Lines and Colors art blog
  • Joseph Alleman

    Joseph Alleman
    Utah painter Joseph Alleman works in both watercolor and oil, though watercolor seems to be his primary medium.

    Many painters in watercolor seek to take advantage of the transparent brilliance it makes possible, resulting in lots of high-chroma watercolors. Alleman takes a different track, seeking in watercolor its delicate and subtle qualities, variation in soft and hard edges and finessed value relationships.

    Alleman’s quiet evocations of the plains — farms and fields, houses and small towns — resonate with keen observation and a deft touch for capturing subtle changes in light. There is also in his work a consistent sense of the geometry in his compositions, at times reducing landscapes to a fairly strong level of abstraction.

    Unfortunately, the images on his website are smaller than you might hope for; there are somewhat larger ones on the sites of some of the galleries in which he is represented (links below). The selections on his site, however, are more extensive. Look for the link to “View Archived Works“.

    [Suggestion courtesy of Kan Muftic]



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  • Kan Muftic

    Kan Muftic, concept art for films and games
    Kan Muftic is a concept artist and illustrator based in London, UK. His film credits include Dracula Untold, Godzilla 2014, Guardians of the Galaxy, Cinderella and Edge of Tomorrow; games include Batman Arkham Knight, Batman Arkham City and Batman Arkham Asylum.

    The number of pieces available on his website and CG Society portfolio isn’t extensive, but they show a nice range of his different approaches. His style ranges from softly atmospheric to sharply detailed. He also varies his color palette from muted to intense. What carries through consistently is an emphasis on drama and visual focus.



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  • Eye Candy for Today: Willem Claeszoon Heda still life

    Still Life of Oysters, a Nautilus Cup, a Roemer, Lemon and Other Objects, Willem Claeszoon Heda
    Still Life of Oysters, a Nautilus Cup, a Roemer, Lemon and Other Objects, Willem Claeszoon Heda

    On Sotheby’s (zoomable). Direct link to image file here.

    I love the subtle sheen of colors in the nautilus cup, and the way the glassware almost disappears into the dark background.

    Interesting to compare to this somewhat more elaborate still life by Heda’s contemporary, Pieter Claesz, also featuring a nautilus cup.



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  • Model Sheets (@modelsheets)

    Model Sheets: Alex Toth, Jin Kim, Fleischer Studios, Alex Ross, Warner Brothers Studios, Jack Davis, Chuck Jones, Don Bluth, Jose Garcia-Lopez
    Model sheets, sometimes called character sets or “settei”, are drawings of characters in various views that are distributed to teams who work on the same animations, comics, or other art or illustration projects for which consistency in the rendering of the character must be maintained between several different artists.

    Model Sheets (@modelsheets) is a Twitter feed on which the user is posting model sheets and similar character standardization drawings from a number of sources and for a variety of projects, past and present.

    I don’t normally post about things like Twitter feeds that require an account or login, but there is also a website (not related) called Settei.net, that offers a number of similar drawings.

    (Images above: Alex Toth, Jin Kim, Fleischer Studios, Alex Ross, Warner Brothers Studios, Jack Davis, Chuck Jones, Don Bluth, Jose Garcia-Lopez)

    [Via MetaFilter]



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  • Victor Gilbert

    Victor Gilbert
    In the late 19th century, artists in Europe, emboldened by the advent of Realism and the freedom it granted from historical or romanticized themes, began to depict contemporary daily life. Some specialized in specific aspects of day to day life, particularly in Paris, center of the art world at the time.

    Victor-Gabriel Gilbert was a French painter who became known for his depiction of markets, especially flower markets, along with corner flower stands, flower carts and other subjects involving flower sellers.

    He often painted Las Halles, the largest market in Paris, and also depicted fish sellers and other aspects of the market. He returned often, however, to the subjects of flowers, sometimes in gardens or interiors, though rarely in the context of still life, at least not without incorporating figures or an interior scene.

    Gilbert brought to his realist style the vibrant color and free brushwork of the new Impressionist Painters, though he kept the influence somewhat restrained and created a nice blend of those elements with his more traditional draftsmanship.



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  • The Star of Bethlehem, Edward Burne-Jones

    The Star of Bethlehem, Edward Burne-Jones
    The Star of Bethlehem, Edward Burne-Jones

    On Google Art Project, high res downloadable file on Wikimedia Commons, original is in the Birmingham Museum and Art Gallery.

    Watercolor and bodycolor on ten sheets of paper, on stretcher, 101 × 152 in (260 cm × 390 cm), or roughly 8 ft x 12 ft.

    Based on his original design for a tapestry, Pre-Raphaelite painter Burne-Jones revisited his interpretation of the Adoration of the Magi in what was the largest watercolor of the 19th century.

    There is an article with background on the painting on Wikipedia.


    The Star of Bethlehem, Google Art Project

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Vasari Handcraftes artist's oil colors

Charley’s Picks
Bookshop.org

(Bookshop.org affilliate links; sales benefit independent bookshop owners; I get a small percentage to help support my work on Lines and Colors)

John Singer Sargent: Watercolors
John Singer Sargent: Watercolors

Sorolla the masterworks
Sorolla: the masterworks

The Art Spirit
The Art Spirit

Rendering in Pen and Ink
Rendering in Pen and Ink

Urban Sketching: Understanding Perspective
Urban Sketching: Understanding Perspective

World of Urban Sketching
World of Urban Sketching

Daily Painting
Daily Painting

Drawing on the right side of the brain
Drawing on the right side of the brain

Understanding Comics
Understanding Comics

Charley’s Picks
Amazon

(Amazon.com affiliate links; sales go to a larger yacht for Jeff Bezos; but I get a small percentage to help support my work on Lines and Colors)

John Singer Sargent: Watercolors
John Singer Sargent: Watercolors

Sorolla the masterworks
Sorolla: the masterworks

The Art Spirit
The Art Spirit

Rendering in Pen and Ink
Rendering in Pen and Ink

Urban Sketching: Understanding Perspective
Urban Sketching: Understanding Perspective

World of Urban Sketching
World of Urban Sketching

Daily Painting
Daily Painting

Drawing on the right side of the brain
Drawing on the right side of the brain

Understanding Comics
Understanding Comics