Blondheim Art Original Paintings

Apalachicola Palms
8x10 inches
oil on panel
gold frame
500.00
Purchase HERE

Art Notes Blog HERE


Painters Tip

Color Temperature Exercise

I like to do this little exercise with my painting students.

Grid off a sheet of index paper into nine even rectangles. Look for photographs of subjects or scenes which have clearly defined warm and cool elements. I found a picture of tree bark yesterday which had very evident areas of cool and warm color. The exercise is to mix and apply these areas of warm and cool color onto each section of the paper, forming the subject by the placement of warm and cool areas. The image emerges as you fill in these areas. You can use multiple subjects or practice one over and over again.

My student yesterday was practicing painting tree bark and so she used the same image 9 times. By the time she finished the lesson, she really had an understanding of how to do the bark in a 3 value NOTAN, a five value study, and a color temperature study of the subject. Next week we will be going out on location to paint tree trunks and she will be armed and ready, having taken the time to study first.

This exercise helps you to really see color temperature changes in an object, whether it be a figure, tree, hillside, or any other object. It also helps you learn color mixing skills in a practical application rather than doing boring swatches.

Blondheim Art Original Paintings

Scipico Creek
Apalachicola Florida
12x16 inches
oil on panel
gold frame
800.00

Purchase HERE

Art Notes Blog HERE


Painters Tip

Paint out Sales

Don't rely on promoters to garner sales for you. You must be prepared in advance. Spend a few months promoting the event on your blogs, web sites, and sending press releases. Those include all radio stations,TV, and style magazines. Send some history of your painting adventures and make the PR personal and interesting. Try to get a mailing list together for the area location by looking at businesses in the area.

Write to the Chamber of Commerce and find out what businesses and industries are in the area. Try to get to the location a few time to paint there so you can develop friendships with potential buyers. Is there a local art gallery in the town? Go in an introduce yourself and tell them you will be included in the event. You may be asked to show work there after the event.

Send separate postcards or letters to anyone within 100 miles of the event from your own mailing list. Do everything possible to promote yourself and stand out in front of the pack. With upward of 40 artists for an event, you need to do something to make yourself stand out. Most of the other artists will not bother to go to this effort, so you will have an advantage.

If possible, hire a sales assistant for the event who will work on commission. A sales assistant can be where you can't. The assistant will be able to talk with people who are not familiar with your work. He/she will be able to meet many more people because he is free to move around meeting lots of people. Since an assistant is skilled at sales, he will be able to motivate people both during the actual painting time and more importantly at the opening.

Professional paint outs are fun but they are really about making money. if I just want to paint I can go out on my own. The Invitational paint outs are about sales and promotion. Do everything you can to help yourself.

Blondheim Art Original Paintings

Palm Miniature
2 1/2 x 3 1/2 inches
acrylic on index paper

See my paintings HERE

Art Notes Blog HERE


Coming Events

Art In The House
October 27, 2007
Ocala, Florida

Annual Chili Party
November 3, 2007
Linda Blondheim's Studio
10:00 AM - 6:00 PM

Come feast on homemade chili with all the toppings. Finish it off with homemade lemon pound cake. All guests are eligible to win a 100.00 studio gift certificate. I will have lots of miniature paintings which make great little holiday gifts.


Painters Tip

I am on the road starting tomorrow for a few days of painting fun in Apalachicola. I'll post again on Monday.


Make a list and check it twice.


Doing a big paint out takes a lot of time and planning beforehand. I like to get a checklist started weeks before the event.

You are going to need to order canvases,frames,brushes and paints. Order the number you think you will realistically use and then about 30%- 50% more. There is nothing worse than going to this kind of event and running out of supplies or frames. Most good paint outs have a wet room, where paintings are sold each day to the patrons. If your work is popular at an event and you are selling like mad, you will need to step up your production to meet the demand for your work. If you run out of supplies it will be disastrous. Not being able to produce paintings when you know they will sell is a terrible feeling. I say this from personal experience, having been unprepared when I started out years ago.

I start ordering my supplies months ahead, and packing the frames and supplies in boxes. I write on the outside of the box the name of the paint out and what I have packed in the box. I can store multiple paint out supplies together and sort the boxes when it comes time to go. In Florida, we tend to have most of the paint outs in the spring or fall, so they are ofter back to back. This year all of mine are in the spring, so I have a few months to get ready.

More on paint outs Monday...

Blondheim Art Original Paintings

Color NOTAN Paintings of Orange Lake

See my paintings HERE

Art Notes Blog HERE


Painters Tip


Preparing for a paint out


I do a few professional paint outs each year here in the South. I have three lined up for spring of 2008.

There is always a lot of pressure to perform well at these events. You are painting with some of the top level painters from your region and you want to stack up well next to them.

I like to get ahead by doing some paintings in advance. getting the lay of the land, looking at possible painting spots and playing around with color, values and compositions. All of this preliminary work helps me to feel confident and excited about the event.

I have already started doing some miniature NOTAN paintings of Orange Lake and one of the Evinston farms, where we will be painting at The Heart of Florida paint out, April 11-18, 2008. I make a copy of the paintings to put into my reference book before I cut them out as individual miniatures to sell. I must say that I learn so much more from my NOTAN paintings than I do from big ones.

More on getting ready for paint outs tomorrow........

Blondheim Art Original Paintings

Canal
6x9 inches
oil on panel
gold frame
350.00

Purchase HERE

Art Notes Blog HERE





Painters Tip


More on painting on location



Think about masses first. Get out of the habit of contour drawing and focus on large shapes and negative space. I tell my students to think about applying or plugging in color where they see it, as if the painting is a series of color shapes.

When you mix a color, hold it out on the brush at arm's length in front of the object you are painting. You will see if it is accurate in color temperature, value and local color, before you apply to the spot where you need it. Often we think the color and value are correct in a mix on the palette, only to find that it is off once applied to canvas.

Continue to plug in these color shapes until the canvas is blocked in with paint. It will be like a quilt painting in a sense. Then you can go back and refine until you have a three dimensional painting.

Blondheim Art Original Paintings

Two Palms
2 1/2 x 3 1/2 inches
acrylic palm study on index paper


See my paintings HERE

Art Notes Blog HERE


Painters Tip


Thinking about simplified values on location


I have long been a fan of simplified values. I like to use a five value plan when I paint out on location. KISS rule applies for me. Rather than struggling with a full value range, stick to the basic five. In gray scale I am referring to white, black, mid tone gray, mid tone between black and mid gray, and mid tone between white and mid gray.

I will often do a tiny format painting in these five values before I start my real painting, taking 10 minutes or less to complete the value study. It helps to mix these five values and put a line of the swatches up at the top of your panel to use as a reference.

