- The Bucket Digest -

     If you had the chance to read Discovering My Passion , then you're aware of what I did to improve my artistry from the moment I realized art was a passion I wanted to pursue-- and how much practice that entailed:     but, what exactly should we be practicing?       Technique/Application, Backgrounds, Portraiture, Expression-- What we practice should revolve around these four instances and their subcategories: perspective, movement, setting, mood. To make it easy, h ere are Six Weekly Exercises to Improve Your Artwork.  1. Observation Drawing Observation is the most important skill to hone if you want to create more realistic drawings/paintings. Anything that requires observation skills requires a focus on small details. Take, for instance, if you were drawing a textured surface, (let's say a fluffy pillow); observation requires you to stop and consider every hand movement as you press pencil against paper. As you draw the pillow, what lines (and their directions) would br

     If you've come from my other post, 6 Exercises to Improve Your Artwork , welcome, and thank you for taking the time to read my post! Today, we're looking at Six Tips to  Make a Compelling Still Life: Choose Interesting Materials ditch the glass cups and fruit; instead, look for odd trinkets, patterned milk-glassware, jewelry boxes, books, something textured, something fabric. Choose objects of various sizes several sizes create eye-catching arrangements Arrange them in a way that creates directional flow where will the items (and the way they're arranged) lead the viewer's eyes? down and up? in a zig-zag fashion?  check out this quick article on directional lines found on Mary Ann Pals, Fine Art Website. Play with Perspective perspective aids in the conflict of interest straight ahead? from the side? bird's eye view? worm's eye view? Use a Strong Light Source A strong light source creates strong contrast, bright highlights, and dark shadows.  Experiment wi

Have you ever heard of the Piccadilly ? I've recently purchased one of their books, titled, "Write the Poem," and within it's contents, each page offers a new prompt to write a poem about. I want to start shifting our Tuesday Verse to poems created from these prompts, and I challenge you to write along with me. I'll start at the first page, and create a verse for each page following until we run out: Prompt 1: The Ocean In the moonlight,  the ocean waves glimmer like starlight, in a galaxy full of whispers.  One star to the other,  "I see you, you are not alone,  although we are far apart." I'd never felt so serene as I did that night, by the ocean.  It was almost as if the problems, the hurt,  that continuously made their mark on my heart, ceased to exist; with just a single gaze upon that dark,  seemingly endless water; through it's subtle, reassuring breeze.  The sound of those gentle waves as they hit the damp sandy shore, blocked out the noi

  Use Creative Thinking Skills to Crush Your Goals Written by A. Lewis of Embracing Change Edited by Skylan Abraham Many people don’t think of creativity as a skill, but it is, and you can develop it. Some people will separate creativity from logical thinking, but others believe they go hand-in-hand. Many of the most successful people throughout the course of history have risen to the ranks in their respective fields due to a knack for venturing outside of the norm and using creative thinking to resolve an issue or problem; what wonderful inspiration, knowing that you have a superpower that will allow you to crush your goals. Creativity avoids using one approach to solve issues and complete tasks; this trait manifests itself in diverse ways. We are all familiar with forms of creativity that result in well-known pieces of music or works of art. When you sharpen your creative skills, you expand your opportunities in most aspects of your life. At work, you will be called upon to come up w

When I'm tasked with a portrait commission, the first few stages are the most vital to my success in its final creation. Now, as a disclaimer, I am no expert, but simply an intermediate striving to improve just like you.  That being said, these tips are what I've learned from other artists before me. Whether it be from my High School AP Art class teachers or from the many professional artists I follow on social media, each of these steps I'm about to share with you are used by artists universally and are effective in practice. Pre-Step: Materials As every artist knows, you can't create without materials. Every artwork comes from the combination of two or more things and in our case, we'll be needing several. 1. A Good Reference  Before you even think about putting paint to canvas, you need a subject matter (unless you're dabbling in the abstract, like paint pouring ). 2. A Sketchbook for Thumbnails Thumbnails are  small drawings that represent the future version

Acrylic pouring is a fairly recent social media craze, but it's actually a technique that has been around since the 1930s, discovered by the  Mexican social realist painter  David Alfaro Siqueiros.  The technique and the artwork created using it have mixed views in the art world. Critics often state that "anyone can pour acrylic paint," signifying that it takes no special talent. As easy as pouring can be, as this guide will show you, ignore the haters because there are elements to Acrylic pouring that are unique to each creator. Whether it be through the use of color theory, or by the means in how you create the piece (many different methods will be listed), i.e. no two works are the same. 1. Gather Your Materials As the name implies, the medium of choice for these projects is Acrylic paint. You can use any brand, but depending on the initial thickness, you may need to add water (dutch pouring) or you can use the paints straight out of the bottle (thin paint like Apple B

