Tuesday 29 October 2013

Love to Draw… But don’t know where to start … This is for you…


Many of them love to try free hand drawing. Unlike professionals others take it as hobby. Many people love to draw but are scared to give a try because they are afraid of the criticism they will get. Sometimes you might be creative but don’t know how to put it on canvas. It is normal that every person faces this problem. Nobody is a born artist, but a person can be one if they want to. Most people feel visual is art is more effective than any means of communication.

Start drawing a basic thing. Toil on your own elucidation, you do not need to denote the accuracy loyally. Your drawing has to mainly express what you have in your thoughts, your perceptions, and feelings. To get these you need not be a great artist or an award winner. All you have to have is a sense of creativity and imagination. Make drawing a habit…... a stress buster…

Practicing drawing everyday would surely create wonders…. You will be blessed with more ideas and creativity than what you have expected.


Are you struggling to bring your imagination into canvas? If you are one of them who are fed up criticisms, don’t worry do not set any limits to your creativity. Grab Hobitute’s downloadable online drawing and painting courses. Want to know more about it click here

Thursday 24 October 2013

Types of Frames for Canvas Paintings

The best way to preserve and display your canvas painting is by framing them with attractive frames. These frames provide a classy and simple look. With the help of these modern frames you can hang your art works on the wall and change the look of your home. Some of the commonly used frames include:

Metal Frames

If you are looking for a versatile and a durable frame, it is better you go for a metal frame. It is one of the most popular choices of frames that are used for canvas painting. They tend to go with any type of art. You can choose either a simple or a decorative metal frame of your choice. Metal frames are available in different types like sterling silver, chrome or brass etc.

Cloth Frames

For an unconventional and unique room decorations you can go for padded or cloth frames. The main advantage of cloth frames is that you can design these frames according to your painting. Choosing a pattern and colour that goes well with your painting would make the painting look more creative and beautiful. These frames are also budget friendly and it will help you to give a unique look for your home.

Wooden Frames

Wooden frames are also ideal for individuals who like to keep on changing their canvas in different frames. This is because it is easy to fix and take out the canvas paintings from wooden frames. People who do not have a lot of familiarity with framing paintings find ease in using wooden frames.

Digital Frames

A digital frame can be used to display multiple paintings. It is always better to choose digital frames to display paintings that are small in size. This is because digital frames are more expensive.

Even though several kinds of frames can be used to frame your canvas painting, these frames are the most common types you will come in contact with. With these frames you can safeguard and exhibit your canvas painting without breaking the bank.

Know more about the framing techniques by clicking here

Wednesday 23 October 2013

Abstract Painting Tips for Beginners

Abstract painting encourages imagination over a precise execution of the environment. Though, it can also be discouraging to start, you can create wonders out of it. Following are some tips for the beginners.

Color

Art can be easily expressed through color. The most important of all is to learn the colour theory properly. It is not essential that you have to use all the colours in the palette. You have to learn to choose colours that work out well together this may save you from getting the colours clashed.

Texture

You can add more details to your work through the usage of texture. Most of the abstract artists use dimensions to their paintings. Most of the artists apply heavy coats of paints to create an effect called impasto. For giving a matte effect thin coat is used. As a beginner, it is essential that you limit the usage of the texture techniques per piece.

Practice with Formula Canvases

You can use formula canvases for practicing purposes. The formula canvases indicate where you have to add colour and what techniques have to be used for this purpose. You can use them until you have learned to create your own work.

Image Finder

With the help of an image finder you can find better ways for compositions. Geometric shapes are most commonly used. Using an image finder you can frame the devices. It can also help you segregate elements that you can use for your work.

Know About Composition

Composition is a powerful element in most of the artworks. It mainly refers to how the objects are positioned in relation to each other. The size of the object is one element of composition. The radical form encompasses on how the objects are related to each other in terms of a description.


