 |
| Syon Vista Summer - a study coloured pencils on Arches HP, 9" x 12" (23 x 31cm) copyright Katherine Tyrrell |
Artists and Art Blogs
Botanical Art
- The Irish Society of Botanical artists had a great post all about Trade Secrets – tips from Botanical Artists
- Three botanical artist/tutors who come highly recommended by me - at least in terms of their artwork - are doing workshop sessions at The Pencil Museum in Cumbria this Autumn. The dates and tutors are:
- 12th September 2013 - Fallen leaves and autumnal berries with Janie Pirie
- 16th October 2013 to 17th Ocotber 2013 ( I day workshop x 2) - Contemporary botanical illustration with Ann Swan (Ann's blog)
- 5th November 2013 to 6th November 2013 - 2 day Botanical masterclass with Susan Christopher-Coulson
- I created a new website this month Botany for Botanical Artists for a very niche aspect of botanical art - which is particularly relevant if you want to win the top prizes! my blog post Botany for Botanical Artists provides an insight into what it's all about
- Congratulations to Jarnie of the 2nd birthday of her blog Sketchbook Squirrel. Here's her sketchbook pages
- Lots of botanical art to look at. Here's a selection:
- Treasures from a Hidden Garden: Plant portraits by the Florilegium Society can be seen at the Chelsea Physic Garden. London until Friday 30th August 2013
Coloured Pencils and Pastels
 |
| copyright Ester Roi |
- Ester Roi went viral! This image of Ester Roi's artwork in progress next to her drawers of coloured pencils was posted on the Drawing Pencil Facebook Page and went viral on Facebook - she got some 89,321 likes! You can also follow her on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/esterroi Ester launched a new website and a new blog at the end of July. I'm guessing maybe the super enormous image on her splash page may have helped with the viral event! I ldo ike the way she has a page for each artwork and provides a complete spec for each artwork plus the cost of giclee prints on different supports. Every artist should have a son skilled in web development!
- The Coloured Pencil Society of America had its annual convention and awarded prizes. Unfortunately Blogger has eaten my post about the Awardwinners and selected artists (I'm not a happy bunny) - but I did manage a review of the exhibition - Review: CPSA 21st International Exhibition 2013 in California. Their blog also reviews the convention, the artwork and the small works produced for the auction
- Ann Kullberg has an interesting comment on the process of selection for a juried exhibition - and the importance of mats and frames - read Judge not, lest ye be judged...Unless they ask nicely! - and the comments - on her blog
My sketching
I developed some video skills in July and started to post sketches as a WIP. We visited Great Dixter in East Sussex. Here's A step by step sketch of the Long Border at Great Dixter and a video - and this is how I converted a Slideshow of a sketch of the Long Border at Great Dixter in East to a video - Sketching slideshow - iPhoto to slideshow to Quicktime Movie
Down in Kent we had
- Step by step sketch of the Rose Garden, Sissinghurst showing the stages
- Summer in the Rose Garden, Sissinghurst has the completed sketch
 |
| Summer in the Rose Garden, Sissinghurst (24 July 2013) pen and ink and coloured pencils in Moleskine Sketchbook, 16" x 11" copyright Katherine Tyrrell |
Then there was the eating and drinking - and sketching - with:
 |
| High Tea at Fortnum & Masons with Liz Steel Our table at 7.30pm - after three hours of eating, talking, sketching, eating, sketching etc I'd started three separate sketches while Liz worked her way across a big double spread. |
Not forgetting my intermittent recap of a sketching holiday in Bali a long while ago - this time the challenge was Bali - paddy fields and palm trees
For those who like detective work - you can still take the challenge if you don't look at the answer too soon
A review of the passive income streams which can be generated by giclee prints
A Watchdog has limited the marketing of pooled investment opportunities to “sophisticated investors” - see UK tightens rules on art funds
I highlighted my website How to Critique Art on Facebook where it was very well received. Maybe that's because I highlighted that it includes sections on:
In my book two people counts as a trend when they're both prominent artists/tutors and authors! If you inspire to be the same you now need to get into DVD production too!
