Hot Painting Tips Posts

How To: Paint a Daylily in the traditional Chinese style

This video demonstration will teach you how to draw a Daylily in the Han Chinese painting style. It is very detailed, and should be easy to follow even for novice painters looking to improve their painting skills. The painter in the video talk you through not only what colors to use and the techniques he uses, but also the significance of the Daylily and the legends surrounding it.

How To: Paint Carnation flowers in the Chinese brush style

In a special Mother's Day installment of their weekly instructional series on Chinese painting, Blue Heron Art's Henry teaches us to paint Chinese Carnations in watercolor, with calligraphy highlights done in ink with a brush. His grace and accuracy with both the watercolor and the ink would be challenging for many of the less-artistically-inclined to emulate, but the finished product is beautiful and should impress all but the choosiest of moms if their child were to make / buy it for them.

How To: Color with oil pastels

If you want to color with oil pastels you should first make sure you have a sketch book, oil pastels, cotton swabs and an eraser. First, you should place a banana or your choice of object on the sketchbook paper and trace the outline. Next, you should color in the banana or object the color you want to. You should add in detail to your object, by first coloring along the bottom of the banana with yellow. Next, add in a little green to add detail to the banana. You can blend the two colors to ...

How To: Paint a easter bunny with ink and water

This video demonstrates how to paint a rabbit in leftover ground ink. The style used is called sumi-e. Using a the side of a thick brush, create a filled in circle in the center of your page. This will be the head. Below this circle, add an elongated abstract oval shape for the body. Add a small circle at the back bottom area of the body for the tail. From the top back of the head, add two long thick lines for the ears. Using the thin tip of a brush add the details of the face including the n...

How To: Paint a quick watercolor

This is a video about how to create a simple water color painting. First we have to select the seen that we are going to paint on the paper. Next give a rough sketch on the paper about the scene that you have imagine or select to paint with a pencil. Next take the water proof marker give the outlines to that paint. Then you have to give two washes to your paint. First one is warm wash. For that you have to take yellow, orange, and red colors. First wet the paper with the water. Next splash on...

How To: Set up your table for watercolor painting

In this how-to video, you will learn how use set up a studio table for watercolor. First, make a water blotter out of toilet paper and tissue folded in half. Fold the towel into the paper. The gator board and paper should be in front of you, with the sketch at the left side. If you are right handed, everything should be on the right side. This allows for ease of painting. The kleenex and trash can should be on the right as well. If you are left handed, everything should be on the left. This p...

How To: Paint a Fender Telecaster electric guitar

This video will show you the steps to wire in a humbucker and coil into a Fender Telecaster electric guitar. And you'll get to learn how to paint it as well! What's humbucker? Well, it's a type of electric guitar pickup, that'll help you improve your rocking out. What are you waiting for? Get some sandpaper, paint, wires, and get started!

How To: Paint the body of a guitar

In this tutorial, we learn how to paint a guitar! Before you begin, you will want to take your guitar apart. Once you've done that, go outside and clean your guitar removing any dust on it. Your next step is to smooth the whole body of the guitar with 100 grit followed by 150 grit. After this, hang your guitar up somewhere and apply 4 layers of sanding sealer (which should equal one can). Make sure to sand down the 150 grit between each layer once it's dry, so the next layer has a grip to sti...

How To: Paint Obi-Wan Kenobi from Star Wars

This artist shows how to quick paint/draw Obi-Wan Kenobi utilizing his mouse and pc. He starts out with a rough sketch of his character, making a black outline of his figure. He then goes back over his initial sketch with blue lines, cleaning up the lines, making them smoother. Once the blue lines are completed, the first black line sketch is erased and the blue lines smoothed out even more! Piece by piece, color is applied to each part of the character. It is placed roughly at first but smoo...

How To: Paint a guitar body using spray paint

In this video Teddy Zane shows you how to paint a guitar with spray paint. It begins by painting the whole guitar with one color of flat paint, and then creating a panel where you want the picture, out of tape. Next lay your picture on top of the tape and use a scalpel or razor to cut out the design as a template carefully ensuring you do not cut the guitar, only the image and the tape. Once the entire image is cut, pull off the tape to expose the guitar beneath. Cover the rest of the guitar ...

