3 Simple Abstract Paintings Anyone Can Do

By Nicole Tinkham

Do you want to create something personal for your home but have never painted on canvas in your life? Or are you an artist who never dabbled in abstract art and don’t know where to begin? We’ve come up with a few fool-proof ways to create incredible abstract art that any newbie can accomplish. They’re simple to do, require little supplies, and don’t take up much of your time. The only thing you need to do is have an eye for is color. Pick an accent color in your home and use that as inspiration to get you started. Play around, have fun, and create real art you can be proud of. Here are 3 simple abstract paintings anyone can do.

THE PAINT BLOB METHOD

Materials:
Acrylic paint in at least 3 colors
Blank white canvas (any size)
Paintbrush
Cup of water

Directions:
1.    Create little blobs of paint all over your canvas. Make some larger, some smaller, use all of your colors and make them totally random.
2.    Now using your paint brush, begin to blend your blobs of paint and move the paint around on the canvas.
3.    Clean your brush in the water periodically as you work across your canvas so the colors don’t get muddy.
4.    You can always add some more paint where needed.
5.    Once you’re happy with it, you’re done!

THE STRING METHOD

Materials:
Blank white canvas (any size)
String (enough to wrap around your canvas several times)
Spray paint in a few colors
Gloves to protect your hands

Directions:
1.    Take your string and wrap it around your canvas from top to bottom. Keep wrapping it around and around, overlapping and crisscrossing to make a unique pattern. Make it fun and make it random.
2.    Following the spray can instructions (shake it up and spray at a distance), spray right over your canvas and strings. You can use different color spray paint for different patterns and get creative with it. *Make sure you have your gloves on for this part.
3.    If you don’t like the way a color came out, just spray right over it.
4.    When finished spraying the entire canvas, remove the strings which will leave the white canvas exposed and admire your abstract artwork!

THE OMBRE METHOD

Materials:
Acrylic paint: One darker color and white
Blank white canvas (any size)
Wide paint brush
Palette for mixing colors
Cup of water for cleaning your brush

Directions:
1.    Start with your main darker color. Load your paintbrush up and paint a straight line (or as straight as possible) down the left side of your canvas. It does not have to be perfect. Your line doesn’t have to reach the edge of the canvas unless you want it to. You may notice your brush running out of paint towards the end of the line and that’s totally fine. We love the way that effect looks!
2.    Mix just a dab of white paint to your darker main color and paint a line down your canvas right next to the one you just made. Make the lines touch and they can even overlap a little.
3.    Mix yet another dab of white paint to the mixture to make the color even lighter and create another line next to the previous. Keep doing this until you reach the other side of the canvas and complete your painting.

You don’t have to be a professional artist to create incredible artwork. We believe that every single person has a creative side whether they think they do or not. Use these 3 ideas for abstract art anyone can do to get your feet wet in the world of art and then explore and find out what you enjoy doing. Of course, we always want to see what you’ve been up to so please head over to our Facebook page and share your abstract art creations!

3 Popular Art Subjects That Sell

By Nicole Tinkham

Are you struggling to sell even your absolute best pieces of artwork?? We’ve written so many blogs on the subject (Like How To Price Your Artwork To Sell) because it’s one of the most common struggles we hear among artists. One thing that you may be curious about is “what does sell?” That’s our topic in this blog but honestly, we’ve had mixed feelings about writing it. Sure, we could tell you the subjects in art that tend to sell but how will this impact who you are as an artist? Will it change your own personal style? Or will it help form new creative ideas? Since these things could help your business, we decided to share. Of course you don’t have to incorporate these ideas into your work. You should always strive to be yourself! But take them into consideration and let us know your thoughts on whether or not an artist should implement them. Read on for 3 popular art subjects that sell.

1.    Landscapes

We see a ton of absolutely brilliant landscape/seascape paintings here in Bradenton, Florida. We also get to see beautiful northern landscapes as well from the snow birds that flock down to visit us so we really have the best of both worlds! Local scenery of a street, shops, or towns tend to be popular too as the buyer is most likely to purchase the painting after recognizing the location. It brings back memories and that’s something really special to capture in your painting.

2.    Pets (in particular, dogs)

We think pets are a common theme in artwork because people can connect with their furry friends on a deep and personal level. Detail and personality of the pet can shine through in a painting and make the work really fun. If you love painting furry creatures, consider getting into custom pet portraits!

