Wednesday, May 31, 2017

Feeling Inspired? #29 Linkup: Pink Sunset.


Are You Feeling Inspired?

Need a creative boost in the middle of your week?

 I know I do – join me each Wednesday for a linkup party where you can share your creative side (posts): Painting, Drawing, Photography, Quilting, Music, DIYs, Crafts… 

If it is creative, then share it below — I would love to see what you are working on this week!

Photo of the Day:


Pink Sunset. Photo by Charles Wolf.  
Impulsive Artistry © 2017. All Rights Reserved. 

Painting Video of the Day: 


Stained Glass #2. Abstract Acrylic Painting Video - Time Lapse. 
Impulsive Artistry © 2017. All Rights Reserved. 

Social Media: YouTube


Subscribe to my YouTube Art Channel HERE! 

The Link Up:

Guidelines for Linking a Post (2 per blog/site):

—All linked posts must be creative and artsy, family friendly and please no giveaways.

—Please leave a comment below!

—A link back to this post on social media would be much appreciated!

—Please visit other linked posts!




As always, have a fantastic creative week! 

—Charles

Follow Impulsive Artistry:

Monday, May 29, 2017

Calm - Acrylic Painting Lesson (DIY Decor)

 

Calm. Artist Charles Wolf. Acrylic on Canvas, 12x24in. 
Impulsive Artistry © 2017.


After the zaniness of my Shards #1 painting, it was time to take things down a notch, chill-out and create something that was easy on the eyes. I have always love pastel colors - minty greens, soft yellow and relaxed blues. Today's painting features all of them! 

You can create this artwork, a perfect painting that will be both a fun DIY project, and also a lovely piece of home decor!  Let's get to the painting videos:   

"Calm" Acrylic Abstract DIY Painting Lesson:


Calm. Acrylic Abstract Painting DIY Lesson. 
Artist Charles Wolf. Impulsive Artistry © 2017. 

Acrylic Paint:
Naples Yellow
Cobalt Blue
Titanium White
Matte Liquid Medium

Materials: 
3 Inch Brush
Flat Wash Brush
Canvas, 12x24in. 
Easel or Flat Surface
Drop Cloth
Watercup
Jar for Medium
Palette (Cardboard) 
Paper Towel

"Calm" Time Lapse Video:


Calm. Acrylic Abstract Painting Time Lapse. 
Artist Charles Wolf. Impulsive Artistry © 2017. 

SPRING CLEAN 17: 

I am having a huge painting sale right now on ETSY

50% off all paintings! (min. purchase of $50)

Use code at checkout: SPRINGCLEAN17

ETSY SHOP LINK



Have a fantastic, impulsively creative week,

—Charles

Follow Impulsive Artistry:

Wednesday, May 24, 2017

Feeling Inspired Linkup #28

Over the next month or so I have decided to participate in the popular "Wordless Wednesday" posts, but of course, I will be putting my own spin on it with a "Wordful" version instead. These posts will feature one new photo and short story about that picture. I will also be moving my Feeling Inspired Linkup from Mondays to Wednesdays in the hopes of getting more people to linkup and participate! 


Midnight. Photo by Charles Wolf. Impulsive Artistry © 2017. 

I was invited by a friend to meet up at a local arcade in Downtown Raleigh recently to hangout and play some of the games. I had never visited this place before, but I was excited to go somewhere new. I am huge lover of pinball and this particular venue had 12 machines. Surprisingly, I achieved a #3 high-score of the day on one of them—nowhere close to the all time, but it was exhilarating nevertheless. 

It had been raining most of the evening, and we could hear the thunder outside. Walking back to my car in the parking garage up the block at midnight, I was struck by the tranquillity of the scene. My phone is not the best equipped to take night shots, but with a little editing, I was able to improve the quality and capture some of the beauty of the city lights reflected on the storm clouds overhead.
Altogether it was a wonderful evening, and this photo was the final part of a good memory. 

