Members of the review team are integral to the success of hundreds of Photoshop artists. Highly trained, they provide over 15,000 video reviews a year for members of Beyond the Brushes.
Video feedback is the key to success for many who are new to Photoshop painting!
Kathy takes passing along a love for art seriously. Her father instilled it in her, and now, she has the opportunity to instill it in her precious granddaughter. So when her granddaughter asked for a painting of her with a butterfly, Kathy went above and beyond to deliver for her favorite model.
Artist: Kathy Terry kathyterryphotography.comHappy Spring! I’m not one for making New Year’s Resolutions, however, I do believe in goal setting. After all, a dream without a goal is just a wish, and wishes get you no where.
In this issue, we’re going to be talking about setting goals and how it can help you progress as an artist.
COVER IMAGE BY
Artist: Autumn Calvert www.autumncalvertart.com
Autumn started a painting, but it became its own. Experiences can change us and shape our future, and as she was painting this, Wendy Darling came to mind. It turned into an experiment of what might have happened after returning from her marvelous adventure to Neverland.
Magazine © Michelle Parsley, M. Photog., M. Artist, Cr., CPP
Student images © remain with each individual as noted.
Screen capturing artwork from the magazine for your own use - whether personal or commercial use - is a violation of the artists’ copyright which is punishable by Federal fines of up to $150,000 per image.
Please be respectful of the copyright of the artists. Thank you.
MASTHEAD & CONTRIBUTORS
MICHELLE PARSLEY PUBLISHER
HANNAH PARSLEY COPYWRITER
CATH SMITH EDITOR
ARTICLE:
NANCY FRAKES
IMAGES:
AUTUMN CALVERT
KATHY TERRY
ROWENA CHERRY
HEIDI GAUTHREAUX
LEONARD BETHEL
ANN LAUWERS
JANICE BATTERBEE
ALYCIA BARRY
DEB RICE
NANCY FRAKES
ZELDA O’REILLY
CATHERINE HALLECK
KELLY O’KEEFE
DIANNA RUCKER
RUSSELL KINERSON
ANGELA DE KORT
Heidi set out on three different missions for this series. The ballerina started off more traditional with Greasy Blender, Brushy Goodness, and Skin Blender, getting the pristine look. However, the whole concept changed when she took the advice to paint it with her left hand!
For the trumpeter swan, Heidi decided to challenge herself by painting her first scene from an image she’d taken in Grand Teton National Park. Greasy Blender and Brushy Goodness made another appearance to paint the water, and painting the image meant Heidi could elongate the swan’s wings and make it look even more graceful.
Lastly, the fox came from a stunning reference image that showed the stark contrast of the rust-colored fox from the blue tint in the snow. Using the technique she learned in a demonstration on how to paint a Christmas tree, Heidi got to work painting the pine trees and finished them off with the Snow Brush gift from Christmas of 2021.
Artist: Leonard Bethel www.leonardbethel.com
Leonard used a photograph of his cousin to practice warm/cool color integrations. It means a lot to be able to say that he is happy with the way it turned out, and he can’t thank Beyond the Brushes enough for its community of support.
Artist: Ann Lauwers www.anartistview.net
Ann found herself attracted to the way the lighting reflected off this gentleman’s face as he stood in the darkness. It was as if he was lost and trying to find his way, and luckily, he found his way into her painting!
https://www.instagram.com/janicebatterbee1695/
Janice thought painting this photograph would be a good way to remember this special day. Did you ever think you’d see someone jumping rope while on horseback? It takes practice, strong legs, and confidence in the horse, much like how this painting took practice, strong technique, and confidence in the reviewer and herself.
Artist: Janice Batterbee
Artist: Alycia Barry https://alycia-barry-studios.mailchimpsites.
Alycia finds motivation in creating meaningful artwork for clients but is sure not to exclude her friends from the fun. Her close friend is the proud owner of this adorable little guy, Jackson, and needless to say, her friend was jumping for joy when Alycia presented her with this painting.
Believe it or not, there is a right and wrong way to set a goal. When learning a skill as complicated as learning to paint, one can easily set goals that are too difficult to achieve. However, if you use the SMART system, you’ll find your goals well within reach and ready to conquer.
SMART is an acronym that you can use to guide your goal setting to make sure your goals are clear and reachable. It stands for:
Specific (simple, sensible, significant).
Measurable (meaningful, motivating).
Achievable (agreed, attainable).
