Hi All,
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 woman-up 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. Enjoy!
Jan
