How I Stay Focused on a Project

Somehow I missed my post last week! Oops! Well this post is about staying focused and hopefully not missing a week like I did! Generally I tend to get detracted quite easily. However,  over the years I have found a way to stay focused on the project that I am doing. Here are three of the things that keep me working on a painting, design project or other task! 

Listening to a Story

I work maybe a little different than most artists. Many have music blasting to inspire their work and keep them moving. I always seem to need a storyline to follow. This is why I tend to either listen to audio books or watch TV shows. Looking back to when I used a shared studio space in college, most people did not work this way and opted to use music only.

Generally I don’t follow the visual aspect, but I do follow the story. So streaming services are great! With a combination of Netflix, Amazon Prime, and Hulu I can “watch” many shows. Audible and Libby (library audio books) are fantastic for listening to books.

I tend to get absorbed in the story and it actually allows for a looser more natural painting. I have worked this way for years, both when working in design and in painting.

Not Have Other Tasks

I find that I will get distracted if I have other chores or tasks to do. Generally I try to get the dogs walked or emails written before I sit down to work on a painting. Getting these daily tasks completed allows me the freedom to work on my paintings longer.

A sleepy dog! 

Have a Planned and Organized Workspace

Having all the supplies needed for a project ahead of time, such as clean water, all the paint needed, and clean brushes, all help in keeping me working. This obviously makes it so I do not have to get up to get these things once I have started already. This does not translate to a clean workspace for me however! I do try to clean and organize and it does help, but for some reason it does not seem essential!

Oil Vs. Acrylic Paint

Oils or Acrylics? The ever looming question for painters, I have gotten the question many times about which I prefer. And for me there really isn’t a straight forward answer, as there are benefits to both.

Some of these are painted in Oils, some are painted in Acrylics. Can you tell which are which?

Acrylics

Acrylic paint was first introduced in the 1950s and are made from pigment in an acrylic polymer emulsion (plastic). They can be thinned with water and the paint dries fast. Acrylic paint can be mixed with various “mediums” such as gels, to create different effects.

Oil

Oil paint is what the old master’s used. The paint is pigment suspended in an oil, which makes it non-water soluble. A solvent is required to dilute or clean up paint. Paint is often thick and buttery (due to the oil) and dries very slowly. Depending on the thickness, it can take days for a painting in oil to dry.

So which do I prefer?

There are lots of things to consider, such as ease of use, clean up, speed of drying, color of dried paint and price. Acrylics dry fast, which is nice when something needs a quick turn-around, as I can work quicker with it. They are also easier to clean up as it just takes water to clean brushes. Oils dry slow, which can be a benefit or a hindrance, they also require solvents to clean brushes. These need special and careful handling. Acrylic paint dries a bit darker than it goes on the canvas, this is known as color shift. Oil paint dries pretty much how you apply it to the canvas. Acrylic paint is usually a bit cheaper than oil paint, which can also be a factor.

When painting one of the most important aspects to me is how the paint feels when coming off the brush. I like thick, buttery, smooth. These are the qualities of oil paint. However, I use heavy body acrylic paint, which does a really good job of getting that same quality in acrylic paint. I can usually make them look quite similar in my painting style. If I absolutely had to choose one I would choose oil, only based on the fact that I like how genuinely buttery it feels when going on the canvas! 

Acrylic

Oil

Did you guess correctly? 

Acrylic Palette Setup

Acrylic paint dries pretty fast, and I paint for hours- or over a few days. So it is essential that my palette stays wet for as long as possible. This is the set up that I use with my paint so it will last for up to 2 weeks. I recorded a video showing you how I do this setup, this is my first voice-over so bear with me! 

This uses the Sta-Wet Palette  (Around $17), which is marketed with a sponge and some Sta-Wet Palette Paper. I do NOT recommend using those, the sponge molds easily and the paper rips and dries out in some spots. So using it with heavy-duty paper towels (3 pack for $5) and a tempered glass palette (Around $30) works much better for me! If you don't want to spend the money on the glass palette, a tempered cutting board could work as well, you may need to find something for a backing though. 

Also I like to call the piece of paper towel I put on top of the glass, the Moistmaker (if you've seen friends you will get this!)

Time Lapses!

Here are a few more of the time lapses that I have not posted here yet! 

Caring for your New Painting!

