March 2024: Your First Love, Color

Art Dare Prompt Art Dare Leap Get started! Submit Submissions close on Sun, March 31 @ 11:59pm EST Prizes We award prizes and honorable mentions. To be eligible for a prize, your artwork must be an original artwork created specifically for this Art Dare, and follow all guidelines. Prizes include Access to our Patreon GroupAccess […]

Intro to Egg Tempera Painting Basics

See Prof Lieu’s very first reaction to egg tempera paints, painting on a wooden panel. Explained are the physical properties and experience of egg tempera. Video Walkthrough Art Supplies

Workshop: Oil Pastel

This 2 week workshop provides the chance to experiment with the wide range of marks, colors, and textures that are distinctive to oil pastels Workshop Overview Sample Live Session “Getting feedback while you are working is invaluable. Professor Lieu also provided custom references to the extensive video library at Art Prof. I got education right […]

Feb 2024: Dessert

Art Dare Prompt Inspiration Art Dare Leap Get started! Submit Submissions close on Fri, Feb 29 @ 11:59pm EST Prizes We award prizes and honorable mentions. To be eligible for a prize, your artwork must be an original artwork created specifically for this Art Dare, and follow all guidelines. Prizes include Access to our Patreon […]

December 2023 Winners

This video shows the results of the 2023 December Art Dare: Visual Map of Your Brain. Discussion led by Art Prof Clara Lieu and Teaching Artist Lauryn Welch. Prize Winner Paul McKinley “‘Feeding a Notion’ A visualization of how my brain works. The little flying ferry represents an idea or a notion, that is feeding […]

Liquid Charcoal Drawing

See Prof Lieu’s first reaction to Nitram & Schmincke Liquid Charcoals. Watch demos of how this liquid charcoal works on it’s own, and also in conjunction with compressed charcoal, erasers, and charcoal powder. See how to layer and build up a convincing likeness with a range of specific tools that fit this technique. Demo by […]

See an Art Director Work With a Freelance Illustrator

See in depth what the process is like when an art director provides feedback and direction to a freelance illustrator. Table of Contents Videos Art Director Ashley Browning joins Art Prof Clara Lieu to demonstrate the type of feedback, communication, and graphic design elements are important in advertising. Video Walkthrough Art Director Feedback, Round 1 […]

November 2023 Winners

This video shows the results of the 2023 November Art Dare: No Rectangles. Discussion led by Art Prof Clara Lieu. Prize Winner Linda Bullert My initial idea was to cut out a face shape (instead of rectangular format) and then paint a face into it, but so that the contours of the face are not […]

Jan 2024: Borders

Art Dare Prompt Inspiration Art Dare Leap Get started! Submit Submissions close on Wed, Jan 31 @ 11:59pm EST Prizes We award prizes and honorable mentions. To be eligible for a prize, your artwork must be an original artwork created specifically for this Art Dare, and follow all guidelines. Art Dare winner Artists outside the […]

Art Supply Reactions

We are the ultimate art supply nerds! We want to help you get quality, up to date information on specific art supplies you are curious about. You can send an art supply you are curious about to 1 of our staff, and we will produce shorts and live streams where we react and demo the […]

Dec 2023: Visual Map of Your Brain

Art Dare Prompt Art Dare Leap Get started! Submit Submissions close on Sunday, Dec 31 @ 11:59pm EST Prizes We award prizes and honorable mentions. To be eligible for a prize, your artwork must be an original artwork created specifically for this Art Dare, and follow all guidelines. Art Dare winner Artists outside the US […]

October 2023 Winners

This video shows the results of the 2023 October Art Dare: Fall Harvest. Discussion led by Art Prof Clara Lieu and Teaching Artist Jordan McCracken-Foster. Prize Winner Amber DiGerlando As a visually impaired artist, I thought I might represent a different perspective. My sculptural work is found-object wire and is meant to symbolize the creation […]

September 2023 Winners

This video shows the results of the 2023 September Art Dare: Bling. Discussion led by Art Prof Clara Lieu and Teaching Artist Jordan McCracken-Foster. Prize Winner Ginger Medrano “I challenged myself to use only glittery/shimmery polymer clay in this piece. I was on the phone with my sibling when I got started. They love frogs […]

Art School Tours

Photos & text by Vivian Cromwell California College of the Arts California College of the Arts is in a quiet part of San Francisco. Two years of campus dorms are guaranteed, and there is additional housing for juniors and seniors. About 900 out of 1500 students live on campus. The three most popular majors are […]

Nov 2023: No Rectangles

Art Dare Prompt Art Dare Leap Get started! Submit Submissions close on Thursday, November 30 @ 11:59pm EST Prizes We award prizes and honorable mentions. To be eligible for a prize, your artwork must be an original artwork created specifically for this Art Dare, and follow all guidelines. Art Dare winner Artists outside the US […]

Drawing a Child in Soft Pastel

See from beginning to end, how to draw a soft pastel portrait of a child. Children are challenging to draw, their proportions are odd, they have very little visible bone structure! See how to block in the initial patches of color and articulate details in the later part of the process.  Demo by Art Prof […]

