Remember and Inspire.

There’s no bird. I know. I’ll explain in a minute.

My recent acceptance into the International Guild Of Realism has energized me and ramped up the desire to improve my work. There are a few artists who I follow in order to learn their painting techniques. They usually have some free videos and some longer more in-depth paid ones. One particular artist I admire is Mark Carder of Austin, Texas. I’ve been gleaning bits and pieces from his tutorials over the last two years, and I can see that I need to take a more disciplined approach. He offers a six-day one-on-one workshop that I really REALLY want to take!

The painting here, almost finished after three short sessions yesterday, was done using some of Mark’s techniques. One DAY! Imagine what I could do if I worked alongside the artist step-by-step for a whole week! I’m telling you all this for two reasons. First, his tutorials are so useful and his artwork is so stunning that I think you would enjoy him whether you are an artist wanting to learn or a collector who loves genuine realism. Second, by sharing this desire with my readers and followers,  I increase the likelihood that I will follow through and take the workshop.

The peony and Coke glass painting is still in progress. Since birds rarely sit still for artists wanting to group them with inanimate indoor objects, I have to find just the right kind of bird and just the right photo reference. And I'm chomping on the bit to practice some of Mark Carder’s still-life techniques before I tackle adding a bird. So it’s likely that I will do another version of this painting that will include one. Or I might add one to this painting if I can do it without spoiling the composition. I don’t know. What do you think?

Until next time, check out Mark Carder on DrawMixPaint.