If you have comments on classes that
you have taken with me that you would like posted here, or
info such as art materials websites that you have found useful and
that you would like to share, please send them to me via the contact page
and I will put them on this page. If you are just looking for the
Art Suppliers links click here
Posted
7/03/10
Norman Rockwell
Ever wondered why Norman Rockwell's paintings look so photographic? He went to great lengths to get his reference material as close to his original idea as possible. The Norman Rockwell Museum in Massachusetts has an exhibit of his original reference photos and a new book has come out about them - " Norman Rockwell: Behind the Camera" by Ron Schick - using images taken from the archive of nearly 20,000 photographs which are housed at the museum.
Robert Doak has a new and much updated website with a complete list of his products and interesting additional information and comments on some of his illustrious clients, though beware his critical eye (see his review of Margaret Boland's work - I sure hope he likes mine!).
I have been buying materials from him for over ten years and have come to love, in the process, the conversations I have had with him and the time he has so generously given me in sharing his immense knowledge of painting techniques. He has introduced me to new colours and materials that have quite literally changed the way my paintings look.
I can never thank him enough.
You might want to check out this fairly
new art information website. Artslant is a quick and easy way
to see what is happening in the galleries worldwide (and locally
if you are near a big city), plus its another way to show some
of your work online. They make it very simple to upload images
and resume etc.
Lefranc & Bourgeois are
no longer manufacturing Black Oil. I have not been happy with
the one made by Wiliamsburg as I find it gets gummy in the
bottle after a while. I have found another manufacturer, a
small company in Maryland making batches by hand. Mr Groves
also makes various other really interesting mediums and I am
intending to test them all as time goes by. You can order online
on his site or by phoning him at
(301) 689-3389
His version of Black Oil is
called 17thC Light Drying Oil and is a golden honey colour. He
recommends storing it in the fridge in between use. I am
currently also trying his 19thC Drying Copal Varnish which I
am mixing with equal parts of turps and walnut stand oil and then
adding a few drops of his Sicatif de Courtrai drier for glazes.
It dries by the next day.
I have been watching Simon
Schama's BBC tv series, 'The Power of Art', again for the umpteenth
time and I never seem to tire of it, especially the one on Bernini.
If you can get past his smarmy BBC attitude, its a wonderful
series and you can still get it on Amazon. Here's a link:
Posted
02/04/08
Plaster Casts of Classical Sculpture
If you are interested in cast drawing
or painting, Giust Plaster Casts makes exquisite
reproductions and they pride themselves in maintaining the
same old world methods used by Pietro Caproni in 1911. They
are not cheap but there are a few that are less expensive and
still gorgeous. View their casts online and order a catalogue.
This one is for my anatomy students.
See how many originations and insertions you can spot! I have
embedded it as a Quicktime movie (I hope its showing below!),or
you can see it as a .wmv
windows file
Posted
07/03/08
Lead White
If you want to know how lead
white pigment was actually made in the 15th century, here is
a step by step photo account of it being made today in exactly
the same way by Natural Pigments. The company is based in Willits,
California. They specialize in supplying art materials that were
used in historical painting since pre-historic times up to and
including the eighteenth century.
I just found
out about these handy cardboard boxes for carrying wet paintings
(I have not tried them myself yet). They come in packs of
three in various sizes.
The largest size is 16" X 12",
which is about as big as you might want to use in one of my
classes. They are available from Judsons, Cheap
Joe's and Dick
Blick.
Posted
07/03/08
From Bob Shephard...
"Your site looks great as always! I'm
about to go public with a site of my own. It is www.portraitsbyshep.com.
I really appreciate your critique on my painting "Meredith & Kevin" from
our last correspondence. I corrected the painting and won "Best of
Division" and "Best in Class" with it at the Brenham Fine Arts
League Show, this year. It's
the oldest art competition in Texas."
As promised to my 'Expressive Drawing'
class in Seattle (Congratulations to ALL of you, by the way,
what a great class it was!) here is the information on Pinhole
glasses plus some eye exercises you can do to improve and maintain
vision.
As I have been asked several times
for the materials list for the classes, they are now
all up to date and on a webpage, with links below the class
descriptions for each one on the 'classes' page. Hope it helps.
I have finally put that booklist I
promised to you on the site. Only Anatomy books so far but
Painting and Drawing recommended books will be coming soon
(if I can just get some time apart from my work!! You have
no idea how long this website stuff takes.... ) Anyway, take
a quick look:
From Mike Corcoran, here
is the proportional mix that Lefranc&Bourguois used in their
Cold Black paint:
60% Ivory Black - 40% Ultramarine Dark
#1
or in French (for those inclined)
"Le Noir Froid
On peut retrouver cette nuances par mélange
de : 60% Noir
d'Ivoire - 40% Outremer Foncé N°1"
Thanks, Mike, for sending it in.
updated
7/29/07
ART SUPPLY
LINKS
J.C.Groves - Historical Oil Painting
Varnishes and Mediums For black Oil and other interesting
historical mediums , this small hand manufacturer really knows
his stuff. Read his interesting piece on Ruben's painting method
using 'Fir Wax'. Visit his site HERE
New York
Central Art Supplies has been selling art materials
for over 100 yrs to New Yorkers. Andy Warhol's favourite art shop
and mine too. Download their catalogue HERE
Artisans is my local art supply
shop here in Santa Fe. They carry practically everything I
need and are very helpful in finding things they don't stock.
