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Canvas Painting

Canvas PaintingPeople have been expressing themselves through painting for thousands of years. Even the cavemen showed great hunts and other events with paints made from berries and plants. There just seems to be an innate need to show others our thoughts, feelings, and ideas through pictures. The phrase “ A picture is worth a thousand words” is so very true.

With colors and design you can express every emotion you feel. Whether it is a woman in a garden waiting for her lover or an old barn set in a field of wild flowers in Bridgehampton, the subject brings memories and feelings to the fore front of the viewer's mind. All of this being accomplished on a blank canvas with paint.

There are some basics the beginning artist should know. Although you may have been sketching and drawing for years, the first time you pick up a brush it will seem foreign to you. This is fine. You will become very familiar with each of the brushes and the strokes they can make. They will soon be as comfortable in your hand as the charcoal pencil you use on the sketch pad.

Paints can add style and creativity to an art piece. A single tear drop on the face can take on a totally new dimension by adding color. Paints allow you to do this with ease. The types of paint you use will also allow you to be more creative. Many artists use the oil paints for extend projects. The oils do not dry as quickly and can be rejuvenated with a little turpentine or mineral spirits. This allows the artist to continue the project another day. The brushes you use with an oil painting must be cleaned extremely well. If you allow them to sit in the cleaning solution they can loose their shape. This means you may not be able to use certain brushes to achieve a particular brush stroke.

When the artist uses acrylic paints, the dry time is extremely fast. Many times, a project which is being done in half an hour or so will be done with acrylic paints because of the ease of use. Clean up with soap and water is a quick task. The brushes wash up quickly and cleanly. Allowing them to dry either on a flat surface or

Hampton Photo, Art and Framingstanding with bristles up will keep their original shape. The best thing to do when first beginning canvas painting is to experiment. Try using oils. Become familiar with acrylics. You will eventually choose which medium you prefer to work with. By playing with each, you can determine how the paints mix, get a
feel for how they flow onto the canvas, and become familiar with blending. These are all important for the novice artist to consider.

Another factor is the type of canvas you will want to use. There are stretch canvases, rolled canvas, canvas boards, and canvas mats. Each one can be used for different styles, artwork, and even paints. Which one you use will be determined by which one you feel more comfortable painting upon. The information can become overwhelming when you start painting on canvas. Getting to know the terminology will help clear some things up a little bit.

Here are some basic painting terms:

Abstract – abstract art depicts the subject by using form and color. You may see a
resemblance to the original piece. However, the subject is generally represented in
more geometric shapes than the natural setting.
Above are two forms of abstract art.

Accent – Giving exceptional detail to a certain object in the painting to bring attention to
it. A good example of accenting.

Acrylic – A type of paint which dries quickly. It can easily be cleaned up with mineral
spirits.

Alla Prima – Meaning “at the first” in Italian, this phrase means the painting is
completed with just one sitting.

Cool colors – Colors associated with the cold such as blue.

Color Wheel – Any full spectrum circular diagram which represents the relationships of
colors. This allows the colors to be compared for contrast.

Composition – The arrangement of the elements in an art piece.

Medium – The type of pain being used to create a work of art. It can also mean the
binder, usually an oil.

Palette – The painter's board where colors can be mixed and and different hues can be
created. A before and after shot.

Perspective – Being able to reproduce the same height, depth, and distance perception
in a two dimensional medium that the human eye would perceive.
This photograph is a good representation of perspective.

Pigment – The colored substance created by natural elements and synthetic ones
which are mixed with certain binders to create paints.

Primary colors – A color which can not be created by mixing other colors. The only
three primary colors are red, blue, and yellow. With these three all other colors can be
created. (White is not a color. It is the absence of color. Black is the combination of all
colors.)

Secondary colors – Any color which can be created from mixing the primary colors,
such as violet, green, and orange.

Warm colors – Hues which represent warmth such as orange, red, yellow.

 
Canvas Printing

Printing on canvas is incredibly versatile and a great way to create a ready-to-hang image or artwork. Every canvas that we print  is protected with a UV coated acrylic finish to guard the print from dust, moisture and fading. Do you want your canvas stretched on bars or non-stretched? Framed or unframed? Customize the work to make it truly your own.

 
Art of Photography

Art of PhotographyPhotography is an amazing art form. A photograph album is a catalogue of life's history as seen through the camera. People, animals, nature, holidays, celebrations and even disasters are captured instantly and recorded as part of history. It is through the powerful presentations of photography that we better understand the progression of time and life. Hampton Photo Arts has over twenty years of experience working with photographers as they seek to capture and preserve the history of families and communities.

When families get together, both children and adults love to look through photograph albums. They enjoy seeing the childhood photos of older family members and compare themselves to ancestors who lived a hundred or more years ago. Photos are among the most important treasures of every family. They should not be faded and dull. They contain the smiles, tears and emotions of generations. The staff members at Hampton Photo Arts display excellence in the art of photography reproduction. They work with the highest quality materials. They know how to create family memories that will be just as beautiful one hundred years from now as they are today.

 
Learning to Paint Watercolors

Watercolor is an easy, fun medium for creating art.  Color theory, composition and design can be explored freely with watercolor paint, paper, and brushes.  Several techniques may be used with watercolors for varying effects including painting wet on wet, wet on dry, layering washes, and more.

Watercolor paper comes in cold press, hot press, and rough.  Rough paper has the most texture, and its hills and valleys can result in interesting effects when paint is added.  Hot press is the smoothest and has the finest texture.  Cold press has a moderate amount of texture and is the paper most commonly chosen by watercolor artists.

Watercolor paper comes in several weights ranging from 90 lb. to 300 lb. based on the pounds per ream of paper.  Most artists prefer to use at least 140 lb. paper.  Papers vary somewhat between manufacturers, so sampling different papers is advisable.  Paper can be purchased in pads, in blocks or in large sheets.  The large sheets are usually the most economical and can be torn into whatever size is desired.

 
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