You might find abstract painting a difficult skill to attempt. With some understanding of composition and techniques, you can easily create an abstract of your own work. Practicing about composition, texture and colour is very important. Want to know more about abstract painting click here

Introduction to Art Styles

To become a good artist, you have to keep in mind the different styles of art. This would help you to express a variety of ideas. Here is a list of art styles that would help you to bring more beauty to your artworks. The artist uses several art styles to express themselves. These art styles will help you to choose the best style suitable for your picture.

Photorealism

When a painted work is created in a manner that it resembles a photograph it is called as a Photorealism painting. Every detail of the work in the original picture is portrayed faithfully. Photorealism highlights the theme of the picture to improve realism. Artists who create Photorealism works endeavor to make their art work seem as lifelike.

Realism

Realism is the most common art style used.  Most people associated with painting will go for it. The artists will choose subjects or paintings according to their creativity. They will use several techniques to bring realism to the picture they are drawing. The techniques include composition, brush strokes and colour combinations.

Impressionism

Impressionism is the most popular technique that is used from the 19th century. Impressionism accentuates on detailing of light and color. The artists will mainly concentrate on the relationship amid the elements. Detailing of the pictures is not given much importance, hence these paintings appear to be incomplete.

Abstraction

Most of the artists are more interested in the impression of the subject than the subject itself. Their main idea is to exhibit whatever they think as the core of the subject.

Expressionism

Expressionism is also similar to Abstraction and Impressionism. It is not worried about a perfect depiction of the details of a subject. The usage of colours is more for expressionism. The artists will use a wide choice of colours to express their assessments on a theme. Sometimes the colours used for this purpose will be totally different from the original one. The main advantage of expressionism is that it maintains the general subject unlike abstraction. 

Learn the different techniques of art styles by logging on to Hobitute

Tuesday 22 October 2013

How to become a good artist ?

Knowing to draw and paint is a talent but to become a good artist requires a lot of practice. Here are some tips which you should follow to become a good artist.

Choose the type of art according to your passion

If you are creating an artwork according to your passion, you can be a successful artist. Try choosing the subject that you enjoy and keep experimenting.

Be observant

An artist who is observant will learn to note the colors  shadows and shapes of the object while drawing. You can easily see through the detailing and correct your pictures accordingly.

Practice

Many people give up art very soon, when they feel they have not reached to perfections. The more you practice your drawing; the best will be your outcome. You must first learn how to transfer all that you imagine into a paper in the form of art. This can be done only if you practice well. Whether you're taking art as a pastime or a profession, setting apart some time to focus on your art will aid you to enhance your art skills.

Register yourself to some art classes

You can subscribe yourselves to some good art classes that offer you training in all aspects. It also helps you to get the techniques you have to follow to create a beautiful and perfect art piece. Nowadays there are several websites that offers online courses. Websites like Hobitute offers downloadable online courses at affordable rates. You can download these courses and learn them whenever you are free.

Assent constructive criticism

Constructive criticism is intended to help you develop your artwork. A person giving productive criticism will usually highlight both the defects and the strengths and would provide suggestions on how the flaws can be fixed. You have to learn to accept them and correct them in your next art work.

Friday 18 October 2013

Master the Art of Pencil Drawing Easily

Learning to draw with a pencil is essential. If you do not know to draw well with the pencil then you do not deserve to be an artist. There are several forms of art. The simplest form is the best of all. Drawing with pencil is the best form of painting. Every artist would love to create a drawing made by pencil. It’s mainly because of the effect it gives.

Before starting to draw with a pencil you must first understand the basic aspects of painting. The use of any art tools obliges awareness. Choosing a correct pencil is very important. Most people think that they can use all kinds of pencils for drawing. But it’s not like that; every pencil has its own uniqueness and intent in drawing.

The pencils are generally classified into hard pencils and soft pencils. The pencils are classified based on the graphite used. You can use them according to your requirements.