Doing the little value study helps me to understand the values I will need to use in the color painting. It also give me a bit of time to work out the composition in my mind. I might end up doing more than one.

As you know, I am a huge fan of doing studies in painting, and doing small exercises which build technical skills. Don't leave out study time if you want to be a good painter.

Blondheim Art Original Paintings

Marsh Grasses
2 1/2 x 3 1/2 inches
Mounted on 4x6 inch mat board

See my paintings HERE

Art Notes Blog HERE


Painters Tip


Blocking In Major Elements

My method is simple and effective. I start with a single color to place the major elements in my painting. Once I have everything placed in the composition, I step back to take a look and think about what I might want to do to improve the placement.

If there are changes, I use a second color to move things around and to make adjustments. The advantage to this method is that you can clearly see your original composition and your revised composition.

You may not like any of the changes or some of them. Since you can see both versions, you can make intelligent choices between the two. Sometimes you will want to go somewhere in between the two. For that final adjustment use a third color.

This will be your final composition and the others will simply be painted over. Since all three versions are done in the thinest of stains, they are easily covered.

Blondheim Art Original Paintings

Marsh Palms
2 1/2 x 3 1/2 inches
acrylic on index paper
Mounted on 4x6 inch mat board

See my paintings HERE

Painters Tip

I wanted to share excerpts from this excellent article written by Larry Fredricks, contributor to the Early To Rise Newsletter. I changed a few of the words to relate to artists and left out some things which were not relevant to artists. Early To Rise is an excellent resource for business and marketing.


Postcards Are Not Only for Travelers

By Larry Fredericks

One of the most common reasons that people give for not trying to start a new business is the fear of losing a lot of money. This reason is not foolish. When you're playing with your financial survival or that of your family, you've got to act responsibly. Yet, as you probably know, starting your own business is one of the best ways to become wealthy.

So how do you get past that fear of losing money? Easy. Start the business by doing postcard mailings.

I've used this technique to start several profitable small businesses, so I know from personal experience that it works. And - besides being very inexpensive - one of the best things about this technique is that it's so versatile. Almost any service and quite a few products can be marketed by mailing postcards.

There are some distinct advantages to using postcards to market your art or services:

• Postcards are much cheaper to print and mail than full-size sales letters in envelopes.

• Postcards don't have to be opened to be read by your potential customer.

• Postcards are small and easy to handle, so you can do a test mailing with a few thousand of them yourself.

You can print and mail out 1,000 postcards for about $300 to $350. A small test mailing like this to people in your target market will give you a good idea of whether your ideas will be successful. If you get a two percent response rate, which is not crazy at all, you could have 20 new customers. In the direct-response marketing business, a two percent response rate is generally considered good. (Note: Your response is partially dependent on how well you identify your target market.)


Once you see that your postcard marketing effort is working, you can mail out more. If you get the same response rate, now you've got another 100 new clients - and the foundation of a thriving business. And the great thing is that you only risked a few hundred dollars to test it. Plus, to keep building your business, you can stop doing the mailings yourself and use a mailing house to get you bulk-mail rates and volume-based discounts.
If you want to try a postcard mailing to test your art market, these are the basic steps:


• Write some strong marketing copy for your postcard.
Most important is to have a powerful headline that offers a desirable benefit. In the body copy, support the claim made in your headline, and then close with information on exactly how you can be reached. (For a local business, providing a phone number is usually best.)

Don't clutter up the postcard with too much copy. Four or five bullet points stating the most important benefits of purchasing your art or service is plenty. Most of the time, you shouldn't have more than 100 words on your postcard.

• Format the copy so it looks good.
Either use an inexpensive software program to do it yourself or hire a graphic artist. Any office supply store will have several programs for under $50 that can help you design a postcard that looks professional. Once you have it designed, save it as a PDF or Word file. Then you and someone you trust should proofread it carefully - several times, because it's easy to miss minor typos.

• Hire a printer.

As long as you live in a well populated place, you won't have any trouble finding plenty of options for printing, though you'll probably want to use a place like Kinko's or Office Depot that specializes in small printing jobs. It's good to shop around a little, because prices can vary greatly.

It's customary to make a deposit when you place the order and pay the balance when you pick it up. Since the printer doesn't make a profit until you pay in full, you're unlikely to have any problem getting your job done quickly.

Before the postcards are printed, make sure you review a proof of the final copy to make sure they're going to look exactly the way you want them to look.

• Drop your postcards in the mail.

Keep in mind that the reason you're doing it yourself is because you want to do a very inexpensive test of your business idea. Once you know it works, you'll be able to hire someone else to take care of the stamping and labeling so you can spend your time painting.

A postcard campaign can be a very effective and low-cost way to sell paintings. With only a few hundred dollars at risk, almost anyone can afford to test the waters.

Blondheim Art Original Paintings

Wood Farm
Evinston Florida

12x16 inches
oil on panel
Work In Progress

See my paintings HERE

Art Note Blog HERE


Open Studio Class

It's time for my monthly Open Studio Class.
Sunday, October 4,2007
2:00 PM - 6:00 PM
Studio Fee: 20.00

Directions are on my web site on the contact page.


Painters Tip

More on plein air

The first thing to do when you are set up and ready to paint is to think about what attracted you to the scene in the first place. That is what you must capture. Is it the color, the subject, the composition? Think about what you might do to improve the composition. My number one advice is that you must remember that the viewer of your painting will not be there with you to see what you see. Your job is to create a wonderful painting, not to copy nature. It is often wise to move elements around in the painting and to leave thing out. Compositions should be simple but effectively designed to keep the viewer in the painting as long as possible.

Whether you are an expressionist like me or a more traditional painter, there are some absolutes in painting for all of us. A clear direction of light, cast shadows where they belong, color harmony, good value structure and a pleasing composition will take you a long way toward success.

I strongly recommend that you take 5 minutes to do a quick pencil sketch of the scene, working out the difficulties on paper before you start to paint. It may save you frustration and heart ache.

I also often do a series of miniature paintings on one sheet of index paper to play with color and composition. It takes about 5 minutes to do each one. They make great references for future paintings too.






Remember that painting on loction is not like studio painting. Take the time to aclimatize yourself before you begin.

Blondheim Art Original Paintings

Orange Sky
2 1/2 x 3 1/2 inches
acrylic on index paper
matted to 4x6 inches
unframed
10.00

Purchase at EBAY

Art Notes Blog HERE


Painters Tip

More on plein air

You have your equipment purchased, your portable studio in the car and the parts and pieces you need for painting. Now what?

