Favourite Artists
My faves would have to be early Mondrian, Derain, and definitely Munch. I like expressionist art by various early 20th century artists such as Roerich and also little and my personal style is impressionism mixed with expressionism: (Fauvism?) cos it's so easy! (i wish).
Choice of medium
I have tried oils and watercolours in the past but it just wasn't right. Watercolours are excellent for painting very mysterious and imaginative landscapes, shrouded in mist and near water, such as a castle over Loch Ness. Oils are for very time-consuming paintings where you need fine details. Acrylics are like a gift from heaven for the artist... no smell and a similar effect. Some artists complain they don't have time to mix the paints with acrylics, but in my experience there is plenty of time and so long as you don't have the heating turned up, they take about half an hour to dry, or overnight for big blobs. Acrylics also mean I can have a studio in my bedroom, as opposed to maybe the garage.
UPDATE, c.28th July, 2013, I finished up Vermeer's Girl with a Pearl Earring, on a 20x18cm canvas over card. My brother said my one looks a more realistic girl than the original, LOL, although obviously this one took a few days as opposed to maybe a half a year that the original took to do. Vermeer was an amazing artist: the best ever?
Greater detail on the eyes, earring, etc. I noticed there are two light sources in this painting. She could have been facing a window while the initial picture was sketched, but there is a lesser source of light to the right of the artist, betrayed by a second white dot on the earring. I think the original was based on a real person.
With a frame! First I painted the coat, the collar, the yellow headdress/scarf, the blue scarf/turban, then the black background, darker details of the back of the coat, then finally the face. On the final day, the lips, the earring, and lastly the eyes.