3.    Abstracts

Here’s one that’s really not for everyone (artist and viewer alike) but a talented artist can have much success with abstract art when marketing to the right audience. Keep this in mind – not everyone appreciates abstract art. Many people see the talent and emotion behind it but not everyone does. This is why you must get in with the right people for it. Once you hit the right crowd of abstract lovers, you’ll be golden.

Should you paint based on which subjects sell?

After talking about the different art subjects that typically sell, the big question now is “will you follow the trends?” To be honest, there never really is a correct answer when it comes to art and we’ll tell you why. Everyone has a different motive. Some people will purchase a painting from you to match their couch and others will find a deep connection with your artwork. You just never know.

You also have to be true to yourself. Just because landscapes, dogs and abstracts may not be your cup of tea you can always give it a try anyway and see what happens. You may end up falling in love with the subject and selling it right away! But in the end, it’s important to go with what you enjoy doing.

In our opinion, what will sell is something you’re passionate about. The more passion you have for that subject, the better the piece will turn out and the more likely it is to sell.

With that being said, we’d love to know your opinions! Please leave a comment below and let us know whether or not you think an artist should follow what typically sells or just do their own thing.

3 Quick Tips For Mixing Summer Colors For Your Next Painting

By Nicole Tinkham

When we think summer, we think COLOR with beautiful blues in the sky and water and bright greens in the foliage. It really is an incredible time of year (minus the bugs and hot sun) for a landscape painting. If you’re planning to get out there and do some plein air painting or even if you’re painting from a photo, your colors must be on point to really make the work pop and get that summer feel. To do this, you’ll have to get really good at mixing summer colors. Here are 3 quick tips for doing so.

1.    Define your blue

As you’re probably aware, not all blues are the same! There are cool blues, warm blues, blue-greens, dark blues, light blues, and many more. In a summer painting you have the blue of a clear sky on a nice day, the blue of the ocean, and the blue of pool water. You must first figure out what type blue you need.

For sky: You may want to use a mix of warm blue near the horizon and a little cool blue further away from the horizon.

For ocean: Use a cool blue and a little cool yellow for deeper water and then add in more yellow for shallow water. Make sure you have a smooth transition from deep to shallow in your painting. Using a mix of the same colors, create waves and details. You may even consider taking some of your sky color to create a slight reflection.

2.    Locate your greens

As with your blues, your greens will also vary. When it comes to summer foliage, you have to take into consideration the placement in your painting. For example, something closer to the viewer will not be the same shade as something further away. This will create depth in the painting.

Distant green: Use cool greens with elements of blue for shadows and greenery in the distance.

Close green: Mix in warm greens throughout the greenery to prevent the painting from looking flat. Mix in some yellows or oranges for variety.

For BRIGHT beautiful summer greenery, keep the colors you are mixing close to each other on the color wheel. The further apart they are, the duller and grayer the color will be.

3.    Color inspiration

Of course blues and greens aren’t the only summer colors you’ll see this time of year. Think watermelon red, sunny yellow and brightly colored umbrellas as well. For inspiration, take a ton of summer photos throughout the season. It doesn’t have to be a subject you want to paint. Just try to capture the colors of summer you love. Pinterest also has a ton of ideas for this.

Now it’s time to play! Have fun recreating those colors in your painting. It may take some experimenting to get it just right but don’t become frustrated, this is a learning experience.

Make summer a time to have fun with your art. There are so many brilliant colors that pop up this time of year, so make the most of them. Explore and try new things! You can head to the beach or the park for an artsy day. Enjoy the great outdoors and capture the beautiful scenery. If you want to experiment with colors more, take a bunch of photos and head to the studio to mix your paint. As you get used to mixing the perfect summer colors, it gets much easier to do.  Keep it up artists, and be sure to show us what you’re working on this summer! Head over to our Facebook page and share with us what you’re creating 🙂

7 Benefits Of Painty Clothes That Only Artists Will Understand

By Nicole Tinkham

There may be a handful of artists who stay nice and tidy while working on a project but the majority of artists we talk to mention getting paint, glitter, and ink everywhere. It doesn’t matter what kind of art it is, getting messy while creating seems to be the common theme. Another thing we’ve heard through the artists on our Facebook page is a new fashion statement known as “painty clothes”. These are a combination of clothes you paint in, clothes that you paint on, and clothes that accidentally have paint on them (even nice dressy clothes.. whoops! 😉 ). We think the painty clothes trend can really catch on. Read on for 7 benefits of painty clothes that only artists will understand.

