Art Trends – Peter's Art Blog

29 October 2024

Artist or Text Prompt Engineer?

The development of Artificial Intelligence (AI) marches on at a breathless pace and the existential threat to traditional artists become even greater. Or so it would seem if the news is to be believed (and lets not even begin to start looking at the rise of fake news…). Before I go any further, I feel I should reassure the reader...

Art General/Art Trends Comments: 0

28 November 2023

Framing on a Budget

I remember a very long time ago, being told by a framer, somewhere in Birmingham, that ‘artists don’t know how to frame their own work’. I remember feeling mildly affronted by the declaration, having taken a lot of care and pride in how I framed my paintings. Back in the day, the framing process was something of a family affair;...

Art Trends/Framing/Tips Comments: 0

28 September 2023

Free or Premium?

I consider myself to be reasonably generous when it comes to sharing my skills. I’m always happy to discuss my processes, and if someone asks me how I created a particular effect, I will generally spend as much time as is necessary, or appropriate, to explain how it was achieved. In part, this is down to remembering how it was...

Art General/Art Trends/Observations Comments: 4

27 August 2022

Is AI-Generated Art a threat to artists?

On a recent hiking trip to Lathkill Dale, in the Peak District, I discovered this rather wonderful tree and rocks, completely covered in green moss. I took several photographs of the location which I later used as reference material to interpret it in watercolour, whilst exhibiting and demonstrating at the ‘Art in the Pen’ art show in Skipton last month....

Art General/Art Trends/Observations/Watercolour Comments: 2

28 February 2022

Specialist Brushes – Do we really need them?

Just to be clear at the outset; this isn’t going to be a piece bashing brush manufacturers or artists who bring out their own brush range. I raise the question because of an interesting query I had recently from one of my students, the thrust of which I’ll come to in a moment. It’s by no means unusual to be...

Art Trends/Materials/Watercolour Comments: 0

1 September 2019

Bullet Journals

Apparently, Bullet Journals are a major new ‘thing’. Google the term and you’ll discover that this great new concept is a revolutionary way to organise your life. You no longer need apps and a diary on your smartphone to help you organise your life… all you need – apparently – is a notebook and a pencil or pen. Well blow...

Art Trends/Sketching Comments: 0

1 January 2018

Are Arty Parties the Future?

I’ve often said, with tongue planted firmly in cheek, that one of the most effective, and guaranteed, methods of loosening up this whole painting malarkey is to introduce alcohol to the proceedings, and that any picture painted late at night after a few bevvies at the pub is likely to look fantaaaassstic!! (they might not look quite so great in...

Art Trends/Observations Comments: 0

1 April 2012

Using Technology

Aids to drawing have been around for a long time, the earliest form of the camera obscura pinhole viewing system, used to project and visualize images, dating back to the 1500s. I don’t wish to stir up an argument such as that raised by David Hockney regarding the use of optical aids (http://www.goodart.org/hockney.htm), but there are a couple of issues...

Art Trends/Observations/Watercolour Comments: 0

Category: Art Trends