Worst MFA Portfolio Mistakes

Don’t waste your time with these mistakes most MFA applicants make in their portfolios! Getting the right information for your MFA is important so you aren’t headed in the wrong direction. There is unfortunately a ton of misinformation online about preparing an MFA portfolio, this video provides trusted, accurate information. Discussion with Art Prof Clara […]

Workshop: Websites for Artists

In this 2 week workshop, learn the nuts and bolts of how to build, organize, and maintain an effective artist website. This workshop is for artists who are either are starting from scratch, or looking to improve an existing site. Watch a Sample Workshop “I really love that we get the week afterwards to continue […]

August 2023 Winners

This video shows the results of the 2023 August Art Dare: Underwater Creatures. Discussion led by Art Prof Clara Lieu and Teaching Artist Jordan McCracken-Foster. Prize Winner Ravine Cohen “This piece is a continuation of a topic I’ve been exploring in my work recently — small moments and the environments that create them. Using acrylic […]

Oct 2023: Fall Harvest

Art Dare Prompt Art Dare Leap Get started! Submit Submissions close on Tuesday, Oct 31 @ 11:59pm EST Prizes We award prizes and honorable mentions. To be eligible for a prize, your artwork must be an original artwork created specifically for this Art Dare, and follow all guidelines. Art Dare winner Artists outside the US […]

Three Point Linear Perspective

This is a comprehensive explanation of 3 point linear perspective, that distills the most essential elements. Hear a concrete breakdown of the process, including how to apply these skills into the context of an artwork, without your piece looking like a boring series of cubes in space! Discussion led by Art Prof Clara Lieu. Video […]

Thumbnail Sketches: Tracing Paper Technique

See a step by step demo of how create thumbnail sketches in color, using techniques involving tracing paper, hard copy print outs, and digital adjustments. See Part 1 of this process through creating digital collages as image references for painting. Demo by Art Prof Clara Lieu. Video Walkthrough As a free educational source, Art Prof […]

Workshop: Social Media for Artists

In this 2 week workshop, learn sure fire ways to achieve your artistic goals on social media. Whether you want to share, sell, network, or exhibit you’ll get guidance on customizing a strategy for your sites. Watch a Sample Workshop “I really love that we get the week afterwards to continue to get feedback as […]

Creating Digital Collages for Composition

Digital collages will help you use your reference photos more effectively in your paintings. You’ll be able to create more ambitious compositions, and test of a ton of options quickly, and thereby get more diverse layouts. Demo by Art Prof Clara Lieu. Video Walkthrough As a free educational source, Art Prof uses Amazon affiliate links […]

6 Worst Mistakes When Starting Any Art Portfolio

Here are 6 critical mistakes that are common when starting a portfolio for any professional context: applying for a degree program, a teaching job, freelance illustration, and more. Video Walkthrough Prof Lieu’s Tips In general, if you are doing something because you think you “should,” that’s usually not a great idea. People can really tell […]

July 2023 Winners

This video shows the results of the 2023 July Art Dare: Books. Discussion led by Art Prof Clara Lieu and Teaching Artist Mia Rozear. Prize Winner Kathryn Meire “After seeing the Art Prof video on Lotus books, I was really curious to try making one. I loved the 3D and sculptural element to it. I […]

Sept 2023: Bling

Art Dare Prompt Art Dare Leap Get started! Submit Submissions close on Saturday, Sept 30 @ 11:59pm EST Prizes We award prizes and honorable mentions. To be eligible for a prize, your artwork must be an original artwork created specifically for this Art Dare, and follow all guidelines. Art Dare winner Artists outside the US […]

Guide to MFA Art School Portfolios

research portfolio: Start here portfolio content artist statement Letters of rec photographing artwork group support Programs 1 on 1 SUPPORT interviews statement & resume CRITIQUES Prof lieu Q&A After art school art school issues attending art school

Workshop: Underwater Creatures & Scenes

Learn techniques for how you can create sumptuous underwater scenes with creatures, both real and fantastical. We will discuss ways to show the incredible range of textures, surfaces, and movements seen underwater. Workshop Overview Sample Live Session “Getting feedback while you are working is invaluable. Professor Lieu also provided custom references to the extensive video […]

Art School Portfolios Group

We have discontinued this group, below are other options for support! BFA programs mfa programs

Guide to BFA Art School Portfolios

should you go? research art student interviews 1 on 1 SUPPORT group support Studying art at a non art college art student advice portfolio: Start here Prompts prof lieu Q&A national portfolio day sketchbooks portfolio: subjects portfolio: media accepted portfolios statement & resume photographing artwork CRITIQUES opportunities REJECTION attending art school art school issues After […]

How to Make Prints from Your Art

See start to finish, the entire process for making prints from your artwork. Specific logistics like paper sizes, whether to do print or demand, platforms you can use are covered. Suggestions for how to promote your prints on social media, and how to photograph your artwork images are explained in depth. Discussion by Art Prof […]