Ryn Shell's Blog, page 4

Farmyard Grampians, Original Acrylic Painting by Ryn Shell

Farmyard with rooster, hens, children and fruit tree in blossom, with farm house, near Halls Gap, Grampians, Victoria, Australia, Oil on canvas by Ryn Shell.
Museum quality prints, art cards and gifts available. 

Close up Giftware and Decor

Earning a Living as an Artist

. Become a Patron!Where’s My Money!
So, you’re now up and running with your online business and it is time to sit back and watch the money pour in – but where is it going to pour into?
“My bank account, of course,” I hear you say.
Well, unfortunately, it is not always quite that simple. If you are running an online business you will potentially be dealing with people from all over the world, some of whom may have bank accounts, but many of whom will not. International banking is a complicated business and fraught with issues in these days of money-laundering scandals etc. Besides, the fees involved in international transactions can be extremely high, especially if your online business is selling low-value products. The fees could be more than the price of the product. Nobody will want to deal with that.

As an unknown supplier, you are also going to run into trust issues with your customers. How can they be sure if they pay you the money, that you’ll send them the goods? It can get pretty messy to be honest, so in my experience, the best solution is to use a trusted middleman. There are often plenty of organisations in your country that will facilitate a payment system with international clients, but in my experience, the most trusted, easy to use and one of the biggest is PayPal. Now, PayPal has been around for close to 20 years and it is well established, highly trusted and in my experience very easy to deal with.
Setting up a PayPal Account is simple and something I would recommend you do immediately you start your online business. Just go to their website www.paypal.com and join up. They prompt you in all the right places so you set up exactly the type of account you will require. Two things I particularly like about PayPal are; 1/ They allow you to issue invoices direct to your clients and 2/ You have a permanent record of all your sales, for income tax purposes etc.

Like all these systems, they want their share of your transactions, so there are fees involved in most transactions. I think it is 5% of the net payment, which isn’t too bad for the convenience they provide. You can also receive payment in any currency and they allow you to convert that to your local currency (always, of course, taking their little slice of the action along the way).
You can easily withdraw your funds from PayPal in one of two ways. You can have it transferred to your local bank account. (They only charge a fee for this if the amount is below their relatively generous threshold) and the money takes only a couple of days, usually, to find its way into your bank account. The other option is to have your money transferred to a VISA card (note: only VISA – no other cards at this time). It is a nice easy way to get your money out of your PayPal account.
So, we’ve sorted out how to get your money to you, but how about paying for things online yourself? Many people either don’t have a Credit Card or are loath to use one online because of the inherent risks involved. PayPal can be extremely useful here also. Many websites accept PayPal as a payment option, so problem solved – as long as you have enough of the currency required in your PayPal account. They will convert your currency for you, to the required denomination, but of course, there is a fee involved. Their rate of exchange will be less than that advertised in the market. The other option is to get yourself a bank or other pre-paid Debit Card. These cards can be loaded with funds, in advance, and used just like a Credit Card, online. The two main cards available are a VISA or a MasterCard. Given PayPal’s preference for VISA, that’s the one I would recommend you use, as you can load it directly from your PayPal account.
So, that’s pretty much the easy way to handle those millions that will now be rolling into your online business, but before I go, I’d just like to relate a small anecdote to give you some idea of how convoluted running an online business can be from the perspective of international payments.

Now, I live in the Philippines, which has a banking system that is, shall we say, considered a little suspect by the rest of the world. At the moment, my main product is my books, which sell exclusively on Amazon. Now Amazon won’t pay directly to a Philippine Bank Account, so I have had to ask a friend to set up a bank account in the U.K. for my royalty payments from Amazon. So, each month, Amazon pays US$ to my British Bank Account, which then converts the dollars to British Pounds. My friend then transfers those funds to her PayPal account and transfers them to my PayPal Account, where I then have to change the British Pounds into Philippine Pesos, to transfer them to my Philippine Bank Account. At every step in this process, the bank or PayPal takes their little share – a whole lot of little shares soon add up, though. But, that’s the way it is and I have to live with it. Oh for the day when Amazon pays out to PayPal direct. I suspect eBay owning PayPal may have something to do with Amazon’s unwillingness to use PayPal for its royalty payments. Ah well, such is life!
Next time, I’ll talk a little bit about building your brand and getting your product/service out there and noticed. The “fun” part of online entrepreneurship – marketing!
GRANT LEISHMAN
AUTHOR, BLOGGER AND EDITORIAL REVIEWERI am an expatriate New Zealander, now living in the Philippines with my beautiful wife and two lovely daughters. At age 55, after careers in Journalism and finance, I finally discovered my true passion in life – writing. I am now a full-time author who has written or co-written seven novels, across differing genres. 
 
My latest project is a Historical Romance set to the backdrop of the Philippine revolution of 1896, against the Spanish. 
 
I believe in the power of the written word and the mantra that I live by and finish each of my blog posts on my website with is: ​CHOOSE TO BE HAPPY!
EMBRACE THE OPPORTUNITIES LIFE PRESENTS TO YOU AND ALWAYS, ALWAYS FOLLOW YOUR DREAMS!
HAVE A GREAT LIFE AND SPREAD THE LOVE!
CHANGING THE WORLD – ONE READER AT A TIMEEarning a Living in the Arts
To earn a living in the arts you need to be able to create a traffic stopper.
You must captivate an audience, stop passing foot traffic in its tracks and rivet them on the spot, looking at your artwork.

It might be the due to the beauty or the excellence, which are the ideals I aim for I art. Some will strive for entertainment or shock appeal. Whatever your choice is, if you artwork cannot stop the passing traffic, it won’t sell.

The only way to know for sure your art will pass the traffic stopper test is to exhibit often to targeted buyers. If your potential market responds, and is drawn to the work, then you have achieved that traffic stopping success, and if all other aspects of presentation are right, clients will buy your artwork.  Believe in Your Artwork.
Maintain Your Integrity and Calm.
There are Discerning Clients.
In the current computer age many people print out a photo and then colour it in parts and pass that off as portrait artwork. No wonder the ethical and trained artist has difficulty in finding people who appreciate their artwork when the untrained eye cannot pick a coloured in photo from a 100% genuine original painting.

A customer once purchased this lovely card I’d made from the print of my daughter Carla on her wedding day. I priced the card reasonably at $2. On paying me and receiving the card, she turned to her friend as said, ‘Look, an original oil painting, and it was only two dollars.’