Who Are You, Stranger? I look into the mirror glazing myself over as I usually do, but what stares back at me is not the reflection of the girl I've always known. Who are you, stranger? A girl no more: worry-free, no more; a child's spirit,  no more.  Before me now stands a woman I do not recognize. My heart can't help but ask, who are you, stranger? * * * I know what I am; a worn, mother of three.  A caretaker, wife, and sibling.  I cling to my artistry, an artist is the only other thing I can call myself, but is it only through my paintings that I am able to speak? To be? Who am I stranger,  could you tell me? When you meet me, what do you think? Intelligence? Snootiness? How am I perceived? Why is it that I feel,  only you could tell me? An outsider's perspective,  perhaps? But what a stranger perceives  of another stranger,  can hardly be what I seek to acquire; understanding,  me.  I'm tired of feeling like a stranger. 

  Small dreams are good to have too, but the big ones have the most rewards. 

       If you're trying out Acrylic paint for the first time and were wondering where to begin, you've come to the right place! Acrylic is my favorite medium!      Here are some quick tips for painting in Acrylic:      As an avid gatherer of art supplies, I can tell you that there are so many options to choose from when deciding how you'd like to paint with Acrylic. From the canvas you work on to the paint you choose and even what brushes you use, trying to decide what works best for you can be a bit overwhelming.      Here is my take:     YOU DO NOT NEED SUPER EXPENSIVE ART SUPPLIES TO MAKE GREAT ART!       This is debated a ton in the art community, but I'm here to tell you that you CAN make great art with cheap supplies.       I  believe that as long as you have the drive and the patience to learn the materials, then there's nothing to stop you from creating something worthwhile.      For the beginner, I recommend these paints: I recommend these brushes,      an

Whether or not expensive art supplies rank superior to their lesser counterparts is a notion many artists find themselves wondering. In my personal experience, there are certain brands that exist in the art world that live up to the name they boast, and I have a few in my collection, but to say they're my main supply for creating would be untrue, as I'd rather use the expensive stuff more sparingly.  With that said, what do I use?  Have you ever walked down the art supply aisle at your local Walmart? You know those paints labeled Apple Barrel? Yeah, those; I use those: 50 cent, 2oz bottles that come in a multitude of colors.  Picking up a new bottle every time I visit has become a habit I can't seem to break away from, but I always get my use out of the paints...well, most of the time...so, no harm, no foul on continuing routine.  You may not be able to tell, from online photos or even in person, that I use Apple Barrel paints to create artworks like these: and really, how

Today's post is a short review between Gamblin Gamvar Gloss Varnish and Liquitex Gloss Medium. You can watch both in action in the video below:   @smicysauce REVIEW #liquitexglossvarnish vs #gamvargloss ♬ Ballet song like "Waltz of flowers" _ 5 minutes(965273) - yulu-ism project   To sum, here's an overview: Liquitex Gloss Medium is a good varnish for the price. It drys fairly quickly and does accentuate color to an extent. The only downside is that it's a thicker varnish, so you do have to be wary of unwanted texture. Gamvar Gloss, on the other hand, is a very thin gloss, which is rather advantageous in the sense that, "a little goes a long way," and you will have a smooth canvas surface (no unwanted lines/ buildup). It is on the pricier side, but if you watched the video, you can understand why.  Yes, Liquitex brightens the colors of a canvas, but Gamvar does even more so. The only issues I found were that it could be messy to use if I was n

       If you're new to the art world and new to painting on canvas, it's normal to have questions about the process in general, but even more so when it comes to both prep and finalization of your artwork: the biggest issue being, "is it necessary?"      The short and honest answer is, "no" but the more complicated answer springs from the question, "then why do artists do it?"      We'll take a deeper look at primer and varnish today to answer that question, and go over the benefits of each;  Primer       Before we look at the pros of priming a canvas, let's answer the question, "what is primer?"      Primer is an artistic medium that creates a barrier between the canvas and the paints yet to be applied. It's purpose? The canvas becomes less paint absorbent, resulting in more vibrant colors with fewer applied layers.       Not only does primer help with the vibrancy of a painting, but it also increases an artwork's longev