BLOG.FILARECKI.COM

Water Soluble Oils Contest Winners

Judy Filarecki — Wed, 30 Nov 2011 21:57:45 GMT

I recently ran a contest in Fine Art America for artists using Water-Soluble Oils. There were 29 submissions and voting was open to members and the public. Here are the results. Each one is outstanding in it own right.

First Place Pachek

Second and Third Place were tied between Sandra Valentini and Stefan Kuhn.

Congratulations to all the winners and a thank you to all who participated.

You can see all the submissions and their voting results at

http://fineartamerica.com/contests/water-soluble-oil-paintings-at-your-best.html?tab=leaderboard

Experimenting with Zazzle.com

Judy Filarecki — Wed, 12 Oct 2011 00:56:22 GMT

Recently I've been developing several different accounts for selling my artwork. The most recent has been through Zazzle. Here is an examples of one of the products I have produces in my store,

FilareckiFunArt

Stop by to see more of the many gifts you can get through Zazzle and how you can actually create your own personal ones without any difficulty. It is a great way to put your art to work if that is what you are looking for, as well as find unique gifts for others.

Judy

Modifying an Acrylic Painting with Water-Soluble Oils

Judy Filarecki — Tue, 06 Sep 2011 21:46:32 GMT

I finished an acrylic landscape painting in 2006 which has bothered me all this time. I finally analyzed what was bothering me and made changes to the painting using water-soluble oils.

You can see all the problems I identified and the changes I made in an article I just finished on Squidoo.

Water-Soluble Oil Paints over an Acrylic Landscape Painting

9-11 Remembering

Judy Filarecki — Thu, 25 Aug 2011 01:56:00 GMT

I painted this over the 4th of July using water-soluble oils. The theme just kept coming into my mind, and I started painting without any real plan of where to start. Things just began to take form as I put in a background which was originally going to be the aurora borealis. As the paint went on the canvas, I got the feeling that there were spirits floating up to the heavens. It was then that I wiped off some paint to create the ghost of the twin towers and then added the iron skeletons and dust rising up from the ruins.

Canvas and regular prints of this painting are now available. I don't usually use this blog to promote a painting of mine, but this one is very special to me and very appropriate to the time of year. If you have someone whom you feel would cherish this as I do, click on the link to the left to get information about what is available.

Hue,Value and Intensity

Judy Filarecki — Sat, 20 Aug 2011 19:12:04 GMT

I have updated my Squidoo Lens,
http://www.squidoo.com/mixing-colors
and also my web page,
http://www.filarecki.com/hue-value-intensity.html

Both articles are designed to define what "Hue," "Value" and "Intensity" are and then help you understand how to identify these three attributes of a color you are trying to mix.

They go on to explains the steps to take to actually come up with the desired color you are mixing.

I hope this simplified color mixing techniques is helpful for you.

Judy

Copyright 2011 Judy Filarecki

Setting Up an ETSY Shop

Judy Filarecki — Sat, 13 Aug 2011 15:46:03 GMT

Setting up my ETSY Shop, Filarecki Fine Art, has been keeping me pretty busy these days. I haven't been doing any art fairs the past several years because of some health problems, so I'm left with a lot of inventory of prints that I would like to sell.

ETSY is a place where only things made by the seller can be put in their shops, with the exception of vintage items which still have to be handmade. I had considered EB-Y, but there is so much stuff on there that has nothing to do with the artist making it, so I have always hesitated to use that service.

Filarecki Fine Art is growing day by day. It shows a wide view of the prints for sale, closeups so you can see detail, and a suggested version of how to display it. I hope you'll take the time to browse through it. Additions will be made either daily or several times a week. With summer's end coming up next month and the holidays approaching in rapid succession, there might just be the perfect gift for someone, including yourself, that you will find in my ETSY Shop.

Here's an example of a listing. Click on it to see more.

