Art

The Canons of the Body

ISO 'A Size' Guide

Imperial to Metric Guide

The Canons of the Head

'I believe in forward thinking societies who exist to create better links between artists and their clients, so I'm proud to have the opportunity to uphold the Fine Art Trade Guild standard in commercial quality. Because my products don't just represent me, they stand for the progress of art industry principles in good craftsmanship and sound public relations'.

So what does this mean to me?

As an artist & online gallerist professionalism is a way of life, as to me the idea behind being creative is to help others in society to develop and improve their trust in themselves, which inherently then manifests as confidence in the very nature of the expression. Because the great thing about art is you can take your creativity in any direction you want, and by doing this a lot you can perhaps learn to experiment, which does lead to finding your own creative niche. You don't need to be a slave to art, just be willing to evolve by taking a few risks here and there, to ultimately be able to see beneath life's delusion.

As superficial means inexorably lead to shallow results, the best thing to do is have patience with your efforts, until you discover what's best for you. Only you alone will know when you are at your best, because in the long term you will be pleased with your results, so I would suggest looking at the item every-day for twelve months until it comes time to apply a layer of varnish.

This creates a favoured approach to art by way of learning to control your decision-making process, known otherwise as criticism you begin to probe the creative process to find better results out of life. This is because we reproduce on canvas what is true to us by way of manufacturing an outcome, as opposed to projecting desires as is usually believed.

As a matter of note, on how complicated you, your life, or your art is, I would say the product is as 'direct' or otherwise as the process that bore the fruit. Don't worry about opportunities to make a mistake as these only serve to refine your understanding of the system you employ from the very beginning. Because in truth, we only ever know what we can foresee, and this means we begin our life as novices and end our careers as open-minded learners.

Repeated exposure to previous years of achievements does help, but only being able to pierce the surface of life and reflect on our expectations, will EVER satisfy your lust for acknowledgement as an artist. Just as having a financially rewarding deal to pay the bills does to your mood in life, art in its purest sense is only a means to convey your joy at being a part of something bigger and better.

So don't worry about the ever increasing social differences in life, because in being an artist you learn you are a part of the world in most ways, as you go through life you build associations and connections that shape your own and other peoples’ futures in a direct and sometimes profound way, that is the power of art. By taking visual inspiration and turning it into a presentation, you look to the here and now for meaning. Finding new avenues everywhere to expand into and express that rich variety of emotion that adds depth and colour to life.

But to reflect on a continuing commitment to fully nurture your creativity, it is also choosing to be very inquisitive about life. Because in projecting your ideas onto canvas you inevitably gain peace in the portrayal of nature, and so philosophically speaking we all create authentic art.

Being the oldest known and more deeply felt aspects to self-expression I often look with wonder at what the old masters of antiquity have achieved. With lesser tools and support than we now have, I begin to ponder on what prompted them to paint the way they did, which has furnished me with an entire display cabinet worth of musings. As I begin to open my mind to grander possibilities that live normally out of reach, but within the realm of imagination.

I guess an artist's studio is a kind of lateral thinking guidance on life for arts and humanities enthusiasts with many forms of knowledge and insights garnered over twenty or more years on art. Guiding and explaining art terms, styles, and techniques, which will hopefully help people who are interested in, or work with life. By learning some of the many approaches that go into the making of an artist you become more aware of our rich tapestry including:

Traditionalism is a philosophy that confidently emphasises the crucial role of preserving traditional values and institutions.

Explore the transformative power of spirituality and tap into your inner potential.

Classicism is characterised by a focus on ancient Greek and Roman culture, as well as a commitment to order, balance, and harmony.

Humanity is a complex and diverse concept that encompasses the entire sum of our experiences.

Psychology is the study of human social interactions within a communal environment.

Culture is an art that narrates unique stories and encompasses human history.

Community is a vision that speaks from the heart, handcrafted with love, for your soul.

Consider researching some others to include like:

Professionalism,
Society,
Democracy,
Capitalism,
Authority,
Utilitarianism,
Establishment,
Science,
Career,
Academia,
Individuality,

Between all these approaches you would create one-of-a-kind handcrafted art portfolios, each meticulously hand crafted with great attention to detail, ensuring the highest quality standards, for a unique experience by explore the talented artist within you using a unique artistic methodology. By creating a piece of art that is testament to your dedication and craft, you make breathtaking pieces that embody the true spirit of YOU , and accomplish art that focuses on sophistication and refinement.

