A demo for my students. This was done in five and a half hours, including the transfer drawing, underpainting, and alla prima style color painting on top.

#artmood #artdemo #artdemonstration #portraitstudy #portraitsketch #oilsketch #oilpaint #paint #paintingprocess #oilpainting #classicalart #paintedportrait #portraitartist #portraitpainting #blueart #traditionalart #romanticrealism #paintingtips #artclass #onlineartlessons #pitturaadolio #contemporaryrealism #florenceacademyofartalumni ...

"By The Sea" graphite, watercolor and gouache. 21.5 X 37 cm.

Of course a decorative border will come next, but it might have to wait a little while as I will be traveling for the next month.

Who else loves the calming magic of the sea?

#figurativeart #seaside #sealife #drawdrawdraw #drawing #dailyart #instaart #contemporaryrealism #contemporaryart #arttoday #classicalart #romanticrealism #seanymph #mermaid #graphitedrawing #pencilartwork #waterart #watercolor #watercolorportrait #art #romanticart #magicalrealism #magicalart ...

"Luna Watches" graphite, watercolor and gouache, 11x 16 inches.

May Luna watch over you and your dreams.

Special thanks to @vogue__x__
For the beautiful dress.

#graphitedrawing #drawdrawdraw #figurativeart #figurativeartist #figuredrawing #graphitedrawing #classicalart #classicalrealism #contemporaryrealism #moonlight #dream #dreamyart #dreamyaesthetic #graphiteart #watercolor #gouache #inspiration #luna #celestial #magicalrealism #romanticrealism ...

Time for another 5 Tips!! This is a special one because I am showing a teensy bit of the behind the scenes of my references. 

I love this time working with my models (not all shown above but love to all of them!) and they bring magic and joy to me and to my artwork.  

Here are some extra notes for the 5!

1. Finding Models on Insta: Go to Instagram’s search bar and look up your city local hashtag. There are often people posting and you can easily find interesting models this way. Look up local photographer's Insta pages as they often list their model’s contact info.

2. Costumes: Go to vintage shops, ask friends to borrow, look in your family closet! Go to fabric shops and get beautiful fabrics that inspire you, plus safety pins, tassels, pretty hems, and fringe! All can be used to make mock outfits. 

 3. Props: If nothing else, get yourself some styrofoam geometrical forms, egg, sphere, cube.  You can give these to the model as a stand in prop. Turn that sphere into a glowing orb on the canvas later at the studio!

4. The better the reference is as a whole, the easier time it will be painting it. The less you need to invest/change the better. Doen’t mean it’s impossible, not at all, but things can get a lot more complicated very quickly when changes need to be made. 

5. Allow you and your model twenty minutes of warm up shoots. This allows them to get into the grove without too much pressure. You can have a laugh and just get to know the lighting, the space, and get in tune with each other.

6. Bonus Tip: Look up inspirational images ahead of time and send those to your model so they can practise and know what you want when they arrive to the shoot. Have your thumbnails you sketched of your own ideas and compositions on hand. Give your model direction, let them know what you want them to do! But lastly, let them loose sometimes too!! Just let them play!

#arttechniques #artclasses #arttips #drawingtips #paintingprocess #paintingtips #creatives #createart #artclass #onlineartlessons #art #instaartsy #artsy #arty #tips #draw #drawing #painting #oilpaint #graphiteart #creativity #academicart #artatelier #atelierart #academicrealism #compositionart ...

"Wind" 6 x 7 inches, graphite.

Playing around with curves and waves in this little sketch from a very windy day! Thank you my awesome model! : )

#sketchbook
#sketch
#drawdrawdraw #portraitsketch #portraitdrawing #curlyhairgoals #windy #windblown #portraits #drawings #figurativeartist #portraitartist #art #artisticmuse #waveshair #contemporaryrealism #classicalart #traditionalart #graphiteportrait #pencilartist #instaart ...

"Another Evening With Calypso" graphite and white chalk on toned paper.
18 X 29''

Can you find the seven crabs?

My pieces often have some kind of symbolism in them, but this one has a bit more than usual. Calypso is an intriguing character in Homer's Odyssey and I find her to be someone to ponder on.

Odysseus spent seven years with her. It was a strange time for him and was a mixture of heaven and hell.

I encourage you to spend some time reading about her story and her time with Odysseus, and come to your own conclusion about what my picture means, or asks?

#pencildrawing #pencilart #instaart #preraphaelite #romanticrealism #magicalrealism #myth #mythology #mythologicalart #visualstorytelling #mediterranean #calypso #goddess #nymph #sealife #siren #sirensong #ａｅｓｔｈｅｔｉｃ #mermaid #blueart #graphitedrawing #figurativeart #classicalart #classicalrealism #realism #traditionalart #art #dailydose #rossetti ...