Visit their websiteHERE
Maxilla & Mandible have
an amazing assortment of real skeletons and
other stuff. If you want some real bones, tryHERE
Skulls Unlimited has
every animal skull imaginable both real and repro plus some
interesting fossil reproductions. Visit themHERE
The Bone Room also
has a wide selection of human and animal bones and other anatomical
delights plus some pathological oddities. Right now its the
best place to get human skulls and single human bones. Visit
the Bone Room HERE
Plastic Skeletons If
you are thinking about buying a plastic skeleton, the best
ones are available from American 3B Scientific. They do
a whole range of them including a really great mini skeleton
( "Shorty") for around $200 and life size fully posable one.
It is sometimes possible to find their skeletons cheaper on
Ebay - look for "American 3B Scientific" or do a search for
"anatomical skeleton". See their website HERE
Metroframe have
good floater frames in a variety of woods and finishes at reasonable
prices. You have to attach them to your painting but its really
easy and they supply the screws. Just order online and wait
for them to arriveHERE
Sinopia in San
Francisco sell pigments and gilding supplies if you want to
make your own paint or pastels. Visit themHERE
Natural Pigments has
some very interesting historical colors. Get in touch with
them and ask them to send you a catalogue HERE
Jack
Richeson & Co make
art materials and brushes. I have recently discovered their
wonderful 'Egbert' brushes and cannot praise them enough. Get
in touch with them and ask them to send you a catalogue or
visit their website and download their PDF catologueHERE
Robert
Doak makes wonderful
and very special oil paints. There is unfortunately no colour
chart but there is now a rudimentary website (its still under
construction). He will send small samples of colours if pushed
and talking with him is always an interesting experience. He
is unique and a true colour master. Minimum mail order is $50.
Try his Blue Ochre, Adobe and Sinopia, also his Flemish White. ROBERT DOAK & ASSOCIATES, INC.
89 BRIDGE STREET, BROOKLYN,
NY 11201 PHONE: 718 237-1201 or 237-0146 See his website HERE
Cheap Art Supplies I am putting
the following links on here because all three sites often
have really good sales for basic stuff (I got $200 off my current
easel at Dick Blick) and its useful to keep checking them from
time to time: www.cheapjoes.com/ www.aswexpress.com/ www.dickblick.com/
Easels When it comes to easels,
the company that I have been relying on since 1978 is an italian
company called Mabef. They are made out of beech, really strong
and easy to use and I just love them. I have graduated slowly,
from their lightest weight studio easel (M/07) which has a ratchet
raising system and is still going strong after nearly 30 years,
to my present larger crank raising one. I recommend lightly coating
them with linseed oil before first use.
Visit their website HERE
Do you have any interesting art suppliers'
websites that you use and want to pass on? Send them to me HERE so
we can all share....
Posted
12/19/06
The Art Materials Information and Education
Network
This site is fairly new and is dedicated
to providing the most comprehensive,
up-to-date, accurate, and unbiased factual information about
artists’ materials. Click HERE
Posted
12/16/06
Computer
Life Drawing
This is sort of fun to watch though
I don't care much for the end drawing. Its a good illustration,
though, of how anatomical knowledge can help:
If you like to play chess, which I frequently
do - it helps to keep the little grey cells active - check out
the online chess at Chessworld.Net.
My site nickname is 'Goff'. Maybe you will challenge me to a
game!
Posted10/24/06
About Cold Black...
To all
my students who have taken my venetian painting techniques
class in the past: I am afraid that it now seems definite that
Lefranc & Bourgois are no longer making the magic colour 'Cold
Black' which I have been recommending all these years in the
classes.
Williamsburg do make a version that seems quite good but its
gritty. Holbein makes a Blue Black that I recommend but you
need to add some Ivory Black to it. If you are
going to use my recommended mixtures for a while, maybe the
best thing to do is make up a batch using Mussini Ivory Black
and Ultramarine Blue and fill an empty tube or two (available
from art stores like Artisans). The Mussini paint has the same
buttery qaulities as Lefranc & Bourgois although my wife,
Lyndall Bass (www.Lyndall-Bass-Art.com),
tells me that Windsor & Newton make a very buttery Ivory Black
and Ultramarine Blue. I have yet to try them myself.
I will experiment and try to find the perfect proportion of
black to ultramarine.... check back later when I have posted
it here.
Artwork
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