         
Are you feeling inspired? Need a creative boost?

I know I do – join me each Wednesday for a linkup party where you can share your creative side (posts): Painting, Drawing, Photography, Quilting, Music, DIYs, Crafts… 

If it is creative, then share it here — I would love to see what you are working on!

The Link Up! 

Guidelines for Linking a Post (2 per blog/site):

—All linked posts must be creative and artsy, family friendly and please no giveaways.

—Please leave a comment below!

—A link back to this post on social media would be much appreciated! 


—Check out other linked posts!




Have fantastic creative day,





Subscribe to Impulsive Artistry:

Monday, May 22, 2017

Getting Wild With The Paint: Shards #1 - Acrylic Abstract + Videos


Shards #1 - Closeup. Artist Charles Wolf. 
Acrylic on Canvas, 12x24in. Impulsive Artistry © 2017.

Some days you face the blank canvas before you wondering what you will paint on it - how each section will be filled and the composition unfold. I have mentioned in previous blog posts that I strive for innovation in my visual art, pushing myself outside of my comfort zone and trying new things consistently. As I have contemplated my abstract work, I have discovered that I generally like to fill-in the entire canvas with paint, leaving little of the actual canvas showing through. I also tend to work in large color blocks over smaller/busier textures, my oil painting "Coral Reef" typifies this style. 


Today - I am throwing all of that out. Every decision I made was purposefully counterintuitive to and the polar-opposite of my usual choices. I worked with small blocks of paint repeated regularly across the composition leaving large gaps of the canvas showing. Additionally, I chose high-contrast complementary colors: Aqua and Naphthol Crimson, which dance in a flickering battle for dominance of the visual space. I chose to hang this canvas tilted at a 45 degree angle, which forces the viewer to acknowledge not only the paint on the canvas, but also the canvas itself as part of the work. 

How To Paint "Shards #1":


Shards #1 - DIY Complete Painting Lesson. Artist Charles Wolf. 
Impulsive Artistry © 2017. All Rights Reserved.

One candid viewer commented that the effect made her "sea-sick," but another remarked that it reminder her of "koi swimming in a pond." However this work makes you feel or what you see, I am just delighted that you are having a reaction. Maybe this work is a little too crazy for some, and that's fine — it's a bit too crazy for even me, and I painted it! :   ) Sometimes it feels great to be experimental, have some fun, and try to create a piece that you normally wouldn't paint. Getting out of your box can be a difficult task, which is why I think we all need a little impulsive artistry in our lives now again. 


Shards #1. Artist Charles Wolf. 
Acrylic on Canvas, 12x24in. Impulsive Artistry © 2017.


Acrylic Paint:

PVA Glue

Aqua Green
Naphthol Crimson
Red Oxide
Mars Black

Materials: 
Palette Knife
3 Inch Brush
Canvas, 12x24in. 
Easel or Flat Surface
Drop Cloth
Watercup
Palette (Cardboard) 
Paper Towel

"Shards #1" Time Lapse Video: 


    Shards #1 - Time Lapse Painting Video. Artist Charles Wolf. 
Impulsive Artistry © 2017. All Rights Reserved.

Thank you for stopping by today here at Impulsive Artistry. I hope you enjoyed seeing today's wild painting. I'll leave you all with a great quote by Andy Warhol: 

“Don't think about making art, just get it done. Let everyone else decide if it's good or bad, whether they love it or hate it. While they are deciding, make even more art.”



Have a fantastic, impulsively creative week,

—Charles

Follow Impulsive Artistry:

Wednesday, May 17, 2017

Birds of a Feather Photo Set


Across the Waves. Photo by Charles Wolf. 
Impulsive Artistry © 2016. All Rights Reserved. 

