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Holiday Favorites List - DVD's, Websites, and an App

When I was first learning to paint it was frustrating trying to find good information about techniques and concepts.  My learning was limited to what was in the local library and once I had read through every art book on the shelves, I thought, "Now what?"  Then  along came the internet and an excellent, affordable art education became available from the comfort of home.  Here are some of my recent favorite websites and downloads. Enjoy! 

To visit the websites below click on the highlighted lettering.


David Shelvino - I recently treated myself to two of David Shelvino's DVD downloads.  I love the painterly quality of his work and the freshness he brings to his subject matter.  His DVDs can be purchased and shipped as hard copies or downloaded.  I got "Painting Loosely" and "In the Studio."  David is an excellent teacher and has some unusual techniques for applying paint.  He also offers shorter tutorials on drawing and using Photoshop.  A nice feature of his website is all the previews of his DVDs.

 
Your Elusive Creative Genius  by Elizabeth Gilbert - Ted Talks
This is one of my all time favorite Ted Talks! Elizabeth Gilbert muses on the impossible things we expect from artists and geniuses, and shares the radical idea that, instead of the rare person "being" a genius, all of us "have" a genius. It's a funny, personal and surprisingly moving talk. Ted Talks are free.


New Masters Academy - The internet is an amazing source of fine art education if you know where to look.   One of the newer offerings is New Masters Academy.  Taught by some of the top artists and instructors in the U.S., including my drawing hero, Glenn Vilppu, the Academy builds on traditional skills of drawing, painting, and sculpture.  This is a rich resource of information and education offered at a very reasonable monthly price of $19.00 to $29.00 dollars a month depending on which level of subscription you choose.  They offer a 7 day free trial for those of you who would like to try it out.



Peggi Kroll Roberts - Peggi Kroll Roberts' paintings are about simplicity and light.  She has created a series of lessons on DVDs that are simple and easy to follow.  Here is the description from her website: You’re invited into the art studio of Peggi Kroll Roberts, painter of still lifes and figures from live models. Watch Peggi create light-filled paintings through informative demonstrations designed to engage viewers and inspire artists at all levels. Her exercises, condensed to one idea at a time, simplify the learning process creating interesting challenges and charming results. Peggi's instructional videos are available on DVDs or by Video on Demand.

 
AccuView  

Have you ever finished a painting and then realized it would be sooo much better if  the whole design had been moved an inch to the left?  Struggle no more!  I recently purchased an app called AccuView.   It is the ultimate viewfinder and a great tool for composition.  To use AccuView, open the app, take a photo with your phone then choose to view it in color or black and white.  You can impose different canvas sizes and grids on the photograph then move the photo within the selected canvas until you get the composition you want.  I recently used this App to design my still life.  My original thought was to include everything in the set up in a horizontal composition but after using AccuView I selected this vertical composition and am very happy with it! AccuView is an app on my iphone but it can be downloaded into PCs and Macs.
Cost: $1.99 
  

The set up                                                                             The final composition

  
The lay in                                                   The finished painting
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