Tips & How To

paintshop4Drew uses standard masking tape and cutting techniques to quickly add some life to a Ron House gun. In a nutshell, tape off whatever your going to be painting. Sketch out your design. Cut design out with a razor blade (kids – have your parents help you with this). Spray with Montana Spray Paint for rich, vibrant color. Pull the tape and amaze yourself and friends.

the-joint-art-show-full-houseMAKE THEM GLAD THEY CAME  A few years ago Drew and I went to an art show to see the exhibit of an artist that we have always admired.  I had already bought many of his prints and had them framed and hanging in my office.  I was so excited to finally meet this artist!

When we arrived, there were many people already there at the gallery.  I wasn’t sure what this artist looked like, and it took me some time to find him huddled in the far back corner of the room, sitting hunched over in a chair. (more…)

Drew, Telling All!

Drew, Telling All!

Are you generously sharing your painting secrets with other artists?  Or do you guard them as if they were top secret?

Since Drew put out his DVD last year titled “Paint Pen Techniques with Drew Brophy” tens of thousands of artists and wanna-bes have learned new painting techniques using what they learned on the DVD.

Over and over again, people will ask Drew “Why do you share your secrets?  Aren’t you afraid of competition and losing business?(more…)

LICENSING YOUR ART PART II:  Is written by Maria Brophy, who writes a blog that helps creative people to design the career and life of their dreams.

Sigg Water Bottle

GET CLARITY ON WHAT YOU WANT WITH YOUR LICENSING PROGRAM:

Planning out your licensing program is similar to writing a business plan.  But you don’t have to make it that complicated – just sit down with a piece of paper and good cup of Joe, and spend some time asking yourself the following questions:

What is my objective with licensing my art?  Determine what your goal is with licensing.  Do you want to focus solely on licensing and create a strong revenue stream?

Or do you want licensing to supplement the income you’re already making off of your art? (more…)

Photo by Drew

Photo by Drew

This post is written by Maria Brophy, who writes a blog that helps creative people to design the career and life of their dreams.

Shoot yourself working.  On every painting or project.  Document your work, the process of your art, and your life.  You will thank me for this later.

Since the 90’s, Drew has documented just about every painting he ever did.  Back then, he had to use actual FILM, which was a bummer, because you didn’t know if you got the shot right until it was too late.

Here’s Why it’s Important: (more…)

(c) Drew Brophy

(c) Drew Brophy

It’s an exciting thought, to simply download one of your art images for an online contest where the “winner” will have their art printed on a poster for  the Flight of the Concords show!

Wow, how great will it be that your artwork is selected out of thousands and will be seen by millions.

And guess what you win?   NOTHING!!!!  And, alas, you can’t put it on your website, or anywhere else, for that matter.  Because of the fine print that you initially  missed, you now learn the sobering fact that (more…)

paintshop3Drew tapes off, sprays, seals and then rides a surfboard, all from the same beach in a single episode! I’ll be the first to admit that Drew is insane but he also reminds me of what some smart person once said — “What the mind perceives can then be achieved” or something to that effect. Check out Part 3 of “The Paint Shop” on Surfline.com

Would you paint this without asking?

Would you paint this without asking?

Many artists, particularly illustrators, will use just about anything as “reference” and “inspiration” for their paintings, including photographs.  And most of the time, no-one will ever know just what photo or photos were used as a “reference” for a painting.  If you think about it, whether they know it  or not, artists use everything they see as reference.  It’s called “experiencing life & re-creating it.”  Just as writers (like myself) write what they know, so do artists with their paintbrush.

But then there’s that bold artist who paints EXACTLY (without re-creating) what he sees from a photographers’ copyright-protected photo.  Is this illegal?  Is it unethical?  Is it just plain plagarism? (more…)