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Archive for August, 2011

To anyone new to art the general terms used may seem like double dutch. I will try and explain a few to help you along the way and to help you comprehend the different styles of Modern Art. As an example, the form is lines, textures, forms, colours and how they produce the shaping of the work. The subject will always be the object, person, persons, which the artist is trying to show.

How we actually react to the subject, the mediums used, the form and the actual painting, is called the content. So, the content really is how we see it, understand it and what it means.

Medium! What is that? Okay, if you look at a painting, this is the different types of materials and ways of using them to produce the painting.

Modern Art emerged somewhere around the late 1860?s. Today modern art is very popular and is appreciated by the majority of people mainly because it is available in so many forms.

Now modernism is very like abstractionism, but there again, a fair amount of modern art would not be termed as abstract.

You will find that some modern artists just do figurative work. We all incorporate colours, forms and shape to our work, resulting in much of it becoming abstract.

What is Cubism? This is a form of art that does not always represent the way the subject actually appears, just probably the essence of the subject. Often just placing emphasis on certain areas of the subject in a different, analytical way. If you need an example of this type of work, Picasso would indeed be a fine one.

In the time around the late 1950?s-1960?s Pop Art came on the scene. This brightened up our lives with bold, really brash colourful posters, advertising, even comic strips and the famous Andy Warhol made his mark.

Also around this time Op Art arrived too. Geometric shapes went to make up this abstract type of art which can sometimes be illusional and give the appearance of movement.

Minimalism – Very often a collection of brushstrokes which were repeated. Made from very little content really. Dates back to the 60?s and 70?s.

Expressionism from the 1900?s. Often with shapes that seem distorted and very colourful. The colours were often very exaggerated with brushstrokes that were very strong. These paintings usually emitting a feeling of emotion.

Around the 1940?s in New York, abstract impressionism came about. Jackson Pollock comes to mind as an artist of this genre. These paintings were often evoking action or were often seem to express spur of the moment feelings.

The Italians in 1909 invented futurism paintings, encapsulating speed and motion.

Surrealism – Drawings which are automated, showing how the subconscious mind works. They can also seem to be extremely real even though they do not appear to make an awful lot of sense. Inspirational art of this kind is to be appreciated in the works of Salvador Dali, much of which can be visited in Barcelona, to this very day.

Impressionism – This was often used to paint landscapes. A series of dashes make up the painting. Painted pretty close together, they, in fact, look as if they join when viewed from a distance, making the painting complete. Claude Monet was an impressionist.

There has been such a huge influx of people wanting to make a living through wedding photography these days, that I almost get as many enquiries from people wanting to become my assistant as I do enquiries from people getting married.

I’ve worked as a photographer for over twenty years and have specialised in wedding photography for the past six, shooting between 35 and 40 weddings every year. The number of wedding photographers setting up in this area has massively increased in this time, which may be partly due to the amount of redundancies.

With the interest in digital photography being so high, all that an out of work banker, civil servant, estate agent, recruitment consultant has to do, is spend some of their redundancy money on a DSLR, build an affordable, template website and sign up for Google AdWords. Hey presto a new wedding photography career is born!

Or is it? The first big problem is the lack of a portfolio. To get anyone to hire you on such an important day, you’re going to need images to show what you can do. But to get a portfolio together you’ll need to be photographing real weddings. One way to do this is to get invited to as many weddings as possible and take your camera with you. I often have aspiring photographers flanking me at weddings in the hope of getting precious shots to build their portfolios. I also get grilled on everything from which kit to use to marketing techniques too and am usually happy to advise, although the key thing to remember is not to get in the way. It’s also not advisable to shoot during the actual ceremony, as there are often strict and detailed rules that apply and these are discussed and agreed between the pro photographer and the priest / registrar beforehand. A rogue guest wielding DSLR, (full flash blazing, or not) can often bring a halt to proceedings, with an embarrassing reprimand and blanket ban on all photography to follow.

Another way that many try to gain images and experience, is to try to become an assistant / second shooter. Many offer to do this for free, but there is a big difference between assistant and second shooter and working for nothing can have problems. An assistant would be expected to carry the bags, park the car, hold the umbrella etc. but quite often wouldn’t actually get to hold a camera other than to change the batteries. One or two fifteen hour days of doing this for free is usually enough.