Hard Pencils

They have solid graphite and they create a light impression on the paper. They are used mainly to create outlines of a sketch. You should not press these pencils on the paper because it will leave a hard impression on the paper. Usually hard pencils are labeled with ‘H’. Every number beside the label indicates the hardness of the pencil. For instance 2H, 3H etc.

Soft pencils

They have soft graphite which is used for making dark lines on the paper. These pencils are mainly used for shading purposes and to create dark outlines. The soft pencils are labeled with ‘B’. Every number beside the label indicates the softness of the pencil. For instance 2B, 3B etc.

Charcoal pencils

The leads of these pencils are made of charcoals. They create darker impressions than the graphite’s. They also tend to smudge. They are usually used in places where you require showing more of the dark effect.

Carbon pencils

The Carbon pencils are made up of a mixture of clay and lamp black. These pencils provide more of the black colour than the other pencils. These pencils are generally made up of lamp black and a mixture of clay. Sometimes charcoal or graphite is also added to them. They provide more of black colour than that of graphite but they are softer than charcoal.

Mechanical pencils

These pencils are the most loved pencils for the artists. There are mostly used to provide details to the picture. The most commonly used leads for drawing starts from 0.5 mm. The other sizes includes 0.7 mm,0.9 mm,1.18 mm,1.3 mm,2 mm,3.15 mm,5.6 mm.

Once you have decided on the type of the pencil to be used.The choice of the paper also matters. The quality of the paper is very important. If the paper quality is not good there are chances of your drawing to get blotches. If you require a soft quality paper you can go for the cartridge paper. Since pencil work requires some amount of blending and reworking, it is always better that you go for a paper that is robust.

Always use the pencil without pressing harder. You should not let the strokes to overlap. While shading round curves use curved strokes to get that finish. Drawing with pencil is one of the easiest ways to master the art. One of the main advantages of pencil drawing is that nobody can ever call your drawing a flaw.

Learn more about the pencil drawing techniques by logging on to Hobitute and their courses at online drawing and painting classes.

Thursday 17 October 2013

Communicate art through still life drawing

Still life drawing is a work of art illustrating mostly lifeless subject, usually conventional objects which can be either natural or man-made. It includes fruits, flowers, plants, vegetables, or shells, vessels, coffee cups, vases, bowls, jewelry etc. The main purpose of creating a still life object is to communicate beauty.

Using pencils for still life drawing

You can draw a still life work using pencils and colors also. While using color pencils you can create the highlights of light .The color arrangement would also create a special temper to the painting. You can give the finest details to your picture using colour pencils. While drawing a picture using a normal pencil will give a black and white effect to the painting. Through this painting we can study shapes and proportions. Accurately drawing with proportions and shapes would give your painting a professional touch. We should learn to see things in a black and white background. While shading the tonal values of the image must be adjusted. In order to create a realistic touch to the painting, the image must be defined correctly. The dark and the light shades must be highlighted precisely.

Many people consider drawing still life objects as a boring concept. But actually it is not, by learning to draw a still life object you will be educating yourself with the basics of drawing concepts. When you want to draw something and don’t have an idea of what to draw then just pick up some things in your home and arrange them at an angle you are comfortable to draw and start drawing. Even though you will find it difficult initially you can later on get a better understanding of it by keeping on practicing.


What are you waiting for?? Pick up pencil and start drawing a still life object!! Need to know more about still life object painting click here


