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Color Your World
Red Book I by Gideon Stein
Red Book I by Gideon Stein
What has always fascinated me about paints is the way you can blend them to create new colors. I have sat for hours with my palette and created many different colors all from three basic, primary colors. To me it was like opening a present to see what would happen if this color was blended with that color. By the time I was done, my palette had the makings of a Hamptons garden in full bloom.

There are stunning portraits and eye stopping canvases being created all the time with color. This does not have to be the case. The portrait can be just as stunning when done with the absence of color. Black and white always gets your attention. You are the creator of the world on your canvas. You can have it as simple or complex as you wish. You can have it be formal or funny. If black and white what you like, then do black and white. If color is the key, then add all the color you wish. You will enjoy the piece more by allowing yourself to just let go and create.

Do not ever worry about whether something looks right or not. As one professional art teacher always stated, there are never any mistakes on the canvas, just happy accidents. There is one thing you should remember when painting, keep the darks to the shadows. This means you can use the darker colors as a base for the lighter ones and the subject matter will actually shadow it's self. Of course, if you cover the entire dark area with the lighter color then adding the dark background is a mute point. There are so many things which can be done with color. I once did an entire landscape using two colors, white and prussian blue. It was a snow scene centered around a lake. I have to admit, it was beautiful. I am not the only one who thought so. I had it done exactly one hour and someone walked in and bought it right off the easel.

No where in the world is the statement “Beauty is in the eye of the beholder” more true than in the art world. I have no desire to own a Picasso. To be honest, Norman Rockwell is more my style. In the world of art, there has to be something for everyone. That is what makes it such a grand adventure. Every one has the ability to shine.

Colors allow you to turn a forest into a fall scene. Colors are what make certain portraits more noticeable than others. For instance, Thomas Kinkade has become one of the foremost artist's in this decade. He uses lighting and a warm color palette to create a canvas you would love to walk into. Never underestimate what colors can do to an image. Always remember your lighting as well.

Acrylic Paints

 
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 Prints – How are they made?

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Photography by Laurie Barone-Shafer
Nowadays just about anyone can take a good quality photographs with a digital camera. Or take a few hundred pictures and the chances are few will be good, and even one or two outstanding.

Here are a few tips, tricks and techniques on how to make art print poster ready photographs and print ready digital files. Don’t get overwhelmed, there is a lot of information here, but a lot of it is just intuitive. Well, a bit of patience will always help.

First thing – Photo Size

If you taking a digital photo of you family or friend the largest size you would print is usually 5 by 7 inches, maybe 8 by 10 at the most. Even small size digital photographs (2MB or less) are ‘good enough’ to create a decent print. But if you want to create prints that are 16 by 20, 20 by 24 inches or larger you need more pixels (in pixels 20 by 24 inches photo is actually about 40 times larger than 3 by 4 inches photo assuming they have the same resolution).

 
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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