Wide Angle Perspective Techniques in Your Artwork

Ever notice that in one point and two point perspective that a supposedly square tile can look pretty strange in some of the more extreme areas? You can compensate with carefully thought out vanishing points. However, there are limits as painter Rob Adam's explains in his Spherical Perspective tutorial:

"So here we go… We might assume from what we are taught about perspective that this is the way we actually see. But it’s not. In the outside world there are straight lines, so we put them that way into our pictures. We have developed complicated schemes of geometrical rules to guide us. We take photos with cameras that have lenses that carefully distort the world to make it fit with the expectation that straight line should be straight. But visually they are not.

Have you ever tried to draw that really large checker board floor? Somehow at the far right and left it goes all stretched. Do the same thing with circles on the floor and it gets really wild."

My own understanding of spherical perspective, quadilinear perspective and cylindrical perspective definitely needs some expansion. If you're like me and have trouble wraping your head around it, Rob's tutorial can help.

Spherical Perspective (treeshark.com)

Drawing portraits with more character

When drawing (or painting), the toughest part is capturing a persons personality. A face can be a huge part of creating an emotional connection in your art.  You can make or break the believability of the moment with a glint in the eye or a smirk in the lips.

I was reading the tutorials on the blog of MAD Magazine caricaturist Tom Richmond. Sure, he has a great anatomy tutorial on understanding hands that's a must read. The tutorials on inking and digital coloring are amazing.  It's his bread and butter, however, when he gets into the details of the face. 

Making a successful caricatures takes a pretty good understanding of the facial features. You have to capture a likeness. You have to manipulate them into an expressive statement.  From the blog:

"I would say there are three essential elements that transcend style and medium and must be present in a caricature:

Likeness- If you can’t tell who it is supposed to be, then it is not successful. All good caricatures incorporate a good likeness of their subjects.

Exaggeration- Without some form of exaggeration, or a departure from the exact representation of the subject’s features, all you have is a portrait. The level of exaggeration can vary wildly, but there must be some departure. A straight portrait is not a caricature.

Statement- I believe a caricature must editorialize in some way. The artist must be trying to say something about the subject. It might be something to do with the situation the subject is drawn in, it may just be a play on their personality through expression or body language, it might be a simple as making visual fun of some aspect of their persona or image."

While you may not want to be a caricature artist, learning how to play with caricature can bring a lot into your facial drawing. Finding somewhere between photorealism and caricature might be the thing that takes your art to the next level. What do you think?

Tutorials on Tom's MAD Blog (tomrichmond.com)

How To Make Your Own Christmas Lights

Christmas costs can rack up without the extra financial expenditures associated with both indoor and outdoor decoration. One aspect of decoration that oozes with holiday spirit is adorning the house, trees, shrubs and bushes with glimmering Christmas lights, giving the home a glowing and comfortable ambiance. Though traditional Christmas lights bring a brilliant appearance to a home, there are several homemade versions of lights that can separate homes from the pack, differing from more typical appearances lining the neighborhood streets.

One method of dressing up holiday lights is by adding your own special touch. A small clear plastic cup drilled to offer room for a small light to peek through offers a different spin on Christmas lights, offering brilliant displays that can be strung on patio areas as well as within the home. The finished balls of lights can be dangled from almost any safe location in the home or outdoor spaces for a dramatic look that can't be achieved for such a long cost with one's own tow hands. Pride ensuing provides an even more beautiful and glimmering appearance from homemade Christmas lights.

Necessary Supplies

(50) 9 ounce plastic cups
(2) Strings of mini Christmas lights (50 count each string)
electric drill
3/8 drill bit

Instructions

With care, each clear plastic cup should be drilled with additional cups available in case one cracks during drilling. After drilling each cup, line 12 of them up side by side, laying on the longest ends of the cups on their sides into the shape of a circle (not sitting up like a cup would). The cups will look almost wreath shaped with the top of the cup pointing outwards. After stapling to hold them into place, place two of the mini lights into each cup. The next layer of cups will consist of only nine counts, arranged just as the base layer was. After that level is arranged, it should be placed on the base and fastened with staples (or soldered). Fix two lights into the cups as previously done. The remaining four cups will be layered differently, fastened to the other cups to create a more 3D appearance rather than merely laying them flat on top.

After the cups are stapled together creating the desired shape, they should then be filled with two lights per cup, being careful during insertion to prevent cracking. The finished ball shape can be hung outside like outdoor ornaments or hung inside for tasteful decor that doesn't break the bank.

Other Uses and Options

Though it may be more convenient for some to use a drill to make holes in the bottom of the plastic cups that will eventually transform into a Christmas shaped ball, it may be easier for others to use a soldering tool to solder through the bottom of the cup and create a hole for the lights to protrude.

While the ball shaped Christmas lights created above exude feelings of dangling ornaments, lit within the home or yard to create extra feelings of holidays and Christmas, using the same idea, different decor can be created. Cups can be stapled into the shape of a wreath or star for different shapes and decoration. Additionally, different colors of lights can create a different feel, corresponding with other decorations lighting up one's yard or living room. A theme tree sparkling in front of a living room tree can gain pizzazz from a similarly colored homemade Christmas light ball. Different shaped cups, such as a fluted design can offer a different look and more delicate feel to the design, creating a different shape altogether. Arranging several completed balls together can create a bouquet feel, offering an array of colors and sizes if desired.

This is a guest post by Mark who has been blogging for 5 years.  He currently contributes to one various topics such as savings and ways to utilize qr code generation.

Creating a Portfolio (Infographic)

An artist, no matter what type of work you do, will at some point need a killer portfolio. I recently pieced mine together. You want to put all of your creativity into your portfolio, show incredible workmanship and present your work well.

First, the story of my "book" and a break down my thought process ... in an illustration form of course. Then more tips and material ideas after the graphic.

Material Ideas

Pioneer 12-Inch-By-12-Inch 2-Tone Cover Scrapbook Binder, Black on Brown

HP Everyday Photo Paper, matte (100 sheets, 8.5 x 11-inch)

Canon PIXMA MP510 All-in-One Photo Printer (1450B002)

Tips and Tricks

• Your portfolio should tell a story. The story of your career, work, and what you hope for in the future.

• A strong and simple layout is important. You want the work to stand out, nothing else quite as much.

• Any text, descriptions or labels that you may choose to include should be tightly written copy, spelled correctly and grammatically sound. This is very important. If you think you'll need dates and specific details about a work, consider using some kind of labels.

• Consider works that fit your audience. If you're talking to a firm that does a lot of a certain type of work, then make sure you have an example of that.

• Show your range, but make sure it's all work that you'd be willing to do again. That's the kind of work you're likely to get with your presentation.

• Materials and work should be as high quality as possible within your budget

• Consider a flow that starts and ends with the best works for maximum impact. Make sure the flow from piece to piece has contrast. You don't want all of your presentation running together. Each turn of the page should be a new surprise for the viewer.

How Tos: 8 Art Tutorials

Here are a few art tutorials to get you thinking about future projects and how to get your art out there. Learn how to create a few fun things, hang your paintings, choose a sketchbook, sell your work and more.

How To: Hang Artwork Easily & Precisely [Apartment Therapy]

How to Make Mosaic Art : How to Grout a Mosaic Work of Art [ExpertVillage]

How to Choose a Frame [My Domicile Style]

How To Make An Art Journal [Creativity Prompt]

How to Photograph Your Paintings [BetterPhoto.com]

How to Sell Art Online: Five Things Every Artist Needs

How to Choose a Sketchbook [drawanyway.com]

How to make a snowflake