You have to toughen up to be an artist.

Well, I am not a con-artist. I had distinctly called it a reproduction card. That information was also printed clearly on the back of the card. I didn’t want her to misunderstand, so I explained clearly, in a friendly and polite manner, that it was a print from the original. When I explained this, she threw the card at me, yelling that it ‘was only a print’ and that she was ‘highly offended.’
 
What? I took a deep breath and smiled sweetly. She was offended that I had not sold her an exquisitely detailed, miniature, original painting for two dollars?

I refunded the two dollars, bit my lip and did not say that I, as the artist of the original oil painting, was highly offended that she had expected the original for the cost of a print card. What would be the point of trying to explain the reality to her? This print represented forty years of training and experience and two hundred hours of labour or four weeks of full-time labour. It’s best to just laugh about it with those who do understand and to realise that this example will only be one of many such situations you will come across where you as an artist or your work will be insulted.

There is a gulf between the reality an artist knows and what many people may think is the value of an artist’s labour. Just don’t pander to that mentality. Maintain your pride in your work and belief that the right person will come along who loves the art you create, appreciates your labour and is happy to pay for quality art. 
Many artists carry within them the small wounds that come from feeling undervalued. I am telling you this because once you step out and declare yourself a professional artist, writer, musician or any creative person in the arts, you will be expected to create with the skill of an ‘old master’ for the fee of a speed painter by many people.

You will struggle not to become disheartened when you see mass production work made in factories being sold as originals for prices that you know you could not purchase quality paint and canvas to produce the item.

Hang in there; hold your head up and maintain the integrity of your artwork. BELIEVE. Believe in yourself. Believe in your artwork. You are not trying to paint to please everyone; you are painting to please yourself, and the right client will appreciate that you have artistic integrity and used the quality archival materials that last.
​
If you get frustrated and feel unappreciated for your artistic endeavours, just remember that I had a customer who expected an original portrait of a woman in a wedding dress with a double image in a mirror for two dollars and have a laugh.
You have to toughen up to be an artist is repeated in several other Art Studio eBooks, including The Business of Art.

Keep up your training; keep up your spirits. I understand this can be difficult in an age when most people assume that artists cannot paint like the old masters. The reality is that not many clients are prepared to pay the true value of the labour needed to produce a masterpiece of the standard of the artwork shown next, that of Marie Antoinette at age thirteen.

A good artist who constantly exhibits his work before the public and prices it fairly will sell. This is not a get-rich-quick profession. If you provide a service for your clients, promote your work and charge a reasonable fee for quality service, there is work for honest portrait artists.  A wax model was made from Marie Antoinette’s hand. From that original impressing, plaster casts were made.  These plaster casts of Marie Antoinette’s hand have found their way into artists’ studios, including mine. Note the form of her hands and compare them to those of the adult Marie Antoinette in this plaster cast.  It is on light and shade, tonal value exercises such as the above and those to follow that artists gain their traditional training for portraiture painting.
Alan Martin had me begin my portraiture training by painting black and white and grey squares and mastering my ability to see tones and shapes. This is good discipline training. I always warm up to doing any major work of portrait art by starting with these tonal practice stages. Most traditionally trained artists continue to paint these tonal exercises though their lifetime.How to Price Your Artwork
How much is a painting that size worth?

I’ve been asked that a few times.

How long is a piece of string?

You can see the training required to develop your eye to see tone and shape. After mastering these skills, you must study paint chemistry and practice the technique of applying a clean edge or a blended tone to a section of a painting. Then there are the years of practice necessary to produce a truly beautiful flower painting, such as the one below from a gallery I once managed.
Before purchasing artwork (especially if buying online) beware of fraud.

A painting may be a real investment artwork from an old master. But it could be a screen print on canvas with a slap or two of paint, as most sold-online paintings are. If you saw a painting on feebay from an unknown dealer, would you be able to differentiate a legitimate work of art from a cheap imitation? I am not saying that you cannot buy quality artwork online. As a matter of fact, online is the primary channel I use to sell my work. I simply want you to make sure you are dealing with a reputable dealer if you are seeking investment-quality artwork.

Be aware that there is a style of rose painting called folk art that takes a fraction of the time of fine-art painting. With this style, roses are stylised, not painted in the fine art way that I teach. Obviously, stylised painting is craft painting and, unless accompanied by marketing bull..., should be marketplace and home decor, affordably priced. 

Formulas that might work for pricing work.
Price by Quarters method.
1/4 Raw materials cost.
1/4 Overheads
1/4 Advertising expenses or Exhibition fees.
1/4 for Artist's Living Wage.
So, if you need $25. in your county for a living wage, you would need to charge $100. per hour. If $25. an hour equals the costs of the raw materials, the overheads and exhibition advertising or commission cots, that might be a correct price.  Here are two examples where that formula might work.

Leading artist: Painting priced at $1,400.
Quality Belgian linen stretched canvas and the worlds best quality paints and a premium quality frame.  The total wholesale cost to artist $350.
Premium exhibition venue rental and adverting divided by sales $350.
Overheads and expenses as painting sales per year divided by annual overhead costs equal $359. per artwork. These overheads might be towards the cost of a computer, office supplies, travel for the landscape painter, the garden of a flower painter, camera equipment for a wildlife artist, plus studio lighting and air conditioning, ane an occasional assistant if required.
$350. x 4 = $1,400 for a quality work that takes the artist 14 hours to paint IF the living artist's wage in that location is $25. per hour and the value of the materials, overheads and expenses are all proportionate.
That formula, based on the above calculations, would be totally wrong for an artist using student grade paint, and a cheap chain-store canvas, none of which are archival value.
I'm using conservative figures here. An artist might be at the height of their profession and their work highly in demand. They might frame in hand-carved gold encrusted frames and display though high market, costly gallery space.  They may need to charge $100. an hour to clear $100. an hour they may have clients happy to pay $4,000. for a painting that took ten hours to paint.
However, a speed painting created it an Asian sweatshop factory where the painter earns $3. per day to paint with cheap acrylic paint onto a poor quality screen printed canvas, to be sold in the Western world as an original oil painting, is worth—what?
These paintings are purchased by number for a few cents, if small, and for a few dollars each, and are then fobbed off on eBay and at markets as the original work of the seller, for a 1000% markup.
Shudder.
Don't ever attempt to compete at that level. Just paint with integrity, and exhibit where you believe there will be clients who can tell the difference and don't expect that the world owes you a living because you chose to become an artist.  Being a professional artist is extremely hard work involving long hours of work and no job security. The rewards aren't financial, they are in working a job that's your passion, a job that you love.