"Butterfly Dance", 16 x 15 inches, watercolor & gouache.

Phew! Finally finished! I haven't done a fully colored watercolor piece in a while, and definitely not one so detailed. She was a fun piece to work on and more like her will follow!

#watercolor #forestfairy #preraphaelite #gouacheart #romanticrealism #fineart #figurativeart #contemporaryrealism #contemporaryart #dreamy #naturegirl #artaddict #artist #instart #artalltheway #realismart #create #justdraw #drawdaily #paint #artdream #artdetail #gowiththeflow #portraitfineart #portraitart #portraitdrawing #portraitpainting #artnouveau ...

"The Pearl Collector" 8 x 10", graphite mixed media.

#graphitedrawing #pencilartwork #pencilfiguredrawing #pencilportrait #pencilartist #pencilonpaper #graphite #sketch #romanticrealism #magicalrealism #muse #aesthetic #preraphaelite #realismart #figuredrawing #figurativeart #creativeuprising #realismtoday #contemporaryart #pearls #pearl #starryart #sparkly #artmood #classicalstyle #portraiture ...

A few quick tips for smoother sailing when drawing or painting portraits!
I hope that these help along your artistic journey!

The first thing you need for good portraits is a set of good prerequisite skills. You need to know the basics: measurement, light and shadow, simple form structures, and how to render. From here you can begin to play with expression and getting the likenesses.

1. Think of the eye as a whole, connecting the cheek, the nose, and the eyebrows. They will work as a whole to create a complex expression. The eyebrows can quickly create big expressions, and subtle ones too!

2. Another tip in a similar line is connecting the edge of the mouth all the way up to the center of the eye. You must consider the tilt and the perspective when you do this. This will help get the proportions correct and with better likeness.

3. The marking of planes helps kick start the feeling of form and 3D volume. The study of planes can be simple or very complex. Start with the easiest drawings from the books I mentioned in the image above, and go from there.

4. The jaw is what divides the head and the neck. Artists add accents in different areas along the jaw as a stylistic choice. Artists also need to change the accent locations based on the model and the lighting. There is no preset for where to put them.

5. You don't have to be a master of anatomy, but sometimes it can make things easier. This particular muscle helps in drawing the neck. It's a reminder that the neck doesn't end at the shoulders as it sometimes looks. Rather it actually descends down below connecting to the collar bones.

#artclasses #arttips #drawingtips #drawing #art #onlineartclass #artclass #artlessons #instaartist #artistlife #artpractice #artprocess #studiolife #drawingtips #painttips #onlineartlessons #artpractice #paintingprocess #artlife ...

"The Mandolin Player", graphite, 9 X 8 inches.

#pencildrawing #antiqueinstruments #mandolin #antiquity #musicart #graphite #artwork #artist #pencilartwork #pencilwork #sketchart #realismart #classicalguitar #classicalmusic #classicalart #mandolino #representationalart #figureativeart #contemporaryrealism #artlover #romanticism #romanticart #dailyart #pencilonpaper ...

"Portrait of Artemis" graphite, watercolor, & gouache. 10 X 14"

#art #goddess #artemis #greekgods #contemporaryrealism #contemporaryart #finearttoday #dailydose #artoftheday #romanticart #preraphaelite #aesthetic #dream #mythologicalpainting #myth #magicalart #dreamyvibes #artwork #florenceacademyofartalumni #nightart #starryskies #artist #figurativeart #realismart #drawingoftheday #draw #pencilportrait ...

"Starry Night" 11 X 8 ", graphite on toned paper with gouache.

#portrait #portraitdrawing #pencilart #pencildrawing #contemporaryrealism #preraphaelite #romanticart #magicalart #starry #nightsky #portraitart #art_dailydose #artwork #drawingart #drawwithpencil #portraiture #fineart #artvibes #arttoday ...

1. Destroy Your Work-
Sometimes we might feel that a piece is perfect up there safe in the mind so why ruin it by putting it to paper. Guys-Put it on paper! This also applies when you have already started but are stuck on an area thinking “I’d like to change this part, but what if I ruin it? Better not touch it” I encourage you to GO FOR IT.

2. Work Some More
While I think it’s fine to think about style from day 1, just don’t stress about it. It will come naturally as long as you keep note of what art calls to you and what doesn’t and what things did you enjoy drawing and painting. But in the end I really don’t believe you can find your true style until you have worked a LOT.

3. Connecting Line
Pay close attention to that connecting line, this is your “style”. You can then foster that line. Are you more on the side of tenebrism? More on the side of Symbolism? Impressionists? Are you more realistic or more idealistic? More muted or more colorful? Then continue studying things that will foster that connective line.

4. Give It Time
Eventually that line will be very clear to you. But it can take years. You may sway from one style to another, these are all different aspects of your own style, just the way you change from one year to the next, your style will change as well. But just the same way you feel you are YOU regardless of what year it is, your style will always be part of you as well.