How To: Paint on ceramic dinner plates

In this how-to video, you will learn how to paint on your ceramic dinner plates. You will need a ceramic paint kit, a soft pencil, masking tape, a porcelain painter pen, scrap paper, scissors, scrap paper, tracing paper, Celtic patterns, and a jar of water. Place the tracing paper over the copy of the Celtic patterns. Tape both down to the surface with the tape. Trace the pattern onto the tracing paper using the pencil. Clean the plate and stick tracing paper over the plate. Trace over the pa...

How To: Paint Mother's and Father's Day mugs

This video demonstrates how to paint Mother’s and Father’s Day mugs. This is a ceramic painting project. For this project, you will need the following supplies: 2 mugs, a Marabu ceramic kit, a paintbrush, a soft pencil, tissue, masking tape, a marabu porcelain paint pen, a jar of water, paper, scissors, tracing paper, and a sheet of paper with the lettering that you want to use on the cup. On your PC, use any decorative font that you like.

How To: Draw nine goldfish in free style

In this video, artist Henry Li, shows you how to draw nine goldfish in a free hand, loose style. He demonstrates proper hand placement, and technique in order to achieve a fluid motion to the piece. Nine goldfish is a good omen for Chinese, it suggest best fortune. Watch the magic happen as he shows you exactly how to achieve this excellent work of art.

How To: Transfer a painting done on rice paper to silicone

This video shows you how to dry-mount a painting done on rice paper with silicone release paper. This method is to transfer the silicon adhesive film to the backing material first, then take the release paper off and mount the painting on. Artist, Henry Li gives you everything you need to know to properly mount your beautiful painting on the silicone to transfer as you please.

How To: Paint Chinese bamboo on xuan paper

In this video artist Henry Li demonstrates exactly how to paint beautiful Chinese bamboo on xuan paper. Make sure to grab your ink and brushes to see the magic happen and this wonderful artist paints this wonderful piece. Perfect to practice your skills or paint a excellent piece for everyone to enjoy on your wall.

How To: Paint birds in watercolor

Watercolor painting is a great way to get introduced to the world of painting and fine art. The free flowing nature of watercolor allows you to start out simply as you refine your craft. You can make any shape or image that comes to your imagination. In this video series, learn how to paint birds in watercolor.

How To: Easily paint an orchid

In this art tutorial, you will learn how to draw and then paint an orchid. You will need a Chinese paintbrush, a plate for the paint, water and paper. For paint colors, you should make sure you have red, yellow, black, green, blue and purple. First, dip your brush into the water and then mix yellow, red and black, dabbing some of each color onto the brush. When doing this, do not actually mix the colors on the brush. You want the red on one part of the brush, the yellow on another part, and t...

How To: Oil paint metal objects with Hall Groat

In this Painting Metallic Surfaces Hall video tutorial, learn how to paint metal objects with oil paint. This is a good tutorial to learn how to paint metal surfaces so that it looks like real metal. The examples used in this video is the painting of a pocket watch, ornament, teapot, martini glass, and more. To begin, evaluate the colors of the metal object you are painting. Make sure to pick up colors that are reflected and also make sure to pick up images that appear in the reflection of an...

News: Paintings That Live and Breathe

Washington, D.C. based artist Alexa Meade completely redefines traditional body painting. She paints with acrylic paint directly on human flesh and clothing, making her subjects appear as if they were part of a painting (or a living painting immersed in everyday life).

How To: Paint waterfalls with Hall Groat

When painting the foliage make sure that you use a dry brush technique and that you use this to break up the harsh rock formations that you have created by simply pressing the brush down against the rock formation. Make sure that you don't segregate the areas in the painting. Make sure that you blend the areas together to make the picture complete. You want to take the warm, more contrasting areas and use them to break up the harsher style of the rest of the picture. You want to layer the col...

How To: Mix colors for oil & acrylic paints

This video was very informative and well planned. However, the video does become boring after the first two minutes. It will become easier for an individual to comprehend with this video if perhaps there are better examples that artists can relate too. Perhaps if the demonstrations would relate to more of a younger audience, more people will be able to be more interested to mix oil and acrylic paints. The video can also be much more interesting if there was also some quiet and peaceful backgr...

