The Painter's Block
Welcome to 'The Painter's Block,' the art and outdoor blog that covers everything from art collecting to our relationship with nature. Here you'll find helpful information for artists and oil painting along with topics I love related to wildlife and the great outdoors. I share with you all the things I learn and experience through my journey as a traditional artist as well as what inspires my art.
As an artist who has spent countless hours observing and painting wildlife, I understand the challenges and joys of capturing the beauty of our natural world. Painting wildlife can be a rewarding but also challenging experience. Striving to depict the unique characteristics...
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Depth and atmosphere in landscape paintings is an essential aspect in order to breath life into the work. Often times, these two things can be the most challenging to accomplish, leaving us feeling like our painting is flat. In this...
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Organizing painting supplies can be an impossible task for artists, believe me, I know first hand. With always grabbing different colors and brushes, it's easy to lose track of your supplies and create a mess. But, I've recently discovered this...
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As an artist, it can be easy to get caught up in your work. Often times you might find yourself spending hours upon hours sitting indoors, staring at a canvas or computer screen. I get it, as I'm guilty of prioritizing...
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Ever heard of alla prima and wondered how it's done or even what it is? Well let's first define what alla prima means. It's an Italian phrase that translates to "at first attempt." In other words, alla prima painting is...
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One of the biggest hurdles for getting started with oil painting is the complexity of both paint and medium choices that are available. To simplify this, let's break down what makes a good choice of paint and help you decide what's...
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If you're an artist then you know how important it is to have quality reference material. Painting from your own reference photos can be especially meaningful because it injects more feeling and emotion into your work. If you're on the search...
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For artists, painting en plein air, or painting outdoors, can be one of the most rewarding and inspiring experiences. It really forces you to take the time to slow down and be fully present to appreciate every detail that nature...
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As artists, we all know that frustrating feeling of being stuck and unable to create anything new. Artist's block can take on many different forms and whatever you might be going through in your process, it usually manifests itself as low inspiration....
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Have you ever heard "fat over lean" when researching oil painting and thought, what the heck is that?? We'll, don't sweat it, as this fundamental principle in oil painting can often be a source of confusion for many artists. Fat over...
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As an artist on a budget, finding the perfect easel can feel like a challenge. With so many options available, it can be overwhelming to determine which easel is not only affordable, but also provides the necessary features for your paintings....
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Have you ever wondered why artists start a painting with a warm tone like burnt sienna? Well, you're not alone. I used to wonder the same for years when I was starting out. So while toning the canvas might seem like...
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