A few of my students organized a Holiday-themed Alla Prima afternoon this past week. For some of our newer artists that seemed a tad more apprehensive about jumping into the challenge—I offered a short acronym for them to keep in mind when trying to capture a likeness their observed subject. I told them ya gotta… Continue reading →

I came across a very good article last night exploring the benefits of working with a limited palette. The article was written by Courtney Jordan and is available on the artist daily blog here: http://www.artistdaily.com/blogs/artist-daily/sharpen-your-ability-to-judge-color-tone-and-value/ Within this article, one very knowledgeable artist shared his strategies for extending his palette’s color gamut as far as possible… Continue reading →

While my last paper focused on considerations of proximity in regards to perceived shape, size, curvature, etc., my aim here is to examine the impact of proximity on perceived values and value relationships. I have often heard art teachers tell students to step away from their drawings/paintings during their process so that they may better… Continue reading →

One of the more insidious pitfalls that can plague both the novice as well as the seasoned observational representationalist is a failure to adequately consider the role of observational proximity. This issue is especially insidious in that it can pounce even when an artist has successfully communicated every measurement and observed proportion with great accuracy,… Continue reading →

“This isn’t my first rodeo.” —Guy at his second rodeo A pioneering Italian polymath once wrote, “I think that tastes, odors, colors, and so on are no more than mere names so far as the object in which we locate them are concerned, and that they reside in consciousness. Hence if the living creature were… Continue reading →

Anya Dribas, general administrator of the Ani Art Academies, and artist Anthony J. Waichulis talk about “Capturing Realism 2017,” on display July 8 through August 26 at the Pauly Friedman Art Gallery at Misericordia University in Dallas. There will be a “Meet the Artists” reception from 5 to 7 p.m. July 8. Complete information can… Continue reading →

One common argument against the potential contributions of deliberate practice is: “I have been doing such and such (insert any activity) for many, many years and I am nowhere near close to anything I would consider expert-level performance.” The short rebuttal to this is that engaging in an activity (no matter how often or for… Continue reading →

One particularly fascinating perceptual/cognitive phenomenon that continues to garner careful study in my fields of interest is one that seems to target those that aspire to create what I will refer to as “high-definition realism” (HDR-not to be confused with high-dynamic range.)  In fact, this phenomenon easily has the power to lead a meticulously crafted… Continue reading →

This time it is a photograph of strawberries that appear to be veiled behind a digital curtain of cyan:What may come as a surprise to you is that there is indeed no “red” within this image. So why do we perceive red within this picture? Generally speaking—color constancy. Popularized on social media via the 2015… Continue reading →

For many visual artists, the ellipse remains one of the most challenging shapes to draw or paint successfully.  This deceptively simple, symmetrical oval has infuriated countless artists and continues to taunt us all with its smug elusiveness.  Ok, that might be a bit much—but if you have tried to draw one of these closed symmetric… Continue reading →