Art Prof
In part 1 of this oil painting tutorial, essential techniques, materials, and approaches to oil painting are thoroughly covered. (Watch Part 2) Topics covered include all of the supplies: brushes, palette knives, oil paints, palettes, surfaces, and more. Safety hazards which include ventilation and disposal are explained in depth, as well as brush techniques, painting […]
Art Prof Clara Lieu and Teaching Artist Alex Rowe discuss all of the differences between oil and acrylic paint in great depth, as well as their similarities. It’s essential for any artist who paints to know what the technical differences are between oil and acrylic paint. The dry time varies tremendously, the solvents and mediums […]
Creating a portfolio should not be an effort that you have to do entirely on your own. Yet it’s very common that many students do not take the initiative to seek out feedback and help on their portfolios. Don’t get stuck in your own ways with your portfolio and shut out any outside opinions. Because […]
Table of Contents Make sure that you have both black and white artworks as well as artworks that display a full range of color. Black and white artworks are important so that you can demonstrate an understanding of a wide range of tones and value, and to explore contrast and lighting. The color artworks you show in an […]
Table of Contents Identify the clichés Take the initiative to create artworks that demonstrate your thinking process, that pushes beyond the most literal art cliché. In fact, the best way to combat the danger of a cliché is to eliminate that option immediately. When Prof Lieu does brainstorming exercises with her studio art classes, she asks the […]
Make sure that your portfolio represents a diverse range of art media! Showing many art media is a way to demonstrate that you have taken the initiative to learn and hone skills in contrasting art media. If you have only few media in your portfolio, even if they are your strongest, you are sending […]
Drawings are the core of a portfolio You might have 15 digital paintings with an impressive amount of technical skill, but none of that will matter if you have poor drawings. In terms of drawing media, the vast majority of high school students are creating tight, conservative, photo realistic pencil drawings drawn from photographs. Drawing is not about just […]
Presentation matters Be sure that everything in your portfolio is neatly presented. This means no white backgrounds, no dirty fingerprints, no random sketchbook drawings, no ripped edges, no half finished figures, etc. It takes very little time (sometimes just a few minutes!) to clean up your presentation. The same drawing presented in a neat way […]
Drawing from life is rare nowadays Drawing from life is hands down the number one, absolutely essential thing to do that almost all high school students fail to do. This problem is so prominent, that drawing from direct observation is now the rare exception among high school art students. Following this one directive will distinguish your work from […]
Table of Contents Show you are open many subjects Depicting a wide range of subject matter throughout your entire art school portfolio demonstrates your willingness and interest to work in many contrasting ways. There is an endless range of possibilities when it comes to subject matter in a portfolio. Admissions officers don’t want to see […]
Your sketchbook shows your thought process An art school portfolio benefits a lot from having a slide to show an image or two of a sketchbook spread. The advantage of showing a sketchbook spread is that it’s an opportunity for you to demonstrate your thinking, sketching, and brainstorming process in it’s raw, unedited form. A […]
Table of contents What do I need to know first? Preparing an art school portfolio for college admission is not a casual undertaking, it’s very common for high school students to underestimate how much time and labor is involved. Creating the artworks for an art school portfolio is not simply the amount of time it […]
This video comprehensively covers the fundamentals of painting with gouache by showing the process of painting a book cover illustration based on the Legend of Sleepy Hollow by Washington Irving. The process begins by shooting reference photos at a graveyard in Concord, MA, moving on to thumbnail sketches, painting color studies, and then exploring techniques […]
A mix of inspirational, educational, how to books, and more to nurture yourself as an artist. See all of our books lists here, our manga list, how to list, comics list, and educational books list. videos staff picks Prof Lieu’s Top Picks Jordan’s Top Picks Lauryn’s Top Picks As a free educational source, Art Prof […]
Table of Contents How do think conceptually? Unfortunately, many art students are taught to learn technique and content separately. They are instructed to first focus exclusively on mastering technique because they are told that they are “not ready” to address the subject matter of their artwork. The consequence is that students develop technical proficiency, but […]
“There are many ways to be an artist.” The transition from art school into the “real world” can be abrupt and disorienting for many graduates. Entering and navigating the professional world can be confusing, and there are many challenges that came along the way. This video provides suggestions for concrete initiatives art school graduates can […]
A comprehensive list of useful art resources.
