Tag Archives: how to paint

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Greatest Creators Cover Competition Winner

I’m excited to share that my painting, “Silver Cup”, was selected as the 2019 Greatest Creators cover winner in a special edition of PM360 magazine. I’m so honored and grateful that my work was chosen among so many talented artists.

2019 greatest creators cover winner PM360

What is PM360’s Greatest Creators?

PM360 is the premier magazine for marketing decision makers in the pharmaceutical, biotech, and medical device industries.

Every year, PM360 has a special edition showcasing some of the best creative work from ad agencies serving the life sciences industry over

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8 Tips For Painting Black Fur – Traditional & Digital

I love black dogs (and cats) so I thought I’d share some of my tips for painting black fur. I recently came across an inspiration photo on Sktchy that looked EXACTLY like my dog Claire that had passed many years ago. Claire and I were very bonded, so it was like getting a “hello” from heaven when I saw the picture. I knew right away I had to paint her!

8 tips for painting black fur traditional and digital in artrage step-by-step tutorial

I did this quick study on my iPad using ArtRage, but the tips I’ll be giving here apply to painting in oil or acrylic as well. This is the same approach I use when I’m on the easel.

ArtRage is as close to traditional painting as it gets. It’s fun and convenient and,

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Painting A Cat In ArtRage Featuring Rémy The Gargoyle

Remy the gargoyle cat portrait painting in artrage Painting a cat in ArtRage featuring Rémy the Gargoyle

Here I am once again painting a cat study in ArtRage. AND – once again – it’s a bare naked Sphynx cat. But this is no ordinary hairless kitty. Nope. This is Rémy the Gargoyle who is gaining fame due to his gorgeous eyes, adorable little elf ears and curious view of life on Instagram.

Painting a cat in ArtRage step-by-step featuring Rémy the gargoyle

How Painting A Cat In All His Naked Glory Can Make You A Better Artist

My parents hate it when I paint naked cats as they find them to be “ugly”. That’s their opinion. A lot of artists like Jennifer Gennari love painting Sphynx cats because they are so challenging. If you’re an artist and want to improve your skills, these

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Tips For Painting Silver Objects – Tutorial

Painting silver objects tips Painting silver objects step-by-step

In today’s article, I’ll be going over 9+ tips and tricks for painting silver objects. When I took up painting again a little over a year ago, I found myself wanting to paint reflective surfaces for some unknown reason.

Tips for painting shiny objects

Painting silver objects or shiny things can seem very daunting at first, but when you break the reflections down into

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3 Things I Have Learned Copying Master Paintings

3 Things I Have Learned Copying Master Paintings

Artists have been copying master paintings for centuries and for good reason – there is so much that can be learned! More than 25 years ago, I participated in a “Copycat” show at The Burkholder Project in Lincoln, NE where I shared a studio for awhile with several artists. As a successful working artist, Anne Burkholder has always been an inspiration for me and I loved being a part of her world.

3 things I have learned copying master paintings

The painting I chose to copy was “Breakfast In Bed” by Mary Stevenson Cassatt, 25″x 29″ oil on canvas painted in 1897. The title card above shows photos I took of the original painting which resides at the Huntington Library in San Marino, CA. I loved this painting

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Painting A Cat In Oil Featuring Prescott, A Gorgeous Maine Coon

painting a cat prescott maine coone oil painting

prescott pin 2 cat portrait painting

Painting a cat in oil can be a lot of fun. Today I will show you my 9-step process for painting this beautiful cat. You may have seen him featured in a previous post on painting cats, but I thought he deserved his own post since I found some of his progress shots.

Painting A Cat In Oil Featuring Prescott jpg

I do both traditional and digital painting tutorials featuring pets, people and still life so feel free to

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7 Portrait Painting Tips From The #30faces30days Challenge

portrait painting tips pin7 portrait painting tips wrinkles

7 Portrait Painting Tips From The #30faces30days Challenge

portrait tip overblend pin

portrait tip eyes pin

portrait tip facial hair pin

I thought I’d share some portrait painting tips since finishing the #30faces30days challenge. The challenge was fast and furious and I didn’t get as many progress pics as I wanted, but I did get a few. Most of what I’ll be reviewing are paintings I did on the iPad, but regardless of whether you paint traditionally or digitally, you will still find these tips helpful.

7 Portrait Painting Tips From The #30faces30days Challenge title slide

For the first day of the challenge, I have many more progress shots. As you’ll see, the challenge got very challenging right off the bat. How I thought things would go in my head became vastly different from the reality

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How To Paint A Sphynx Cat In Oil Step-By-Step

How To Paint A Hairless Sphynx Cat

How To Paint A Hairless Sphynx Cat

I don’t know what it is about a hairless Sphynx cat that I find so fascinating, but I’ve always wanted to paint one. At first I thought they were so ugly they were cute, but now I only see how beautiful and interesting they are.

How To Paint A Sphynx Cat In Oil On Canvas, Step-By-Step

Below is my portrait of “Harry” the hairless Sphynx cat which technically is still unfinished, but I’m not sure if I’ll ever finish it. If I do, there will be an update to this post in the future!

How To Paint A Sphynx cat in oil – "Harry" by Shelley Hanna

Sphynx cat “Harry” near completion

My Approach To Painting Harry, The Hairless Sphynx Cat

I took photos and a few videos while painting this portrait thinking I would put together a “how to” guide like I did for my painting of Chewy, but it was a lot of work and not many

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How To Start Oil Painting Without Getting Discouraged

You know what it’s like – you want to start oil painting and get your canvas and paints out. The excitement builds and fantasies about how fantastic it’s going to turn out from in your mind. It’s a glorious dream before the actual work begins.

How to start oil painting without getting discouraged

Then reality sets in. The dog throws up. A hangnail needs immediate attention. Ummm, how did this much laundry accumulate? TAXES. It’s one distraction after another. If you’re finding it hard to get started, you may be succumbing to resistance.

Fear not! Resistance Is Part Of The Creative Process

Whether you think of yourself as an artist or not, you are a creative being and go through

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How To Paint A Cat In Oil Step-By-Step With Jorge & Nacho

Today I’m going to show you how to paint a cat step-by-step in oil in 7 steps. I’ll show you how I start the portrait and my approach for creating life-like and expressive eyes.

How to paint a cat in oil with Jorge & Nacho

Watch Out Dogs, Cats Are Looking To Steal Your Spot

While I’ve only painted a few cat portraits recently, it’s significantly more than I’ve done in many years. Dogs have always been the majority of my pet portraits, but I’m beginning to think cats are gaining more social status in society.

It makes sense with all the funny cat videos on YouTube and the growing popularity of events like CatCon (ya, that’s a thing). And it

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