How to Judge Good Architecture
How can you tell if a work of architecture is any good? It’s simple. You know a work of architecture is good if you can answer “yes” to the following questions: [more…]
Architecture Terms
You’re standing in front of the Parthenon or some other great work of architecture. The tour guide next to you starts talking about “orders.” You’re ready to put in your lunch request until you realize [more…]
Notable Architects through History
To understand architecture’s evolution, it’s important to become acquainted with some of the stars who pushed design in new directions. The men in the following list definitely left a mark, and many of [more…]
Pritzker Prize-winning Architects
Of all the awards related to architecture, the most prestigious is the Pritzker Prize. Established in 1979 by Jay and Cindy Pritzker, the cash ($100,000) prize is funded by the Pritzkers’ Hyatt Hotel Foundation [more…]
Great Architectural Domes
Architecture often goes for the dramatic and a dome is often the most notable architectural feature of a building — or the shape of the building itself. Some of the great domes around the world are shown [more…]
Architecture For Dummies Cheat Sheet
To hone your basic knowledge of architecture, get to know the terms used to describe various features, the features that make for good architecture, and some of the great architectural domes around the [more…]
Circling the Color Wheel for Watercolor Painting
Watercolor painting is a little about water and a little about color. You can get the water many places, but becoming familiar with the color wheel may take a bit more time. The color wheel shows the primary [more…]
Evaluating Color Value for Watercolor Painting
A color’s value measures where it falls on a range between dark and light. Value is an important aspect of watercolor painting. You may want to determine the value of a color to create strong value patterns [more…]
Picking Paint Pigments for Watercolor Painting
Choosing the paints you’ll use in creating watercolors is a major necessity and a major treat. When you buy watercolor paints for the first time, print out the following pigment chart and take it with [more…]
Choosing Watercolor Pigments According to Color Bias
Each one of the primary colors — red, yellow, and blue — is biased, meaning that it leans toward one of the other two primary colors. When mixing watercolor paints to get a secondary color — orange, green [more…]
Watercolor Painting For Dummies Cheat Sheet
Watercolor painting lets you explore the world of color from a uniquely wet perspective, but, in the end, it’s mostly about the color. You have to become familiar with the color wheel and its primary and [more…]
Essential Figure Drawing Supplies
You don’t have to feel overwhelmed when you walk into the art supplies store to buy your figure drawing materials. Remember to buy the supplies based on your budget and needs. [more…]
Portable Figure Drawing Studio Items
Once in a while step out of your art studio for a breath of fresh air. An occasional change of physical and psychological scenery is essential for figure drawing. Besides your figure drawing pad and tools [more…]
Great Spots for Studying and Drawing the Figure
Even the most motivated artist can benefit from outside education and another artist’s input to help with figure drawing. A variety of outside inspiration exists to help you create fresh figure drawing [more…]
A Simple Way to Draw the Head
If you want to build your figure drawing confidence, put down the drawing tools and use the freehand method to draw the basic structure of the head. Just follow these basic steps: [more…]
Fixing Figure Drawing Bloopers
Even the most experienced artists make mistakes in their work. Fortunately if you make a figure drawing mistake it doesn’t have to be completely removed to maintain the integrity of your drawing. Here [more…]
Figure Drawing For Dummies Cheat Sheet
Learning how to draw people is a process that starts with purchasing the right art supplies. Try a simple method for drawing a human head and if you make a figure drawing mistake, use some quick techniques [more…]
Oil Painting Supplies
Before you begin an oil painting project, make sure you have all the necessary supplies and get organized to avoid disruptions. Use this list as a guide for assembling the most useful oil painting materials [more…]
Using the Color Wheel for Oil Painting
Keep this wheel handy when you’re working on your oil painting to remind you which colors mix to make other colors and which hues are complementary. Mix the two colors on either side of the color you want [more…]
Making and Using a Viewfinder for Oil Painting
Once your oil painting work area is prepared and you’ve selected an area of your still life to paint, a viewfinder is a useful tool for composing a strong picture. A viewfinder crops out the areas of your [more…]
Caring for Your Oil Painting Brushes
When you’re ready to call it a day learn how to properly clean your oil painting brushes so they stay in good shape and can be used over and over: [more…]
Oil Painting For Dummies Cheat Sheet
When you're ready to start your oil painting project, be sure to gather and organize all of the necessary supplies. If you're trying to decide on colors or want to mix your own colors, refer to the color [more…]
How to Identify Common Drawing Styles
Style in drawing is a collection of attributes that make drawings unique. Each period in the history of art is characterized by the style of some groundbreaking artists. For example, modernism is characterized [more…]
Get Started Drawing with Basic Supplies
If you’re new to drawing, you’ll want to gather a few must-have supplies. But these drawing basics aren’t any old pencils, erasers, rulers, and paper. Here are the basic supplies you need to have in hand [more…]
How to Find Drawing Inspiration
Artist’s block (what you have when you can’t think of anything to draw) can strike at any time. Fortunately, inspiration can strike anytime, too! You just have to know where to look. To unclog your creative [more…]
