Inviting your BEST into your Painting
Don’t PLAN - Just PLAY to create an abstract painting
By combining paint, pencils, pastel and a little collage, you can create gorgeous effects and surprises that add life to your painting. In this video I’ll show you a few different techniques I use by combining a range of media to create an abstract painting. Keeping your work fresh and playful by varying the media and how you use it, you can create a playful abstract composition. Watch the video and then give this a try!
How to draw with character and expression
This is my favourite drawing technique - it results in drawings full of expressive character while also developing strong observational skills. I love this style of drawing because it’s quick, but the results are powerful and surprising. Still life, portrait, landscape drawings can easily capture the essence of the subject and offer creative options for future explorations in paint.
How to Create Abstract Artwork from Still Life
You may not want to go entirely abstract so by following these 3 simple methods you can explore 3 very different styles of abstract art. I show you how to start with drawing and then by combining drawing with simple shapes, collage, and easy paint effects you can easily abstract your still life with exciting results.
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!
Collage & Mixedmedia: Create a Strong Composition
In this demonstration I start with collage and build an abstract painting in layers. Watch as I play loosely with paint, ink and pencil to create a beautiful surface and then find structure within it by creating edges with value contrasts. Butting up light with dark, looseness with structure you can create a beautiful painting by following this experimental process.
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.
1 Hour Art: Creating Layers Of Mixed Media
I've recorded this video to show you my process for painting and making a finished piece in my sketchbook. I create my work, big or small by building in layers, and in this demonstration you will see the full process reduced down to creating an artwork in less than an hour. Don’t forget to download my Markmaking & Painting Promptsheet to bring over 50+ ideas into your studio.
How to Use Thick and Thin Paint to Create a Stunning Painting Surface
How to Add Beautiful Textured Surface to Collage
In the early stages of a painting I focus on building a beautiful surface with lots of texture, markmaking and a variety of paint effects. In this video I demonstrate how to do this using only black and white paint over the top of a collage base.
Following this process offers so many opportunities and directions and ensures your work will be rich with surprises for the viewer.
Let's Practice Design Fundamentals With Black And White Shapes
Artists often feel like they have to find `The Idea' for a painting before they paint. This video shows how studying design (the fundamental principles of design that apply across all mediums) can help you generate many ideas, starting with an old calendar. I’ll show you how to find great design, what to look for and then how to look for more design ideas within the work you’ve created.
2 Different Methods of Using Collage in Abstract Painting
In this video, I demonstrate 2 methods of using Collage in the early stages of an abstract painting. And then how to develop an integrated composition full of surface interest, gorgeous shapes, and a variety of lines. This is all done in my sketchbook and gives you ideas for a quick and effective painting exercise to try yourself.
The BEST 6 TIPS on How To Get Started with Abstract Art
Knowing THE STAGES OF A PAINTING gives you a roadmap so you won’t get stuck
When people get stuck in their work it's usually because they are trying to do something when they're not ready or asking the wrong questions at the wrong time in the development of the work.
Once they know at what stage they're at with the work and what they should be focusing on then they know what questions to ask.
For example, if you're at the beginning stage of a painting you don't start analysing whether you've got the colours right, or whether the design is strong. Those are questions for later.
In this week's Vlog I demonstrate what to focus on at the various stages of developing a painting.
Abstract Art Painting Demo with Stencils and Adhesive Frisket Shapes
To ensure my finished paintings have a luscious surface full of surprising paint effects I have found that working in multiples and laying down a foundation of experimenting with different materials and techniques delivers the effects I want in the finished painting.
In this video I demonstrate these techniques as I begin to create 10 abstract paintings at one time. By working in multiples and using glazes and solid paint effects I am able to create a series of work that are unique, all different and yet share the same language.
How to Create a Painting By Playing with Acrylic Paint and Dry Media
The best way to find ideas for paintings is through play. Playing with materials and discovering new effects and then responding to what you see developing in front of you is my painting process. Watch this video as I demonstrate this intuitive process of finding a painting through play. See how long it takes before an idea starts to emerge and I find my direction, and then watch as I fine-tune the painting to finish it.
Why You Should Have a Sketchbook Practice
Sketchbooks, for me, are about recording my own growth as an artist. Trying out new mediums, having fun and exploring, and just seeing what happens when I play and paint.
In this video I take you inside my sketchbook, talk about why it’s an invaluable part of my creative practice, and share what type of book I use and some tips for keeping pages unstuck, so that it can become a treasured account of your life and development as an artist.
Producing A Group of Paintings Together Makes The BEST Artwork
If I could tell you the ONE thing that improved my work the most - this is it. Working on a group of paintings together improves results because what you learn in one painting can be directly applied to others. In this video, I show you how I do this by using 5 paintings in mid-process to demonstrate how ideas can be applied to multiple works and how my paintings took big leaps forward as a result.