Eye Candy for Today: Durer ink drawing
An Eastern Ruler Seated on His Throne. Albrecht Durer, pen and black ink on paper, 12 x 8 inches (31 x 20 cm), in the collection of the National Gallery of Art, DC.
Durer was a master of painting, graphics and, of course, drawing. In this wonderful ink drawing, his command of line, hatching and cross hatching gives the impression of an image much more detailed than it actually is. His lines swoop and swirl, suggesting the depth of the folds, and the curves of the face and sharply define the sword and royal accoutrements.
Giorgiones Adoration of the Shepherds
Adoration of the Shepherds, Giorgione, oil on panel, 36 x 43 inches (91 x 110 cm), in the collection of the National Gallery of Art, DC.
The briliant Venetian painter Giorgione, who was likely Titian’s teacher, studied for a time with Giovanni Bellini. You can see the influence, and fascination with landscape, evident in Bellini’s Saint Francis in Ecstasy (top image from my post on Bellini).
As in that painting, Giorgione provides a monumental rock face within which is a cave. As in Bellini’s painting, and similar paintings of the time, almost everything, has a symbolic meaning, particularly plants. The trees and...
Arthur Rackham illustration from The Night Before Christmas
The great “Golden Age” British illustrator Arthur Rackham created illustrations for an edition of Clement C. Moore’s beloved poem, The Night Before Christmas in 1915. There is a version of the edition on Wikisource.
The illustrations range from brief ink sketches to more fully realized ink and watercolor paintings.
In this one, we see The Jolly One and his reindeer powered sleigh approaching, relating to the passage in poem in which he calls the team by name and urges them to dash away.
I love the convoluted passage Rackham has arranged for the sleigh to pass through and the wonderful textures he’s given...
Varnishing oil paintings sooner than six months
There is a lot of interest online in the prospect of varnishing oil paintings sooner than has been traditionally recommended.
When I was in art school, and ever since, I’ve been told it’s necessary to wait six to nine months to varnish an oil painting. For the most part, this is still true. However, after some research into the matter, there appears to be an exception to that rule in the form of a certain varnish formulation.
Gamvar by Gamblin is promoted as different from other varnishes. According to the manufacturer, it permits varnishing oil paintings sooner than others, typically one to...
Winter Solstice Eye Candy: Monsted’s Winter
Winter, Peder Mork Monnsted, oil on canvas, 32 x 48 inches (84 x 122 cm). Link is to 2023 past auction on Sotheby’s; large image here from this article on the At Sunnyside blog.
Peder Mork Monsted, the wonderful Danish landscape painter, was noted for his snow scenes and their remarkable fidelity to the light and color of the season.
The view here is contra-jour (literally “against the day”), looking into the sun, which is stragetically located behind a tree. The light and shadow fan out as they approach us, the diagonals inviting us further into the scene, to the modest house...
Siderurgy by Alex Andreev
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Alex Andreev on ArtStation
Ibuki Satsuki
Ibuki Satsuki (handle: Moyu Zhai) is a Chinese digital artist whose works are often wistful, whimsical and evocative.
Though the characters are manga/anime influenced, they’re not overly stylized. Of most interest to me, though, are the backgrounds and environments. These range from fantastical to more identifiable real world scenes., often with dramatic lighting and Art Nouveau flourishes.
I took particular note of the handling of night subjects in which much of the image is dark, punctuated by artfully controlled elements of light.
Ceramic 03 by Sheng Lam
- more things for Ceramic (still cooking on it)
- more non related drawings over the last few years
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Sheng Lam on ArtStation
House Of The Dead by Artem Chebokha
Cover illustrations for Nicki Pau Preto's book I made in 2024
OPEN FOR WORK: art.rhads@gmail.com
tutorial about my photoshop technique:
https://artstn.co/m/waxo
Prints:
https://www.artstation.com/rhads/prints
View this on ArtStation
Artem Chebokha on ArtStation
Sketches
"Outrenoir" by Artem Chebokha
Cover illustrations for Marc J. Gregson's books I made in 2024 and 2025.
OPEN FOR WORK: art.rhads@gmail.com
tutorial about my photoshop technique:
https://artstn.co/m/waxo
Prints:
https://www.artstation.com/rhads/prints
View this on ArtStation
Artem Chebokha on ArtStation