Using PhotoShop to Change the Shape of a Picture

Judy Filarecki — Fri, 22 Apr 2011 20:59:00 GMT

I was just experimenting with digital editing to change the shape of a photo of my painting that I did not get straight. It wasn't hard to do in PhotoShop so I thought I would share the process with you.

Here is the original:

Here is the transformed one:

The first thing you have to do is create a duplicate layer of the picture. Then click on the original layer and click on the "eye" to make that layer invisible in the work space. Expand the work space so there is a wide border around the picture.

Select the copy layer and then go to "Edit" and scroll down to "Free Transform" or (Control+T) and select it.

A box appears around the picture with small squares at the corners and sides. If you move your mouse outside the box, you will see curved arrows. Hold the right mouse button on the appropriate arrow and rotate the picture to initially straighten it.

Next move inside the box along the side and hold the right mouse button over a double arrow where you want to stretch to area. The results will be a painting with four corner.

You can re-size the overall picture by using holding the right mouse button over any of the squares on the corners or sides of the box.

Once you are satisfied, delete the original layer and save the file under a new name if you don't want to write over the original photo.

Painting Acrylics on Wood

Judy Filarecki — Thu, 13 Jan 2011 03:12:00 GMT

I was at an art show recently at a beautiful religious retreat in the desert. I decided to paint the mountain of rocks displaying the Madonna and Child that I could see from where I was set up.

I chose to do a 6-by-8 inch painting on a wooden artist panel that was 1-inch thick. I also decided to be brave and be creative with the colors.

I first applied a clear acrylic to the wood to seal it and help the acrylic paint adhere. I started with the colors of the sky at sunset and then carried the golden glow that usually accompanies the sunset throughout the rest of the painting.

Painting the face and child in the mother's arms was challenging because the image is only 1/2 inch high and about 1/4 inch wide.

To help paint it, I copied the painting into my Corel Painter 11 program, magnified that section of the painting and put in the details. From there I was able to go to the actual painting and duplicate it.

To finish it, I painted the sides black to give the painting the feel of a canvas wrap.

Introducing New Website for Judy Filarecki

Judy Filarecki — Wed, 08 Dec 2010 17:03:00 GMT

Up to this time, my main focus in my website,

http://www.filarecki.com/

has been in educating new artists in different painting techniques and other information.

More recently, I been busy developing a second website,

http://judy-filarecki.artistwebsites.com/

This site is for making my paintings available as Giclee prints on stretched canvas or on archival paper. They can be framed or unframed
and mailed directly to the purchaser in 2 to 3 business days.

"Flight Over Yosemite" is my latest addition to the collection.

Please take some time now to look at the new site. Feel free to comment.
I would appreciate any input you have.

http://judy-filarecki.artistwebsites.com/

Judy

Water Soluble Oils by Judy Filarecki

Judy Filarecki — Fri, 19 Nov 2010 00:45:00 GMT

Click to see a Slide Show of my work in

Water Soluble Oils

Judy

Digital Paintings

Judy Filarecki — Fri, 19 Nov 2010 00:36:00 GMT

I have been experimenting with digital art over the past two weeks. I have a trial version of Corel Painter 11. I definitely like it and plan to purchase it. This picture was one of my abstract attempts. Click on the picture to see more.

Judy

Painting Rocks in Landscapes

Judy Filarecki — Thu, 15 Apr 2010 00:30:00 GMT

Painting rocks in landscapes can either be easy, or

very difficult if you get over whelmed by detail in them.

Usually, I don't have problems with painting rocks.

But this time,

I ran into a boulder which had a formation I was completely unfamiliar with.

I didn't do too badly with the first under painting of them.

But as I progressed, my mind kept seeing rows of shingles like cedar shakes lined up on the side of a house.

I was totally frustrated...

Finally, a good friend of mine who has a much better understanding of geology,
explained to me that the rocks are really a series of vertical rock
divided by stress fissures that give them the appearance of being individual rocks.

Once I had an understanding of that concept, this is the results.

Now they looked more like the original.

One thing I thought of after wards was to use a trick I learned many years ago.