Here, "Bound by Uniqueness" means finding out about the many cultures that exist in modern life, and discovering who and what you think you are. In this sense art is essentially a tool for meditation by reflecting back to us our true desire for balance and harmony and so............ to be grounded, Objet D'art is more my style where the object has: value, worth, meaning, style, and an inherent attraction.

Here, the old-masters transcend my definition of art, because I'm not an old-master - just a copyist, as in this strand of thinking your view of art is just as valid as my own, because art is an expression of YOUR world, where you learn to recognize your own place in it when you make art.

When young I was regularly given pieces of scrap paper and handed my first toy which was a pencil, and this fired my curiosity and wonder at what the outcome could be. I found learning a deeply gratifying pastime to distract me from the many free hours I had as a child, and by the time I entered school I had accrued enough confidence to go from imaginative scribbles to copying very simple designs from magazines.

I’m an entirely self-taught artist and subscribe to an independent yet informal approach in my studio practice, as I draw my inspiration from matters that are close to the moment I live in. By nature I provide commercially styled art including writing from the Scottish School, and test the nature of my artistic abilities by formulating observations on the world at large.

One of the oldest known activities in the world, art has a lot of visual inspiration that comes from a deeply formal outlook to life and to present this as a question, I often wonder about the lure of the old masters.

Asking what prompted them to paint the way they did I'm furnished with an entire lifetime's worth of musings, thus I nurture my creative side and feel inquisitive about life sometimes. Looking to the here and now for meaning, I find new avenues everywhere to expand into and express that rich variety of the world which adds depth and colour to life.

When I start to open my mind to greater possibilities that normally live out of reach but within the realm of imagination, my creative juices begin to develop into passion and a creative urge.

And then decided to be more professional and produce a portfolio of products each unique within themselves, my art then became much more than a social pastime, it evolved into a visual language. I had discovered many types of rewarding and inspiring art along with their associated practices, and I believe that to make anything you must first have the notion to create or express an idea or feeling. Then be motivated enough to bring the project into being, through the knowledge of your chosen vehicle.

So what on earth constitutes art?

1. Art: A depiction of a historical set of Norms.
2. Craft: Utilising Old & New Approaches.
3. Design: A Practical Approach to Planning.

“Life-Size” artwork must be the same size as the object of focus to be called “Life-Sized”.

The Seven Design Ideas: Unity, Contrast, Dominance, Repetition, Harmony, Balance, Gradation.

The Seven Design Marks: Line, Shape, Tone, Colour, Texture, Size, Direction.

“Abstract Pattern” is the collection of shapes on the canvas.

“Treatment” is how “Resolved” a painting can be depending on how finished or otherwise you would like the work to have.

“Gesture” or “flow” of the form through the composition is known as the “inner curve” and can either be “active” which is bundled up and contracted, or “passive” which is stretched out, usually both exist at the same time on the one form.

“Packed Form” is the hierarchical stacking of smaller forms upon larger forms.

Blending Lost and Found Edges: Running a brush along the edge perpendicular to the interchange, whereas Hard and Soft edges are running a brush at right angles directly over the interchange, and Feathery edges are circular motions along the interchange.

Staccato: Short and diagonal.
Slashing: Long and diagonal.
Stippled: wet-on-wet blobs.
Sgraffito: Scratching into wet paint.
Gestural: Simple bold mark-making done in broad strokes with a large brush.
Velatura: A Translucent wash used to tone the canvas first before painting.
Imprimatura: A lean, transparent, and neutral under painting.
Wash: A thin, lean, and transparent layer of colour.
Glaze: A thick, fat, and transparent layer of colour.
Scumble: A rough, vigorous, and more directly applied opaque colour.

“Colour Families” are the groups of colours together on the colour wheel, e.g., more than one yellow, more than one blue, or more than one red, with all the individual hues within that family being brought together under certain designations e.g. Primary, Secondary, Tertiary, which you call the “Hue”.

“Value” the relative lightness or darkness of a colour.

“Temperature” is the relative warmth or coolness of each colour because warm colours advance out of the picture while cool colours recede into it.

“Chroma” means either dull-and-saturated, or bright-and-luminous.

“Tinting Strength” means the relative colouring power of the colours when mixed with each other, i.e. tint is the colour plus white, tone is the colour plus grey, and shade is the colour plus black.