Table of Contents Art Prof Clara Lieu and Teaching Artists Lauryn Welch and Jordan McCracken-Foster discuss mistakes you can avoid when preparing an art portfolio for art school. Types of artwork such as fan art, anime, celebrity portraits are generally not what admissions officers at art school art looking for, in addition to cliche images, […]
Index Artist Wellness Artistic Process Business & Selling Careers Copyright Critiques Discussion Promotion
These videos explain and demonstrate the process of how thumbnail sketches work within the artistic process. There are many benefits of thumbnail sketches: they can save you time when working on a final piece of artwork and allow you to explore more options for composition. The demonstration shows simple strategies on how to crop or […]
Brainstorming is an essential process that artists can use to develop their ideas to create their artwork. Exercises such as word association, mind maps, thumbnail sketches, and sketchbook doodles are all discussed as a means towards stimulating the development of ideas for future artworks. Video Walkthrough Prof Lieu’s Tips Often people will ask me whether […]
Creating mood boards is a fun, exciting way to gather visual inspiration for your projects. This video explores Jordan’s mood boards, created for the character designs in the series Shadow Boxers. Jordan explains his process for finding visual inspiration, using Pinterest to organize the images, developing the stories behind the characters, and ultimately to the […]
Art Prof Clara Lieu demonstrates how to run a group art critique in a classroom. For every art teacher, leading art critiques during an art class is an ongoing challenge. Every student, every artwork, and every art critique is different. Art students have their own challenges as participants in a group critique, how do you […]
Critique is a fundamental part of the artistic process, providing artists an opportunity to get a fresh pair of eyes on their artwork. This video explains concrete, practical strategies that both art teachers and art students can apply to group critiques in the classroom. Discussion led by Art Prof Clara Lieu and Teaching Artists Cat […]
Shooting your own photo references for your artwork can be very effective for getting the visuals you need! This video explains what is necessary for a photo reference to be effective, what visual elements to look for and emphasize, how to make choices on setting up a model, lighting, props, and more. Discussion led by […]
This video provides a comprehensive look at how to photograph your 2D & 3D artwork, showing common problems and with practical techniques to achieve photos that will accurately represent your artwork. Having high quality photos of your artwork is more important today than ever: you need photos of your artwork for your website, social media, […]
Creating different lighting situations for characters has impactful visual effects and can also be used as a narrative tool. The interaction of color and various types of light can create a broad range of color schemes. Lighting can be a very effective means of creating a mood or atmosphere to a character as well. Draw […]
Lighting can be a powerful visual tool in art! This video gets down to the nuts and bolts of how lighting works in an artwork, focusing on the specifics of different types of highlights and the various ranges of visual effects they create. Examples from art history and contemporary art show how artists can apply […]
This video explains how lighting works in art, focusing on shadows and breaking down the specific visual qualities. Knowing how shadows work, and understanding the difference between cast shadows and form shadows are important skills for all artists in order to create a broad range of visual effects in many art forms. Discussion led by […]
This video shows common problems artists encounter with 2D compositions, explaining how certain types of compositions can come across as tiresome and/or cliche. Examples of artworks with compositions that are “bad” are shown, which stimulates a discussion on why a specific 2D composition is successful or not. Discussion led by Art Prof Clara Lieu and […]
This video discusses common problems artists encounter with 2D compositions, explaining how certain types of compositions can come across as tiresome and/or cliche. Discussion led by Art Prof Clara Lieu and Teaching Artist Lauryn Welch and Alex Rowe. Video Walkthrough Prof Lieu’s Tips People often think that spending time on a thumbnail means that they […]
What qualities are seen in great 2D compositions in art? Examples of impactful compositions from fine art, comics, illustration, movies, and more are shown in this video. These examples explain and break down the compositions to point out strategies that make for an engaging 2D composition. Discussion led by Art Prof Clara Lieu and Teaching Artist Jordan McCracken-Foster. […]