Commercial or Amateur Artist. Painting priced at $40.
If the art materials for the painting cost $10.
If the overheads to complete the painting are minimal, say $10.
If the exhibition fee is only an eBay listing cost and fee on sale, or a local market, barely a cost of $10. per painting sold, and the artist whacked the work together as a speed painting, or it is an amateurish work, of no more value than a speed-painting, then $40. might be a fair price for that work, especially if it represents a flung together, painted to a price, craft work, speed painting rather than a work of original fine art.
If the customer cannot tell the difference, don't bother trying to convince them why one work is worth more than the other. Fine art appeals to slightly less than 2% of the population. If you want to create and sell fine art, don't try to do it in a speed painter's marketplace and expect everyone to understand that you spent more on the canvas than the speed painter can sell their work for. You cannot paint to please everyone.

Price by size method
Once you have worked out your overheads and exhibition and raw materials costs, and how long it takes you to complete artworks of varied sizes, you may be able to work out a price per size for our work. If you were to paint similar works, each taking the same amount of time per inch to complete, then that method might work for you. 

Calculate the painting size by length multiplied by width = size x by dollar value = price of painting.
Or.
Calculate the painting size by length plus width = size x by dollar value = price of painting.

With one of those methods there is a wider variation in price between your smaller and your larger paintings. I've heard artists who use the length plus width method say that they don't put that much more work into a large painting than they do a small painting. so those prices work for them.
12" x 16" = 192 x 7.5 (an average trained portrait artist's calculation) = 1,440. is not an unrealistic price for a skilled framed artwork of that size.
As my overheads are lower, but I use the wold's best quality materials and paint to a high standard and in a labour intensive way, I price as width inches multiplied by length inches, multiplied by five, equals my unframed artwork price, plus delivery costs.

That makes a a 12" x 16" painting such as this one above, AU$960. direct from artist and unframed. Those are the prices I've charged for portraiture standard work, and had no difficulty getting for the past couple of decades.  I generally will charge less if a painting takes me less time because it hasn't required the skill of a portrait artist.  Most artists will have their art bargains, lovely works, still painted with integrity, but of easier to paint subjects that took considerably less time to paint.

A fabulous Western Australian Art Gallery, complete with a ghost.

Become a Patron!I am at the Dalwallinu Show in Western Australia today, It’s a small friendly country show, in the Northern Wheat belt of Western Australia. This photo above is of wildflowers from the Dalwallinu area. Flowers supplied by the Western Roads Board who were at the show to educate about safe driving on Western Australian roads. This area is also famous for its wildflowers, and the show was a mixture of field days with huge farming machinery on the oval for viewing and orders and a craft market with many local craftspeople both exhibiting and selling their wares. It was a lovely day despite rain showers. ​ Tonight there is a concert being held on the grounds for the locals.
Tomorrow we head toward Toodyay in the Avon Valley.  That town is special to me, I have good friends there, and it is a beautiful town, one I would like to spend time painting one day, maybe next year.   

Next year I plan to 'freelance,' travel without any show or exhibition bookings, just trust what blows in on the winds of luck. Above, Reg opening the Beverley Station Gallery.
​
Last year I stayed most of September in the beautiful Avon Valley as the Artist in Residence at the beautiful Beverley Railway Station Gallery.  The Station Gallery Courtyard. The cosy manager's quarters in the Beverly Station Gallery.  Above, art work by acclaimed artist and author, Ryn Shell, a former guest artist and manager of the Beverley Station Gallery, now exhibiting with Fine Art America. ​Beverley Station Arts and Platform TheatreLocated in the centre of Beverley, the Station Gallery & Platform Theatre is the heart of the Arts community in the town.

The Station Gallery is home to the Shire of Beverley community art collection.

An Artist in Residence program runs from the old station masters residence, culminating in several Exhibitions each year.

More information
Open Thursday to Sunday, 11.00 am - 3.00 pm. Closed through the month of January.

120 Vincent St, Beverley

Ph: ​0419 040 063
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Pyrography art - from ancient to modern times

Pyrography is the art of creating designs on wood using heat to burn or char the wood. Evidence suggests the art form has been around for thousands of years right up to today. Over those years, pyrography has had a host of names. For example, it was called “embroidery with fire needle” during China’s Han dynasty which reigned from 206 BC - 220 AD. Fast forward to the late 1800s and the term ‘pokerwork’ was a fairly common term as was ‘woodburning’. It wasn’t until the early 1900s that the term pyrography gained in popularity. Not only has the name of the art form varied over time, so has the method to create the art.Something different in the way of historical mystery iction. This is an adventure through humour and historically tragic events. It is more than an adventure sea story mystery — judge for yourself; Miss Mutta breaks stereotypes. Original tools were pieces of metal, such as pokers, needles, and knives. The artist would place the metal over a flame or bed of hot coals to heat the metal sufficiently so that it would char or burn the wood. In the early 1900s, an electric pyrography pen was created and the art form became extremely popular during the Art Nouveau period.
Today, artists have several new choices to create pyrography art including temperature controlled solid point and wire nib pens as well as lasers. The solid point and wire nib styles are handheld devices that require the artist to master their use; a process that can take years. Whereas the laser version is a ‘printer’ that attaches to a computer which then controls the laser to etch/burn an image onto wood, thus allowing anyone to create amazing works of pyrography.
While the methods of pyrography have changed down the years, the medium remains popular due to its distinctive style and look. No matter how you create it, be it hot pieces of metal from a fire or hot pieces of metal from electrical resistance or just heat energy from focused light, the end result lies in the artists interpretation of the subject, the layout, and the overall ascetics of the work – just like any other piece of art.

Brenda Wilkie

To read more:
Scrub Jay, Pyrography by Brenda Wilkie
Thank you to talented pyrography expert, Brenda Wilkie, for this excellent article.
I love hearing from my blog readers and art students, so leave a comment,
Happy Creativity, 
Ryn Shell.

What is Line and Watercolour Wash Art?