It's important to think about safety, especially for women. I've been painting out on location alone for at least 17 years. I travel all over the South, especially in Florida Georgia and Alabama painting. Knock on wood, I've never had any kind of incident. I am careful though. Whenever possible I paint in state, county,city parks,botanial gardens, college campuses,libraries, privately owned farms,beaches and city streets where there are lots of people around. I never go down isolated roads or to places where I can't be seen from the highway or "people places".

I always have a cell phone wih me and I tell someone I know where I will be painting or in the general area where I am going. I keep my phone on me and my keys on me so that I can reach for them right away. Keys can make a formidable weapon. I don't go very far from my car when I am alone unless I am on private land.

It is also a good idea to have pepper spray, or your dog with you if you are painting locally.

When you pull into a parking area, check it out thoroughly before you get out of the car. If you see someone who looks suspicious, find a new place to paint or wait until they leave before getting out of the car. If the place just doesn't feel right to you, drive way. I don't care how great a location it is, better to be smart than sorry.

I'm not trying to scare anyone here. I just want you to make smart choices if you are painting alone as I do.

Blondheim Art Original Paintings

North Florida Palms
14x18 inches
oil on panel
gold frame
1000.00

Purchase HERE

Art Notes Blog HERE



Painters Tip


Keeping an outdoor studio in your car is very convenient and pretty easy. I have a sturdy cardboard box or metal basket for supplies, and my rolling file cart to hold my pochade boxes. I keep the following in my supply box:

Both acrylic and oil paints which are my backup and extra colors that I don't always use, but sometime need.

All solvents and mediums. I use a few layers of insulation on these to keep them from getting too hot. Since I don't paint on location often in the summer, it's not too much of a problem.

Bottled water for acrylics and for drinking.

duct tape, bungie cords and masking tape. Duct tape fixes most breaks in equipment and masking tape or bungies will tie down a palette and canvas in the wind. It will also do in a pinch if you need a straight edge.

short metal and plastic ruler

small plastic tarp

a pair of dry socks

bug juice,sunscreen

snack food

extra paint brushes

paper towels

painter hat

a concrete weight or gallon jug filled for weight.

Fold up garden bench to sit on occasionally

wet wipes

I keep paints brushes towels and painting panels in my paint boxes too.

By having the studio set up this way, I can simply walk out the door and get in the car ready to go. It sure makes painting easier. It takes a bit of time and work initially, but once you have it all together, it is simple to replace a few items as they run out. Be sure to check your supplies periodically. You will need to have something to transport wet oil paintings. You can purchase very nice wood boxes, plastic caardboard boxes or use pizza boxes. They all work fine.

Blondheim Art Original Paintings

Dusk Palms
5x7 inches
oil on panel
wood frame
100.00

See my paintings HERE

Art Notes Blog HERE


Painters Tip


Being organized will help you with plein air painting. Over the years I have had just about every brand of French easel, pochade box, and gizmo you can imagine. It is important to decide early on what sort of set up suits your personality and your physical needs. I have severe RA and so it is very important for me to go light on equipment and materials when I'm in the field. The less I have to drag around with me the better.

I am a minimalist by nature anyway. I hate fussing around with a lot of stuff. One of my friends is just the opposite. When we travel together it drives us both crazy. I have one bag of luggage and she has three. I have a pochade box, a tripod and a bottle of water. She has this whole get up with back pack rolling cart with a seat, and extra bag too.

It's important to figure out what sort of comfort zone you have regarding the amount of equipment and supplies you will need. Once you know whether you need to carry your entire studio with you or whether you need 8 tubes of paint and a bottle of water, you can make an intelligent selection on equipment.

If you are a minimalist you will either want to choose a half box French easel or a pochade box and tripod. The advantage of the half box easel is that it will hold large format canvases. The disadvantage is that it is clumsy to set up and no French easel ever lasts more than a year for me, including the Julian. The hardware falls off and the legs break eventually. However, they do make great table top easels, once the legs are broken.

There are a huge variety in the boxes too, some require extra baggage for supplies, others are self contained. I like the Judson Guerrilla box the best. It has always been my favorite because it is self contained and extremely well built. It also comes in multiple sizes so you can have one for each format if you like. Of course the Open Box M is the Mercedes of boxes, but I don't like it because it is good only for the actual palette and panel you are using. You still need to have other stuff with you for your supplies. Too many parts and pieces for my taste. It is really finely made and very expensive, but for me, that is overkill and a waste. My boxes get thrown all over the place and are covered with paint. I'm not interested in fine furniture, just a solid well made box which can take my abuse. The Guerrilla box delivers. I have had one for many years. It looks like crap but is still as solid as can be. If you go the route of a pochade box, invest in a top line tripod. You need the stability.

If you need to move your studio outside, the options increase to full box easels, Easy L boxes, The hideous metal French easels which fold up like a flat suit case, and other field easels. Even Stanrite studio easels will work. You can bring out all kinds of tote bags, fancy seats, rolling carts etc. If you want to paint in comfort. I use two different carts. My favorite is a file box on wheels with a collapsible handle. Light weight and big enough to carry everything I need. My other cart is large and tall to carry a lot of equipment if I will be going out for long periods away from the car.

More on plein air tomorrow.....

Blondheim Art Original Paintings

Washingtonian Palms
8x10 inches
oil on panel
gold frame
500.00

Purchase HERE



Painters Tip


It is plein air season again here in Florida. The dreade heat and humidity is on the wane, so I thought it would be good to go over some tips for those of you who are starting out.

The above painting was done on location yesterday. In fact it was a very complex subject with a lot of foliage and textures. When you work on location it become very important to focus on the major elements and to leave out what is ancillary. Just get to the meat of your subject and don't go off on tangents. The KISS rule definitly applies here.

Decide how much time you have to devote to your session and pack appropriately. If you are only going out for two or three hours, my usual preference, only take what you will actually use. One canvas, a few paints, a hat, sunscreen, bug juice, water, a tripod and box or French easel, paper towels, trash bag. You don't need to haul around massive amounts of supplies and equipment. Remember that you will be tired when you are through and all of that stuff will seem overwhelming. I keep all of my supplies in the trunk of my car so that I don't have to haul all of it arond. I keep a working studio in my car and in the house so that I don't have to constantly pack and unpack equipment. They are two separate studios.

more on plein air painting tomorrow...

Blondheim Art Original Paintings

River Styx
12x16 inches
oil on panel
gold frame
800.00

Purchase HERE

Art Notes Blog HERE


Painters Tip

I discovered a great way to show my work by accident. I have an AOL email account. They are free now for anyone. I uploaded a few pictures on their picture feature to send to a client and never took them off. I happened to look at the gallery one day and there were lots of people looking at my paintings. Since then, I add them as I do them and the interest has been good. I have had a Flickr account for several months but the views on AOL are a much higher number. However you choose to do it, find a photo place on line and show your paintings. You never know when the right person will come along and see them. The other great thing is that they make a very nice album for your clients to see.