A second shooter would usually be expected to photograph lesser aspects of the wedding (guests arriving, table details, flowers etc.) However there can be issues with weather you’ll be allowed to actually claim the shots to use as your own. This is something that should be discussed and agreed beforehand, because if you’re using the photographers equipment, many pros would whisk the camera and disks away for editing and that would be the last you’ll see of them.

However, there is another way of gaining the confidence of your potential clients which is quite surprisingly often missed. I suggest that instead of aiming to go headlong into photographing weddings with the aim of a fast track to big money bookings, aspiring wedding photographers should concentrate on portraiture first. Become a seriously good photographer before even contemplating taking on a wedding. Too many new wedding photographers think that they can learn the basics on the job. Consistency is key. A mistake that many make, is that they get the odd good shot and collect them over time giving themselves (and others) the impression that they are really good photographers. But If you can’t achieve a very high standard every time you use your camera, then you’re not ready.

Once you have reached a really high standard and you have a wealth of consistently high quality and varied portraits, you’ll start to create a style and not only be able to charge commissions for portrait shoots, but you’ll be in a much better position to convince a pro that you’re up to the job of second shooter, gaining vital experience of working at weddings.

With this combination under your belt, you should be ready to take on a real wedding by yourself. But make sure that your completely open to the clients about your experience. There is always room for another wedding photographer in London but only those who are of a very high standard will survive the competition.

Essentials to have in place before photographing your first wedding:

• Contract – make sure you’ve clearly outlined your terms and conditions, what you’re offering and payment details in a contract which should be signed by the client

• Insurance – you must have three insurances in place: public liability, professional indemnity and equipment should be covered for loss or damage

• Back up equipment – a second camera charged and ready to use, plus lenses, flash, batteries and memory cards

Modern art is defined from the 1860?s to the 1970?s in terms of galleries and art history. In recent years the appeal of modern art in a widespread context has occurred.

The new style of modern, open plan living had made for the need of equally as modern and unique art for the white stark walls. The apartment living scene has especially contributed but even older style houses are having walls taken down to make way for the open plan living so popular today.

Not everyone has the money to buy modern canvas art produced by famous artists so it has enabled the not so famous but equally as talented new artists to produce work and be successful selling them. Canvas art is quite dramatic as the medium used is either oil or acrylic paint. Both achieve high depth in colour and on a bright white wall, a piece of canvas artwork on a stretched canvas frame has maximum impact.

Oil and acrylic are very versatile and both give the option for alteration after the painting has been finished. This is especially the case for oils as they take a number of weeks to dry. It enables a piece of canvas art to be produced and a step taken back from it. It can then be revisited and adapted should the artist feel it is required. Watercolour for example is quite final once completed. Oil and acrylic come alive even more when a few coats have been put on and textures are built up. An example of this is in the artwork for Howard Hodgkin and Gillian Ayres. Both use bright colours and layer and layer paint to create not just high impact in terms of depth of colour but also texture. These particular canvas artwork pieces look breathtaking on a white wall.

Clean lines and minimal aesthetics are the keys with many of the latest wave if modern art pieces. Another impressive move in the artwork is that artists today are actually quite happy to produce bespoke artwork specifically for the client from their own specifications. For example a piece of artwork is often created to specifically suit the interiors of the room it is commissioned for both in style and colour. This is quite a shift from what many people conceive in artists. It is making modern art even more modern and allows the owner of the artwork to have input creating an even more personal piece.

Henry Ward once said, “Every artist dips his brush in his own soul, and paints his own nature into his pictures.” A painting is the artistic expression of a painter. Since the existence of the nomads to the present times, painting has been the most prominent part of the evolution of the mankind.

Today the magnitude of paintings has amplified to a massive extent. Painters Famous M.F Husain, Pablo Picasso, Gemini R Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, Leonardo Da Vinci works are famous world-wide and appreciated. Now the work of famous painters is displayed in art exhibitions and their work is sold in millions of dollars. It seems like the craze of painting is never going to end. Over the years we have seen a great variety in the form of painting.