When you turn a picture upside down you use your creative right side of the brain and you can take over the control of what you actually see rather than what your logical left brain thinks you see.

Judy

Sharing an Experiment I did in the Water Soluble Oils Forum

Judy Filarecki — Fri, 11 Dec 2009 23:10:00 GMT

I'd like to share an experiment I did in the Water Soluble Oils Forum. It consisted of putting a clear acrylic spray over a watercolor, so I could add water soluble oils (also know as water mixabIe oils) over it to add something more to the painting without disturbing the background.

I had a watercolor landscape that I had done several years ago which I kept feeling was not finished. It was on clayboard, and I sealed it with a clear acrylic spray, so I would not have to cover it with glass. When I looked at it recently, I decided I wanted to add some horses to the landscape, but they could not be in watercolor since the painting was sealed.

I thought that the safest thing to do was to experiment by painting a small picture using the combination of watercolor, acrylic and water soluble oils. This way I could be sure that it would work before possibly ruining the bigger landscape I wanted to alter.

First I took a 5 x 7 clayboard and painted a watercolor background.

After several hours to be sure it was dry, I sprayed it with two layers of clear acrylic spray.

The next day I wiped on a very thin film of walnut oil over the entire surface to act as a bonding agent for the water soluble oils. This also helps to make the paint go on more smoothly over the acrylics.

I sketched Mozart, my cat, using raw sienna. Having the thin film of oil on the surface allowed me to make adjustments to the sketch without disturbing the background or leaving any residue color.

The next morning, I decided I didn't like the way the tip of the tail was, so I put a little walnut oil on a paper towel and wiped the end of the tail off an repainted it.

Because I was using water soluble oils rather than acrylics, I was able to do this very easily.

I was happy with the results and even added some more color to the background with the water soluble oils. I really liked the tail much better, too.

If you would like know more about water-soluble oils go to

http://watersolubleoils.forumotion.com/forum.htm

Also, be sure to visit my web site for more information on painting techniques at

http://www.filarecki.com/

Judy

Mozart Copyright 2009 Judy Filarecki

Water Soluble Oils Forum discusses Different Brands

Judy Filarecki — Sat, 28 Nov 2009 14:17:00 GMT

Our forum is growing rapidly and great discussions are developing.

One thread you should take a look at is

http://watersolubleoils.forumotion.com/questions-answers-f5/what-brand-of-water-soluble-oils-do-you-use-t7.htm

Artist members discuss the different brands of water soluble oils they use.

They not only discuss the paints themselves, but also the thinners and mediums they use to alter the properties of the paints to meet their needs in a particular situation.

You are welcome to read all the threads to learn more about water soluble oils.

If you want to contribute to the discussion, join our forum by registering to become a member. It is free and there are no strings attached. We just ask that you share your knowledge and questions so we can all learn.

I look forward to seeing you all there.

Judy

New Water Soluble Oils Forum

Judy Filarecki — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 23:13:00 GMT

Looking for a water soluble oils forum (also know as water mixable oils)?

Well, several of us who enjoy painting with water soluble oils have gotten together to create a forum for others who enjoy the same thing.

We are a friendly group of people from all over the world who love to share our work, knowledge, and experience, or lack of it, with whomever would like to share theirs with us.

If you would like to join us go to

http://watersolubleoils.forumotion.com

This is a new forum so you can help form it with your great ideas,

Right now have

a place to introduce yourself and post some of your work
a general chat place where you can talk about anything you would like with other members
a place to make suggestions about what you would like to see on the forum
a quesion and answer thread with lots of great technical information about water soluble oils
a place to show completed paintings
a place for works in progress (WIP) for you to share and get help with if want it.
a critique corner
group challenges
and a Reference Image Library (RIL) for Members.

Also a fun thread called the Trash Bin where you can show some of your "not so good" work.

Give us a try. There is so much to learn and so much to share.

I look forward to seeing you on the forum.