Relevant (reasonable, realistic and resourced, results-based).
Time bound (time-based, time limited, time/cost limited, timely, time-sensitive).
Let’s break each one down…
Your goal should be clear and specific. When writing your goal, try to answer these questions:
What do I want to accomplish?
Why is this goal important?
Imagine that you have the goal of mastering the alla prima painted look. A specific goal
could be, “I want to gain the skills and experience necessary to leave bare canvas in my work that visually supports my subject(s).”
Without a measuring stick, there’s no way to track your progress and stay motivated. Measurable progress helps you to stay focused on achieving your goal!
How will I know when it is accomplished?
Using the previous example, you might set a goal to have the reviewer not mention revising the bare canvas in your painting. Of course, you may not start there, but being able to see major changes requested dwindling to minor, and then to none is a great way to know you’re on the right track.
Your goal needs to be realistic and attainable. It should stretch your abilities but not be so challenging it makes you want to cry. An achievable goal will usually answer questions such as:
How can I accomplish this goal?
How realistic is the goal, based on my current skill level?
Again, using our example of painting in the alla prima style, if you’re a Budding Artisan,
it is unreasonable to set the goal of painting an alla prima portrait in 6 months. However, if you’re nearing the end of the Apprentice Stage, this is a worthy goal to set.
Make sure that your goal matters to you. A relevant goal can answer “yes” to these questions:
Does this seem worthwhile?
Is this the right time?
Does this elevate my artistic style attracting more potential clients?
If alla prima doesn’t appeal to you, another style would be a better choice for you. It’s time to hit Pinterest and Google Art Project to see what kinds of paintings most appeal to you!
Every goal needs a target date so that you have a deadline to focus on and something to work toward. This part of the SMART goal criteria helps to prevent everyday tasks from taking priority over your longer-term goals. Make sure the time allowed is neither too little or too much. That said, don’t be afraid to add an extension if life throws you a curve ball.
To help you overcome the curveballs that life likes to throw and to maintain laser-like focus on your goals, here’s the best advice I’ve ever heard:
Connect your goal to a “why.”
Goals becomes easier when they’re connected to a reason and purpose. You can do that by completing this sentence:
“I want to ____ so that I can ____.”
For example: “I want to become a highly skilled painter so that I can build a profitable business, which will allow me to spend more time doing things I love.”
The “why” is having the time and resources to do things you love.
Do you have a goal you’d like to achieve? Write it down and make it happen!
Artist: Deb Rice
Deb started this painting with intentions of how she planned for it to go. There were two things she wanted to accomplish for her to be satisfied that it was complete. 1) She wanted to create a peaceful landscape setting, and 2) the paint strokes creating this tranquility needed to look organic.
Artist: Nancy Frakes
JOINING BEYOND THE BRUSHES IN AUGUST 2021 PROVED TO BE A CALCULATED DECISION. SHE STARTED OFF DIPPING HER TOES, BUT QUICKLY REALIZED, THE WATER WAS JUST RIGHT AND DOVE ON IN.
Artist: Nancy Frakes
Nancy’s painting experience didn’t start with a splash. She studied painting in college but elected not to pursue it. Instead, Graphic Design became her field and photography her hobby. Photoshop interested her, but she never understood it until she learned the Fundamental lessons in Beyond the Brushes. The nonoverwhelming material format coupled with painting practice was the start of a rewarding journey for Nancy. But how did the journey get started?
Well, another hobby Nancy has is training and showing dogs in obedience. When a dog acquaintance asked for a portrait of a dog on track to win a prestigious title, Nancy got to see the painting presented to the handler as the dog received the award. Impressed by the work, she inquired, found the artist on Facebook, and got linked back to Beyond the Brushes. Testing the free trial led to paying for the first month, and after getting a feel for the instruction and camaraderie, Nancy plunged in headfirst.
Painting has become a true passion for Nancy, and she learned using a familiar training tactic — positive reinforcement. Nancy devoured the lesson content, but many times, the subjects used for extra practice paintings didn’t appeal to her. Rather the drudging through, she swapped things up and used her own subjects. Her subjects often come from personal references of her four border collies or the animals at the world-class zoo near her home and references taken
by a friend for a local dog rescue with permission to paint. For this series, Nancy kept her brush wagging by selecting dogs as her subjects, but that wasn’t all the positive reinforcement she used!
