Ashley Hurst | TheVirtualInstructor Blog

Painting a Fantasy Image with a Model

Ashley Hurst — Mon, 20 Sep 2021 17:53:03 +0000

Painting and drawing fantasy imagery is fun and creative. However, one major challenge to doing so is a lack of references. Portrait and landscape artists always have a reference to work from. Unfortunately, artists that paint fairies and dragons do not. References give an artist confidence to know that what he/she is painting will be […]

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3 Tips to Improve Your Figure Drawing

Ashley Hurst — Mon, 10 May 2021 14:04:17 +0000

Drawing the figure from life is challenging and exciting. Different than drawing from a photograph, life drawing is time sensitive. One must capture a fleeting moment before the light changes or before the model gets tired. A photo, on the other hand, can last forever, allowing the artist to work at a leisurely a pace. […]

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Drawing With Water Soluble Crayons

Ashley Hurst — Fri, 03 Jul 2020 16:59:43 +0000

What do water soluble crayons and the Swiss Army Knife have in common? Three things – variety, versatility and Switzerland, of course. I’m specifically talking about the Swiss made, water soluble crayons by Caran d’ Ache. In this lesson, we’ll take a quick look at this interesting medium, see why these are not your “ordinary […]

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Oil Painting – Vegetable Still Life

Ashley Hurst — Mon, 25 May 2020 14:58:27 +0000

Fruits and vegetables have always been a popular motif in art. From the walls of Pompei to the canvases of Cezanne, artists have enjoyed the challenge and satisfaction of capturing the subtle variations of color and form as observed in fruits and vegetables. Here’s an example of a fresco from ancient Pompei, circa 70 AD… […]

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Watercolor Landscape – A Few Tips to Make the Process Easier

Ashley Hurst — Thu, 20 Feb 2020 12:00:59 +0000

Do you find watercolor painting frustrating? It doesn’t have to be. Watercolor is a beautiful and unique medium. The characteristics of watercolor that attract some artists are the very same characteristics that repel others. In this lesson, we’ll look at a watercolor painting from start to finish and present a few solutions to common “problems” […]

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Wet into Wet – Mixing Paint on the Canvas

Ashley Hurst — Thu, 06 Feb 2020 12:00:39 +0000

There are many ways to make a painting. Most painters today pre-mix a range of colors on their palette at the beginning of a painting. Some painters start with a drawing while others forgo that step altogether. Some thin their paints with medium. So many decisions. All a person can do is try the many […]

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Managing an Art Classroom

Ashley Hurst — Thu, 23 Jan 2020 12:00:47 +0000

Being a good art teacher means much more than being a good artist. A characteristic common to good art teachers is proper classroom management. So, what does a well-managed classroom look like? What does a well-managed classroom do? The formula for a well managed classroom has many variables. A few characteristics common to well managed […]

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Draw and Paint Like You’re Writing a Story

Ashley Hurst — Thu, 16 Jan 2020 12:00:19 +0000

Sometimes, a view finder and beautiful scenery is all that is needed to get started on a drawing or painting. Other times, a work of art may require the artist to piece together a composition from disassociated parts. In such a case, a painting is like an essay or a story. Each pictorial element is […]

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Beyond The Pinch Pot

Ashley Hurst — Thu, 09 Jan 2020 12:00:35 +0000

Do you remember the first sculpture you made from clay? Was it a pinch pot? Pinch pots are the easiest object to make because the process is almost intuitive. A pinch pot, however, can also serve as the first step in the creation of more exciting sculptures. This lesson outlines the steps to create one […]

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A Special Baroque Painting Technique

Ashley Hurst — Tue, 31 Dec 2019 12:00:49 +0000

Have you ever asked yourself why artists paint directly on white canvas? The answer lies in the not-so-distant past. The often-celebrated Impressionists (working in the 19th century) preferred white canvases because they felt that colors looked brighter when painted over a white surface. Impressionists also worked in the open air, in an attempt to capture fleeting […]

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