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What is Line and Wash Art?
Line and Watercolor Wash [Australian Landscape] Rusty Rustic Oil Barrels. Line and wash drawing is also classed as painting. Its often named Pen and wash drawing. and it is one of the visual arts' mixed mediums. The paper is marked out by pen, pencil or paint lines, and then tinted with diluted ink or watercolour. The technique has been known since the 13th-century when Chinese artists used transparent ink washes to create delicate atmospheric effects. The line-and-wash technique became familiar to European artists during the Renaissance in the early 15th century. Cennino Cennini taught pen drawing enhanced by brushwork. Become a Patron! #wsite-video-container-507434476424666978{ background: url(//www.weebly.com/uploads/b/1987672-1488... } #video-iframe-507434476424666978{ background: url(//cdn2.editmysite.com/images/util/video... } #wsite-video-container-507434476424666978, #video-iframe-507434476424666978{ background-repeat: no-repeat; background-position:center; } @media only screen and (-webkit-min-device-pixel-ratio: 2), only screen and ( min-device-pixel-ratio: 2), only screen and ( min-resolution: 192dpi), only screen and ( min-resolution: 2dppx) { #video-iframe-507434476424666978{ background: url(//cdn2.editmysite.com/images/util/video... background-repeat: no-repeat; background-position:center; background-size: 70px 70px; } }
The artwork completed, happy with it. 
Thank you, Daryl Raine, for the use of the photo image as a reference for the artwork.

There are seven tutorial lessons created for rustic oil barrels in rural garden pen line and watercolour wash, at this stage of the artwork.

How would you like the art course made available?
Would you prefer the mini-courses presented for individual sale or as a monthly membership? These are my work distracting neighbours.
Enjoying breakfast with my view and company. 17th century artists, Rembrandt, Claude Lorrain, Nicolas Poussin used the technique to create preparatory studies prior to creating more detailed paintings. Here they focused, as I strive to do, on the tonal values of the subject rather than a tight line rendering. Topographical drawings of the 18th century used line and wash technique. Line and wash is ideal for drawing buildings. Line and wash became a common art form in the16th century, becoming exceedingly popular over the following century, as it is today. The 

Line and wash lost favour with the impressionist and expressionist artists seeking spontaneity and the free expression of emotion, and impact of colour. I for instance was trained in the traditional tonal impressionist discipline where we painted without any prior drawing, focusing only on the tonal shapes, size and proportions.
On retirement from active gallery exhibition and art sales to pass on my know-how in art to others, I have renewed my early art years' interest in line-and-wash, plus drawing sing a wide range of art mediums including pens, ink and pencils.

I'm loving my ventures into wash drawing. Restarting my Fountain Pen Collection
I succeeded in purchasing a Platinum 3776 Century Fountain Pen - Burgundy with 14K Gold EF nib. 

Its a very good pen and it is in very nice pen to write with. It wasn't my first pick in new pens, I had my eye on a pen that retailed around $400. but couldn't justify the cost for myself at this stage.

These Platinum 3776 nibs are stiff and I assume they can take some abuse by artists as long as you are not exerting too much pressure.  It is a good entry level pen to using a gold nib pen. Squeeze Converters for Fountain Pens
I purchased a squeeze converter for each of these pens, so that I can easily fill up my pen with the permanent ink.  I don't like the trow away ink cartridges. they are wasteful if you use a lot of ink, as I do.To fill, unscrew the body of the fountain pen. Place the nib underwater in the ink.Squeeze the converter to fill the pen.Tissue off excess ink from the nib.Reassemble the pen and start sketching!​ Every Platinum #3776 Century Fountain Pen comes with a User's Manual and a Platinum Cartridge.

Platinum is one of the biggest fountain pen producer in Japan. The founder named the brand "Platinum" to show his dream of producing the best stationery to customers. #3776 series is the most famous series among all Platinum fountain pen products. 3776 is the height of the Fuji Mountain, which shows the confidence of Platinum on this series.

3776 Century has an outstanding cost-performance ratio. With the similar price, it is hard to find a golden nib fountain pen with a similar quality. The golden nib is 14K with 3776 label on it. The breather hole shows a heart shape.

3776 Century is their latest product. It took Platinum 5 years to redesign the old #3776. #3776 us the latest technique on the pen cap to prevent the dry out of the nib.

Experiment shows that the ink won't dry out in #3776 century after two years, while regular fountain pen would not be able to write directly after 3-6 months.

PILOT Desk Fountain Pen - Red
Because I am returning to fountain pen use after years of using a dip pen or a throw away pen, I chose an entry-level cost Pilot fountain pen to experiment with, rather than risk the more costly Platinum fountain pen during my first pen strokes.
The PILOT Desk Fountain Pen an elongated handle I should enjoy using for creating artwork as it balances in the hand well.  

This is also an extra fine nib size.
I now need a medium nib size fountain pen. Permanent Fountain Pen Inks suited for Use under a Watercolour Wash
Platinum Carbon Ink - Black
DE ATRAMENTIS Archive Ink
DE ATRAMENTIS Archive Ink

A black, waterproof and permanent fountain pen ink that I found highly recommended, both by artists and fountain pen enthusiasts for writing and sketching. 

This handmade ink is pigmented and has excellent flow in the Desk Pen. This flow makes it especially good for pens that dave feed issues.

I selected it because the ink is archival quality, it will not fade, and I can sketch with it prior to adding the watercolour wash over the top and the sketched ink lines will not bleed into the wash.

I have ruined fountain pens in the past by using the wrong ink and in not cleaning the pens after use. I now intend to keep my pens infrequent use, or if I stop working with them for more than a day or two I plan to empty and rinse the pen out until the water flows clear, before storing the pen. 

Good tools deserve great care.

I do not usually use metallic paint in fine art
When people copy an artist, they don't learn why they do something, and they learn both the artist's good and bad habits. You need to learn the why art mediums are used in a certain way.

I would not recommend using metallic paint in fine art without a study of how best to use them, which isn't covered in this lesson. I used very little of those paints for this artwork, and did it as a teaching exercise for the mini-course, above, of seven real-time lessens — where I explained that was an experiment to show why I do not use metallic paint when painting metal.


Metallic paints are fun for crafters. Metallic paints are fun for crafters. They were okay as I used them.

