Why did I spend 48 hours on a classical bust study – the role of classical bust study in drawing
Drawing is the foundation of all genres of art related to form. If there is inaccuracy in oil painting or other media in form, it's usually a drawing issue. Classical bust study is the foundation of drawing. Just how important is classical bust study in drawing? My...
How to paint small plein air landscape – a step-by-step guide
This is a follow-up for the previous blog post on the importance of small plein air landscape in terms of color training. Below is the process and approach I take for small plein air landscape painting. Small plein air painting demonstration A photo of Taiwan’s...
The secret to color training – small plein air landscape
Painters of the 19th century were all in the habit of making small paintings. The Spanish painter Sorolla’s small paintings had rich colors and free flowing strokes while Levitan’s had very concise yet elegant color blocks. Even the Russian painter Fedotov’s...
The secret to color training – small plein air landscape
Painters of the 19th century were all in the habit of making small paintings. The Spanish painter Sorolla’s small paintings had rich colors and free flowing strokes while Levitan’s had very concise yet elegant color blocks. Even the Russian painter Fedotov’s...
Would you replace your eye with a camera – three reasons why you should not overly rely on camera for your painting and drawing
Camera is a convenient and important tool for painting and drawing. It's quite common for artists to take reference photos and produce a drawing or painting in the studio. And cameras are getting smaller, every more sophisticated and powerful. It's so much easier to...
How oil painting reproduction became an important part of my art education
I am a strong advocate for life drawing and painting because direct communication with the subject is so important in fostering the artist’s creativity and interpretation of light and color and enriching the painting experience. However, there was a time in my life...
Color observation and how to mix color in oil painting
Painters use color to express themselves. But they rarely talk about color in writing because this is a very complex field. Here, I will share my personal experiences and insights on color in oil paintings from a Realist or plein-air perspective. These insights and...
Common mistakes when drawing a portrait – which ones do you want to overcome?
The eyes The eyes are challenging. A common mistake is to make the eyes either too high or too low. Even an experienced artist needs to be very careful. If the proportion is inaccurate, it affects the entire drawing. This can be avoided by using straight lines...
A drawing is a painting without color
Drawing is often perceived to be a form of training. Although its importance of foundation building is recognized by many, it's often "abandoned" once the artist moves on to other forms of expression using different media. For someone who has been drawing for more...
Lessons from Chadong Ferry Dock – how to paint plein air landscape and imbue it with poetry and stories
Chadong Ferry Dock is one of my favorite plein air paintings. It's near and dear to my heart perhaps because it's not only a painting about my hometown, Western Hunan Province where my ancestors are from, but it's also a painting about Border Town, a well-known novel...
