You can purchase a single tube here: http://amzn.to/2H4L0Md
Or the entire set here (very cost-efficient): http://amzn.to/2sjEv4C

I have to say a word about the set. It’s really useful, and very cost-effective. Each of the paints are useful on their own. I would highly recommend getting it.

Conclusion

If you love Daniel Smith paints, I’d look into this one. It’s a good, neutral yellow to have.

Despite me not liking the set AS A SET, I would recommend getting it. That is because the individual paints are great in their own right.

I hope you enjoyed this one, and I’ll talk to you again real soon!

– Liron

SAA Watercolor Paints | Review, Demo & First Impressions

Hi there! Today I want to talk to you about the SAA watercolor Paints.

I reviewed them extensively in this YouTube video:

If you want to read more, scroll below.

SAA Watercolor Paints

I was sent these by one of my followers, Chris. He recommended I give them a try and I absolutely loved them!

I’m writing this quite a while after publishing the video. With this larger perspective I can say these are really high quality.

These paints behave the way I want them to. I find I have great control with them, but they still do what they want.

They are strongly pigmented, easy to activate and are very fun to use. They also have great lightfastness.

The Paints I Got

I got three paints:

1. Indian Yellow
2. Alizarin Crimson Permanent
3. French Ultramarine

Individually they work great. I would, in terms of combos, maybe replace the French Ultramarine with a cooler Phthalo Blue, but that’s just my personal preference.

Detailed Paint info

1. Indian Yellow
A beautiful warm yellow.

Pigment: PY3 (Hansa Yellow)
Semi-transparent
Lightfastness: A (best)

2. Alizarin Crimson Permanent
A strong Alizarin Crimson.

Very well-pigmented and saturated.
Pigments: PR177 (Anthraquinone Red) and PV23 (Dioxazine Violet)
Transparent
Lightfastness: A (best)

3. French Ultramarine
A beautiful warm blue.

Pigment: PB29 (Ultramarine Blue)
Semi-transparent
Lightfastness: A (best)

The Results

Here are some still-life results I got with these. I really love them!

An apple still-life painting with SAA paints The three SAA watercolor paint tubes, next to the still-life painting A still-life of a pear and apple, done with Indian Yellow

Where to Purchase SAA Paints

These are very unique. SAA stands for The Society for All Artists. It is a UK based brand, that has a strong community around it.

They offer several plans that make their tools and paints significantly cheaper. They also don’t have series for their paints. All paints are priced equally.

If you reside in the UK I’d highly recommend giving them a try (although it’s worth mentioning they have an international plan as well).

You can learn more here: https://www.saa.co.uk/info/join-the-saa/

Conclusion

I’m really into these paints. I hope to share more artworks I did with these in the future.

I hope you enjoyed this review, and I’ll talk to you again real soon!

– Liron