I created a cut out, extra-short video section from the tutorial videos and posted it here:
Happy Creativity, Cheers, Ryn. Practice. No One is Born Talented. Traditional art training is the best way to achieve the effects of metal with paint.
It is this light and shade training, and not special effect paint that makes something appear to represent metal.  Many forget, or don't realise, that Van Gogh did quite a lot of formal, traditional art practice, as guided by his brother who sent him plaster casts of human figures, heads, hands, to practice painting and thus train his eye for painting light and shade and to correctly seeing shapes.
Van Gogh and I have that training in common. I would have trained using the same traditional plaster models he used in his training.
I work safer than Van Gogh did. No lead based paints in my studio, and I don't paint at the kitchen table as he did. New art prints for sale! - "Five Rustic Barrels"
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How to paint black

Tips on how to paint black.Don't think black, look for the light ash shade and paint the tonal shapes. Remember, light is colour reflected and dark is colour absorbed, and so you paint with the colours you see in the tones. There will be more of the optically warm hues, yellow, orange, or red in the lightest tones, and more of the optically cooler tones of blue, blue-violet and blue-green in the darker shadows.
Take a look at the colour choices the master of light and shadow, Rembrandt, used when painting what we think of as black.

I went to look how I'd painted a black poodle in watercolours—I cheated—I hid her (the leading dog) in the grass, and left her all dark to contrast to the grasses and to not have her as a detailed focal point given she is near the edge of the watercolour painting. Just proves there isn't one way to do anything in art. The man's dark slacks gives a better idea of painting the tones being more important than what colour you use.

Which Fountain Pen Supplies to Choose?

#wsite-video-container-975579337218815643{ background: url(//www.weebly.com/uploads/b/1987672-1488... } #video-iframe-975579337218815643{ background: url(//cdn2.editmysite.com/images/util/video... } #wsite-video-container-975579337218815643, #video-iframe-975579337218815643{ background-repeat: no-repeat; background-position:center; } @media only screen and (-webkit-min-device-pixel-ratio: 2), only screen and ( min-device-pixel-ratio: 2), only screen and ( min-resolution: 192dpi), only screen and ( min-resolution: 2dppx) { #video-iframe-975579337218815643{ background: url(//cdn2.editmysite.com/images/util/video... background-repeat: no-repeat; background-position:center; background-size: 70px 70px; } } Become a Patron! The Galen leather bag is just stunning. Have been lusting after that myself since I first saw it.

Not sure I'll ever be granted an unlimited spend up again for art supplies. 😄 Last night, a seller accepted my 'offer' on a vintage Montblanc. The nib design looks to be the same as the Lamy 2000—who copied who? I'll be interested to test it beside the Lamy 2000. I'm loving using my Lamy 2000 pens in a painterly way.

Yes I have (that colour) writer's bag, very handy indeed! Love their products - I have some of their brass things and a pencil sharpener, and another A5 zipped notebook cover with a couple of TR notebooks on order, not expecting them for a few weeks yet. All ways happy with their stuff, has an old fashioned quality and feel to it! Love it!


$2000. Budget

A $2,000. spend up, a gift for a coming birthday.
This leather writer's bag—which I first saw and lusted after here.
Many gold nibbled vintage pens.
Lamy 2000 (my preferred pen) in BB to complete my set of every size. For sketching, I adore Lamy 2000. I dislike anything that has a cartridge or converter insert—not enough ink in those for my artwork.
I will have some good pens to resell—when I get around to it.
A5 sketch and Watercolour pads and A5 leather cover.
Some brass fittings for bag, ruler etc.
My favourite DE ATRAMENTIS Permanent Document *Ink in white, grey and two shades and hue variations of brown.
Colour sample sets of two other ink brands, total 16 colours.
Beginning to collect all of the dye based Van Dieman's Inks.
Boots Gully
Set of three Australian Sketchbook ink line and watercolour wash artworks underway featuring an old gold miner's gully with what I think from the look of the timbers in black wattle, or it might be Cootamundra wattle. I will ask around and find out. It should look effective when finished with the soft blue-green foliage, the yellow blooms, against the black tree branches—then of course, all the boots. It is called Boot's Gully, and Australians have a wicked sense of humour. I'm painting one of the works tilted sideways to add to the quirkiness of the scene.
Which Fountain Pen Nib to Choose?
If you write small, go with an EF
For the normal writer, F is the most popular
If you tend to lean on a bigger font, M will be perfect
B is for statements!! Sign a check in B, write a header in B, do some coloring/shading in B

Moving House by Margaret Lake

Become a Patron!Why is it that I only stay in one place for ten to eleven years? Considering that most people move every five years, I guess I’m pretty stable. Still, every time I move, I swear it will be the last. I’ll bet that every one of you has said the same thing.
 
I’ve been in my current house since January 2007. That was preceded by three moves in two years. Yes, that was a break in my every ten years or so cycle, but there was a good reason for it.
 
In 2004, I suffered a bleeding aneurysm in my brain (I’m fine now). I was unable to go back to work and had to sell my beautiful, lakefront townhouse. So, in early 2005, I moved to my mother’s condo (she had moved upstate) which I shared with one of my daughters for a year.
 
I wanted to be near my mother, my grandson and my other daughter and her family, so in 2006 I moved to a rental near them. Finally, in 2007, the house next door to my mother became available and I bought that. I just sold that house and I’m moving to my mother’s house. She passed on May 1st at the age of 95. We were lucky to have her so long. Okay, so what have I learned about moving from all of this?
 
First, never count any move as the final move. You never know what life will throw at you. This is not necessarily a bad thing. You might win the lottery and be lucky enough to have David Bromstad, artist and designer, find you the perfect mansion.Second, don’t downsize until you are truly ready to part with most of your stuff. Don’t do it just because “conventional wisdom” says you should. I’m actually upsizing with this move, but I’d already gotten rid of so many things that I wanted to keep. (Again, I heave a sigh.) Christmas will never be the same.
 
Third, it is essential not to panic when faced with ten years accumulation of stuff. There may be things still in boxes that you have been hauling around with you for decades. Just haul those boxes to the next house. You can always go through them when you are unpacking. Okay, you probably won’t. I know I won’t. But I did come across an old-fashioned wash board that I’ve been carrying around for nearly forty-five years. I’ve always wanted to hang it in a laundry room. Now that I actually have a laundry room, it’s going up on the wall. Any day now. Really.
​Back to packing. When I was recuperating from the stroke, I didn’t have much strength or energy and I was faced with packing up ten years (what else?) of accumulation. Not to worry. I devised a plan. Just three boxes a day. At that rate, I could do 90 boxes in 30 days. That’s a lot of boxes. I easily solved the problem of packing materials for the breakables. I gathered all the newspaper I could, placed my shredder at the door to my kitchen and shredded newspapers each time I passed by. Worked perfectly.I planned on doing the same thing this time, but unfortunately, hardly anyone reads newspapers anymore. At least no one I know. I ended up buying bubble wrap which was way too expensive. It would have been cheaper to subscribe to the newspaper for a few weeks.
 