5. Tailor Your Technique
Look into your REFERENCES. Are you working from life or photos or imagination? Are your models interesting and inspiring to you? Are the costumes fun to draw? How is the lighting? Is it making the painting experience easier or are you struggling to understand what you are looking at. Make sure your process and technique is working for you, not against you.

#arttechniques #artclasses #arttips #drawingtips #paintingprocess #paintingtips #creatives #createart #artclass #onlineartlessons #art #instaartsy #artsy #arty #tips #draw #drawing #painting #oilpaint #graphiteart #creativity #academicart #artatelier #atelierart #academicrealism #compositionart ...

"Wind", graphite and gouache on toned paper, 6 X 7 "

#graphitedrawing #windy #lineart #gouacheart #romanticrealism #fineart #figurativeart #contemporaryrealism #contemporaryart #dreamy #naturegirl #artaddict #artist #instart #artalltheway #realismart #create #justdraw #drawdaily #artdream #artdetail #gowiththeflow #portraitfineart #portraitart #portraitdrawing ...

"Night", a little piece from today, 25 X 17 cm.

#nightsky #starrynight #lunar #moonart #figurativeart #figuredrawing #contemporaryrealism #contemporaryart #fineart #preraphaelite #romanticrealism #romanticart #mythologyart #mysticalart #arttoday #dailydose #artaddict #artdream #dreamy #dreamyvibes #aesthetic #magical #mythologicalart #graphite #quickdrawing #fairyart #faerie #nymphs ...

Do you face struggles when you are at the easel? Most of us do! While drawing and painting are very difficult to learn how to do, I think that little tips can go a long way. These are mostly mindset tips. You can DM or visit onlinefineartstudio.com for more info if you want more in depth lessons.~ Here we go!

1. Think BIG! Consider the full picture. Think bigger. Art is not a puzzle piece, it is about relationships of parts to each other. Not simply what is that color, but what is that color or value in relation to another?

2 Get Cozy! No seriously, get cozy! I often find that when my drawing isn’t going well it’s simply because I’m uncomfortable. Get cozy guys, get a nice latte, tea, coffee, have a snack.

3. Draw From Life Do this as often as you can. I have thousands of hours of working from life under my belt and I encourage you to do the same. While I currently work mostly from my own photographs, I would not be able to get decent results if I did not first learn the unique and gorgeous visual literacy that you gain by studying Nature. Get out there and sketch!

4. Expect & Plan for “Mistakes” Errors in drawing and painting are fine and normal. This can be difficult for some people to overcome, why? Because we literally SEE the mistake staring at us on the paper. Work WITH mistakes, not against them. Start your drawing off with a light hand so the lines are erasable and changeable. And for mindset tell yourself “All these lines will likely change somehow. Moving or changing their placement just means I am improving the work”.

5. Ask Questions, Put Down Answers Don't put questions into your work. What I mean is, don’t put down a mark when you are thinking to yourself “I think this goes here?? Yikes I don’t know!!”. Put marks down when you can either say “Yes, this goes here I know it” or at least “This goes here for now, it’s right enough for the time being”.
#artclasses #arttips #drawingtips #drawing #art #onlineartclass #artclass #artlessons #instaartist #artistlife #artpractice #artprocess #studiolife #drawingtips #painttips #onlineartlessons #artpractice #paintingprocess #artlife ...

"Luna" 35 X 42 cm.

Graphite, wattercolor, gouchage, gold.

#watercolor #graphitedrawing #graphiteart #magical #romanticrealism #poetry #artandpoetry #mystic #fairy #magicalart #preraphaelite #artdetail #decoration #artofdecoration #figurativeart #contemporaryrealism #mystical #mythologicalart #mythologyart #luna #moon #moonart #starryart #art #fineart #dailyart #instart ...

"Resting Star" a quick and cute little watercolor, 5 X 7".

#celestial #art #arte #nightsky #starryart #watercolorart #instart #fairyart #artlovers #realism #artist #artwork #symbolism #romanticism #dailypainting #lovepainting #classicalrealism #figurativepainting #florenceacademyofartalumni #figurativeart #contemporaryart #instaart #instaartist #mythology #mythologicalart #artnouveau #modernismo #arteliberty #starrynight ...

"Woman in a White Dress" oil on linen, little three hour oil sketch. 5 X 7"

#oilpaint #oilpainting #paintingsketch #flowergirl #mythologicalart #romanticrealism #romanticart #classicalrealism #figurativeart #peonies #floralart #preraphaelite #artnouveau #classicalrealism #paint #paintingoftheday #art #artpainting #softness #dreamyvibes #florenceacademyofartgraduate #realismtoday #mediterranean #magicalrealism #rosemarybrushes ...