How to Paint Reflections on Water

Do you want to create beautiful reflections that shimmer and dance on the surface of the water? Well, in this video lesson we’ll take a trip to Sweden to explore the topic of lake reflections as we learn how to paint these tranquil scenes in a way that not only reflects the beauty of the light and the movement of the water, but also expresses a unique mood with color.  

If you’ve ever struggled to understand how to create convincing reflections on water, then this video is for you! Get ready to jump into your canoe and head out onto the lake where we’ll study the beauty and mystery of water reflections. 

I can’t wait to paint along with you. Click the button below so we can start painting beautiful lake reflections together today!

How to Overcome Fear and Uncertainty with Creativity

Have you ever studied a tapestry before? Every fiber, every thread, is woven with great care to create a beautiful, colorful design that hangs together in unity. It’s a wonderful art form, and a powerful illustration of humanity at this time.

We are discovering more than ever in this extraordinary moment that we are all connected. Our lives are like threads that are woven together as a fabric of humanity that creates one great tapestry across the globe. Our actions and our inaction have an impact on each other.

I want to share a very special invitation with you today that comes straight from the heart. Because I believe that you have a role to play in overcoming the fear and uncertainty surrounding us by sharing your creativity with others. Watch this video to learn how you can bring fresh beauty to the tapestry of humanity and allow your creativity to cultivate hope as you share your art.  

Henri Matisse said, “Creativity takes courage.” I agree. Now is an important time to be courageous with your creativity.

If you know someone who could use encouragement, please share this video with them. It could really make a difference!

APRIL 30 UPDATE: The response to the #CREATE30CHALLENGE has been truly amazing, and I’m blown away by the thousands of paintings that have flooded our social feeds with words of encouragement and hope. With the overwhelming level of engagement, I’ve decided to keep the #CREATE30CHALLENGE going in May.

Painting a lemon with form and sparkle!

Capturing form can be tricky at times. Perhaps you’ve faced a similar dilemma before; finding yourself in front of a really colorful subject, and wondering how to capture a strong sense of form without getting tripped up by all that dazzling color. 

Let’s consider the glorious lemon! Robed in radiant yellow hues, the lemon also boasts a voluminous round form. So…how do we sculpt that lovely form and still bring the sparkle?

In this video lesson we’re going to paint our small citrus friend and learn how to sculpt the form and volume while keeping our colors bold and expressive. By the end of this lesson, I want to make you a believer that when it comes to dazzling lemons, you can have it all! 

Form and sparkle… absolutely no compromise.

So get out those radiant pastels, click the link below to watch the video, and let’s paint radiant lemons together!

How To Paint Sky Holes

One of the challenges artists face when painting landscape scenes with tree-filled skies is figuring out how to paint realistic sky holes as they occur inside and around the trees. The struggle is real!

Students in my landscape workshops will often bombard me with questions related to this topic:

·      “Should I paint every little speck of sky that I see through the trees?”

·      “Which part should I paint first, the sky or the tree?”

·      “Do I paint the leaves of the trees on top of the sky to create the sky holes?” 

The resounding sentiment is, “Tell me what to do about sky holes!!!”

No more will these little bursts of light through the trees haunt us with questions. Because in this video lesson, I’m going to show you how to navigate the troublesome topic of sky holes with confidence and direction. Ready to cut through the confusion and paint convincing sky holes that are both loose and realistic? 

Then click the link and let’s begin!

Capture Your Viewer With Mood & Atmosphere

If you’re anything like me, you want your paintings to capture the viewer’s attention in a moment of pure delight as you draw them into your scene with inviting atmosphere and a persuasive mood. You’ve got them hooked!

Ok, since we agree on our intention, let’s talk about how to accomplish this goal in our work. One key to arresting the viewer is to learn how to use color to create a compelling mood and atmosphere. In this video lesson, we’ll explore a low country saltwater marsh in morning light and discover how color can amplify the mood of your next painting and set your work apart with singularity and sparkle. 

Are you ready to capture the beauty of morning light? Click the link below, and let’s paint!

Join me over at my YouTube Channel for a YouTube Live Q&A on January 22, at 1pm EST, 10am pacific where I’ll answer your questions related to this topic and more! 

Painting a Peony in a Jar

Christmas is almost upon us! In the spirit of the season I’ve created this video lesson as a way of sharing a bit of joy and wonder with you. The subject of this special lesson will be a single peony in a jar. Elegant and beautiful, this subject presents us with some unique challenges to overcome. How will we suggest the shape and dimension of this flower in full bloom without slipping into rendering every petal? Or what should we do in order to keep a more neutral palette from getting too dull and boring?

I’m excited to share my solutions to these problems and more as we create a loose, painterly floral still life together. I think Christmas should come early this year, so why not click the link below, and open your special gift right away!

There’s so much inspiration waiting for you.

Set the Mood with a Painterly Sunset

I’m excited to share a new video lesson with you! Let’s approach one of my favorite subjects for this paint along—a moody late-day sunset over the harbor. We’ll explore this scene in a loose, expressive fashion with bold strokes and fresh color.  

For this lesson, our intention is not to polish off the scene with subtle realism. Instead, we’ll suggest the mood of the moment through expressive strokes of pigment and inviting transitions of color and value. From hazy underpainting to sparkling mark-making, come along with me as we paint this coastal sunset together! 