Judy

The Art of Painting with the Help of Photoshop

Judy Filarecki — Wed, 11 Nov 2009 00:44:00 GMT

The Art of Painting is something that just doesn't happen without effort and the right tools. One tool I use a great deal is Photoshop to help me plan out a painting and get the feel of layout. I'd like to share some of the process I used to get from a video to a painting.

First I took a video of the sunrise and panned the horizon so I would get all three of the mountains I can see from my backyard.

The following are the first, middle and last frames of the video saved as jpgs. I did this with my movie editing program.

Next, I stitched the images together in Photoshop to get a complete panoramic photo.

And from there I started painting. Of course, I modified things a little (or a lot).

The mountains look very small and far away according to the camera, where as when you see them in real life, they are much bigger.

When I made them larger, I found that I had to compress the Catalina Mountain Range if I wanted to get all three ranges in. If I didn't, the painting would have been 10 feet long.

As it is, it is 4 feet long by 2 feet high.

When it came to the foreground, I got my handy digital camera out and went down the road a mile to capture pictures of the Santa Cruz River where it flows in several streams.

By my house, the river flows through a deep ditch which isn't very aesthetic, and the reflections are hard to capture.

By adding the river in the foreground, I was able to create a colorful reflection of the sky.

Without that, the whole bottom half of the painting would have been a dull, non-descript space comparable to what you see in the original photograph.

To set the mountains back in the distance, I added some saguaros.

The minute they were added, you got the sense of the distance and size of the mountains and the beauty of the sky at sunrise.

So there you have it. I went from a video of the sunrise over the Catalina Mountain Range to a complete painting making use of a video camera, a video editing program, Photoshop, a digital camera, a canvas, paints, brushes and imagination.

Hope this has inspired you to be creative with what you and your camera see.

If you would like to purchase a step-by-step DVD demonstrating how to paint clouds, mountains and foreground, go to

http://www.judyfilarecki.com/

There is a 9 minute preview of the hour long DVD.

To learn more about painting, be sure to visit my web site

http://www.filarecki.com/

How to Lighten and Darken Bright Colors: An Alternative for Changing Color Values

Judy Filarecki — Thu, 22 Oct 2009 00:59:00 GMT

Recently, I finished painting what was going to be a red rose. Every time I do that, I run into the same problem...highlighting.

Traditionally you would change the color value by adding white and that would be the highlight.

I can deal with that with most colors, but not with red...it becomes pink and that is not what I want.

I belong to a forum of artists at

http://watersolubleoils.forumotion.com/forum.htm

and I asked if anyone had any suggestions for me regarding this. I was referred to

http://www.jerrysartarama.com/videoApplication/videoLessonListing.html

There are a whole series of free instructional videos you can view.

I was specifically directed to one by Mike Rooney where he demonstrated how to lighten colors without using white. It was fascinating and I strongly recommend that you look at it.

http://www.jerrysartarama.com//videoApplication/videoLesson.html?title=Mike%20Rooney%20-%20%22How%20to%20Lighten%20Bright%20Colors%22&id=159&res=lowRes&catTitle=Artists&subTitle=Mike%20Rooney&cat=4&sub=4

While I was there, I also look at one on his that demonstrated how to darker colors without using the complement of that color which would tend to gray it down and dull it. Of course, sometimes that is what you want, but other times, you want the color to darken without being dulled down. You can view this video at :.

http://www.jerrysartarama.com//videoApplication/videoLesson.html?title=Mike%20Rooney%20-%20%22How%20to%20Darken%20Bright%20Colors%22&id=155&res=lowRes&catTitle=Artists&subTitle=Mike%20Rooney&cat=4&sub=4

I haven't had time to look at other ones, but t here sure is a wealth on free information at the http://www.jerrysartarama.com/videoApplication/videoLessonListing.html

Check it out.

Judy

Copyright 2011 Judy Filarecki

Rheumatoid Arthritis and Carpal Tunnel: An Artist's Nightmare

Judy Filarecki — Mon, 05 Oct 2009 01:13:00 GMT

What does an artist do when her hands becomes a problem because of rheumatoid arthritis or carpal tunnel? I have just had to face these problem over the past 8 weeks.