1.    They’re colorful

Look at the average person’s closet and you’ll most likely see many black and gray pants, even tops. And when there is a bit of color it doesn’t really pop a whole lot. Artists are a bit different though. Sometimes you’ll see painted clothes on purpose with beautiful designs and other times you’ll see random paint splatters. No matter what, it’s sure to be colorful and fun.

2.    They put others in a better mood

How can you not look at an artist with fun paint all over their clothes and not smile? You’re being totally unique and it just puts people in a better mood!

3.    They’re comfy

Most artists work in nice comfy clothes, the way everyone should dress more often (in our opinion anyway).

4.    They’re always changing

The exact t-shirt you wore last week may not be the same this week. The more you wear painty clothes and the more you create in them, the more and more different they will become. Who else can say that about their wardrobe??

5.    You don’t have to be perfect

Keeping up with the fashion trends and all the rules (who says you can’t wear white during a certain time of the year??) is just too much work. However, when you have your painty clothes on, you don’t have to worry. They go with everything (in our opinion) and you can mix and match them.

6.    You’re free to be you!

Forget name brands and what’s currently popular. In your painty clothes, you are unlike every single person out there and that’s a good thing. Life would be boring if we all acted and dressed the same.

7.    They eliminate clean up

Have you ever tried to get paint out of your nice top? It’s not an easy task. Luckily if your goal is to create some new painty clothes, you can totally eliminate this step. This means less hassle and more time to get back to work on your project.

If you weren’t sure about wearing your painty clothes out in public before, we hope that this blog has changed your mind! Be fun, be creative, be funky, be yourself. No one else has style quite like an artist and it’s time to share your painty clothes with the world. Be proud of what you do and who you are. Stop hiding under plain clothing that anyone can buy at the store. Mix it up and add some color. We are always so inspired by our artist friends and we thank you for lifting us up and making us smile every day.

17 Ways Real Artists Choose Paint Color That May Surprise You

By Nicole Tinkham

You’re inspired and ready to create! You have all your supplies in front of you and a blank canvas on your easel. But something is stopping you. You look down at your paint and have no clue where to start when it comes to color choices. This one decision could make or break your artwork! What if you choose the wrong color?? Calm down, we’ve all been there. In fact, we’ve asked our artist friends over on Facebook how they choose paint colors to give you some ideas. You may be surprised but not one answer involves a color wheel! Here’s what they had to say.
How do you choose paint colors for your project?

1. “From my photo reference and then ramp it up a notch or two!” -Diane

2. “The colors are in the vision before I begin to paint- it’s a matter of transferring the vision onto the canvas how it appeared in my mind.” -Kriss

3. “I have a set of colors I use mainly. I have tried to use different colors, but always wind up going back to the ones I like.” -Kelly

4. “I usually see the general color in my head and make a scheme for it. I love mixing and making new colors.” – Caitie

5. “I look at the canvas and see the colors. Often if I start out with an idea of what I want I find it it needs to change to what I see it just flows out onto the canvas.” – Lorna

6. “I have a set palette for portraits and then whatever is needed for flowers and landscapes.” -Rita

7. “I let it speak to me and then the team usually comes after that.” -Heidi

8. “I don’t choose them. They choose me.” -Cindy

9. “By what my feeling is for the day.” -Doreen

10. “I use my feelings to pick my colors.” – Estela

11. “Depend how my mood is the time to make my creation!” – Beatriz

12. “With emotion.” – Sharon

13. “Intuitively” – Saddhasura

14. “Ohhhh this one is pretty.” -Heather

15. “That’s what gets me working on a piece.” -Kathy

16. “Nature.” -Patricia

17. “The project itself.” – Cayce

As you can see, every artist works so differently. There’s never a right or wrong way of working so be open to the possibilities and just be yourself. You’ll eventually get into your groove and choosing paint colors for your project will start coming naturally to you.

We want to know! Is hearing from real artists like this helpful for you? Leave us a comment below and let us know what you think.