“Achromatic” colour is black and white with a variety of grey’s in-between.

“Mono-Chromatic” colour is using one colour in a variety of tones.

“Polychromatic” colour using multiple colours.

“Compliments” are hues that are opposite each other on the colour wheel.

“Analogous” colour uses two colours that are side by side on the colour wheel.

“Mother Colour” is using the same colour in all the admixtures.

“Prismatic Colour” is pure and brilliant primary colour.

“Earth” and “Neutral” colours are reduced in chroma.

“Non-Colour” is a hue that has lost its chromatic Identity.

“Body Colour” is an opaque layer of paint which is usually a primary colour.

“Tonal Colour” means organising colour and form according to a spectrum.

“Value Contrast” are lights against darks or vice versa.

“Colour Contrast” is when two compliments are side by side on the canvas.

“Successive Contrast” is seeing one colour in the complement of another.

“Simultaneous Contrast” is a merging of two complementary colours within the vision of the viewer.

“Value Massing” is grouping similar light and dark details to create an abstract pattern of shapes.

“Inside Drawing” is the tonal progression on the inside of the form, which is dictated by the distance from the light source, strength of the light source, and whether the surface is glossy/satin/matte.

The “Cut of the light” is frontal light, three quarter light, half-light, and rim light, which are at certain angles to the object of focus.

Sciagraphy: The study of shadows.
Chiaroscuro: Heavy use of shadows.
Penumbra: A lighter halo effect at the edges of shadows.
Atmospheric Light: An all-encompassing secondary light from the sky.
Direct Light: One single concentrated light source.
Halation: Light burning out details then shimmering or reflecting onto other objects.
Reflected Light: Light that strikes one object and then reflects onto another.
Highlight: Is the brightest portion of the object that usually is facing the light directly.
Light Plane: The side of the object facing the light.
Middle-Tone: The slightly oblique side neither in light nor shadow.
Shadow Plane: The side of the object facing away from the light.
Shadow: A dark shape caused by a lack of light entering that area.

“Refraction” is the diffusion of edges.

“Diffraction” is the softening of light, form and colour caused by a heavy atmosphere.

“Root Rectangle” is the height VS width correlation of the edges of the canvas when you draw a line from the centre of the bottom line to a corner and then drop it down: This forms from a root 1 rectangle a Root 2 rectangle of 1.41 and a Root 3 rectangle is 1.73 and a Root 4 is 2 and a Root 5 rectangle is 2.23 Etc.

“Table-Top” Composition is balanced front to back and has deeper recession looking down on top.

“Shelf-Top” Composition is balanced Left to Right, and you are looking straight on, with a level eye line.

“Viewpoint” is a “Vantage Point” from which the viewer has of the scene.

“Focal Point” is the primary area of emphasis that is the most interesting to look at, with secondary areas of emphasis supporting the main centre of interest.

“Picture Plane” is the flat plane at the end of your vision in a scene and it encompasses the picture you want to paint.

“Selective Focus” is the object in the centre of your vision which is in sharp focus with everything else being fuzzy and out of focus.

“Vanishing Point/s” on the horizon line that objects slant towards which create perspective.

“Counterpoints” are opposing design ideas used to create tension.

“Counter-change” is the use of opposing design marks used to create balance.

“Juxtaposition” is the change in difference of two or more elements that oppose each other.

“Linear Perspective” is one point perspective and defines only the form.

“Multi-Point Perspective” is an oblique view that defines the space the object is in.

“Isometric Perspective” is based on a multi-point perspective containing multiple objects.

“Geometric Perspective” is a lot like Isometric Perspective but Foreshortened to deceive the eye.

“Atmospheric Perspective”

Smaller, Less Detailed, Cooler, Duller, Darker, Softer, Greyer, Fuzzier, Neutral, all recedes.

Larger, More Detailed, Warmer, Lighter, Sharper, Stronger, Clearer, Brighter, all advances.

The “Sight-Size” Measuring method is where you stand back and measure an object in the real world according to a fixed point - usually a pencil held at an arm’s length, and then scale it up or down according to your needs.

An “Envelope” constitutes the block in phase where you work inside a broad shape, then onto smaller shapes for smaller parts of the image, starting broadly at first until you reach a certain degree of refinement.

“Positive” and “Negative” Space Is the area in and around that object which can either advance or recede, the area around the object is what defines the boundaries.

