Observation to Imagination

Are you having trouble making the leap from observational studies to invented subject-matter? “Observation to Imagination” addresses this common challenge by breaking it into 5 repeatable aspects: form, perspective, light, material, and composition.

​Available now in the Ctrl+Paint store!

Posted
AuthorMatt Kohr
3 CommentsPost a comment

Visual Simplification

Painters are not cameras. But if what you're striving for is realism, what is so different between an illustrator an a camera? This video discusses the painter's ability to manipulate reality for the sake of composition.

Read more …
Posted
AuthorMatt Kohr
CategoriesComposition, Design
21 CommentsPost a comment

Painting White Objects

When we're young we learn in terms of colored markers and crayons: grass is green, etc. Learning to paint starts with unlearning these color stereotypes. Thi...

When we're young we learn in terms of colored markers and crayons: grass is green, etc. Learning to paint starts with unlearning these color stereotypes. This video looks at color with a critical eye, focusing on painting white objects. White objects are especially challenging for beginners to paint, though the concepts found in this lesson apply equally well to objects of any color.

Posted
AuthorMatt Kohr
CategoriesPainting
TagsColor
12 CommentsPost a comment

Using Text in a Composition

Nothing draws the eye quite like text in a composition. Use with care! Ctrl+Paint Store: http://ctrlpaint.myshopify.com/ Full Free Video Library: http://www....

How much of an impact does text have in your composition? It's more than you think. This video explores the relationship between text and image, focusing on the relative visual 'weight' of text, contrast, and value. Book covers and websites are a great place to see this in action!

Posted
AuthorMatt Kohr
CategoriesDesign
Tagscomposition
32 CommentsPost a comment

The Smudge Tool

Some artists prefer to use the smudge tool for blending paint in Photoshop. This video explores some of the drawbacks. --- Free Brushes & Worksheets: http://...

We've discussed a number of ways to blend paint, and the Smudge Tool is strangely absent. Why have I left this tool out of the conversation? Beginners often assume that the Smudge tool is explicitly for blending, but in my opinion it is rarely useful for this. This video explores how the tool functions, and highlights special cases where it is useful for digital painting.

Posted
AuthorMatt Kohr
CategoriesPainting
TagsBlending Paint, tools
32 CommentsPost a comment