Working in tandem with Brushy Goodness
Heavy and Greasy Blender is her favorite way to paint. Her method starts with Brushy Goodness Heavy accentuating details and then Greasy Blender to fill in the holes. The best part is stepping back after working hard and being pleased with the result, but sometimes, you don’t get that feeling right off the bat. There is a point in every painting where things just don’t seem to come together. This is the dreaded “ugly stage,” but Nancy keeps pushing forward and trying different things, like rotating the image to get a new angle.
Another key trick for Nancy is her environment. Having four interruptionprone dogs means achieving peace and quiet helps her concentrate on the task. She also doesn’t mind sitting down to read about or watch a video on a technique. When all else fails, Nancy isn’t afraid to take days or even weeks to step away, refresh her eyes, see inspiration from other artists, and return to try again. Ultimately, it’s about having the right motivation, the right environment, and the right training because you better believe Nancy already has the right attitude and is going to have a doggone good time.
NANCY TRAINS AND SHOWS DOGS IN OBEDIENCE, AND AS A FUR MOMMA OF FOUR BORDER COLLIES, SHE RELISHES BEING ABLE TO CREATE PET PORTRAITS WORTHY OF A PRIZE.
Artist: Nancy Frakes
Artist: Nancy Frakes
Setting achievable goals provides direction and motivation. It gives you a roadmap to success and a sense of purpose in your artistic journey. Rufus absolutely cannot allow this!
Rufus will tell you,
“You don’t need a goal. Just paint something!
“Setting a goal will force you into a box and stifle your creativity.”
“You don’t need to learn that technique, it’s too complex.”
Despite the tricky insistence of Rufus, always remember that clarity in your goals leads to clarity in your actions.
Whether it’s improving your techniques, mastering a new medium, or landing your first gallery exhibition, setting specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, and time-bound goals can make the difference
between simply dreaming and actively creating the kind of art you dream of.
Make sure your goals challenge you but are also realistic enough to keep you motivated, otherwise Rufus will hit you with his next tactic – overwhelm.
Nothing makes Rufus happier than saddling you with an insurmountable goal. You’ll find yourself completely frustrated and ready to quit rather than making progress.
Goals should be bite-size pieces, but Rufus will try to convince you to eat the whole elephant at once!
He’s tricky like that.
Remember, goals are always about progress, not perfection. The more you can quiet the voice of Rufus, the easier accomplishing your goals will become.
Artist: Zelda O’Reilly
Zelda did a lesson practice mash-up with this painting! Her goal was to incorporate the lessons on cool/warm tones, brush settings, and storytelling. Brushy Goodness did the majority of the work, but the Non-Mixing Organic Breaker Brush came through for some aspects of the painting. Then, Brayer Brush finished it off.
set out on the mission to think more like a painter. She envisioned a little girl playing with her puppies in the leaves on a cool fall day. Searching for just the right reference images, she came across 5 separate stock images and composited them together to create this playful painting.
Catherine
Artist:Catherine Halleck catherinehalleckphotography.com
Artist: Kelly O’Keefe www.kellyokeefephotography.com
Kelly delighted in the opportunity to do a photoshoot of a little girl with an over-the-top personality. The girl brought her stuffed dog, and Kelly snapped some paint-worthy shots. The grandmother and mom fell in love with this one, and each got a 24x24 to hang on their walls.
Dianna made connections with her students as a reading teacher. So when two of her former students had a baby in the fall, she decided to surprise them with a canvas of one of their photos. The mother recorded the couple opening the gift, and Dianna was delighted to experience their reactions.
Artist Dianna Rucker
Artist: Russell Kinerson
Russell had the idea to do a composite of two of his photographs and got right to work. He sketched out the major areas, blocked in with predominant colors, selected his color palette, and applied the paint directly. Other than his tracingassisted sketches, Russell took satisfaction in that he painted without cloning.
Artist: Rowena Cherry
https://www.facebook.com/
Rowena fancies fairytale art, especially when it comes to the whimsical flower fairies. It has been a eye-catcher for her since she was a child, so when she had the opportunity to create something with a touch of some fantasy magic, how could she tell little Rowena no?
Artist: Angela De Kort https://www.facebook.com/
Angela’s 8-year-old daughter finds remarkable joy in practicing rhythmic movements at random times throughout the day. She inspired Angela to reflect that delicacy and softness in a painting that shows the balance between creating a beautiful sculpture and fluid motion all in one routine.