Interesting facts about Oil Painting

  • Different types of oil are used for crafting an oil painting. Some of them include linseed oil, poppy seed oil, walnut oil and safflower oil. Each kind of oil generates a different appearance and dry out at a different time.
  • Because oil paint takes more time to dry it is known as revolutionized art. It gives the artists the liberty to make corrections and start over.
  • The pigments used for oil painting are made up of organic materials and minerals, snail mucus and semiprecious stones.
  • Ultramarine- deep blue was the most expensive pigment. It was once more costlier than gold.
  • Leonardo da Vinci cooked oil paint with beeswax, to improve the process of oil paint.
  • The oil paint allows the artists to capture shadow and light by applying the paint in thin layers.
  • The American painter John Goffe Rand invented the paint tube in 1841, before that they were stored in animal bladders.
  • Oil paint quickly solidify through oxidation, they don’t evaporate.
  • It generally takes six months to a year to varnish the oil painting.
  • In olden days in order to make the painting last long, oil paints were boiled in resins. This would shield the painting, give it a shine, solidity and transparency
  • The oil paints were used to paint shields in middle ages, because it was believed that the shields were stronger when painted with oil paint than tempra paints.

Want to know more interesting stuffs on oil painting log on to www.onlinepaintingclasses.com/

Tuesday 15 October 2013

Tips and Tricks to use and preserve your paint brushes


It is very essential that every artist must keep their tools clean. Paint brushes would last longer if they 
are cleaned and cared properly.

Clean and Care required for brushes used for oil painting
  • It is essential that you clean the brush once you have used it.
  • You have to always keep your brushes in upright position.
  • Keep the brushes absolutely dry before storing them.
  • You should not let the paint get dried on the brush.
  • Always store the brush in the respective container, in order to restore its shape.
  • Do not use detergents to clean the brushes.
  • Lather the brush under warm water. Redo the process unless you find no trace of paint in the brushes.
  • Dry the brushes and store them in a jar.
  • You can use turpentine to clean the brushes used for oil painting.
Clean and Care required for brushes used for Water color painting
  • The most common thing that occurs in an oil brush is that its bristles do not point. This is because of buildup of pigment particles in the base of the brush.
  • Avoid storing the brush in direct sunlight. You have to store the brushes in air tight containers.
  • Moth repellents can be used to ensure that moth damages do not occur.
  • All the brushes must be cleaned in running water.
  • You can remove the excess water and gently bring back the shapes of the brushes using your hands.
Clean and Care required for brushes used for Acrylic painting
  • The brushes must be washed under running water.
  • It must be cleaned in running water.
  • Extra care must be taken while cleaning the brush.
  • Soak them beforehand so that all the paint from the brush comes out.

Want to know more about paint brush clean and care tips Visit Hobitute and their courses at online drawing andpainting classes.

Gear up to be an art professional by brushing up your art skills

As said by Einstein “True art is characterized by an irresistible urge in the creative artist”. Every person is not a born artist, but he can be one if he follows the urge of learning art. Learning to draw and paint is nowadays being an integral part of the education system. Learning art and trying to inbuilt it is a blessing. Art will teach you all the skills that are required to achieve a successful life. 

You can strike your creativity chord by drawing what you see and learning the tactics of thinking out of box. An artist’s ability shows in how he is able to communicate his feelings through images. People nowadays learn to draw and paint to improve their social skills and emotional balance.

Teaching to draw and paint is itself an art; it can be done only through a quality approach. Exposure to drawing and painting would stimulate the brain activity in children and adults. Moreover it helps the senses to understand visual art. It is important that you not only admire Picasso or Vincent Van Gogh paintings but also try to create one like it by improving your drawing and painting skills through art education.

How to buy a Paint brush?

If you want to create a beautiful artwork, it is very essential that you choose a high quality paint brush. The paint brushes can be used to paint any type of picture. It is very important that you choose the brushes according to the paint you are using. Some of the key features that must be kept in mind while buying a paint brush:

Quality of the brush

Checking the quality of the brush is very important. The ferrule of the brush must be non-corrosive. The hair of the paint brush must be attached to the ferrule using screws or rivets, rather than a slip-on style. The bristles should be densely packed. You should check if there are multiple spacers that separate the bristles. The bristles should be chiseled at the ends to create a smoother finish. Flag bristles hold more paint, which allows a more precise edge. Look for hollow bristles that easily bend rather than hard bristles.