As for three boxes a night? Hah! First, I had to clear out Mom’s house. At least quadruple my accumulation. Then I decided to sell this house and buy hers. I had to quickly find a place to store furniture so I could stage this house. The next step was to remodel Mom’s house and we’re still not finished. Yes, I have packed some boxes, but instead of the step-by-step, room-by-room I did in the 2005 move, I haphazardly threw stuff in boxes including a new credit card and the bill for it. That necessitated a thirty-minute drive to that store to pay the bill. I’ll find the card eventually, but at least I’m not using it.
 
My house sold in five days and I wanted to start moving the loose stuff. After all, I’m only moving next door and everyone said how easy it will be. May I say again? Hah! I was hoping the floors would be completed room-by-room so I could not only move one room at a time, but get everything unpacked for that room all at once. Unfortunately, that’s not how my installer works.
 
First the painting. Okay, I get that. Then the floors installed, a few rows at a time set from one end of the house to another, and finally all the shelving, etc. installed last. I can’t even lay down a bathroom mat or put things away in the pantry. Oh, well, maybe next week.In the meantime, new furniture has arrived with more coming heaven knows when since a lot of things are back ordered. I had to buy a new stove and that took three weeks. Little by little, it’s all coming together. I just hope it all comes together in time for the closing or the installer will be laying tile around me and my grandson sleeping on the floor.
 
I hope my advice helps you in your next move. Actually, I’m not sure I gave you any advice. I think I just rambled on for about a thousand words.
 
So, in conclusion before I ramble on even more, I just want to say …
 
I’M NEVER MOVING AGAIN!!!About Margaret LakeMargaret Lake was born in New Jersey, but moved to Florida in her early teens and has lived there ever since. 

Reading has been her favorite activity since she was ten years old. Even after purchasing a Kindle, she still has seven large bookcases filled with paper books.

Her other passion is history, especially English History, dating from when she first read "Catherine" by Anya Seton. When the inspiration came to write her first novel, she naturally gravitated to the Wars of the Roses because of that book.

Her favorite author is Susan Howatch, her favorite book is "Outlander" and her favorite series is Harry Potter. She leads a Harry Potter book club at the elementary school and helps with the chess club at both the elementary and high schools.

Margaret rescued a nine-year old Jack Russell Terrier named Angelo who is now fourteen and as frisky as ever. What an artist sees as beautiful another might see as an eyesore, I have experienced that before when I have painted a blackberry covered shack and hear others call for it to be pulled down.

This is beautiful in my eyes and I know others will think so too so I a, sharing it.

This one is near Walang NSW, east of Bathurst, New South Wales. I believe that it is over 120 years old. I would love to take more photos of historical buildings. I do own  great camera, I don't understand enough about the correct lenses to use and even less about filters.

Late-Winter Flowers Art

Art Demonstration Video - Mid-Winter Roses and Artist's Garden Flowers #wsite-video-container-471881525317408292{ background: url(//www.weebly.com/uploads/b/1987672-1488... } #video-iframe-471881525317408292{ background: url(//cdn2.editmysite.com/images/util/video... } #wsite-video-container-471881525317408292, #video-iframe-471881525317408292{ background-repeat: no-repeat; background-position:center; } @media only screen and (-webkit-min-device-pixel-ratio: 2), only screen and ( min-device-pixel-ratio: 2), only screen and ( min-resolution: 192dpi), only screen and ( min-resolution: 2dppx) { #video-iframe-471881525317408292{ background: url(//cdn2.editmysite.com/images/util/video... background-repeat: no-repeat; background-position:center; background-size: 70px 70px; } } Happy Creativity Everyone. My art, art prints and art gifts are available here, and for the art tutorials click here. Prints Decor & Apparel - Artist's Mid-Winter Garden Art Demonstration Progress I'm pleased with how my current artwork in progress is progressing after two painting sessions. I have three tutorial videos being developed from the creation of this artwork. With all these beauties somehow managing to bloom in my garden in mid-winter, I had to paint them.  Advice to new exhibiting artists  Don't allow negative comments from a minority discourage you from exhibiting your artwork.

