Learning to paint with watercolors

December 11, 2009 by Portrait Painter  
Filed under Landscapes

I am new to watercolors, so I hope this advice is helpful to those learning watercolors. To begin, purchase basic supplies (www.dickblick.com has affordable art supplies) including cold press watercolor paper, watercolors (Winsor and Newton Sketchers Pocket Box), and a basic set of brushes. Although there are a lot of expensive watercolor supplies these supplies are sufficient for beginners.

Next, do research. Research various watercolor artists and their techniques. Although many people frown upon copiers, I think it’s important to copy. Its how we learn. Just be careful not to take credit for the design. You can have either a realistic, or abstract approach to watercolors. I combined watercolor with India ink and chose a more abstract approach: www.lillalouise.etsy.com. This artist’s abstract patters were very inspiring: www.wandamarie.etsy.com. Or you can create lovely landscapes like this artist has: www.kingbonk.etsy.com. Landscape paintings are great when starting a new medium.

I will not give you step by step instructions on how to create the perfect watercolor paintings because you learn from the experience and what works best for you. Experimenting is part of the art process, and it’s the most enjoyable aspect to creating.

Landscape Paintings : Presenting Nature’s Beauty

June 30, 2009 by Portrait Painter  
Filed under Landscapes




Landscape Painting is a distinct genre of painting that captures nature in its natural form. The paintings are reflections of the skies, seas, rivers, sun, moon and greeneries on the canvas. One of the earliest and traditional painting forms, landscape paintings touch the heart of the modern art lovers with all their purity, naturalness and aestheticism.

Visual documents of the panorama of nature the paintings with their timeless appeal have grown over the years as inspirations to the generations of artists. Landscape paintings from India are famous for representation of wilderness and unspoiled beauties of nature.

The word landscape originates from the Dutch word “landschap” denoting areas of arable lands. Depicting natural sceneries in a medley of lines, colors and tones was the outcome of the natural inclinations of human beings to reflect what they mostly found around them.

The early civilizations with less industrialization and urbanization presented nature in its complete bounties. Artists and poets admired them in their creations. Life was not at all complex and it was only nature and its diverse facets that formed the central theme of the paintings.

Landscape painting in its antiquated form can be observed in the pastoral sceneries of the Roman times. The paintings gained prominence with the emergence of Renaissance Art. Nature was romanticized and portrayed as philosophical and spiritual elements. Various religious and mythological events were represented via nature. Though the spiritual tones were absent in the Reformation times the paintings became more uniform and realistic in this era.

The seventeenth and eighteenth century led to the flourish of the paintings with some master artists like Watteau, Gainsborough and Thoams Girtin. The breathtaking creations reached their acme in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. Various movements of arts like abstract expressionism, impressionism and surrealism influenced the painting and brought in some new styles and techniques.

Nature was observed scientifically and more importance was given to its hostile aspects. In the modern and postmodern landscapes nature is synchronized with human psychologies and complexities of life. The various facets of nature resemble the moods of human beings in manifolds.

Landscape paintings have several classifications. The skyscape paintings depict clouds, skies and weather conditions. Moon is aesthetically represented in moonscape paintings. The rivers and seas find visible expression in seascapes and riverscapes.

The images of urban landscapes, industrialized cities, towns and streets are carved in cityscapes and hardscapes. The aerial landscapes offer an aerial view of the objects in the ground. Inscapes are visual images of the psychoanalytical mind as a three-dimensional space.

Roberto Matta, Ajmes Gleeson and Jane Farnk are the specialists in inscape paintings. Various innovations and experiments with the landscape paintings are still going on. The paintings with all their connotations and aestheticisms are a connoisseur’s delight and a prized legacy of art.

Visit www.india-crafts.com to get More information on Landscape Paintings



Creating The Perfect Landscape On Paper

May 21, 2009 by Portrait Painter  
Filed under Landscapes




When it comes to landscape, sometimes it is hard to imagine the perfect one for your garden. Should you add a few little trees? Which garden furniture would look better? Should you have a pool or a pond? Even when you do know what you want, sometimes it is extremely difficult to put it all together and that is where painting it comes in.

Painting a landscape can give you many new ideas as well as putting old ones into perspective. You do not have to be the best painter in the world, just as long as you understand it. Of course, one alternative to painting the landscape is purchasing landscape software which will show you with professional pictures, what your garden will look like with various different features. However, it is often more fun to simply paint the landscape and see it all come together yourself.

How to Find Ideas to Start Painting

So many people worry about finding the right ideas but really, everything that they need to know is inside their own minds. Every single person is different and so your idea of a perfect landscape for your garden will be completely different from your next door neighbors is for example.

One way of getting ideas includes looking at landscape paintings. Whilst many are of the countryside and lands far away, you may find some aspect of the painting that you would like to incorporate into your own garden. Perhaps there is a nice rock formation which you could somehow copy? Or, perhaps you have seen a pretty waterfall and you are thinking of putting that into the landscape in your garden on a smaller scale? Whatever you want it is possible to create it and what better way to get ideas than to look at landscape paintings?

Other ways in which you can find ideas include magazines, the internet and by looking at your neighbors gardens to see if you like anything they have created. Really the world is your oyster and there are so many ideas which you can find. Once you do have a lot of ideas jotted down, try and paint them to see if you can come up with the perfect landscape garden for you. Take your time and do not worry about starting again. Creating the perfect landscape does take a long time so it is all about patience and knowing what you want.

Overall landscape paintings can give great inspiration for your own landscaping ideas and they also look great within the home too!



Simple Tricks to Paint a Beautiful Landscape

May 20, 2009 by Portrait Painter  
Filed under Landscapes




Amongst all other painting genres, landscape painting is the most popular. There might be numerous reasons for the same but one of the main reasons is its beauty and comprehensibility. Unlike modern or abstract painting, landscape paintings project no absurd or symbolical meaning. People do not have to stress their minds to find out any hidden meaning behind the painting. All they need to do is look and soak in the beauty of a marvelous piece of art.

Painting a beautiful landscape can be easy if you keep in mind some simple tips. First you should understand the purpose of creating a landscape painting and how intensely you can move the spectator through your work. A landscape painting should make the onlookers feel as if they belong to the place portrayed. The landscape should effuse such brilliance that viewers are compelled to say, “Wish I was there!”

The first trick to attain such effect is through use of clarity. For instance, portray thick fog over some hills in the distance and let it fade in the front. Another trick is to show a winding path, a creek, a meander, or a trail. This makes people feel as though they are deep within the painting.  The last trick is to play the game of size to your advantage. Painting large trees in the front but gradually diminishing their sizes at the back creates the feel of a vast landscape.

Landscapes are not photographic representations- this is an important lesson to remember. If you think you do not like the color of the flowers, then change it. If you prefer a bird in the sky or a dark gloomy evening with no people in the background, you have every right to give full expression to your imagination. The only purpose of creating landscape paintings is to offer aesthetic pleasure through a visually appealing landscape. Hence, realism does not have great priority in landscape paintings.