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!
Hi there! Today I want to talk to you about making your photo reference easier to paint.
Painting as an art form poses innumerable challenges. as we improve, these challenges never really go away. We, however, get better at dealing with them and solving them.
Your Photo Reference Matters
As a beginner, you want to have everything work in your favor. A large part of that is painting from a good reference.
Anything can be painted, but the reality is that not everything is ideal as reference.
In today’s video I want to show you several ways of turning your photos into something that’s easier to paint.
Watch the complete video here, and scroll on for a written version (:
Make Every Photo EASIER TO PAINT
Finding Good Reference
I have several sources for great reference photos, that I also present in the video. Here they are:
These are all great. Generally speaking – Pixabay and WetCanvas photos can be used for anything (commercial or non-commercial).
Access to WetCanvas Reference Photo Library does require registration, which is free.
With Flickr you need to be a little careful, and filter according to the license. You can also always contact the owner of the photo and ask for their permission.
Choosing Good Photos
I’d like to say a few words about choosing good reference photos, and specifically for the purpose of painting and watercolor painting.
Clear and Focused
A good reference photo should be clear and well focused. You should be able to see all of the details.
Large Shapes
Also, it’s best if there are a few larger shapes that are very visible. What I mean by that is that the image isn’t a collection of tiny bits and pieces that don’t really connect to a cohesive subject.
This is why still-life arrangements, as well as portraits can be GREAT subjects. They are very clear and contain major shapes.
A cityscape, on the other hand (and this can very from one photo to another), has the potential of being a little “messier”.
Strong Contrasts
This is especially important if you are a beginner to watercolor painting. Photos that have sharper contrasts are simply easier to paint.
If you’ll try and paint a perfectly lit portrait, that barely has any shadows in it, and is full of gradual light changes – you may loose your mind =P
(check out the full video to see what I’m talking about).
Improving Brightness, Contrast and Levels
This first step is always important. Watch to full video to see how I play with the histogram, but here’s what the effect looks like.
(left – before, right – after)
Editing Your Photo Reference – Black and White
The first advice I’d give you is to turn your reference from color mode to black and white.
This can be done easily with the simplest of photo editing softwares. And it will give you a much better look at the values (how dark or light everything is).
Here’s a comparison.
(left – before, right – after)
Editing Your Photo Reference – Posterize
Posterize is a handy function that’s available in most advanced photo editing softwares such as Photoshop and (god forbid) Gimp.
It allows you to control the NUMBER of levels (=values). So you can choose 2 values – which will give you an image with two values only. Or you can increase it to 6, 12 or whichever number you’d like.
Here’s another comparison showing this effect.
(left – before, right – after)
I find this one to be particularly useful in simplifying a photo, and making it much easier for us to paint it.
You can just SEE very easily where it gets darker, lighter and so on.
Conclusion
You can paint based on anything. But some references are better than others.
When working from real-life observation, we don’t really have control over what we see. But, when working from a photo reference, we can change things around to our advantage.
I hope this helps you in better understanding how to do that.
I’ve used these methods for creating many of my works. Be sure to follow me on Instagram to see the results. I used this especially for my portraits, such as this one of Santa Clause (;
And this is it, I will talk to you again real soon!
Hi there! Today I want to share with you a review I did for Perylene Red paint, as part of The Paint Show.
This paint is by the Daniel Smith brand, and I got it as part of their Primary Set.
Here’s the full video review, scroll down to read more.
Why I LOVE Perylene Red
This is a paint I really love, and for multiple reasons. The first is that it’s relatively neutral.
I compared it to Pyrrol Scarlet (left) and Quinacridone Rose (right), and you can see how it’s in the middle. Not too warm, not too cool.
It’s also a semi-transparent paint, has excellent lightfastness and pretty easier to lift, if necessary.
Perylene Red by Daniel Smith – Info
Pigment: PR178
This pigment is said to go through a significant shift when drying. It’s supposed to lighten slightly, and loose about 20% of its saturation (according to HandPrint.com). I didn’t notice such a significant difference.
It’s also highly active in wet-in-wet, and creates large blossoms.
Excellent Lightfastness
Semi-Transparent
Medium-Staining
Non-Granulating
Series 3 – goes on Amazon for ~13$-14$.
Perylene Red is great if you are looking for a good primary red that’s relatively neutral. I love the way it handles and behaves, and enjoy using it.
I’d also like to add that getting the Primary Set is highly economical, and results in a relatively cheap “per tube” price. It contains three useful paints (this one, alongside Hansa Yellow and French Ultramarine). All come in 15ml.