Reverse Glass Paintings

Reverse glass painting is an art of applying paint on a piece of glass and viewing the image by turning the glass and looking through the glass at the image. It is very creative and great fun to ooze out the creative instincts.

Madhubani Painting

It is a traditional folk art form which has succeeded in creating a place for itself in the internationally. It is an expression of day-to-day experiences and beliefs and is created with the beautiful treatment of color. The themes of daily activities, nature, flora and fauna and Hindu Gods are the most prominent. Madhubani painting is characterized by the vibrant and bold use of colors and traditional geometric patterns that supports the main theme, double line border, ornate floral patterns, abstract-like figures of deities and bulging eyes and a jolting nose of the faces of the figures.

Miniature Paintings

Miniature painting is a wall sized work, painted on the smooth surface. It is a traditional style of art that is very detailed and also referred to as “in miniature”. It depicts the beautiful images inspired and taken from the Hindu epics and mythologies, Hindu deities, God and Goddesses and royal court scenes. It is depicted on pieces of glass, paper, silk and leather, and is appreciated for the magnificent display of rich colors and dazzling effects.

Patchitra Folk Art Paintings

It is a hereditary art, practiced by the family of the painters customarily living in the surrounding areas of the Jagannath temple and belongs to the state of Orissa in India. The paintings of Patchitra are characterized with the application of gallant outline and gleaming presentation of colors.

Thangka Paintings

Thangka Paintings are popular Tibetan paintings also known as ‘Tanka’, ‘Thanka’ or ‘Tangka’. It heavily draws its inspiration heavenly from Nepalese, Chinese and Kashmiri styles. Thangka Paintings are painted Buddhist banner that can be hung in a monastery or a family altar. The most common shape of a Thangka is the upright rectangular form. A Thangka is more than just a painting. It is an object of devotion, an aid to spiritual practice, and a bringer of blessings. Hanging a Thangka painting is considered auspicious and brings blessings on the household and serves as a constant reminder of the Buddha’s teachings of compassion, kindness and wisdom.

Warli Paintings

The word “Warli” come from the word “warla” which means the piece of land. Warli is the name of the biggest tribe found on the Northern outskirts of Mumbai. Warli Paintings originated in Maharashtra. Its tradition goes back to 2500 or 3000 BC. It is a rudimentary wall painting that uses a very basic graphic vocabulary like a circle, a triangle and a square. The circle represents the sun and the moon; and the triangle derived from mountains and pointed trees. The central motif in the Warli ritual paintings usually have male gods and scenes portraying hunting, fishing and farming, festivals and dances, trees and animals.

Face Painting

It is an integral part of the Indian culture that began thousands of years ago by the Indian tribes who used different face painting designs and techniques to identify their status, culture and tribe. Colors used for are as red clays, blue dyes from berries, clay, charcoal, roots, berries, tree bark, colored clay and other natural pigments. Interestingly it has evolved as a fun activity that is used all over the world.

Drawing things is a moderately easy skill and can be source of great fun. As a hobby it’s not too expensive either, one can get started with a pencil and notepad. And if budget permits one can use computers and drawing software. And this simplicity of the art form precisely makes drawing so highly popular.

Too many youngsters are taking up drawing as a hobby. Drawing various comic action hero and fun cartoon characters has become a craze now.

With some basic drawing tips everybody can improve their skill level and be a better drawing maker. Here I am going to give you some drawing tips that will help you to improve your skill level.

1. If you are just starting out you should practice drawing simple shapes like circles, eggs and ovals with reasonable accuracy. These basic shapes can be used to draw more complex shapes.

2. As these basic shapes will be the construction lines on which the main drawing will be structured you should practice drawing these lines as light as possible.

3. If you face difficulty in drawing the basic shapes take help of circle templates, compass or rulers.

4. For improving your skill level in figure drawing be selective. Concentrate more on a specific area and practice a lot. For example you may want to practice drawing tricky areas like hands, draperies more than simpler areas like nose, lips etc.

5. Using a good-quality material will make your drawing look good and save you from lots of frustration. Your eraser should erase cleanly without smudging the drawing. And your pencil should be good enough to draw lines without requiring frequent sharpening.
You may also try clutch pencils because they require less maintenance than timber cased pencils.