photos4artists blog

Quick update on skies

2010-03-20T18:11:00.005Z

This is just a quick update to an earlier blog. In The question of skies I asked whether or not users of Photos4artists would like to see skies in the galleries. This is just a quick update to assure those who said they would, that skies are being added as and when the grey disappears. As well as photos included in the miscellaneous galleries in photos4artists, a gallery dedicated to skies can

The Shadows

2010-03-20T17:27:00.046Z

Nothing is more frustrating than stepping back to view your finished painting (when it's dried of course) and realising that you have failed to achieve a satisfactory sense of depth. I think I've already mentioned the beauty of the foreground shadow in pushing back the horizon. Another way to achieve the same effect is to paint in a dark cloud(s) overhead. An often made error when

Keeping perspective in perspective

2010-03-02T19:01:00.451Z

What is perspective? In simple terms, perspective provides various ways for an artist to create the illusion of depth on an otherwise one dimensional surface. Aerial perspective, a term first coined by Leonardo da Vinci describes the act of recession. Colour fades and contrast weakens the further away the object. It's nothing we didn't already know, but sometimes we need to be reminded. A camp

Focus on your centre of interest

2010-02-28T10:44:00.206Z

Unless very abstract every painting would benefit from a focal point or centre of interest. The trick is make sure your chosen focal point doesn't melt into the backround. In many pictures the focal point will be obvious. It's probably why you chose that particular subject to paint. Take the photo on the left: what else apart from the rowing boats could you choose as your focal point? Losing one

Make your colours work for you

2010-02-27T22:04:00.074Z

What is colour and how does it affect your painting? There is no simple answer. Remove the colour and obviously all that remains is a black, white and grey image. Is that a limited palette? Probably not. You'd have little more than a tonal sketch and unless you were famous and probably dead your painting with have little value. Black and white or sepia might work in photography, but probably not

It's not just wine in Burgundy

2010-02-26T22:07:00.056Z

You don't need to be a Francophile to love Burgundy. Think rural England with sunshine and you are halfway to knowing Burgundy. Calais to Troyes is just 250 miles and will take about four hours on roads England can only dream about. You'll have to pay a toll to travel on the A26 peage, but for a relaxed and relatively traffic free journey it's money well spent. You won't be too thrilled with the

Three into One does go

2010-02-26T18:02:00.017Z

Apart from clarity and detail high resolution photos have another distinct advantage over smaller images and that is the ability to find another painting opportunity within the same photo. Crop a smaller image and all you have left is one that's even smaller and might as well be viewed through frosted glass. Clearly not every photo offers the opportunity for a multiple crop, but plenty do. This

What is inspiration?

2010-02-24T11:08:00.010Z

Tough one this. My most immediate thought is Alwyn Crawshaw. My dictionary, however, describes inspiration as being ‘someone or something that gives you ideas for doing something’ or a ‘good idea’. But what does that mean in terms of everyday life? Inspiration can be as simple as the desire to copy. You might see someone wearing a fantastic looking coat and immediately feel to the need to rush

What exactly is good composition?

2010-02-23T22:26:00.237Z

Where do you start? Well, it would probably be easier to demonstrate bad composition. After all, if you like the look of a picture and it tickles all the right bits, then it must have good composition. True, but if you want a better than even chance that other people will also like your picture then you should at least try to follow some of the rules of composition. Unless your design is

Why I love the Yorkshire Dales

2010-02-23T17:56:00.054Z

As a Londoner, I love the countryside most, followed by the fresh air, the silence, the lack of cars, the lack of speed cameras and the lack of road humps, all in fast succession . . . and, of course, I like the photo opportunities. To view photos of Yorkshire please look here. For a start, we don't have many streams like this down south. The stone bridges are mostly quaint, picturesque or

A trip to Languedoc

2010-02-22T16:55:00.044Z

If you fancy a short break in Languedoc, whether to take photos, paint or just to see the sights I hope the following will be of some help. Having previously spent time in Languedoc and taken photos there it seemed a no brainer to return, only this time with a better camera and a prior knowledge of the best places to visit. To view some of the photos please go to South of France Gallery One and

How to use the search boxes

2010-02-22T14:01:00.009Z

I am often asked how to find images on the site quickly, without needing to browse through the entire site. To quickly search photos4artists or related sites use the search box on the gallery index page. Just type in boats, for example, press enter or click on the search button and you will be taken to a list of all pages or folders that contain images of boats. However, to search the entire

The question of skies

2010-02-22T11:01:00.002Z

Does anyone want or need photos of skies? Let's face it, all you need to do is go to a window, look up and there it is! You can't really miss it. The problem with that, as I imediately know by looking out the window, is that the plain grey sky stretching from east to west and north to south isn't actually the sort of sky I would like to paint. Another problem is that even on those days when it

Requests for subjects

2010-02-22T10:10:00.001Z

You will, I hope, have noticed that requests for the types of subjects you want to seen on the website are comprehensively welcomed. Some of you who have made requests will also be aware that your requests might not yet have been fulfilled. A good example of this apparent oversight is a recent request for photos of horses. Living on the edge of London the opportunities for taking photos of horses

Welcome to the photos4artists blog

2010-02-22T10:01:00.003Z

Times change and we must all move on or be left behind. This blog replaces the time consuming and difficult to organise newsletters. A blog will hopefully achieve all the above and provide interested viewers with up to date information and a way to make instant comments or suggestions. If I am honest, the challenge of sending out newsletters by email won't be missed.