Happy Birthday Abraham Lincoln!

Today seems like the perfect time to show a few portraits of our 16th President that were completed as oil painting demonstrations. They also perfectly illustrate the drastic change of my personal color palette that I have mentioned on this blog before. The bottom image of a younger Lincoln, was completed in-class about six years ago. I was still using some pretty saturated colors at that time. The top image shows an older Abe and displays my newer palette which is more subdued and consists of a variety of grays and muted colors. The top painting was completed two years ago for my Illustration 1 class at RIT. Both paintings are 12 x 16, oil on canvas.

Acrylic Critters

Here are a few more paintings from my vast collection of wildlife subjects. They were all completed with acrylics. I use Golden Brand acrylics with a fluid viscosity which I prefer since I create these paintings by using many thin layers of paint. The paint is loaded with pigment and the quick drying times allow for the layered build-up. In my last post I mentioned that I referred to my favorite acrylic artists when I wanted to learn how to use this medium. I always try to get my students to find examples of art that appeals to them so that they have a standard to aim for. I don't want them to copy these artists but I want them to be influenced by their methods. It always amazes me when I ask some students to name their favorite artists and I get a blank stare. Ask a major musician to name some influences and you will get a massive list of names and albums. Visual artists should be able to do the same thing.