Blondheim Art Original Paintings

Ozello Marsh
12x16 inches
oil on panel
gold frame
800.00

Purchase HERE

Art Notes Blog HERE


Upcoming Event:

Rich Schleicher Realtor presents
"Art In The House"
With Artist Linda Blondheim
1629 NE 3rd Street
Ocala, Florida 34470
Saturday, October 27th, 2007
1-5 PM

Come tour this beautiful restored vintage home and enjoy art and refreshments.


Painters Tip


My friend and occasional student Rich Schleicher is a realtor in Marion County, Florida. He is a very creative person and came up with this idea to show houses and feature regional artists. We will do some staging of the art around the home and he will have refreshments. He is running a big ad for the event and of course we will both do a good amount of publicity in the area.

This is a wonderful way to expose your art to middle class and wealthy people who can afford to purchase high end homes. It is a win win situation for both the realtor and the artist. Hopefully the art will attract more people than a simple open house would draw in. I have no expectation of sales but many people in my market will tour the home and it is just a short afternoon of effort for me. No time or effort lost really since it is good marketing. Of course, I will have my promotional materials there along with about 30 paintings in various sizes.

We will be doing a post card mail out and putting some sort of coupon for a free coffee at a restaurant as a perk. We will also send out a nice press release to the local style magazines with images of the house and one of my paintings.

This sort of thing takes about a month to promote in order to bring in a good crowd.

A to do list for this sort of event:

Postal mail outs to Realtors,nature conservation groups, art and cultural groups, home builders, architects, business and Chamber of Commerce connections. Mail outs to all clients in the area.

Press release for all style magazines and newspapers in the county.

Paintings framed, priced and inventoried

display easels

staging props like rugs and potted plants for an empty home to dress it up a bit.

Snacks and beverages

business casual clothes

Artists should arrive at least one hour before the open house and plan to stay through the entire event.

One of the things I suggested we do is to pull in props from local furniture stores, the art supply store for easels, and palnt nurseries, putting their promotional materials our for people to take. Since it is only one afternoon, they may want to be included.

I'll bet there are many Realtors in your area who would jump at the chance to partner with you for open houses. I love this idea. I'll let you know how it turns out.

Blondheim Art Original Paintings

Shell Creek
12x16 inches
oil on panel
gold frame
800.00

Purchase HERE

Art Notes Blog HERE


I was shocked to see today that a person unsubscribe from the RSS Feed for this blog, with the reason that it was offensive and they strongly disagreed with the content. This hurt me terribly. I have maintained this blog as a way to help beginning and emerging artists to a path of success. No one has to offer help to other artists. I and many others do this as a service to the artists we love and respect. When I was a beginner, I would have loved to have references and experienced artists to turn to for help. I can't understand how I could have been offensive to anyone with this blog. I try to be strait forward about issues and offer a realistic view of the professional art world.

I deeply apologize to all of my readers if I have been offensive. It certainly was not my intent.

Love,
Linda


Painters Tip

Gesture Drawing:

The gesture drawing is the basic essence of an object. Look at what you are drawing,only glancing at the paper now and then. Work very quickly,timing yourself at about 30 seconds first, then lengthening the time gradually, trying to find the essence, as quickly as possible. Draw lots of subjects, like figures, landscapes, still life, animals, etc.
These should be simple contour line drawings, not detailed works.Do not refine. The object is to put the object on paper in a few seconds or minutes.
There is no one, right way for gesture drawings. You can do them large or small and on sketchpads, newsprint, or even scraps of paper, while you are at a restaurant or at your desk. They will help you to improve your drawing skills. Save the drawings and date them. Keep them in your drawing notebook.

Blondheim Art Original Paintings

Pond
5x7 inches
Acrylic on panel
Oak frame
100.00

See my paintings HERE

Art Notes Blog HERE


Linda's Coming Events:

"Country Roads"
Leesburg Art Center
November 1- December 16, 2007
Leesburg,Florida


Linda's Annual Chili Party
Saturday, November 3, 2007
10 AM - 6 PM
See direction on my web site contact page.


Wekiva Paint Out
Wekiva State Park
March 3-8, 2008
Apopka, Florida
Hosted by the Friends of Wekiva


Artists in the Garden
Epcot Center
Walt Disney World
April 4-6, 2008
Hosted by the Annual Flower and Garden Festival


Heart of Florida Paint Out
Evinston-McIntosh-Orange Lake
April 11-18, 2008
Hosted by the City of McIntosh and the Artist Alliance of North Florida


Painters Tip


An artist emailed me yesterday to ask about how to write a statement/resume/bio. It came out in our conversation that she is 68 years old with no exhibition experience and no sales at all. She teaches other artists to paint and draw.

I don't want to tiptoe around the issue of age and experience in trying to launch a professional career in the fine arts. It is a very difficult road to success, even for those with a fine arts degree in their hands. When I got out of art school 31 years ago, I had the idea that I could paint and people would start lining up for my work. Within five years, I would be making a cozy living with assistants running around to help me. In fact, I had to go though many jobs, including restaurant line cook, housekeeper, mail sorter, private chef, and caterer in order to scrape by, while all the while painting each and every day, waiting for the big league. About 15 years ago, I finally took the plunge and have managed to survive as a professional artist since.

To aspire to the professional level at 68 is not impossible, but unlikely. It can be done but to what end? Would it not be better to enjoy the noble profession of teaching? She is doing a great service for others and I am very proud of her. She wakes up each day as an artist, which is the ultimate privilege in my opinion. To her credit also, she is very realistic about this and more interested in the research of what it takes to be a pro than the actuality. I wish her great success in every endeavor.

On the other had, for someone in their 60's, who has good retirement income, good health and plenty of leisure time, it is certainly possible to become a successful local or regional artist. Again, it takes work and consistent marketing, and if it is important to you to sell and be recognized, then by all means go for it. As long as you are not fully dependant on sales for your living, you can enjoy being an active artist who sells regularly. You will have the luxury of selling your work at very affordable prices and you will have many sales as a result.

Blondheim Art Original Paintings

Leaning Palm
12x16 inches
oil on panel
gold frame
800.00

Purchase HERE

Art Notes Blog HERE


Painters Tip

Painting Bark Texture in Trees


For me, the secret to painting bark is to minimize it. Hitting the highlights and darkest values and texturizing is a better look than painstaking reproduction of the bark. There is a fake look to bark that is too carefully rendered.
I often do vignettes of sections of bark for various trees. These little studies are done on index paper in small sections, so as to keep for reference materials in my tree workbook. Whenever I am out painting or with my camera, I like to take close up photos or do quick studies of various tree bark patterns.