In this episode we’ll talk about different inspiration catalysts and sources, and how to hone inspiration using them!
Inspiration Catalysts
I recently meditated on the idea of inspiration catalysts. These are events, places, and “things” that make us feel inspired.
After visiting Italy last week I arrived at several insights regarding these catalysts that awaken the flame of inspiration, and I’d like to present them here.
Novelty, Quirks & Subjects
Novelty – This is anything that’s new / foreign to us. I realized this while I was traveling around the beautiful Florence.
I found myself thinking – why is THIS inspiring to me, and not my hometown? What’s so attractive about this place? And I immediately answered – because it’s new and foreign to me.
Novelty can play an important role in creativity and inspiration. When something’s new to us, we see it in a purer manner. It’s a little like a baby that experiences the world for the first time.
Quirks – It’s funny how this word is the particular one I felt to best represent this idea. Quicks are anything specific you like, visually speaking.
For me, that would be strong contrasts and a multitude of colors (mainly reds, yellows and greens).
For you it’ll be different things.
Subjects – Here I’m referring to specific subjects that interest you. This is something I mentioned in one of the earliest podcast episodes, when we talked about dealing with lack of inspiration.
I mentioned how some subjects can spark inspiration for me. Those are mainly cars and buildings (and architecture in general). I love painting things with well-defined, geometric shapes.
It All Connected In Florence
While preparing for this episode I realized how all three of these connected for me in Florence.
I had novelty (a new place I’ve never visited before). I had the interesting contrasts and light conditions (especially in Florence’s narrow streets, that create interesting light angles). I also had my favorite subject – architecture (and European at that!).
This can probably explain why my sketches from the were so inspired. I felt this especially in the first day visiting. I immediately sat down to sketch, and loved every minute of it. This particular first sketch happens to be my favorite from this trip.
And that’s all I wanted to share today. I hope you enjoyed this! (:
Artist Corner
Today we talked about Nita Engle. Nita is an American watercolor painter. Her work is amazing in my opinion.
She combines realism with atmosphere. She is probably one of the only artists I’ve seen that can do that so well.
She allows the water and paint do what they want, and really exploits it to create realistic effects.
Hi there, in today’s episode of the podcast I want to share with you some challenges I’m experiencing in watercolor.
A 2 Week Plateau
For the past two weeks or so I felt like things were’t connecting the way I wanted in my paintings.
I didn’t feel like my results were up to par, and I also felt extremely out of control with the medium.
I actually have a few ideas as to the reason for this.
Advancing to a Higher Level
Usually when I hit that kind of plateau, it means I’m about to advance to a higher level.
This is something I consistently noticed over the past few years.
It’s almost as if there is something crucial I need to learn in order to progress. I maxed out on all of my current skills, and it’s time to move on.
Going Autopilot & Using Gimmicks
Aside from that, I have an inkling of an idea as to what I need to improve.
I got to this after examining the areas where I have this issue, and the areas where I don’t.
I’m only experiencing this when painting large scenes, mainly cityscapes. I’m not experiencing this when working on portraits or pen sketches.
My main conclusion is this – In some areas I tend to go into autopilot when painting. And I don’t mean the good kind of autopilot (flow, in the zone, smooth-sailing).
I’m talking about doing things without truly observing the scene. Painting things as I THINK THEY APPEAR, rather than how they truly appear.
A Side Note About the Artist Curse
As a side note, I want to mention a concept I learned from Mark (Draw Mix Paint YouTube channel, THIS video).
He says we as artists can never enjoy our art like other viewers do. That’s because we see it slowly built up, and so it’s hard to be objective.
I’d also add to that, that we have a specific, “ideal” vision we may compare the result to. The viewer has no idea and doesn’t care. All they see is the art (:
The Solution
For the next few weeks, I’ll try disconnecting from external influences and other artists.
What I want to do is always focus on the subject at hand. To truly observe it and carefully study it.
To think, analyze, sketch, prepare and so on.
Sharing the Journey
I’m really happy to share these insights with you as I learn them.
I hope this will inspire others in the future. I really want to show how this is a challenging journey on the one hand, but how it shows promise on the other.
With enough practice and perseverance, you can master the medium.
Artist Corner
Today I talk about Dan Burt, an American watercolor painter.
Dan has a very unique style of painting, in which he applies many, MANY colors. He actually prepares multiple pools of paint, and slowly uses them all for painting.
He paints mainly in Texas, Mexico, Italy and Spain.
