Richard Robinson's Blog (229)

So what do I know about color?

It's what I've been asking myself for over a year now working on this Mastering Color course. Well I feel like it's all coming together in the latest chapter I've just finished - Chapter 5 "Mixing Color". I'm always a bit nervous when I release a new lesson - never sure if it's going to be… Continue

Added by Richard Robinson on December 14, 2009 at 14:18 — No Comments

Plein Air Oil Painting - Farm Road

2 Hours painting down Uretiti Road.

The Photo

Started getting cabin fever working in the studio today so I jumped in the car with my paints and headed down the road looking for a likely painting spot. First thing you notice when you do this is that the landscape… Continue

Added by Richard Robinson on November 25, 2009 at 15:20 — 2 Comments

Painting the Beach

New Version - 2009

Old Version - 2004

Painted this commission today. It's a redo of a scene I've painted a few times - one of my… Continue

Added by Richard Robinson on November 13, 2009 at 17:54 — 5 Comments

Seeing Color, Painting Value

Chapter 4 "Value" of the Mastering Color course is ready to go. I've spent a long time whittling this down to it's absolute core. There's just so much you could do here to learn about value, it was a matter of choosing the most powerful methods out of the bunch and putting that across in the best way. Most of the learning is about exploring it yourself, once I give… Continue

Added by Richard Robinson on November 10, 2009 at 13:25 — 5 Comments

Mastering Color Chapter 3

I'm on a roll! Shortly after completing chapter 2 last week I had a wee accident on my scooter. I had been intending to do some paintings for a local exhibition, but I found I couldn't hold a paintbrush at all, but I could still push a mouse, so I got to work on chapter 3 of the Mastering Color course.

All done now, ready for download here:… Continue

Added by Richard Robinson on October 18, 2009 at 14:30 — No Comments

Mastering Color Chapter 2!

Get it here: www.livepaintinglessons.com/colour.php

For all of you who've been waiting for me to get moving on this color video lesson, my sincere apologies that it's taken me so long to get around to it. A big part of the problem is that I keep learning new stuff about color, so at… Continue

Added by Richard Robinson on October 7, 2009 at 14:00 — 3 Comments

How to paint footprints in sand?

Summer Lacey asked me how to paint those little indents and footprints in the sand.

Here's some of what I wrote back...

I had someone who sent me a link to this viewing software: http://www.prvsoft.com/movie-player.html

This allows you to slow down some of the detail painting in the sand in my… Continue

Added by Richard Robinson on October 6, 2009 at 10:44 — 8 Comments

Summer - 30x30" Oil on Canvas

Just finished this one. Tried to really push the colour and brushwork and spent a lot of time trying to get the infused light effect of the sky pushing past the edges of the Pohutukawa tree. To do that I painted a pure blue layer first blocking in the shapes, then a darker layer just inside that one, painted the sky into… Continue

Added by Richard Robinson on October 1, 2009 at 17:28 — 4 Comments

King of the Castle - 30x30" Oil on Canvas

Here's another working through of the style concept I mentioned in the previous post - allowing loose brushwork to be made real by the finer detail in the painting. It's also about making my painting stand by itself instead of relying on the viewer's knowledge of a specific place to carry the work. In other words I'm trying to… Continue

Added by Richard Robinson on September 30, 2009 at 9:00 — No Comments

Boats Painting

30x30" Oil on Canvas

Painted this in one day back at the studio from a photo in Queenstown - had to clamber down a muddy bank to get this shot, but well worth it. I was following an idea I've continued to be intrigued by; letting loose brushwork be defined and made real by the contrast of seemingly fine detail. Also… Continue

Added by Richard Robinson on September 29, 2009 at 10:21 — 2 Comments

Painting the South

Sunset on 'The Remarkables'. (not a painting)

Back from painter's paradise in Queenstown, lower south island of New Zealand. Still one of my favorite places in the world - awe-inspiring, magnificent, grandiose, and WOW! are a few words that spring to mind. I can see why so many painter's move down here to live -… Continue

Added by Richard Robinson on September 24, 2009 at 10:56 — 3 Comments

South Island Painting Workshop

2x20" oil on Canvas - "Paradise Valley III"

Here's a painting I finished yesterday of Paradise Valley in the South Island. I was trying to give it a lot more drama than the calm scene in the photograph, so spent a bit of time trying to achieve a glowing look in the river and a wilder atmospheric effect in the… Continue

Added by Richard Robinson on September 3, 2009 at 14:27 — 4 Comments

Painting Questions - brush technique

Here's an email I answered recently - thought it might help some other folks out if I showed you my reply to John's questions....

The question...

"Hi Richard, attached is a painting that is the view out my bedroom window. I mixed the colors to match what is really seen. Much better than from a… Continue

Added by Richard Robinson on August 25, 2009 at 10:35 — No Comments

We're Back!

Well that was fun! 7 Nights in Rarotonga with my goodly wife and 5 friends. In case you're wondering, yes I did take my paints - lugged my big outdoor painting easil over there with me - don't know what everyone else had in their backpacks - mine was chocka! BUT, I didn't do any painting! I guess I could have made time for it but we seemed to be pretty busy most of the time - spent 4 days learning how to scuba dive and the rest of the time… Continue

Added by Richard Robinson on August 20, 2009 at 13:02 — 1 Comment

We're Leaving!

But we'll be back. :-) Going to Rarotonga for a week's holiday (leaving the kiddies with Grandma) and heading off in a Boeing heat-seeking airplane to soak up some vitamin D. It's winter here in New Zealand at the moment - a good cold one too.

Helen (my wife) and I are going to do a scuba diving course while we're there and get our diving tickets. Am debating whether or not to take my paints with me. Umming and ahhing about that. Got a… Continue

Added by Richard Robinson on August 5, 2009 at 13:29 — No Comments