I received respect as an artist and similarly showed my exhibition viewers courtesy. I could count only a handful of funny, insensitive comments in decades of exhibiting art.
At one of my art exhibitions, I once got, "Nice hobby, dear."
I replied with, "This is my profession."  
Viewer response has to do with the presentation of our art, where we exhibit it, and our confidence in representing it. Fake confidence until you have it so that you don't accidentally invite negative comments.
I also got a, "I'll buy it, but you have to make it a better price first."
I  picked up a pen and put an additional zero on the price tag —which I then refused to remove when he wanted the artwork - because I'd not liked the way he had spoken to me.
Later, another exhibition viewer loved the artwork and didn't quibble at that new, better price. I reduced it for them to what I felt was fair, but not to its former lower price.
I never sold my work to anyone who spoke disrespectfully to me.
My Schmincke Extra Soft-Pastels I painted this work using my Schmincke extra-soft pastels  The list below shows you my current sets Of course, I only used a few of these colours for the painting.  What I loved about these two sets is that they build on each other to establish a good collection of colours and tones without much repetition.  I find the Schmincke extra-soft pastels are a joy to use.  Limited Edition set of 120 Half Stick Schmincke pastels. Colours included are:
- 007M Titanium Yellow
- 003O Permanent Yellow 2 Light
- 008M Vanadium Yellow Light
- 002H Permanent Yellow 1
- 008D Vanadium Yellow Light
- 009M Vanadium Yellow Deep
- 010H Orange Light
- 005O Orange Deep
- 005H Orange Deep
- 042H Permanent Red 1 Pale
- 042M Permanent Red 1 Pale
- 044O Permanent Red 3 Deep
- 040O Vermilion
- 041O Scarlet
- 044H Permanent Red 3 Deep
- 041H Scarlet
- 046D Carmine Red
- 043B Bordeaux
- 043D Bordeaux
- 049D Purple 1
- 047D Rose Madder
- 048H Quinacridone Violet
- 043O Bordeaux
- 046M Carmine Red
- 047O Rose Madder
- 049O Purple 1
- 050O Purple 2
- 056H Reddish Violet
- 052D Manganese Violet
- 057M Bluish Violet
- 063O Ultramarine Deep
- 600O Delft Blue
- 062H Ultramarine Light
- 600H Delft Blue
- 060D Ultramarine Blue Deep
- 062B Ultramarine Light
- 600B Delft Blue
- 061D Phthalo Blue Deep
- 067D Indigo Hue
- 069B Bluish Green Deep
- 069B Bluish Green Deep
- 069B Bluish Green Deep
- 069B Bluish Green Deep
- 690D Cerulean Blue
- 066M Prussian Blue
- 690O Cerulean Blue
- 065H Greenish Blue
- 650D Cobalt Turqoise
- 065B Greenish Blue
- 068H Bluish Green
- 065O Greenish Blue
- 071M Light Green
- 071B Light Green
- 070H Leaf Green Deep
- 072H Leaf Green Deep
- 077H May Green
- 075H Mossy Green 1
- 076M Mossy Green 2
- 077O May Green
- 075O Mossy Green 1
- 086O Olive Green 2
- 083M Bohemian Green
- 084O Chromium Oxide Green
- 080O Cold Green 1
- 094M Greenish Grey 2
- 082M Verona Green
- 075B Mossy Green 1
- 086D Olive Green 2
- 084B Chromium Oxide Green
- 083B Bohemian Green
- 073B Leaf Green 2
- 081D Cold Green Deep
- 074B Phthalo Green Deep
- 082B Verona Green
- 094D Greenish Grey 2
- 093D Greenish Grey 1
- 030B Greenish Umber
- 013D Ochre Light
- 028D Olive Ochre Light
- 093O Greenish Grey 1
- 030M Greenish Umber
- 028M Olive Ochre Light
- 029O Olive Ochre Deep
- 014M Gold Ochre
- 032O Brown Ochre
- 017O Orange Ochre
- 033O Burnt Green Earth
- 017H Orange Ochre
- 016D Flesh Ochre
- 021B Pozzuoli Earth
- 033B Burnt Green Earth
- 037D Sepia Brown
- 035B Burnt Umber
- 025B Dark Brown
- 022B English Red
- 023D Caput Mortuum Pale
- 024O Caput Mortuum Deep
- 023M Caput Mortuum Pale
- 022O English Red
- 019M Burnt Yellow Ochre
- 018O Burnt Sienna
- 098N Neutral Grey
- 035O Burnt Umber
- 036O Van Dyke Brown
- 037M Sepia Brown
- 098L Neutral Grey
- 001D White
- 091O Grey Blue 1
- 061O Phthalo Blue Deep
- 067O Indigo Hue
- 091H Grey Blue 1
- 090M Grey Violet
- 095M Cold Grey
- 092O Reddish Grey
- 098H Neutral Grey
- 092B Reddish Grey
- 090B Grey Violet
- 099D Black 
​ Wooden box set of 60 assorted pastels. Colours include:
002 O - permanent yellow 1 lemon
003 D - permanent yellow 2 light
004 H - permanent yellow 3 deep
004 D - permanent yellow 3 deep
010 D - orange light
005 H - orange deep
005 D - orange deep
042 D - permanent red 1 pale
040 D - vermilion
041 D - scarlet
044 D - permanent red 3 deep
046 D - carmine red
044 B - permanent red 3 deep
045 D - madder lake
047 D - rose madder
013 O - ochre light
014 O - gold ochre
016 O - flesh ochre
035 O - burnt umber
023 O - Caput mortuum pale
021 O - Pozzuoli earth
032 H - brown ochre
033 D - burnt green earth
022 D - English red
036 D - Vandyke brown
036 B - Vandyke brown
024 B - Caput mortuum deep
045 B - madder lake
048 B - quinacridone violet
050 D - purple 2
091 D - grey blue 1
091 H - grey blue 1
091 M - grey blue 1
064 O - cobalt blue hue
062 O - ultramarine light
064 M - coballt blue hue
062 M - ultramarine light
064 H - cobalt blue hue
062 D - ultramarine light
063 D - ultramarine deep
063 B - ultramarine deep
061 B - phthalo blue deep
066 B - Prussian blue
066 D - Prussian blue
059 D - deep violet
077 M - may green
077 D - may green
077 B - may green
085 D - olive green 1
072 B - leaf green 1
070 B - leaf green deep
091 B - grey blue 1
097 D - serious black
098 K - neutral grey
098 N - neutral grey
098 O - neutral grey
001 D - white
893 D - gold
894 D - silver
910 H - white pearl Free content that you may use. 
There are some great sites where you are able to obtain free domain images that you are allowed to use for your art.  Pixabay  (there are many others) is the free domain image source that I turned to for an image of a brush and a pen that I could combine in a photo editing program to create my Ryn Shell pen logo above. Photographs and photo editing skills are great aids for creative work. I'll strive to steer you from being dependent on them when creating art work. The human eye sees in a different may to a camera. 

Always check that they state that they are copyright free. Never assume they are. 
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What is Line and Watercolour Wash Art?

#wsite-video-container-261833677721796484{ background: url(//www.weebly.com/uploads/b/1987672-1488... } #video-iframe-261833677721796484{ background: url(//cdn2.editmysite.com/images/util/video... } #wsite-video-container-261833677721796484, #video-iframe-261833677721796484{ background-repeat: no-repeat; background-position:center; } @media only screen and (-webkit-min-device-pixel-ratio: 2), only screen and ( min-device-pixel-ratio: 2), only screen and ( min-resolution: 192dpi), only screen and ( min-resolution: 2dppx) { #video-iframe-261833677721796484{ background: url(//cdn2.editmysite.com/images/util/video... background-repeat: no-repeat; background-position:center; background-size: 70px 70px; } } The empty swing. My pen and wash artwork to show the effect of Covid-19 on Australian playgrounds for most of this year. I'm happy that most stayed away from public gatherings and thus helped control the spread of the pandemic here. Do what's needed in your area to Stay Safe.
What is Line and Wash Art?
Line and Watercolor Wash [Australian Landscape] Rusty Rustic Oil Barrels. Line and wash drawing is also classed as painting. Its often named Pen and wash drawing. and it is one of the visual arts' mixed mediums. The paper is marked out by pen, pencil or paint lines, and then tinted with diluted ink or watercolour. The technique has been known since the 13th-century when Chinese artists used transparent ink washes to create delicate atmospheric effects. The line-and-wash technique became familiar to European artists during the Renaissance in the early 15th century. Cennino Cennini taught pen drawing enhanced by brushwork. Become a Patron! #wsite-video-container-507434476424666978{ background: url(//www.weebly.com/uploads/b/1987672-1488... } #video-iframe-507434476424666978{ background: url(//cdn2.editmysite.com/images/util/video... } #wsite-video-container-507434476424666978, #video-iframe-507434476424666978{ background-repeat: no-repeat; background-position:center; } @media only screen and (-webkit-min-device-pixel-ratio: 2), only screen and ( min-device-pixel-ratio: 2), only screen and ( min-resolution: 192dpi), only screen and ( min-resolution: 2dppx) { #video-iframe-507434476424666978{ background: url(//cdn2.editmysite.com/images/util/video... background-repeat: no-repeat; background-position:center; background-size: 70px 70px; } }
The artwork completed, happy with it. 
Thank you, Daryl Raine, for the use of the photo image as a reference for the artwork.