How To: Paint an avacado

This is a silent video by artist Dan P. Carr. It is filmed in fast action, the video is approximately 3 minutes long but in real time the painting took 50 minutes to complete. It is done on a small canvas with oil paints. It shows the development of the avocado from a simple outline drawing to the final product that is 3 dimensional and uses light and shadow to give a sense of depth to the painting. According to the artist he paints a simple object like the avocado daily as a practice exercis...

How To: Build a simple float frame for your painting

Building a frame for your paintings can save you money and provide one more creation of which to be proud. Normally recommended for abstract paintings, basic float frames offer a professional feel to your art. This video demonstrates how to build a very simple float frame, which compliments a modern, contemporary, abstract painting rather nicely.

How To: Build a custom pochade box for oil painting

In this how-to video, you will learn how to build your own custom Pochade box for oil painting. You will need 10 feet of 3/4 x 1/2 trim, 1/4 underlayment plywood,, a table saw for squared cuts, a cordless drill, a dowel no smaller than 3/8, a set of hinges and screws, an Allen bolt and nut for triPod mounting, a piece of glass for the palette, gorilla glue water, and chemical proof. Pre-drill everything to make sure the wood does not split. Make sure that when you drill the hole for the dowel...

How To: Paint a magnolia in Chinese painting

This video demonstrates how to paint a magnolia in ink and water, Chinese style. Make gray ink by mixing water with the black ink. Squeeze the brush with a piece of tissue and dip it in glue water made of peach sap powder mixed with water. When he begins to paint, half the brushstroke is gray and half is clear water. In this way you can use the brush to get darker and lighter shades of gray to make the magnolia flower shape that appears to be shaded. He then uses a stiff brush and black ink t...

How To: Watercolor with SU markers on watercolor paper

Maria Bell demonstrates to create the watercolor project, add color to the watercolor paper by first outlining the image or the shape with the SU marker. Then, distribute the color from the edge of the image or shape to the center of the image or shape with an aqua painter or watercolor brush. Fill in the images with shading details as desired. The technique produces gradient shading and a quick spread of colors without the use of watercolor pencils or crayon. Painting watercolors with SU mar...

How To: Understanding the difference between ink & watercolor

Learn how to understand the Difference between Chinese ink and watercolor with Chinese paintings. There are several differences between ink and watercolor art. Learn how to spot these variations with this video tutorial from Blue Heron Arts. This tutorial shows the differences between Chinese and Western culture paintings, which is largely rooted in the use of rice paper in Chinese artwork as well as the stretching of the paper prior to painting. Additionally, different types of paints are us...

How To: Make handmade ink from an ink stone & ink stick

You can create handmade love letters and personal paper gifts by using your very own homemade ink. This video goes in depth on how you can make your own ink at home using an ink stick and ink stone. This is the traditional way that the Chinese make their ink to use in Calligraphy and brush painting. The ink stick is made of soot from burning oil. There are different grades of ink sticks according to the Chinese standard so watch for that when you are purchasing these supplies. The ink stone i...

How To: Bodypaint a dragon on a female body

Body painting isn't just art, it's sexy. More and more people are shedding their clothes and adding some paint for a new shocking look that is bound to drop jaws. If you're not into being painted into a Picasso, then maybe you'd like to try your hands on the other side of the paint brush…

How To: Paint a traditional puppy dog painting

Everybody loves dogs, but not everybody can own one. Although… everyone can own and enjoy a painted dog. And if you want to learn how to paint a puppy dog yourself, this is the video tutorial for you. Make sure to pause the video after each step and look at the screen every few seconds while you are drawing.

How To: Draw & watercolor Na'vi Jake Sully from Avatar

Are you a gigantic fan of James Cameron's film, Avatar and have some artistic talent? Why not wear your badge of "Proud Avatar Fan" on your bedroom wall, with this video tutorial on how to draw & watercolor Na'vi Jake Sully. This video goes in fast motion taking you from the beginnings of a blank page, to the pencil illustration, and finally to water color.