The following colors in various combinations make good bark.

Ivory Black
Red Oxide
Burnt Sienna
Cad Red Light
Cad Medium Yellow
FUB
Prussian Blue
Naples Yellow
Titanium White

Blondheim Art Original Paintings

Merritt Island Nature Preserve
6x9 inches
oil on panel

SOLD

See my paintings HERE

Art Notes Blog HERE



Painters Tip


Preparing Applications


Artists often have to prepare submissions for museum exhibitions, paint outs, gallery shows and so forth. It is imperative to respond exactly as directed. This is not the time for creative license or rebellion. All time lines must be met and all materials which are required must be gathered up. You must keep your resume, artist statement and bio updated and ready to send via email or postal immediately. You must have the ability to make CD's with digital images, as slides become more arcane.

Many of the art centers and museums are on a tight schedule and must have materials immediately in order to publicise their events properly.

Here is a list of the items I have at all times, ready to send out via email or via postal hard copies:

Current Resume
Artist Statement
Artist Bio
Brochure
Multiple business cards
Gallery Sheet of Images
CD of 15 images

Opportunities sometime come up literally overnight with a narrow window. It is simple to send out the above information and follow up with specific Inventories, etc. when appropriate.

If you do not have a digital camera, pay a photographer to take 10 good images, which you can have put on multiple CD's and continue to copy.

If you are always prepared, you will have many more opportunities.

Blondheim Art Original Paintings

Rabbit Hill Farm
18x24 inches
oil on canvas
gold frame
1500.00


Purchase HERE

Art Notes Blog HERE


Painters Tip

Build a Network of Artists

I travel a great deal and so I am fortunate to know many landscape painters. Because I travel, I have been able to be a part of many landscape painter's groups around the Southeast. I belong to Plein Air Florida, Florida Artists group, Plein Air Georgia, Alabama Plein Air Artists, and Southern Ladies Art Conference, which has a group of 8 members from Georgia, Florida,South Carolina and North Carolina. It is great to be able to participate in a few of their activities throughout the year.

Having a network of like minded painters allows me to get all kinds of information on good locations to paint, where the best restaurants are located, motels, galleries and museum locations. If I wish to travel to any city in the South I can simply email one of the painters I know and they can help organize my trip. Often, they are willing to share their homes. I do the same for them. I can also get a feel for the market in that area, what is selling and what is not, the demographic and so forth.

Luckily, I have an extended network out of the deep South through Internet connections to painters around the country. It's wonderful to see their work and to know about their part of the world.

Locally, I have friends and student who help me to stay focused and knowledgeable about the going on in this area. I have a wonderful morning group who has breakfast together once an month to catch up on all the activities locally for artists.

Start building a network of artists for yourself. You will find great value in these connections.

Blondheim Art Original Paintings

Ormond Palm
10x10 inches
oil on canvas
SOLD

Purchase My work HERE

Art Notes Blog HERE

Painters Tip

Here is a fun way to get some inspiration. Plan a series of day trips either by yourself or with other painters. Make a day of it by planning to eat a meal out together and tour an interesting area. Take your camera and if you are landscape painters, take your pochade boxes to do some quick studies. Try to keep the journey no more than 3 hours from home, so that all of your time isn't taken by the trip back and forth. Plan to leave about 6 AM so that there is plenty of painting time or touring time when you arrive.

Spend some time on the Internet, researching your area of interest, so that you know something about the place you are going. You will be able to find the restaurants and some of the scenic areas by doing a Google image search before you go.

Some places have scenic boat tours, museum tours and gallery tours. Try to decide what activities you will be most interested in before you leave.

You can all chip in for gas and use some one's van to save money, so it's not a hardship on anyone.

I have taken two trips with student over the last few years, one to Ozello Florida for the day and another to St Petersburg for the day. Both were wonderful and we had time to enjoy lunch at a restaurant and paint for a few hours.

Blondheim Art Original Paintings

Beach Palms
12x16 inches
oil on panel
gold frame
800.00

Purchase HERE

Art Notes Blog HERE


Painters Tip

Two Hats


Professional painters have to wear two hats. One as a painter and one as a business person. I try to keep my hats separated as much as possible and I think it helps to do so.

One of the reasons many artists can't make a living at their art is because they refuse to learn anything about business and marketing. They have bought into the idea that selling will contaminate their art and make it less than wonderful. What nonsense!!

I do believe that I must wear my painter's hat when I am working at the easel. I cannot be concerned about whether the new palette I am using will decrease my sales, or whether the subject I choose to paint may or may not sell. My job as a painter is to paint as well as I can and to learn as much as I can about the process of being an artist. That is what drives me toward the goal of excellence.



When I step away from the easel, I must become a pretty good business person in order to keep painting each day and enjoying what I do best. I must separate myself from the painter and become the marketer and the idea person. I must believe in my product entirely and be willing to sell it wholeheartedly. If I don't believe in my paintings who on earth will? This is not about the artist's ego, it is about believing in the product you make and put your name on. That is a big deal isn't it? If you are not wholeheartedly behind your paintings, then you must find another way to live. Why would I try to sell a product that I'm not proud of? I could never do that. I have worked for 30 years to be a good painter and I do the best I possibly can with the ability that has been given to me. I owe it to myself to believe in my work and to actively pursue selling it so that I can continue to do my life's work.

Happily, the two hats work pretty well and I try to keep them in good balance. I believe that is really the key. Too much marketing time is a lot of pressure. Too much painting time and no marketing makes for an empty bank account and too many paintings in the studio.

Blondheim Art Original Paintings

River Palms
12x16 inches
oil on panel
gold frame
800.00

Purchase HERE

Art Notes Blog HERE


Painters Tip

More on placement


Once you get your dots situated on the canvas you should remeasure the objects and their relationship to each other in the scene you are painting. What is the relationship in distance between objects? Heights, lengths? If it looks accurate, you must decide whether it looks good on your canvas. Does it look to crowded, or too large? Too small? Fitting the scene to the format is important. At this point you will adjust the elements and add or get rid of ones which need adjustment.

Here is a fun little exercise which will help you learn to place elements and objects accurately in your painting. Take a piece of paper and put dots to represent the elements in the scene in front of you. Take another paper and try to repeat the dots exactly where they are placed on the first paper. Line up the two papers, one on top of the other to see how close you get. Do this exercise fairly often and your ability to accurately place objects on canvas will improve with time.

