Painting Autumn Trees
Ardrossan Street Autumn foliage makes for a spectacular subject, but gosh – is it tricky or what! In this blog post I want to share with you some approaches to composition, color and brushwork that will help next time you decide to tackle a subject like this. The Idea – Ardrossan StreetOne Autumn afternoon I was walking down the road, hand in hand with my wife and our two dogs. The leaves were just beginning to turn as autumn rolled in. The trees were exploding with colour in the afternoon sun and it struck me, “I have to paint this!” Armed with the only camera I had my iPhone, I
100 Trees Challenge – Skill Acquisition Through Repetition
100 Tress Challenge Hey Friend, In this blog I want to share with you a new challenge, something that I’m throwing myself into headfirst, and I’m hoping it will pay off – I’m also hoping you’ll join me… but read this first. The ChallengeRecently on Tisch Academy we jumped into the 100 heads challenge. I’m still very much involved in this challenge. It’s exactly what it sounds like – draw 100 heads! The idea is simple – it’s all about SKILL ACQUISITION THROUGH REPETITION AND DELIBERATE PRACTICE. This challenge is actually the same, although the subject has changed. This time we’re drawing trees. So how does it work? I dedicate
One Sure-Fire Way to Improve Your Paintings – Color Studies!
Improve Your Paintings Hey friend, I want to share with you something that has made a lasting impact on me as an artist – Making Studies. I not only want to make the case for why you should consider doing this, but also give you some practical steps to get the ball rolling including a discussion on materials. Ready? Lets GO! Old Masters & The secret to success as an artist…When I first started out, I began accumulating things I found inspiring, clippings from books and magazines, downloaded material and I pinned them to my board. They were virtually all old masters. I noticed that they were all consistently great.
Why Paint Plein Air? My Approach to Painting Outside
Why Paint Plein Air? I don’t know about you, but I get really excited about my art journey when I know I’m growing. It’s not about arriving at any particular place, it’s about seeing real results at the easel and that feeling of satisfaction that comes from incremental improvements. If I know this painting I’m working on is better than my last, I’m one happy camper. I tell you what, nothing compared to the benefits and improvements that I made once I picked up painting Plein Air. The leap in improvement was almost immediate. Painting Plein Air is a challenge. As I said to my buddy Mike Tan, as we
What the 100 Heads Challenge Taught Me About Discipline, Skill, and Daily Drawing
Discover how a focused drawing challenge changed my studio practice—and how you can use it to sharpen your own skills, one head at a time. Some challenges are designed to test you. Others are meant to shape you. When I committed to the 100 Heads Challenge, I didn’t just want a stack of finished sketches. I wanted something deeper: consistency, clarity, and a sharp edge to my skillset. What I got was all of that—and more. You don’t stumble through 100 portrait drawings by accident. You get there by showing up. Not once in a while—but again, and again, and again. That’s the beauty of this challenge. It doesn’t rely