An “Implied-Line” is a series of points in the image that suggest a path for the eye to follow.

“Comparative Measurements” determine the length or width of an object by comparing it with another, e.g., the length of the torso compared to the size of the head.

“Relational Measurements” are well coordinated critical points of departure to confirm the locations of other points, basically orientating the relationships around each other.

“Convexity” on the body is a “Fullness” or is outwardly rounded, with a point of origin, an apogee [highest point], and an insertion point at the end. They are either “Continuous” which means they are either fluid and seamless, or “Discrete” which means each form is distinct.

“Length” and “Tilt” describe the qualities of every line, which combine to create the inclination and dynamism of every shape.

“Triangulation” uses two or more points to locate a single new point e.g., “non-parallelism” which is comparing the sides of the same form to make sure they are asymmetrical.

“Calliper Vision” is a process of measuring two points on opposite sides of the form.

“Staging” the division of planes on a canvas according to Foreground, Middle ground, and Background, or in figurative painting this is the proximity of a character to the viewer.

“Proportion” - Divisions either by grids or by diagonals e.g., Thales Theorem.

To attain true realism, first you must choose a canvas that is the optimal size for the room in which it is to be displayed, then understand the optimal viewing distance. By doubling or tripling the longest edge once you have found the ratio for the room.

[A]    2ftx2ft square canvas = 4ft or 6ft vantage point.
[B]    Use this ratio of the vantage point to measure the scene and find the optimal Viewpoint from which to paint the scene from e.g.:
[C]    With a 2ft side x by a 4ft vantage point = 8ft from the scene in the real world with a 2ft x2ft square canvas.

Line Drawing:

· Alignments are the angles and lines that form positive and negative shapes.
· Landmarks are used to scale and connect disparate parts of an image.
· Direction of energy of the lines in the composition or “Rhythm”.
· Character is either open or closed or blocking you.
· Personality is either leaning in or leaning away.

Mass Drawing:

· “Essence” being the simplest form the object can be built with i.e., Square or Cube, Circle or
Sphere, triangle or Pyramid.
· The “Pose” is the silhouette formed by the person or object forming one large shape.
· Clothes are either hanging, draping, stretching, or compressing.
· Volume is caused by scale, values, and shadows.
· Proportion is used to create perspective e.g., Geometric and Iso-Metric Perspective.

To me, these reasons for art explain the joy I feel when intrinsically I feel a part of something greater, and put my faith, belief, and trust in my own ability to manifest ideas. I believe in creative skills enhancing anyone's life.

I’m humble enough to admit when improvement is needed and have found new thoughts and ideas looking at old work of mine, as I’m cemented in my belief to take life seriously having a deep desire to study and learn first-hand from the world at large. Come hell or high water I have gone on to practice painting and drawing every day since, which has helped me cope in life.

This willingness to evolve has given me the impetus to rise to life's challenges and develop my voice. With significant experience in making art I’m happy questioning everything and sometimes learning nothing.

When making fine art I practise being creative with life's gold mine of beliefs and ideas, and philosophically speaking when I expressed my desires I discovered people have their own unique point of view with a few common beliefs in work and life which bind the very fabric of our society together.

The need for respect and the desire to work are universally accepted as normal, and my approach to these are the fundamental basis to my view of life. I hope to achieve success in my vocation by creating more art and by choosing to reflect on life’s great mystery, because the here and now are my origins for living.

Art will never be as tangible as the real world, yet in the right hands can give the impression of the person's true self. Here are some characteristic styles and approaches to help the viewer muse on the significance of art, and please do take the liberty to question the classifications stated, as my art is not the sole directive of a chosen few, as the myth would have you believe.

1. Fine Artist: Realism, Classicism, Naturalism.
2. Artisan: Romanticism, Graphic, Fantasy.
3. Creative: Impressionist, Modern, Contemporary.

Sourcing many of my ideas from a plethora of artistic influences and my limited exploration of my heritage, I fell in love with the light as a sense of the landscape, and is why I want to capture the sheer grandeur of it all.

Art in all seriousness should have a warmth and attitude that inspires you to observe and explore the point of good visual presentation. Hence I’m a philosophically inclined artist who wants to create fine and authentic artwork. Yet I can’t help imagining what it might be in the future, hopefully it will capture a sense of belonging.

Joy is an artist's gift to the word and I hope you too gain the satisfaction in life from expressing yourself through art!