Blondheim Art Original Paintings

McIntosh Florida Palms
12x16 inches
oil on panel
champagne silver frame
800.00

Purchase Here

Art Notes Blog HERE


Painters Tip


Placement

Sometime you will be in a situation where you have a fairly small format to work on but a complex scene with lots of elements. Before you start, decide on which of the major elements you want to include in the painting. If architecture is to be featured, you must place it first, because it will instantly draw the viewer's attention. Trees and plant materials can be filled in around it. If the scene is more natural with large elements like palms or other trees, you need to decide which of those will be dominant, and then leave out others which are not essential to the overall scene.

Here is what I do. I make small dots on the canvas to place the elements. I will first lay in the top and bottom of a tree and then the width with a dot on either side. Then I will move through the canvas with more dots for other elements. I think about intervals in tree trunks and other elements, making them as varied as possible. I don't want them to look like little soldiers all in a row, and so I vary the heights as well.

Then I can go back and block in these elements, making a few adjutments to them.

This method saves time and frustration believe me.

More on placement tomorrow.....

Blondheim Art Original Paintings

Palms
10x10 inches
oil on canvas

See my paintings HERE

Art Notes Blog HERE







Painters Tip

Pricing

I raise my prices every other year in January. There is a sticker shock for a month or two each time I raise them, so be prepared for your sales to drop for a couple of months. The time to raise your prices is when you are selling very well regularly. Don't raise them too often, and don't raise them when you are not selling well.

You will also need to realize that when you raise your prices you are pricing your work out of one market and moving into a different market. You will be losing some of your present market by raising them. That means it will take time to get a new market established.

Think long and hard before you make this decision because you essentially have to live with it. If you are going to lose your current market by raising your prices, you need to find some strategies which will help you to attract a more sophisticated, affluent clientele and establish these strategies before you actually raise the prices. It takes time to build a new market and you would be wise to find a way to keep your current market by offering some miniatures, or studies to attract and keep lower end buyers.

Ask yourself if your work stands up against artists in a higher end market. Be brutally honest with yourself about this. If you honestly feel you are not on the same level of technical ability with them, you will be hurting yourself to increase your prices to their level. This is the time to get rid of your ego and for total honesty with yourself. If you can't know yourself, ask a trusted established artist to be honest with you. If your work does compare in quality, then go ahead and raise your prices gradually to be more in line with theirs, but remember you may have a period of lower sales as a consequence.

Blondheim Art Original Paintings

Sunflower

5x7 inches
acrylic on panel
100.00

See my paintings HERE

Art Notes Blog Here


Painters Tip


Find a Mentor

There is a lifetime of knowledge in the mind of a successful painter. He/she has worked tirelessly to achieve success, believe me. Success for artists is no small thing. A full time, working artist has a wealth of knowledge to share. He/she knows marketing, framing, painting, usually in several mediums, studio management, commissions, and he/she knows how to please affluent, sometimes difficult clients.

If you are a beginning painter, or emerging painter with aspirations toward a professional career, find yourself an experienced artist and become his/her new best friend. It will be the best training you will ever invest in. Take his/her workshops, study with him/her and pay for his/her valuable time. It will be the best investment in your own career you will every make.

I have to be honest here. When I was a young girl, I thought that getting a BFA and MFA was the secret to success as an artist. If you want to teach, that is true. If you want to be a successful working artist, it is not the best route. If I could start over, I would not go that route. Instead, I would hook my star to a successful, working artist and soak up everything possible from him/her. Hindsight is wonderful isn't it?

Blondheim Art Original Paintings

Snapdragons

5x7 inches
acrylic on panel

See my paintings HERE

Art Notes Blog HERE



Painting Flowers

Painting flowers makes me happy. I like to do them in batches. It is a theme I go back to from time to time and a good one for building painting technique. Nothing is more important for florals than good clean brushwork and rich clean color. For that reason alone, painting florals is a good idea. They are also a great subject for learning positive and negative shapes, values, cropping and texture.


Good composition is essential in floral work so there is a bunch of good information about painting to be gained in painting florals. I usually do them in 5x7 inch studies because I am not really a floral painter. I do learn a lot about painting which I can translate into landscape painting techniques. Don't forget the drawing skills which can be learned from flowers too.

Blondheim Art Original Paintings

Swamp
24x24 inches
oil on panel
champagne silver frame
1800.00

Purchase HERE

Art Notes Blog HERE


Sky Color

Who says skies have to be blue in paintings? We automatically think that but really, any number of colors can be very powerful in sky paintings. Two of my favorites are pink in some form and yellow. I often do these in my paintings and people are very attracted to them. Also various shades of purple or gray are effective. I have even seen red skies in some paintings, though that is not my first choice personally. Unusual sky color can create mood and drama. They are particularly useful for early morning and late afternoon paintings and to show backlit objects. The grays work very well for tonal or dark moods. Black and white can actually look blue in some paintings, creating an optical illusion.

Have fun with some new colors in your skies.

Blondheim Art Original Paintings

Mountain Road
24x24 inches
oil on canvas
champagne silver frame
1800.00

Purchase Here

Art Notes Blog HERE


Painters Tip


Keeping your palette organized

I have lots of paints. My sponsors send me samples and I also buy a fair amount. All these tubes of paint can be overwhelming.

I tend to use a basic split primary palette regularly, deviating from that here and there. My palette table is an old fashioned bedside table with the single drawer and space underneath. I have pulled the drawer out and nailed it open. That's where I keep the most commonly used paints in large studio tube sizes.

I found one of the old drink boxes (Coke, Pepsi), which I have divided into four spaces by using lattice pieces and gluing them in. I keep spare paints arranged by color groups in these boxes. I keep the box in the storage space under the drawer in my paint table. I works great!

Blondheim Art Original Paintings

Fall Trees
14x18 inches
oil on panel
1000.00

Purchase HERE

Art Notes HERE



Using Small Formats for Fun


Sometimes you will want to do a subject that you know will never sell in a million years. When you paint for a living, it's important to choose subjects that will sell. That doesn't mean you have to be a slave to the masses. I only paint subjects that I truly enjoy painting. I think to paint Kangaroos because they are popular alone, would be depressing. I have no interest in painting Kangaroos, so I don't.

I might want to paint an ugly old industrial building, or weird subject which might be uninteresting to someone else. To get it out of my system, I use 5x7 or smaller to paint these subjects. Using a small format doesn't waste a lot of paint or canvas and so I don't have to feel guilty about using my resources on a whim.

I think it is important to paint thing we want to, outside of the commercial aspect of our jobs. Painting these subjects builds technique and keeps us interested in the work we do.

I often keep these little paintings around for years just to pull out and look at now and then.

I don't use larger format for the fun paintings because I know the will probably never sell. I don't want to have them laying around the studio taking up valuable space.

I usually put the little paintings in my sale bin for awhile and sometimes they actually do sell, which makes me doubly happy, knowing someone else might appreciate and have the same vision as I did.