I'll be doing a post very soon about the exhibitions in London from September through to November. In the meantime here's resume of what's opened recently
LS Lowry has generated a couple of interesting items
Here's an alert to all those who have studio makeovers or new studio projects underway.
At the end of the year I have an award to dish out to the person who delivers the most impressive change - called The Most Gorgeous Mouthwatering (MGM) Studio of the Year. However I need to see evidence of the progress made in blog posts! Drop me a line if you have a project on the go.
Facebook
Google
Read what happens when it all goes wrong in Twist In My Spontaneity and how it feels coming out the other side. An encouraging story by Anne Blankson-Hemans (Dancing with Crocodiles)
Drawing and Sketching
- More from the Urban Sketching Symposium in Barcelona:
- An enormous number of Sketches from Spain by Teoh Yi Chie (Parkablogs)
- Lynne Chapman (An Illustrator's Life For Me!) recorded Barcelona - Sketching in the Boqueria
- Kumi Matsukawa revealed the Before, during, and after the symposium sketches
- Tina Koyama commented that Ultimately, It’s About People
- Urban Sketchers London had two outings
- Pete Scully had the idea of Sketching Jack the Ripper's London! on an inordinately hot day with more photos here. I was planning on going to that one but was wiped out by the heat.
- Nathan Brenville came up with the brilliant idea of a Tate to Tate Sketchcrawl - see Tate to Tate Sketchers! I had to miss this one too due to a prior engagement - but I reckon this one can be done in reverse as well!
- James Gurney (Gurney Journey) blogged about that all important topic - Your sketchbook covers
Painting
- An interview with Carl Randall on Japangasm looks at how he goes about Picturing a culture
- Here's the first part of my artist friend Sophie Ploeg had a series of articles in Artists & Illustrator's Magazine about how to paint fabric - here they all are
- How to paint fabric: part one – inspiration this first part is about "Inspiration"!
- How to paint fabric: part two – materials
- How to paint fabric: part three – blocking in
- How to paint fabric: part four – values
- Sophie is currently researching the painting and portrayal of 17th century lace re. her BP Travel Award. Read more on her blog http://sophieploeg.blogspot.co.uk/ and see her fabulous paintings of fabric on her websitehttp://www.sophieploeg.com/fabrics.html
Plein Air Painting
- This is a really great "back gardens in summer" painting by Melissa Scott Miller. I love the details and all the nuances of colour. Plus Melissa paints from observation.......
- Haidee Jo Summers (Haidee Jo Summers - Artist) seems to have been spending all summer plein air painting the sea and beaches and coastal houses and cottages in Cornwall and, for the whole month of August, on the beautiful île de Bréhat. Just click the link to her blog and soak it up! (Haidee Jo also has a new website)
- I've been posting various painters' plein air kits to my Art of the Landscape blog and now have a new page which lists these posts. If you've got a well organised kit and would like to share your choices and approach to plein air kit assembly with other artists whp read my blog "The Art of the Landscape" send me a URL link to a blog post or website page (see this link for details of how to submit a kit for listing http://art-landscape.blogspot.co.uk/p/plein-air-painting-kits.html )
Who painted this?
For those who like detective work - you can still take the challenge if you don't look at the answer too soon
- Who painted this? #38
- Who painted this? #39
- Who painted this? #40 - this one very nearly defeated the regulars - until I gave them a clue! Tessa Spanton who was the first to work out that who the painter was but Bernadette Madden was the first to get all the details correct - including where it is located now.
- Who Painted This? #41
Art Business & Marketing
Artist in residence schemes
- The Guardian has collated some top tips about artist-in-residence schemes ie how to make them work for both the artist and the host venue.
