New book on portrait painting underway

I just sent in the first phase of my instructional book on portrait painting to my editor. I'm excited, for it's an opportunity to offer more people what I share in my workshops. It'll cover the basics (materials, for instance) as well as give step-by-step instruction on my procedure for painting children, adults, and even posthumous portraits. We're targeting to complete the book by next March. I'll keep you updated on the progress!

"If it can't be done, I'm on it." - John T. Unger

I came across John Unger's work via an announcement on Alyson Stanfield's newsletter. She extended an invitation to hear John speak regarding a lawsuit against him by a competitor who has copied his art designs and is mass-producing them as his own. Yes, it's sad, but John isn't folding, but fighting back against what he calls a viscious strong-arming by a competitor. John's made good efforts to resolve this in an amicable manner, but it seems some people are just, well, ruthless. You can read more about this story at John's site.

While reading about the lawsuit, I got to know John a bit through his "about the artist" page. I smiled when I read his comment "If it can't be done, I'm on it," for it's an outlook that is deeply rooted in my family, stemming back to my Dad and Grandpa Chambers. My kids know that the moment they say "Dad, it's impossible," they've issued a challenge. It's kind of like Marty (Michael J. Fox) in the Back to the Future movies, when he was called "chicken"; um, wrong taunt, guy. Now you've got a battle on your hands. Sounds like John Unger's the same way.

John's already invested over $50,000 into defending his copyright. If you're interested in helping him by purchasing his beautiful work, go to his website and invest in some really cool creations, like the fire pit below.

Portrait Workshop- VA

We endured the tropical heat (upper 90's) and painted away. Armed with palette knives, we captured the sunlight upon our beautiful model, Susanna. I was amazed at how quickly students got used to working with the palette knives and saw their purpose in working with clean color. We learned that "it's easier to tame a wild horse than bring a dead one back to life!"

Indoors we cooled off and painted Drew, our afternoon model. The students focused on form, composition, and achieving a likeness not through the superficial features, but through recognizing the anatomical structure and rhythm particular to Drew.

It was an intense, fun week that zipped by too fast, but we were fast friends. Enjoy the pics!

p.s. if you're interested in future workshops, drop me a line!

Final Summer Kids' Workshop a success

Last week was the final Children's Art Workshop of the summer, and it was great fun. It was a rapid-fire pace, as the kids learned the basics- perspective, drawing, value, color, composition and shapes- all in a week. They even decorated their own frames to complement the copy of a master painting each student made. Tune in to my website for news on the next workshop.

Enjoy the slideshow!

Pictures from kids' art workshops

To truly see what the kids accomplished, and what the workshop experience is all about, take a look at the slideshows below. If you like what you see, join us for the next workshop August 17-21! Sign up here.

Kids' Workshop- younger group

Kids' Workshop- older group

Upcoming Children's Art Workshop!

Following a great time at my recent Children's Art Workshops in July, I'm offering another workshop August 17-21 in Purcellville, Virginia. Click on the flier or visit my website for details.

This isn't your average craft event, either. I'll be teaching the kids the essentials to creating great art: size-shape relationships, perspective, shading (values), color, composition, design, how to mix colors, etc., along with some great techniques for increasing your drawing aptitude such as memory drawing exercises, and so on. Kids will come home with a framed masterpiece, ready for parents to proudly display at home.

I anticipate another great turnout, and look forward to an energetic, fun, productive time together. See you there!

Children's Art Workshop- a great success!

The first two weeks of my Children's Art Workshops are complete, and we all had a fantastic time! The kids really grabbed on to the principles I taught them, and their work showed a marked improvement. I introduced them to drawing in perspective, values, color theory, drawing skills, and memory drawing.

I also gave the kids a chance to create their own frames using mosaic tiles. The kids really enjoyed this part of the event, and the biggest reward was the surprise sense of pride that came when they saw their completed paintings in their frames- a complete masterpiece of their own. Thanks to their parents for the privilege of teaching these great kids.