Bristle Type

You have to check the bristle type for the paint brush you are using. The most commonly used bristle types is natural and synthetic. The synthetic brushes are made out of nylon or polyester material. These brushes are commonly used for water-based and oil-based paints. Brushes with natural bristles are made from animal hair, they are preferred for oil-based paints but you have to remember that should, it should never be used with water-based paints as they absorb the water and become limp. Since the natural bristles are softer than that of the synthetic bristles the artists prefer them for oil-based paints. The synthetic bristles offer more versatility.

Shape and Size of the brush

While painting a particular object it is essential that you keep in hand different shapes and varieties of brushes. The brushes also come with different handles. It is very important that you use the brush that you are comfortable with. Knowing the shape and size of the brush is essential before you start painting.



Do you want to know more about brush buying tips? Visit Hobitute and their courses at online drawing and painting classes.

Monday 14 October 2013

Choose your brush type…..

Most of the beginners have a tough time choosing the type of brushes to use for their painting. Brushes play an important role in painting. It is very important that the artist uses the right brush to create the effects. The hair of the brush denotes the type and purpose of the brush. The Sable hair brush is the most commonly used brushes. These brushes are great for watercolor. The hog hair brushes are stiff brushes for heavy paint and will leave brush strokes behind. They are commonly used for oil painting because they hold more paint. Synthetic brushes are less expensive. They produce the best quality of work. These brushes are commonly used by the artists. The artists use the paint brushes depending upon their artwork.

Long handle brushes are commonly used for oil painting. For watercolor and acrylic painting short handled brushes are used.

Round tipped brushes

They are perfect for comprehensive work like to give outline, filling in smaller areas, the viscosity of the line created can be easily organized from thin to thick reliant on the stress applied, for the finest of lines the artist can use the very tip by pushing down further to create more width.

Pointed tip brushes

They are much similar to the round tipped brushes in appearance except as the name would suggest, they are finer and conclude with a fixed point. This makes these brushes perfect for ultra-fine meticulous work and lines.

Round detail brushes

It has shorter bristles than the typical round brushes and is used detail work and short skillful brush strokes, they incline to clamp more paint than the pointed tip brushes. The shorter bristles are preferably appropriate for working close to the substrate.

Flat brushes

They have a square end and create virtuous gallant strokes, great for filling large areas of color but also to create streaks and equitably fine straight lines. Bristles are usually medium to long in length.

Bright tipped brushes

They are related to flat brushes that have ends that can curve in towards the tip. They commonly have from medium to short length bristles which make it easier for working diligently. They are exceptional for applying thick and heavy color.

The Filbert brush

It is a kind of hybrid of the round and flat. The marginally rounded tip empowers it to be used for detail and as it is also flat it can also be used to conceal larger areas, the shape also lends itself to mixing and masking too.

The Angular brush

There is a disparity on the flat tipped brush cut across at an angle making it perfect for filling areas such as tight corners precisely, as a flat brush it can also cover large areas and its cut off shape lends its self well to producing curved shapes.

The Fan brush

It is a flat brush that encompasses an arrangement of bristles spread out in the shape of a fan. The fan brush is not as malleable as the other groups listed but can be vital for shading and feathering and also adding quality and smooth textures.

Do you want to know more about Brush tips and tricks? Visit Hobitute and their courses at online drawing and painting classes.


Know Your Colours to Create a Wonderful Artwork

Most of the people have a natural desire for drawing and painting. Especially it is children who enjoy painting with vibrant colors. Painting can be more exciting when you can learn to know what you are doing with the colors. There are three different types of commonly used Paints.

Water Colors

Watercolors are cheap and are easy to explore. They are thin and transparent paints that are usually used to paint on paper. It is little difficult to use the paint because the paint changes its form and gets dried quickly. There are many techniques you can use to gain interesting effects from watercolors. The watercolor paints can be blotted and lifted from the paper easily. Water color paintings are mostly done on archival paper with soft brushes. These paintings can be approached using a loose transparent method, tight illustration or graphic style. In order to gain a deeper or richer look you have to layer several washes. These colors come in blocks and tubes. They are great for beginners.