- You can also read the full transcript of the online comments which comprised the online chat which generated these tips here Artist-in-residence schemes: top tips plus Some of the best insights from our recent live chat on making residencies that work
Pricing
- Barney Davey (Art Print Issues) has written about The Psychology of Pricing Art - which I've added in to my website How to Price Art - Resources for Artists
Reproduction Prints
A review of the passive income streams which can be generated by giclee prints
- First an article on Fine Art Views Passive Income Streams - Giclee Prints by Lori Woodward
- Next a review by Barney Davey Comparing Giclee Prints to Pret-a-porter Redux on Art Print issues
- Plus Barney Davey has interviewed Lori Woodward for An Art Career Examined | The Many Talents of Lori Woodward
Fraud
- Buying from a good gallery is no guarantee that the art is what it says it is and you are not being defrauded. Pei-Shen Qian, a struggling 73-year-old Chinese artist who came to the United States in 1981 was identified this month as being the artist who can produce paintings that a fraudster can peddle as actually being by celebrated Modernist painters such as Willem de Kooning, Jackson Pollock, Mark Rothko, Robert Motherwell and others. The New York Times has the details Prosecutors Are Contemplating More Arrests in $80 Million Art Fraud Case
Selling Art
- Amazon Fine Art was launched with over 150 'prestigious' galleries who deal online selling some 40,000 works of fine art by over 4,500 artists. My post provides more about how it all works - see Amazon launches its Amazon Fine Art Store
Art Collectors
A Watchdog has limited the marketing of pooled investment opportunities to “sophisticated investors” - see UK tightens rules on art funds
Art Competitions
- I wrote about some aspects of terminology which seem to confuse people - see Pre-selected, selected, long listed, shortlisted, prizewinner - what's in a phrase?
- Art Competitions I highlighted included:
- 83 paintings by 79 artists were selected from an entry of about 800 paintings - see Sunday Times Watercolour Competition 2013 - Selected Artists
- Threadneedle Prize 2013 - Selected Artists PLUS the shortlisted artists hoping to win £30,000 - see the Threadneedle Prize 2013 - Shortlist announced
- The £5,000 Bristol Art Prize
Art Education
Art Critique
I highlighted my website How to Critique Art on Facebook where it was very well received. Maybe that's because I highlighted that it includes sections on:
- Art Critiques - for Art School Students
- Art Critiques - for Amateur Artists
- Art Critiques - for Art Clubs
- Art Critique - for children and school students
Instructional videos
In my book two people counts as a trend when they're both prominent artists/tutors and authors! If you inspire to be the same you now need to get into DVD production too!
- James Gurney (Gurney Journey) is not one to hand over the profits of his labour to third parties without working out how to have more control over a project. Thus rather than do a DVD for instructional publishers he learned how to do it for himself. He's now got an art instruction video on how to paint dinosaurs! Read Release of "How I Paint Dinosaurs" for more details
- I posted this video from Billy Showell and Sponsume to my Facebook Page. Billy Showell (Painters Diary by Billy Showell | Facebook Page) is a very popular botanical art tutor and author who has been looking to take control of her next DVD project. I'm not sure if many people realise just how little an artist gets from DVD ventures run by commercial companies. It's about time the artist took control! Her project raised 79% of her financial goal. Take a look at her video and check it out. If you're an experienced artist/tutor yourself it might even give you a few ideas!
Tips and techniques
- Here's James Gurney again - Plein Air Tip: Go Vertical
- The Etsy blog had an article on How to Make Your Photos Publicity-Ready
- Let me know what you think about How to sign a painting, drawing or fine art print - my website about artists' signatures offers a structured introduction to artists signatures for:
- ARTISTS who want to know more about the best way to sign and date a work of art
- ARTISTS who want help with signatures for specific media
- ART LOVERS AND COLLECTORS who want to know more the signatures of artists from the past and present
Art Exhibitions
Traditionally, these are the dog days of the art calendar. The big museum shows are doddering through their final weeks; the autumn blockbusters aren’t ready to preview; and most dealers have closed their galleries and swanned off to Umbria on August hols. Article in the Culture section of The Telegraph
I'll be doing a post very soon about the exhibitions in London from September through to November. In the meantime here's resume of what's opened recently
Major Art Galleries and Museums in London
- The biggest exhibition in some ways is that being held on the billboards of the UK - see
Art Everywhere - on billboards around the UK - Two exhibitions about contemporary and modern African Art opened at Tate Modern
- Meschac Gaba: Museum of Contemporary African Art 3 July – 22 September 2013
- Ibrahim El-Salahi: A Visionary Modernist opened at Tate Modern (3 July – 22 September 2013) The first Tate Modern exhibition dedicated to African Modernism traces the life and work of Ibrahim El-Salahi.