Great so you just got a new painting! But how do you keep it looking its best and care for it?

I try to include a little sheet with a version of the following with the paintings I send out. I thought it would be good to post about it and let everyone know my tips for caring for a painting.

HOW TO CARE FOR YOUR PAINTINGS  

It is always a good idea to handle a painting with care, they aren’t the most fragile things, but they are not rock solid either. Try to avoid touching the front surface of your painting. Holding and touching your piece won’t ruin it, but the oil from your fingers can linger on the surface and that’s something we’d like to stay away from.

Your painting is protected with varnish*, so it is okay to blow away the dust from the surface on an as needed basis with compressed air. Another option is to take a soft bristle brush and wipe away the dust.  To clean the sides, use a soft, non-abrasive cloth and apply gentle pressure to wipe. It is best to only clean the front if absolutely necessary.

HANGING TIPS

Keep your artwork away from direct sunlight. The best type of light for your painting is indirect sunlight, recessed lighting, or halogen lights.

It is not advisable to place your artwork above a heat source such as a fireplace. Keep your painting away from Ultraviolet light.

It is not advisable to hang paintings in a moist environment such as a room which has a bath or shower. Try to display your paintings in a place where the relative humidity and temperature levels are fairly constant.

TRANSPORT & STORAGE TIPS

Storing canvases vertically is ideal!

Canvas can be stretched or punctured fairly easy. So avoid stacking or leaning anything with an edge or corner on your painting. Even stacking or leaning one painting against another can leave an imprint. If you need to store your painting, it is best to store it vertically.

If you are needing to ship or move your painting, I would suggest wrapping it in an acid free paper, or if that is not available, wax paper.

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*Acrylic paintings are protected with a final varnish. Oil paintings have a retouch varnish on the surface. Oil paintings cannot have a final varnish applied until it has been dry for 6 months to a year. If you can get your painting to me to apply a final varnish I would be happy to, otherwise take it to a professional to varnish.

Photo Tips for Getting Great Pet Photos

The photographs I receive and use as references for my paintings are a large part of the painting process as a whole. Since I work from photos, the completed portrait depends on the quality of the photos you send me! When available send photos that are high quality and taken with a digital camera. 

For a close up portrait of your pet, make sure you fill up the viewfinder with your pet, rather than taking a far off photo that you have to zoom in on. This will make sure we can see the details.

Paintings can be goofy! A good photo does not always have to be a serious one. 

•  Take photos outdoors, on a fair day, in early morning or late afternoon, or indoors in a bright and well-lit room. Taking photos in natural light, preferably in the shade to prevent harsh shadows, will help reflect the true coloring of your pet. 

•  Take the photos in a place where your pet is comfortable being themselves, such as in your yard, in the windowsill, etc. 

•  Have someone help. One person should be free to take the photo and someone else to pose or entertain the pet.

•  Get down or up to pet eye-level to take your pet’s photos. Remember that the eyes are the most expressive part of an animal’s face! This is helpful for creating good perspective, and this will translate best to canvas. 

•  Take lots of photos, from many different angles and different poses. 

•  If your pet is dark-colored, try to take photos in front of lighter backgrounds; if your pet is light-colored, try to take photos in front of darker backgrounds. In general, keep backgrounds simple and uncluttered is really helpful. 

•  Photographing your pet on a hard surface such as wood flooring, concrete or windowsills is ideal as it allows us to see their paws. 

•  Use a camera with an automatic focus. Animals move quickly and often, and adjusting the manual focus can take a little time.

•  Let your pet take breaks and act natural, sometimes tiring them out before a photo session makes for some great smiles! 

•  Don’t forget to pay your model! Treats, toys, love and affection are all good payment!

Week 18 of Acrylic Pet Portaits

Time-Lapse of Cat Painting

I was commissioned to paint this cutie! I really like his defiant expression. 9x12 on canvas.

Week 17 of Acrylic Pet Portraits

I was visiting a relative for this batch of pet paintings, here you can see a bit of my travel set up!

Timelapse of Painting Two Dogs

I was commissioned to paint these two cuties! They were really fun to paint due to their silly expressions. The customer wanted abstract background similar to some of my earlier paintings so I implimneted that in the two different colors. 

These paintings were done in acrylic on 8x10 canvas. They are super cute!