11 Items That Make For Perfect Still Life Paintings And Drawings

By Nicole Tinkham

If you’re feeling less than enthusiastic about your next still life project or it’s just taking you forever to get started on it, you have got to make a change! Any project that you set out to do should be exciting and fun. You should be kept up at night just so anxious to get started working on it. If you’re doing the same still life paintings and drawings over and over again, it can be so easy to push off the project and never really give it your all when you do decide to work on it. To make your artwork more exciting, we asked artists over on our Facebook page what types of objects they love to use in a still life project to give you a few new ideas. Of course you aren’t limited to these 11 objects but it’s a great place to start if you’ve never worked with them before. Oh and we have some bonus tips at the end that you’ll want to take a look at too 🙂  Let’s get started!

1.    Old fashion cans of tomatoes

2.    Fresh veggies from the garden with bright colors

3.    Tea cups and teapot

4.    Pears

5.    Candles for light source

6.    Feathers

7.    Crystal

8.    Spoons

9.    Fruit

10.    Flowers in old containers, vase, or basket

11.    Rocks

Additional tips:

•    Choose items with various heights and texture

•    Look for items with color and reflections

•    Always work with objects you can get excited about

•    Play around with positioning and lighting

•    Take a few photos of different angles first to get the perfect composition

•    Just get started – it doesn’t have to be perfect!

•    Pick objects that are new and different to you

Still life paintings and drawings don’t have to be boring! Find unique items that are colorful and different. Let them speak to you and give the artwork meaning. Play around with different objects. Find the most random item possible and include that! Just get started and have fun with it.

Tell us, what objects do YOU like using for your still life projects?

Painting On A FREE Canvas – Tips, Tricks, And Fun Ideas For Painting On Rocks

By Nicole Tinkham

Did you perk up when you heard the word “free”? We also love a great deal especially when quality supplies may not always be in the budget. But as artists we’re able to get creative with what is already available to us. One type of artwork that we are totally in love with these days is rock art. That’s right, painting and creating on found rocks out in nature. This isn’t just a children’s craft (although it could be!) but is also perfect for any artist and we’ll tell you why. Read on to discover our favorite tips, tricks, and ideas for painting on rocks.

First off, let us explain why, out of all things, we love creating on rocks..

1.    Perfect project for all skill levels and ages.

2.    Unique shapes and textures produce different creations every time.

3.    The unique shapes can also spark your creativity and give you new fun ideas.

4.    You aren’t limited to painting. You can also use markers and collage materials.

5.    They’re useful (we’ll explain the different uses of rock art later).

6.    They’re FREE! And even if you do pick up a rock from the store, you won’t be spending an arm and a leg on it.

7.    There’s no pressure for perfection. The rock itself is imperfect 🙂

What you can paint on rocks: ANYTHING! Here are a few ideas.

•    Faces
•    Animals
•    Abstract designs
•    Motivational messages
•    Landscapes
•    People
•    Solid colors
•    Flowers
•    Patterns
•    Zentangle

Let’s get started! Here’s the how-to for rock painting:

Step #1: Choose your rock. If you have a particular idea in mind, you may have to find the perfect size and shape for that idea. But you could also leave it open for ideas after you choose your rock. A smooth surface will make your life easier.

Step #2: Clean off your rock. Soap and warm water will do the trick but you can also use an old toothbrush to do some additional scrubbing. Dry it off before you get started on your project.

Step #3: Sand down any rough patches to make painting easier. If you chose a very smooth rock, you won’t have to worry about this step.

Step #4: Draw your design. You can practice drawing out your design on a piece of paper first if you want. Use a pencil or chalk for making marks on your rock before painting.

Step #5: Now you can begin painting. We suggest working from the largest areas down to the finer details. Just remember to let each layer dry before moving onto the next one.

Step #6: Sealing your design. You can use Mod Podge to seal your painting to keep it lasting long.

What to do with your rock once you have it complete

•    Use it as a paperweight
•    Decorate your garden
•    Give it as a gift
•    Frame it (Yes, this is possible. Just ask our framer Mark for ideas!)
•    Use them as holiday decorations
•    Turn them into magnets
•    Make it your pet rock 🙂
•    Sell your rock creations

When it comes to rock painting, the ideas are endless. You don’t even have to use paint! Grab some fun colored Sharpies and doodle away. Use this as a way to relieve your stress. Most of the time (depending on how detailed your project is), rock art is a quick project that you can use your creative mind on without putting too much pressure on yourself. It’s a fun way to get the creative juices flowing. Whenever you find yourself in a rut, refer back to this blog for helpful tips, tricks and ideas for painting on rocks.

Do you have any experience with rock art? Please comment below and tell us about your creations!