Acrylic Colors

Acrylic paint is a pigment that is mixed with a polymer binder and is water soluble. It is a versatile paint and can be thinned with water or acrylic media extenders and gels. It can be used in a similar method as water color using layers of washes and wet on wet techniques. It can also be used in a thick impasto. There are a number of gel media that can be mixed with acrylic to give it a specific sheen or an even finish. 

You can also get retarders that can be used to extend the drying time so that the artist has more time to blend and mix colors on her canvas or paper. Once the acrylic paint is dry it is permanent and cannot be lifted in the same way as we do it in water colors. 

Distinct to oil paints, the acrylic paints dry quickly, yet, nowadays you can get an acrylic paint that doesn’t dry quickly. It can be worked more like oil paints. You can clean up the paint using water, but it is important to clean up while the paint is still wet on your brushes and surfaces.

Oil Colors

Oil paint is pigment which is diluted using linseed oil. The oil paints are known for their deep rich tones and are a classic medium used with a varnish over several months. You can clean the oil paint with the help of turpentine.

Poster Colors

Poster colors or Tempra colors as they are also referred are water based paints. It can be quickly washed and is ideal for educational use. Poster paints are tranquil to use and can be mixed to make new colors or contrast shades of the original color. One of the main advantages of using poster paint is that it will let you to undo the mistake. Poster colors can be used in any type of paper. It also dries off very fast. You can use these colors if you are a beginner and tend to make more mistakes.


Do you want to know more about drawing and painting techniques? Visit Hobitute and their courses at online drawing and painting classes.

Friday 11 October 2013

An Art experience….


I had always wanted to be an artist, being able to draw anything I could see with the naked eye. I remember when I was a child, i had attended art classes in my school. In those days art classes were meant to be an extracurricular activity. Around the time, I wasn't able to continue with my art classes and had totally lost touch of it. It was after many years, I pondered on an idea of drawing a portrait picture and hanging it on a specially designed wall in my house. Even though I had the sense of creativity and art, i dint have much courage to paint a portrait as I lost touch in drawing. Totally agitated, I decided to look out for some art classes. But being a working professional, I couldn't find classes at the time of my convenience.

I decided to surf and see if I could find any drawing and painting classes online. As we had slow internet connections in our country, I felt online classes would be a bad idea . But to my surprise, I chanced upon Hobitute, a website that offers downloadable drawing and painting classes online It is for the first time in the world, I am hearing about downloadable drawing and painting classes offering courses from basic to advanced levels. Apart from that, they would also be providing certificates after each level.

Being a little excited about how it will work, I just downloaded few samples and went through them. Then I decided to give a try. There are several courses, which a person who doesn't even know to hold a paint brush can learn. I decided to start with the basics and spare an hour of my day with online painting and drawing classes.

I started downloading the courses from the basic level. The best part here was that, unlike other videos I didn't require an internet connection to play the video, which was more convenient for me. All the courses were very systematic and the teachers followed a slow teaching mechanism by providing plenty of examples. The teachers were available round the clock to clear my doubts. What surprised me a lot is that, the teachers took so much pain to explain even the minute techniques. They provided a systematic way of teaching, with a proper curriculum.  I could easily understand the concepts and never felt that I was in front of the computer.

Seeing me enjoy the online painting and drawing classes, my children also have started to learn with me. Now I have reached the advanced level of my courses . As I wished, I was able to hang a beautiful portrait painted by me. Apart from that, I am also drawing small paintings, and wall hangings to gift my friends and relatives. I feel the online painting and drawing classes is an excellent option for children, adults and hobbyists who are time pressed. I am happy that with the help of the online drawing and painting classes, I was not only able to bring out the artist in me but also inspire my children. Thanks to Hobitute!!!

Want to know more about online drawing and painting classes please click here