Sophie’s blog
Inspiration and Practical Tips for Artists and Art Lovers
Sophie is an artist, writer, tutor and art historian. On this blog you will find painting tips and techniques, art history, exhibition reviews and more. Tuesdays are posting days!
Sophie’s Blog
I am an artist, writer, tutor and art historian. On this blog I aim to open up the world of art and pick out some inspiration and honest paintings tips.
Recent Posts
Getting Started in Soft Pastel: Colours
When you want to try soft pastel, you might not be sure which colours to start with. There are so many brands
Bitesize Blog: The Large Piece of Turf
Albrecht DurerThe Large Piece of Turf1503Watercolour on Paper, 40.8 cm (16 ″); Width: 31.5 cm (12.4 ″)Albertina Museum in ViennaI find this
Oil Painting without Solvents
Oil painting without using solvents or toxic mediums; can it be done? Absolutely. This guide explains how oil painting can be enjoyed
Book Review: Chromatopia
An Illustrated History of Colour, so reads the subtitle of this small but chunky book. The blurb on the back of Chromatopia
6 Tips for Getting a Portrait Likeness
Here are some tips and tricks for beginning portrait painters to get a likeness in your portrait work. I hope you will
Ampersand Gessobord Review
Ampersand Gessobord is a premium rigid oil painting support. It is a wonderful support that I regularly use. In this article I'd
Slow Down Perfectionist!
So many of us get frustrated while we paint. The painting just doesn't work, you can't make it sing, there's something wrong
How to Paint a Background
Should I paint the background first or last? This is a question I hear quite often as an art tutor. It illustrates
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Popular Posts
Oil Painting: The Fat over Lean Rule
Scared of OilsA recent article in a main UK art magazine made me remember why I took so long to discover the joys and beauty of using oil paint. Although oil paint is one of the oldest and widely used
Top 10 Best Books on Painting
The top 10? Well, maybe a top 11 or 12. And that’s not counting the ones I don’t know about and you do. There are a lot of books on painting out there. And I mean a lot. They range
The Dusty Side: Soft Pastel
(updated November 2018)What is Soft Pastel?Pastel is one of the loveliest art materials out there. It is immediate, uncomplicated and can be incredibly soft and delicate as well as bold and expressive. I fell in love with pastel as a
Oil Painting: Toxicity in Oils
0 shares Share0 Share +10 Tweet0 Pin0 Share0Updated May 2018A Hot Topic amongst many (beginning) oil painters is the toxicity of working with oils. Many people refer to the unpleasant smell of oil paints and so choose to stay away.
Blog Topics
Featured post
A Master of Pastel
Jean-Étienne Liotard: Marie-Anne Françoise Liotard with a Doll, circa 1775, pastel on parchment, 45x50cm. Musée d’art et d’histoire, GenevaAlthough Jean-Étienne Liotard (Swiss, 1702 – 1789) is not very well-known (and I must admit I knew very little about him) it was wonderful to go and see an exhibition without the usual array of oil paintings but one of historic pastel paintings!Pastel is often a little overlooked within the museum or gallery world and most of us know few other pastellists than Degas and De La Tour. But I love pastel and have always worked with it so I was very excited to learn about this 18th century Swiss master who happens to be an
Sophie’s Art School
Your Very Own Online Art Club
Sophie’s Art School offers courses and workshops individually, but also a membership to the school. As a member you enjoy special treatment! You will have a private ‘table’ (a private community) in The Art Cafe (the public community). You will get feedback and encouragement from Sophie and your fellow members. In the private community you can also submit your work for personal feedback and help.
Members have access to The Paint Box; a resource box full of goodies. New content is added on a weekly basis. This will vary from tutorials, demos to articles or quick check lists.
Of course members have access to all courses and workshops and can access the workshop archive to watch any of the video lessons back at any time.
Come join us and work on your creative journey with the support of a friendly private community of fellow artists. You will have daily acess to Sophie as a tutor. Your experience level does not matter: whether you are just a beginner in art or have been at the easel for decades, you are very welcome. Learning never stops and at whatever stage you are at, we’d love to join and support you on your way.
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When you sign up to my mailing list you will receive a monthly blog roundup as well as regular news about new paintings, exhibitions, books and courses as well as tips, articles and so much more. Your email will never be used for anything else than this mailing list and you can unsubscribe at any time. Please also see my Privacy Policy