Blondheim Art Original Paintings

Rabbit Hill
12x16 inches
oil on panel
800.00

See my Paintings HERE

Art Notes Blog HERE


Don't Forget my Open Studio Class Sunday, September 16, 2 - 6 PM


Painters Tip


Marketing Every Week

If you are making a living from your art you need to spend at least some time each week thinking about how to market. Get a note pad and start brainstorming each Monday and come up with a weekly plan. Write down everything you can think of that is relevant to selling your paintings and pick at least one idea each week to pursue. It may be making a new contact, working on your mailing list, dropping off fliers, putting out bookmarks or biz cards, writing to a potential client with a personal note. Whatever seems likely to build your network is a good idea.

We all stay so busy each week that it is easy to slack off and let the marketing side of our business go. That is a big mistake. Even if you are selling well, you must continue to look for new opportunities.

Brainstorming is free so it can only do you good. Finding new ways to keep your art in front of people can only be good. Get out of your usual routine and think of some ways to get your work and name out there.

Blondheim Art Original Paintings

Wacahoota Farm

See my paintings HERE

Art Notes Blog HERE



My next workshop is October 6th 9AM - 4PM at lovely Kanapaha Botanical Gardens in Gainesville, Florida. We will study the elements of landscape composition. 65.00 includes snacks and beverages. Bring a brown bag lunch. If it rains, we will paint on the covered porch. To sign up:lindablondheim12@hotmail.com


Painters Tip


Applying Acrylic techniques to oils


I have learned a thing or two about brushwork by using acrylics as well as oils. Mostly about layering strokes rather than dependence on blending. One of the consistent problems I see in emerging oil painters' work is over-blending. Using acrylics will help you to learn how to paint in layers, using short strokes next to each other for close value work without blending. It will teach you how to stipple and scumble as well. Even if you are not going to be using acrylics as a serious medium, I recommend that you have a basic acrylic palette for practice paintings and technique building. This work will translate into better brushwork in your oils.


Get the acrylics out first and use index paper to do brushwork exercises each time you want to paint in the studio. Use these as a warm up for your oils. Do short choppy strokes, long strokes, swerved strokes, stippling, scumbling,crosshatching strokes. Mix close values an use the choppy strokes to make round spheres, cylinders etc.

You will be warmed up and ready to paint with your oils, having built some brushwork technique which you can apply to your oil paintings. The canopy of the tree in the above oil painting was all done with layering and stippling techniques, no blending.

Blondheim Art Original Paintings

Palm Reflections
14x18 inches
oil on panel
gold frame
1000.00

Purchase HERE

Art Notes Blog HERE


Painters Tip


When you paint with oils, remember to stick with the lean to fat system, not just for archival purposes but for paint control and brushwork. One of the biggest mistakes for beginning painters is too much paint too soon in the process. Nice thin strokes will gradually build the platform for heavier paint work later in the painting. Keep the paint layer thin as long as you can so that the last few strokes can be textured,full of depth, and rich in color. The key to good oils is nice crisp paint without muddying everything up. The thinner the paint, the more control you will have over the process. Mud and neutrals are great as long as they are deliberate, but a huge mess when they result in lack of brushwork control. Keep it clean and beautiful.

Blondheim Art Original Paintings

Palms Bayou
12x16 inches
oil on panl

See my paintings HERE

Art Notes HERE

My next Open Studio Class is this Sunday, September 16, 2007 from 2-6 PM Studio Fee: 20.00 Please come and bring your projcts. We will have fun working on them together. Email me with any questions: lindablondheim12@hotmail.com




Painters Tip

Let's talk about Palms.

Palm trees are a favorite subject for patrons here in the South. They can't get enough of them. Neither can I. I never tire of painting them because they are so interesting. They have many colors, textures and shapes. We now have many imported palms from around the world as well as our indiginous varieties.

I like to lay in the trunk height first, adding the basic shape of the canopy at the top. I then will consider that there will be a dark shadow at the top of the trunk area because of the canopy above it. I like to make that shadow area a bit purply right under the canopy. There Will be a shadow on the trunk on the side away from the light. There will usually be a fair amount of texture on the trunk as well. Some areas will be broken up light and shadow.

When I start the canopy area, I like to make a dark mass low in the canopy. The lighter tip of the fronds will be in the area of the most sunlight. It will be a warm light green, the darker value will be cool dark greens.

There are often dead fronds hanging down from the bottom where they have not fallen off or have not been trimmed. Those are usually tan or light brown with a bit of gray here and there. They also tend to be a fairly light color except were shadows hit them.

It is also very important to remember that foreshortening is necessary to make the palm trees look three dimensional. The fronds coming toward you will need to be foreshortened.

Don’t forget that there will be sky holes in some of the palm canopies. Some palms grow densely and others more open and airy. It is best to make the sky hole color a half shade darker than the actual sky. You don’t want the sky holes to look pasted on.

Blondheim Art Original Paintings

Sabal Palm
12x16 inches
oil on linen panel
gold frame
800.00

Purchase HERE


Art Notes Blog HERE


Dear Friends,
I'll be traveling for a few days. Look for my next Painters Tip on Monday.
Love,
Linda

Painters Tip

An easy way to market your art is to carry your image business cards with you. All of the supermarkets and grocers have bulletin boards. Put them up on the boards wherever you shop.

When you go to the library, leave a business card in between the pages of the book or magazine you are reading, and in the books you turn in. What a nice surprise for the next person who checks out the books.

If you are going to get your car serviced, the Dr, or Dentist, leave a card on the table in the waiting room.

Don't forget to check restaurants for bulletin boards. They often have them too.


People love to look at beautiful art and a business card may bring you a sale.

Blondheim Art Original Landscapes

Palms
8x10 inches
acrylic on panel

See my paintings HERE


Art Notes Blog HERE



Painters Tip


Values In Color


We do frequent value studies in black and white to understand how values work but what about translating them to color? Here is a simple exercise to do that with your current palette.

Use a limited palette to mix your color values, as that will be less of a production.

1. Mix a three value scale with the lightest, darkest and mid value, in black and white at the top of your canvas or index paper on the top left. This will be your guide. Now try to match this 3 scale with each of the colors you are using to make a row for each, under the original black and white scale. So you would have three values for black and white,under that blue, then yellow, then red, and so forth.


2. In the middle/right section of the canvas or page at the top do a five value scale from Black to white. You will repeat this in your colors as they move down the page.

3. You will do a full value range painting in black and white.

4. You will repeat that subject in a full color painting, trying to match the value in color to the value painting in black and white.

Use small canvases or index paper to do these studies. That will save time. Also, choose simple subjects for the painting like a piece of fruit or a simple landscape composition.

