A lot of questions come up as photographers and hobbyists enroll in my Artistry Academy of Painting for Photographers.
One recent query that really amazed me was whether I made people paint like me. This photographer told me she had studied with someone who tried to get her to paint like him and she had been too intimidated and couldn't do it.
I told her that my view of teaching is the complete opposite. I encourage her to paint like her, not like me, and I create all of my videos, webinars and brushes with that goal in mind.
To me, there's no joy in trying to copy someone else's painting style, whether you can do it or not. It's just not creative. The excitement in learning to turn photos into paintings, I think, is following your own muse, not someone else's.
It's a lot more fun, I think, to learn the tools of the trade and then apply them with your own creativity than to be told by the instructor that it's their way or the highway.
And for painting based on photos, these tools include art and color theories and the Corel Painter and Adobe Photoshop software painting steps.
In the case of art and color theories, in the Artistry Academy we look at artists and paintings through the centuries to learn the ingredients they used to paint their masterpieces.
I feature examples of paintings by renown artists from Rembrandt and Cézanne to Turner and Bouguereau in the close to 60 class videos and webinar recordings available to members at the Artistry Academy website.
In these video classes, you see how great artists employed art and color theories not to copy them, but to learn from them as a springboard for turning your photos into paintings in Corel Painter and Adobe Photoshop
As for the Corel Painter and Adobe Photoshop software painting steps, the Artistry Academy features instructional videos that show not just how to use the software, but also all of my unique tips and techniques I've discovered over my 30+ (!) years of painting with Painter and Photoshop.
I'm always delighted when I see someone who studies with me painting in their own style and it happened again recently when I invited members of the Artistry Academy of Painting for Photographers to send in paintings based on photos for our monthly Artistry Academy Feedback Webinar, where I go over members' work and answer their questions.
I opened the email submissions and I was so happy when I saw Maureen (MoMo) Johnston's lovely vase, pictured above.
Not only did she do a great job turning the vase photo into a beautiful painting, but she also painted it in her own style, not mine.
MoMo was able to take what she learns in the Artistry Academy about art theories and Adobe Photoshop software steps for turning photos into paintings and use it to create her own painted look.
In the Artistry Academy Feedback Webinars, we cover what you want to paint and your progress, not how I want you to do it. It's a forum for you to ask how to get to where you'd like to go with your painting and is the secret ingredient for painting like you, not me. It's like getting high-priced private mentoring for the low monthly membership fee.
The suggestions I provide in the Artistry Academy Feedback Webinars are all based on traditional art theories that I teach in the class videos. My comments don't stem from my own individual taste because everyone's tastes are different.
I also believe in encouraging members, not discouraging them.
So I avoid saying things like you should do it this way or this is no good.
I will, however, make recommendations about applying the lessons that I cover in all the Artistry Academy videos about colors, tones and composition theories.
But they still are just theories and in the end, everyone is free to follow the rules or break them and paint in their own style, not mine.
Look at it this way: All of the art and color theories that I teach have been used by artists as diverse as Monet and Picasso through the centuries to produce very different results. So you can employ these art and color theories to devise your own style, too.
One thing that's interesting about painting with your own unique style: It's funny how it doesn't take extra work to create it. It just happens naturally, emerging on its own like a photo in a developing tray, without any additional effort by you. It's not like you have to study styles and work to figure out yours. It just happens naturally the more you study and practice painting.
I would say studying art and color theories is a good idea, even if you don't follow them to the letter, because if you don't study art and artists as you learn to paint, you'll just be practicing what you don't know.
So join us and learn to turn photos into paintings in Corel Painter or Adobe Photoshop like you, not me, at the Artistry Academy of Painting for Photographers.
Click here for more information and to join today!
Happy painting!
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