I was getting very frustrated being away from painting for so long and decided that there was something I could do about it. After all, I had been a physical therapist for 40 years and had adapted things for my patients on a regular basis...so why not for myself.?

When I finally realized that I could do something, I came up with this idea.

Of course, it was like learning to paint all over again, especially since I am a very detailed person and this isn't really conducive to detail. Maybe in time as I practice, it will improve.

My plan is to drill different size holes in tennis balls so they will accommodate different size brushes.

Just as I writing this, my mind is racing with all the possibilities. I just realized that I could probably use the same ball for three different sizes. That would definitely take up much less room in my paint box.

I was always told that "where there is a will, there is a way." I think I have found a way to overcome the hand problems I'm developing because of the rheumatoid arthritis and carpal tunnel. I sure hope so because there is an unending list of paintings I want to do before I'm finished.

Feel free to pass this on to others, and if you have any suggestions, I would live to hear them. Just send them to me in the comments section.

If you would like to see more of my paintings and get some painting tips, go to my web site http://www.filarecki.com

Judy

How to Keep Your Colors Vibrant

Judy Filarecki — Fri, 04 Sep 2009 13:09:00 GMT

Are your vibrant colors dull?

Here is a painting tip on how to keep your vibrant colors brilliant.

Do you struggle with keeping you vibrant colors from becoming dull? I often did when I first started painting, but then I gradually realized what it was that was making my colors loose their brilliance.

The secret to keeping them from being dull is to never use any color that has the third primary color in it.

For example, suppose you are painting some flowers that are just the most vibrant blue violet you have ever seen. The complementary color to blue/ violet is yellow/orange. The blue/violet is made up of red and blue as their two primary colors. The yellow/orange is made up of red and yellow as its primary colors. Yellow, as the third primary color in the mix, will result in dulling down your blue violet.

Of course you want to take advantage of this in areas where you want to make the areas darker. Using the yellow/orange will enable you to create deep and shallow shadows which will give the flowers shape.

Keeping in mind that the third primary color will always dull the mixture of the two other primary colors, you can use this to your advantage no matter what colors you are using.

For more information on color mixing go to my website at www.filarecki.com/mixing-colors.html

Copyright 2011 Judy Filarecki

Analogous Colors: What are They

Judy Filarecki — Sat, 08 Aug 2009 15:41:00 GMT

New Page on Analogous Colors added to Mixing Colors

When you are looking for information on mixing colors at www.filarecki.com ,you can find a new page talking all about analogous colors.

We've all seen them and use them frequently in our color schemes when we decorate our homes, but we're not completely sure we know what they are except that they look good together.

To help you understand analogous colors better and help you choose more wisely, I have devoted a page on my website to explain them to you.

Take a moment now to go to analogous colors.

If you would like some home decorating ideas go to http://www.squidoo.com/home-decorating-analogous-colors

BLOG.FILARECKI.COM

Water Soluble Oils Contest Winners

Experimenting with Zazzle.com

Modifying an Acrylic Painting with Water-Soluble Oils

9-11 Remembering

Hue,Value and Intensity

Setting Up an ETSY Shop

Using PhotoShop to Change the Shape of a Picture

Painting Acrylics on Wood

Introducing New Website for Judy Filarecki

Water Soluble Oils by Judy Filarecki

Click to see a Slide Show of my work in

Water Soluble Oils

Digital Paintings

Painting Rocks in Landscapes

Painting rocks in landscapes can either be easy, or

Sharing an Experiment I did in the Water Soluble Oils Forum

Water Soluble Oils Forum discusses Different Brands

New Water Soluble Oils Forum

The Art of Painting with the Help of Photoshop

How to Lighten and Darken Bright Colors: An Alternative for Changing Color Values

Rheumatoid Arthritis and Carpal Tunnel: An Artist's Nightmare

How to Keep Your Colors Vibrant

Analogous Colors: What are They