Blondheim Art Original Paintings

Kanapaha Gardens Bridge
6x8 inches
oil on linen

See my Paintings HERE

Art Notes Blog HERE




Painters Tip


Presentation For Clients

You may need to bring paintings to a client's home or office sometime. Before you rush out the door with joy and excitement, do a little advanced preparation. First you will need to find out something about their living and working environment. Are they very casual or more formal? If they are more formal in their decorating approach, you may consider more traditional framing for the presentation. Heavy, metal leaf frames might go well. If they are more modern and casual in their approach to life and decorating, simple frames might be better.

You will also need to know the subjects they find most appealing. In my case, I always ask whether they prefer coastal and wetlands, palms, or more rural pastoral scenes. You may also want to ask whether there is any particular palette they prefer in the work.

You will need to prepare a packet for them with your resume/statement/bio and brochure or business card. I present this in a simple large manila envelope. It would also be excellent to present a gallery sheet with thumbnail images, size,medium and prices for each of the paintings you bring. They may not choose work right away, preferring to consider the paintings for a while first.

If they would like for you to leave a painting for consideration, do so gladly but ask for a deposit which can either be returned in full or applied toward the purchase price. I just keep the check until I know they are going to purchase. I don't cash it, so it will be easy to give back to them. In this case you will need to have a specific time limit of one week for consideration.

Be prepared to discuss your work and the methods you use, and your philosophy on painting. They may need reassurance that you are a serious painter and not a hobbyist who will be gone in six months.

Dress in business casual and be professional, arriving on time. You want to make a good impression. Don't over stay your welcome or get too chatty. This is business, not social time. Artists have a bad reputation with many professional people because they seem flighty, irresponsible and overly dramatic.

Blondheim Art Original Paintings

Cotton Field
Troy Alabama
6x8 inches
acrylic on linen panel
300.00

See my paintings HERE

Art Notes Blog HERE



Painters Tip


For acrylic painters

If you carry a small mister with you out in the field, it will give you a bit more painting time before acrylics dry. I like to put a few drops of acrylic retarder in the bottle of water and shake it up. You can do the same thing with the gel retarder, just shake it a bit longer. If you are uing a non-stay wet palette, spray a mist of the retarder/water over the bare palette. Load your palette with paint and then spray over the paint again. It will last quite a while. Don't put out more paint than you can use in 15 minutes. Better to reload the palette frequently than to waste big globs of paint.

I also put drops of retarder in my brush washing water. It helps to make the paint last. I never put the retarder directly in the paint. That changes the paint texture and it becomes yucky.

Lastly, You can also spray directly onto your canvas to keep it workable.

Blondheim Art Original Paintings

Packing House
Evinston Florida
12x16 inches
oil on panel
SOLD

See my paintings HERE

Art Notes Blog HERE


Painters Tip

Painting Architecture on Location

Painting on location is never really easy. You have to battle the insects, harsh wind and heat or cold.

When painting architecture, it is important to get to the essence of the building quickly. Taking a bit of time to study the most important lines and elements of the structure will help you to render the flavor of the building. Don't get bogged down in fussy details. Leave out what is not essential. The building, if historical, must be easily recognised by the viewer, but it need not have every little detail.


Take the time to lay in the lines of perspective in the beginning , so that it won't look odd or off kilter. This is the kind of work which will look best done with clean crisp strokes, with clear values and contrast. Keep the color clean and strong. Minimize the plant materials and tree canopies surrounding the structure. Make the building the star in your production if it is the main element. If the building is to be but part of the landscape, you will need to minimize the structure to a few strokes and values, tucking it into the scene. Crisp clean edge work is important with architecture.

Blondheim Art Original Paintings

Cone and Lavender
8x10 inches
acrylic on panel

See my paintings HERE

Art Notes HERE


Fall Workshops


October 6, 2007

Composition and Design in Landscape I

Kanapaha Gardens
Gainesville, Florida
9 AM - 4 PM
Drinks and snacks provided

Bring your lunch

65.00


Composition and Design in Landscape II

November 10, 2007
Oleno State Park
9 AM - 4 PM
Drinks and snacks provided

Bring your lunch

65.00


Let's Study Color

November 24, 2007
Paynes Prairie State Park
9 AM - 4 PM
Drinks and snacks provided

Bring your lunch

65.00

You can use paypal on my web site on the specials page to sign up, or email me at : lindablondheim12@hotmail.com


Painters Tip

Saving time on a large painting

Sometimes deadlines are very stressful. If you have to do a large painting quickly, you can save time by planning ahead.

Let's say you know that you have an exhibition coming up with a theme in a couple of months. You already have an idea of what you want to paint. It can be a location you are interested in or a particular subject. The first thing to do is research. Do a google image search of your subject and print out several reference photos. If you are not too far from your subject for landscape painting, take a little day trip or weekend trip to go and study. Take your paint box or sketch pad with you and do some drawings or color studies of the area to add to your reference materials.

Back in the studio, get busy with some compositional drawings and paintings in tiny formats to get ideas. Do two or three value studies of the subject, one in high key, one very dark and tonal and one in mid value to set the mood you may want for your subject.

Order your canvas and supplies if needed. A day before you are ready to start, premix large amounts of color that will be needed in sky, water, tree canopies etc. It take a lot of paint to cover a large format canvas. Getting the basic large areas premixed, will save you a bunch of time. Put them in jars with tight fitting lids. Don't worry about premixing everything, just the areas of the painting which will need a lot of similar color. It will be easy enough to vary the tones and color temperatures as you paint.

When you start to work, you will be well prepared to do the painting with less stress. You will know your subject well, and you will have your supplies ready to go to work. Remember to start with large brushes and work smaller as you complete layers of the painting. Leave the detail for the very end.

Blondheim Art Original Paintings

Orange Marsh
9x12 inches
oil on panel
gold frame
650.00

Purchase HERE

Art Notes Blog HERE


Painters Tip

Painting with a complimentary color palette

Using compliments on the color wheel can be a fun exercise in painting. The above painting was done with a dominant limited palette of orange and blue. Of course there were a couple of ancillary colors to make it more interesting, but the orange and blue provided most of the color mixes. I love the browns and grays which are possible with this compliment.

I often under paint my landscapes with a cad red light or alizarin when I know that most of the painting will have green plant materials. In winter, the purples and yellows make a striking painting and also provide many subtle grays.

I will usually start a complimentary palette with at least two versions of the compliments, along with black white and sap green. I want to use as few colors as possible, yet get the most mixing power for variety.

The painting above was done with the following palette:

cad orange
French ultramarine blue
Prussian blue
Sap Green
White
Black
Naples Yellow