Painting Fruit with Real Personality

Welcome to my favorite season! Here in New England, incredible colors fill the landscape as leaves change from summer greens toward golden oranges and reds. It’s my favorite time of the year. And with it, I’m excited to introduce our first lesson of the season.

This fall, I thought it would be great fun to explore a subject that delivers both a wonderful shape and some very inviting colors…it’s a fruit with real personality. Let’s try our hand at a loose, painterly interpretation of a pear!

In this exercise, you’ll have an opportunity to practice expressive mark-making and bold color accenting as you sculpt your pear to a painterly finish. And remember, it’s the fall, so don’t be afraid to reach for those exciting oranges and reds! 

PS. I would love to see your pear painting! Please share it with me by posting your painting to my facebook page or tagging me on instagram using my handle @alainpicard. Oh, and be sure to use the hashtag #painterlypear just for fun!

Designing with Shapes

September is here, which means school is back in session for my family. Call me nostalgic, but I thought it would be fun to extend the summer just a bit with a trip to the beautiful Plitvice Lakes of Croatia. I visited this beautiful paradise a couple of years ago on a painting trip, and I’d love to take you there. 

Let’s take a boat ride on the crystal-clear water, with a blue-green view that will afford us the opportunity to use one of my favorite colors as we paint this scene…turquoise! 

As we explore the scene together, it’s a perfect opportunity to discuss how to use shapes to design a strong composition. There’s such power in simplicity, so we can let our design take center stage.  

Join me for a final splash of summer here in September! 

How To Freshen Up Dull Paintings

“How can I get fresher color into my work?” 

Let’s admit it, we’ve all asked ourselves this question at one time or another. And in this week’s lesson, I’m going to answer the question by addressing what to do when it all goes muddy and dull. Take heart, fellow travelers, for all is not lost! 

As we develop our paintings, the work can get muddy or dull for a number of reasons. Let’s explore together how to freshen up an otherwise murky painting by using freshening strokes of color. To bring this lesson to life for you, I’m going to paint my way out of the mud. Will I be able to turn things around? 

Find out as you watch this lesson on fresh color.

How To Loosen Up With Painterly Edges

Do you find yourself asking the question, “How do I loosen up my painting?” I think we’ve all asked ourselves this question at one time or another. This lesson is my response to your question, empowering you to move toward a more painterly approach in your work by focusing on one specific technique—Edges.  

In this paint along demonstration of an apple, we’ll deploy a rich variety of edges, allowing for a more painterly expression of this subject. Be sure to download your “Painterly Edges Resource Guide” so you can paint along with me. In it, you’ll find a reference photograph, painting examples related to the lesson and clear supportive definitions for each type of edge that we’ll cover in this lesson. It’s going to be great fun to explore this lesson together! Are you ready to paint?

Paintings That Tell A Story: Underpainting Techniques to Capture Sunset Hues

Can you think back to a time when you went for a walk through the open fields at the end of the day, and everything around you felt just perfect?

That’s exactly what I want to share with you in this lesson as we take a walk down an old country road through the European countryside, enjoy the hazy, late day light of golden hour, and paint this country view together. Paintings like these are an opportunity to create a sense of place that evokes feelings of warmth and nostalgia in the viewer. I love creating these heartfelt paintings, and I think you will too.

Let’s see what beauty awaits us at the end of the road as we explore this blue country view in pastel. From underpainting techniques to capturing the raking light of sunset, there’s lots to learn along the way! 

Looking for an opportunity to learn more painterly techniques like these in a live workshop? There are just a few spots left in my upcoming Painterly Techniques on UART Workshop next month in Newtown, Connecticut. I’d love to encourage your creative development. Click here to learn more and register today!

Painting Bold Expressive Landscapes

Artists near and far have been asking me whether it’s ok to blend, how to make bold marks with pastel and which direction to make them in.

Well, get your passport ready and buckle up, because in this video we’ll travel to Europe and visit the beautiful German countryside. It’s time to paint expressive landscapes in black using bold marks and vibrant colors. As we do, we’ll talk about when to blend and when not to, as well as how to make those bold fresh marks in pastel.

P.S.  Be forewarned, this video is bound to inspire you to get out into the European countryside and paint expressive landscapes. But don’t despair, because you can still join me for an amazing Next Painting Retreat to Southern France! There are only a few spots left, so be sure to click here for all the details and sign up for our next class!

How to Set Up Your Pastel Palette

Would you like to paint faster and freer? What about making bold, expressive marks in pastel that sparkle with freshness and clarity? Sound appetizing? Then organizing your palette should be a top priority!

I realize that palette prep may not seem like the most critical step in developing a greater fluency in your pastel painting. But let me tell you from experience, you can more than double your painting speed while enhancing your creative flow and connection by taking the time to set up your palette in a logical and consistent manner.

I’m pretty passionate about this topic. And I’d love to teach you how to organize your palette for maximum painting efficiency.

Watch this video lesson and be sure to download my free Pastel Palette Template. This will help you organize your colors to paint whatever comes your way!

Four Strategies for Painting Greens

Summer is upon us, and with it the full spectrum of green has spread across the landscape. What better time than now to confront the troublesome topic of painting with greens! 

In this video lesson, I’ll respond to your questions regarding how to paint this uniquely challenging color in the landscape by providing four practical strategies for dealing with greens. No longer will you tremble in the sight of so much green, because now you’ll be empowered with effective techniques to keep your landscapes looking lush and vibrant.

Are you ready to go green together? Let’s do this.