nicolepellegrini

Just back from two fabulous weeks in Italy. To say the art I saw was inspiring is an understatement!

It might be cliched but perhaps the single most amazing thing I had the chance to see was The Last Supper in Milan. It's something I swear that anyone with an artistic bone in their body needs to see before they die. I need to go back as soon as I can to see it again - and for more than just 15 minutes which is all your Last Supper tickets will allow!

Fan Art is extremely popular here on deviantART, but a lot of people elsewhere - or "mundanes" - don't really understand it or know much about it.

To that end, I recently wrote a webpage About Fan Art and Fan Art's History. Because even many fan artists today don't really know about the history of fan art and its importance in the fan community. Fan art can also have tricky legal issues to deal with that I also address on the page, along with including links to some of the best websites on line for finding fan art.

Anyway, if you're interested, please check out my page on fan art for more information. And leave me a comment with a link to any great fan art websites I've missed including there!

Oil painting intimidates a lot of artists. I know it took me years before I was willing to give the medium a try because I was so confused by all the materials, paints, mediums and supposed "rules" of how paint in oils. Yet once I got past my initial confusion and fear, I ended up really falling in love with oils and it is now my favorite painting medium of all.

If you're curious about oil painting but unsure how to begin, check out my Introductory Guide to Getting Started in Oil Painting. You'll find information on the basic materials you'll need, surface preparation, health concerns and also links to great beginning books on oil painting. I hope you find it useful!

Tips for Painting Realistic Flesh Tones in Oil is my latest art tutorial. I know painting flesh tones was one of the biggest challenges I had with my work for years - hence why I spent so much time painting cats instead! But I learned a lot about improving my flesh tones by studying old master painting techniques. Check out my flesh tone tutorial and see if I've got any useful tips for you to try out.

Some might wonder why I devote a lot of time to painting old master and classical art reproductions. Personally, not only do I love these paintings (therefore it's cool to have one's "own copy" hanging in the house!) but I find it's a great learning tool for an artist as well.

You can read my article, Why Reproducing Art is an Important Learning Tool for Artists, and see if you agree with me or not. Do you like painting reproductions? Why or why not?