The ESSENTIAL Tools I have to make my best PAINTINGS
How to create Strong Design in ALL your Abstract Painting
Create an Abstract Landscape Diptych with Paint & Mixedmedia
Creating a GHOST shape with Acrylic Paint
I love creating ghost marks in my paintings—shapes that appear somewhat smudged but are still recognizable. These marks maintain strong contrasts but also fade into the underneath layer. In this video firstly I create an interesting surface on which to place the ‘ghost’. Watch as I demonstrate in this video how I create these ghost shapes and marks.
Improve your Painting with these Techniques - Variety is Everything
Building Layers with Mixedmedia: Collage, Stencils, Painting, and Drawing
In this demo, I’m creating a painting in my sketchbook by layering collage, paint, and drawing media. I’ll talk you through what I’m thinking about as I apply each technique and what I’m trying to achieve.
The most important focus is to be playful and experimental and have a keen eye for discovering what you love in the work. In this painting, I loved the colour combinations, the shapes I found, and the drawing that weaved it’s way through the paint.
If you want to purchase my stencils, you can find them at https://www.stencilgirlproducts.com/stencils-by-Judy-Woods-s/2196.htm.
How to make your art stronger
Getting clear around what your abstract painting is about is vital if you want to make it stand out and attract attention. So often abstract art can be overwhelming and confusing becuase the artist hasn’t decided what the painting is REALLY about. In this video I talk you through what to look for in your work to discover where it’s strengths lie and how to make it stronger and more powerful. How to make it stand out from all the other work on the Gallery wall.
Don’t miss out on my upcoming Workshop. I’ll be demonstrating through guided painting videos and Live Calls, how you can make art you love consistently with a process you can trust. June 24 - 28, 2024 register here: https://www.judywoodsart.com/starts-wkshp-reg-june-2024-soc
What to Do When Your Painting Is A Disaster!
Sometimes your painting session just goes WRONG! We all have days like that. In this video you will see me create a really Ugly painting - I never intended to - it just WENT WRONG! But then I fixed it. So watch the process of finding a new direction and resolving a mess. There are some fundamental studio practices that we can learn from this
🎨 when conditions in the studio are not right - don’t just persevere - correct the problem
🎨 Take a break, always walk away from a painting when you’re getting frustrated - otherwise you’ll continue to make bad decisions
🎨 Come back to it when you’re ready, with clean brushes, clean water and a fresh paint palette
🎨 Trust yourself and your process. If you don’t have a process you can trust - GET ONE! Check out my stARTs Course: https://www.judywoodsart.com/starts1
What I do after the Gesso
In this video, I demonstrate what I do after I’ve applied a couple of coats of Gesso. I use black and white Gesso so that my painting already has a variety of marks, effects and tonal values. My process is intuitive - I don’t have a plan, but rather decide and respond to the colours and paint effects that arrive through experimentation. There is a method that I use to avoid creating a mess which has no direction which could happen when painting in this explorative way.
Watch the video to see how I start my paintings with colour and line and make sure you watch to the end to see a surprise tip for getting the BEST results.
Reviewing Techniques and Media Used in My NEW Paintings
In this video, I reveal four newly finished paintings and talk about the techniques I used and the combinations of media used in each one. I also share how these paintings direct me to new work and what I want to focus on more in these.
This practice of reviewing your work when it’s completed is really important in understanding how your work is evolving and where the clues lie for future work.
I talk about media: paint, ink, and drawing media and how and why I’m using them in my work.
How to Create a Mixedmedia Abstract Landscape Painting
Using acrylic paint, ink and drawing media in this video I demonstrate how to create an abstract landscape painting. This technique can be used to create a painting of a place from your memory or to create a landscape you’ve only imagined. Watch as the painting emerges from building layers of colour and then by adding suggestive details at the end the landscape is found. This is an exciting way to paint!
Combining Paint, Acrylic Ink and Drawing
In this video I show what media and tools I use to start my paintings. I want to quickly create a surface full of interest with shape, line and colour as well as creating texture and variety in paint effects. Watch me demonstrate in my sketchbook exactly how I start my large canvases by combining shape, line and texture with a range of media.
The stencil shapes used in the video can be purchased from https://www.stencilgirlproducts.com/stencils-by-Judy-Woods-s/2196.htm.
My Painting Process from Beginning to End
In this video I’m creating a big red painting from beginning to end. I’m often asked how long it takes to create a painting. Well this video will give you an insight into my process. My paintings are created by going on a journey: playing, experimenting with media, and looking for direction in design by what excites me.
👉Take note of how I alternate between using acrylic paint and dry media: pencils, pastels and oil sticks.
👉Look at how I integrate collage at the beginning of the painting to provide surface interest.
👉Watch me use templates to create unique and interesting shapes.
👉Listen as I explain how I know I’m finished at the end of the video.
The Best Way to Get Looser with Paint - Without Losing Control
As we get more confident as artists we often want to paint with more freedom and become more loose with media. Our abstract painting can seem a little tight and contrived to begin with. So how do we let loose with the media but still maintain control with our work to achieve great results? It all comes down to how we use the tools: paint brushes, colour shapers, pencils, pens and dry media. We want the media to flow and make marks that are free and loose, we don’t want to impose too much control when using wet media: paint, acrylic ink etc. And when we use dry media we control the types of line and marks by how we hold the pencil, pastel or pen. In this video I demonstrate how to hold brushes, colour shapers, and dry media to allow the media to flow loosely while also maintaining enough control to get the painting results you want.
Your Guide When Mixing Colour in Abstract Painting
In this video I demonstrate how to use your first colour choice to guide your second colour choice…. until you have a beautiful harmonious colour palette to create an abstract painting. This is simply knowing the right question to ask about the colour you have already mixed when faced with the conundrum about what colour to mix next! Watch the video and then get colour-mixing!!
Exploring Ideas from Collage with Acrylic Paint
In this video I take ideas from a collage and develope them with acrylic paint. Integrating line, texture, shape and using a limited colour range I demonstrate how to create a composition different from the original collage yet still maintaining some similarities through the elements used. This is an exercise in restraint as it forces the artist to focus on just a few elements to integrate with new media. Watch the video and then have a go working from a collage or another painting done earlier in the same way. 1. Identify the elements you want to focus on, and then 2. with different media create a new composition using these elements again but this time in a new way.
The right mindset and the first moves to ensure success
Starting a painting can be daunting - that blank canvas is like an empty stage waiting for brilliance to arrive! This can be a huge hurdle to overcome when expectations are high. So in this video I’ll share with you how to adopt the right mindset to allow yourself to freely create your best work, and what are some of the first steps you could take on that blank canvas to lead to success. Watch and then let yourself loose on your next painting journey!
How to use the COLOUR SHAPER
One of my favourite tools is the Colour Shaper. In this video I show you how I use it to build beautiful layers of transparent and opaque layers into your painting surface. It's great for creating sharp edges along with gorgeous 'accidental' marks and depth into an abstract painting. Once you know how, this will become one of your favourite tools too. It's easy... watch and see.
Using Drawing & Masking To Create An Abstract Painting
Combining plant forms or representational elements in an abstract painting requires a balancing act where one element doesn’t dominate the composition.
In this demonstration, I’ll show you an effective technique to combine botanical forms with a beautiful abstract paint surface. You’ll see how to integrate various elements and combinations of marks and forms to create a successful strong abstract painting.