- Two new exhibitions opened at the Royal Academy of Arts
- Mexico: A Revolution in Art, 1910-1940 6 July – 29 September 2013
- Richard Rogers RA: Inside Out 18 July—13 October 2013 for those with an interest in contemporary architecture
- At the Nationa Portrait Gallery, I reviewed the opening of the exhibition of Laura Knight Portraits 11 July – 13 October 2013
Exhibitions by Art Societies
- Off The Wall at the Bankside Gallery 2 August – 8 September 2013. This is a joint summer exhibition by artists from the Royal Watercolour Society and Royal Society of Painter-Printmakers
Commercial Galleries
- My post For fans of feline art covered the two exhibitions which opened this month at commercial galleries in London
- Louis Wain and the Summer Cat Show 2013 continues at The Chris Beetles Gallery until 31 August.
- The Society of Feline Artists are having their Annual Exhibition 2013 at the Llewellyn Alexander Gallery until 20th September 2013
- It's interesting to see that commercial galleries are now using albums on Facebook Pages to share images of their exhibitions. This is the narrative and images for Stranger: An exhibition of self-portraits by the Flowers Gallery
Art History
LS Lowry has generated a couple of interesting items
- Lowry talks to Leisure Painter - which comprises an interview with this famous artist
- Winsor & Newton reveiewed the Article: The Colour Palette of L.S Lowry
Art Materials and Supplies
Colours
- Turquoise is one of my favourite colours - although I do lean towards a duck egg shade. Winsor & Newton had a Spotlight on the colour turquoise
- Earlier they had one about which gave a Spotlight on Prussian Blue
- I created a new website The Best Guides to Colour Mixing for those who like to have a little help when it comes to getting started on mixing colours (and/or those of who at times are totally stumped for how to mix a colour!)
Art Studios
Here's an alert to all those who have studio makeovers or new studio projects underway.
At the end of the year I have an award to dish out to the person who delivers the most impressive change - called The Most Gorgeous Mouthwatering (MGM) Studio of the Year. However I need to see evidence of the progress made in blog posts! Drop me a line if you have a project on the go.
- Jarnie (Sketchbook Squirrel) is doing well with various posts about her studio shed makeover
Techies
- The New York Times Bits blog explains whats' been going on with the Facebook feed Facebook Adjusts Its News Feed to Bump Up Older Posts
- While a Yahoo correspondent explains about a Facebook Scam Alert - What Really Happens When You "Like"
- Here are 14 Google Tools You Didn't Know Existed courtesy of Mashable
- This one is really IMPORTANT. Google has changed its benchmark for speed of load. Check out yesterday's post for further details Use Google PageSpeed Insights Tool to check how fast your website loads
- Plus I bet you never ever thought that you'd see the day again - Yahoo Surpasses Google in Web Traffic, Somehow
Photography sites
- After reading this Pogue's Posts article on the New York Times - SmugMug Revamps Its Site, in a Challenge to Flickr - I started to investigate Smugmug and now intend to open an account.
and finally......
Read what happens when it all goes wrong in Twist In My Spontaneity and how it feels coming out the other side. An encouraging story by Anne Blankson-Hemans (Dancing with Crocodiles)
No comments:
Post a Comment
COMMENTS HAVE BEEN CLOSED AGAIN because of too much spam.
My blog posts are always posted to my Making A Mark Facebook Page and you can comment there if you wish.
Note: only a member of this blog may post a comment.