There are seven tutorial lessons created for rustic oil barrels in rural garden pen line and watercolour wash, at this stage of the artwork.

How would you like the art course made available?
Would you prefer the mini-courses presented for individual sale or as a monthly membership? These are my work distracting neighbours.
Enjoying breakfast with my view and company. 17th century artists, Rembrandt, Claude Lorrain, Nicolas Poussin used the technique to create preparatory studies prior to creating more detailed paintings. Here they focused, as I strive to do, on the tonal values of the subject rather than a tight line rendering. Topographical drawings of the 18th century used line and wash technique. Line and wash is ideal for drawing buildings. Line and wash became a common art form in the16th century, becoming exceedingly popular over the following century, as it is today. The 

Line and wash lost favour with the impressionist and expressionist artists seeking spontaneity and the free expression of emotion, and impact of colour. I for instance was trained in the traditional tonal impressionist discipline where we painted without any prior drawing, focusing only on the tonal shapes, size and proportions.
On retirement from active gallery exhibition and art sales to pass on my know-how in art to others, I have renewed my early art years' interest in line-and-wash, plus drawing sing a wide range of art mediums including pens, ink and pencils.

I'm loving my ventures into wash drawing. Restarting my Fountain Pen Collection
I succeeded in purchasing a Platinum 3776 Century Fountain Pen - Burgundy with 14K Gold EF nib. 

Its a very good pen and it is in very nice pen to write with. It wasn't my first pick in new pens, I had my eye on a pen that retailed around $400. but couldn't justify the cost for myself at this stage.

These Platinum 3776 nibs are stiff and I assume they can take some abuse by artists as long as you are not exerting too much pressure.  It is a good entry level pen to using a gold nib pen. Squeeze Converters for Fountain Pens
I purchased a squeeze converter for each of these pens, so that I can easily fill up my pen with the permanent ink.  I don't like the trow away ink cartridges. they are wasteful if you use a lot of ink, as I do.To fill, unscrew the body of the fountain pen. Place the nib underwater in the ink.Squeeze the converter to fill the pen.Tissue off excess ink from the nib.Reassemble the pen and start sketching!​ Every Platinum #3776 Century Fountain Pen comes with a User's Manual and a Platinum Cartridge.

Platinum is one of the biggest fountain pen producer in Japan. The founder named the brand "Platinum" to show his dream of producing the best stationery to customers. #3776 series is the most famous series among all Platinum fountain pen products. 3776 is the height of the Fuji Mountain, which shows the confidence of Platinum on this series.

3776 Century has an outstanding cost-performance ratio. With the similar price, it is hard to find a golden nib fountain pen with a similar quality. The golden nib is 14K with 3776 label on it. The breather hole shows a heart shape.

3776 Century is their latest product. It took Platinum 5 years to redesign the old #3776. #3776 us the latest technique on the pen cap to prevent the dry out of the nib.

Experiment shows that the ink won't dry out in #3776 century after two years, while regular fountain pen would not be able to write directly after 3-6 months.

PILOT Desk Fountain Pen - Red
Because I am returning to fountain pen use after years of using a dip pen or a throw away pen, I chose an entry-level cost Pilot fountain pen to experiment with, rather than risk the more costly Platinum fountain pen during my first pen strokes.
The PILOT Desk Fountain Pen an elongated handle I should enjoy using for creating artwork as it balances in the hand well.  

This is also an extra fine nib size.
I now need a medium nib size fountain pen. Permanent Fountain Pen Inks suited for Use under a Watercolour Wash
Platinum Carbon Ink - Black
DE ATRAMENTIS Archive Ink
DE ATRAMENTIS Archive Ink

A black, waterproof and permanent fountain pen ink that I found highly recommended, both by artists and fountain pen enthusiasts for writing and sketching. 

This handmade ink is pigmented and has excellent flow in the Desk Pen. This flow makes it especially good for pens that dave feed issues.

I selected it because the ink is archival quality, it will not fade, and I can sketch with it prior to adding the watercolour wash over the top and the sketched ink lines will not bleed into the wash.

I have ruined fountain pens in the past by using the wrong ink and in not cleaning the pens after use. I now intend to keep my pens infrequent use, or if I stop working with them for more than a day or two I plan to empty and rinse the pen out until the water flows clear, before storing the pen. 

Good tools deserve great care.

I do not usually use metallic paint in fine art
When people copy an artist, they don't learn why they do something, and they learn both the artist's good and bad habits. You need to learn the why art mediums are used in a certain way.

I would not recommend using metallic paint in fine art without a study of how best to use them, which isn't covered in this lesson. I used very little of those paints for this artwork, and did it as a teaching exercise for the mini-course, above, of seven real-time lessens — where I explained that was an experiment to show why I do not use metallic paint when painting metal.


Metallic paints are fun for crafters. Metallic paints are fun for crafters. They were okay as I used them.

I created a cut out, extra-short video section from the tutorial videos and posted it here:
Happy Creativity, Cheers, Ryn. Practice. No One is Born Talented. Traditional art training is the best way to achieve the effects of metal with paint.
It is this light and shade training, and not special effect paint that makes something appear to represent metal.  Many forget, or don't realise, that Van Gogh did quite a lot of formal, traditional art practice, as guided by his brother who sent him plaster casts of human figures, heads, hands, to practice painting and thus train his eye for painting light and shade and to correctly seeing shapes.
Van Gogh and I have that training in common. I would have trained using the same traditional plaster models he used in his training.
I work safer than Van Gogh did. No lead based paints in my studio, and I don't paint at the kitchen table as he did. New art prints for sale! - "Five Rustic Barrels"
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