Over the past few years, I have greatly enjoyed nature photography as one of my four main creative pursuits—painting, composing music, and writing are the other three. I tend to cycle between which one I am the most actively engaged in throughout the year.
In my travels, I have taken a number of photographs of birds out in the wild during the course of my nature photo shoots, and today and thought I would share some of my favorites in this "Birds of the Feather Photo Set." They cover Four different locations: the Outer Banks of North Carolina, Yates Mill Pond and Umstead State Park here in Raleigh, and Lake Champlain in Burlington, Vermont. Enjoy!

Birds of a Feather Photo Set! 


Goose in the Rain. Photo by Charles Wolf. 
Impulsive Artistry © 2016. All Rights Reserved. 


Soaring Seagull. Photo by Charles Wolf. 
Impulsive Artistry © 2016. All Rights Reserved.


Sand Pipers. Photo by Charles Wolf. 
Impulsive Artistry © 2016. All Rights Reserved.


Goose in the Pond. Photo by Charles Wolf. 
Impulsive Artistry © 2017. All Rights Reserved.


Seagull at Dawn. Photo by Charles Wolf. 
Impulsive Artistry © 2016. All Rights Reserved.


Birds of a Feather. Photo by Charles Wolf. 
Impulsive Artistry © 2016. All Rights Reserved.

Thank you so much for checking out my photography today! Let me know what you think of the set in the comments below - I would love to hear from you! Be sure to follow me on Instagram for more great photos each week.


Have an absolutely fantastic creative week,

—Charles 

Follow Impulsive Artistry:

Monday, May 15, 2017

Pastel Sunrise - Acrylic Painting + Linkup #27


Pastel Sunrise. Artist Charles Wolf. 
Acrylic on Canvas, 12x12in. Impulsive Artistry © 2017. 

Today, I am sharing a painting that I created using only a palette knife. I enjoy painting works with only the knife as it helps me to focus on color and composition in a freer impressionistic style.  This particular piece features pastel colors and is loosely based on some of the amazing sunrises I have seen on stormy mornings here in North Carolina and my visits to the Outer Banks.  

Learn how to paint this piece yourself with my full-length, FREE DIY painting lesson below, or sit back and enjoy just watching me paint in the time lapse version of this painting. :  )  




Pastel Sunrise — Closeup. Artist Charles Wolf. 
Acrylic on Canvas, 12x12in. Impulsive Artistry © 2017. 

Acrylic Paint:
Titanium White
Cobalt Blue 
Permanent Magenta
Cadmium Yellow Medium
Aqua Green
Matte Liquid Medium 

Materials: 
Palette Knife
Canvas, 12x12in. 
Easel or Flat Surface
Drop Cloth
Watercup
Dish for Medium
Palette (Cardboard) 
Paper Towel

"Pastel Sunrise" Time Lapse Video: 



Pastel Sunrise — Acrylic Abstract Painting Time Lapse.
Artist Charles Wolf. Impulsive Artistry © 2017. 

How To Paint "Pastel Sunrise":




 Pastel Sunrise — DIY Painting Lesson. 
Artist Charles Wolf. Impulsive Artistry © 2017.

Subscribe to my YouTube Art Channel: 
YOUTUBE LINK

See all my artwork that is for sale at my 
ETSY SHOP!



Guidelines for Linking a Post (2 per blog/site):

—All linked posts must be creative/artsy: photography, crafts, DIY, paintings, poetry... are all great!   

—Post must be family friendly and please no giveaways.

—Please leave a comment below!

—A link back to this post on social media would be much appreciated!

—Please visit other linked posts!



Thanks for viewing my work today. I hope that you enjoyed seeing my latest painting and painting videos. Let me know what thought in the comment section below or on the Impulsive Artistry Facebook Page.

Have a fantastic creative week, 

—Charles

Wednesday, May 10, 2017

Painting 101: Basic Supplies to Get Started!


Good morning Class, welcome to Charles' Painting 101 for Beginners! If you are interested in painting, but don't know where to start, or importantly don't want to spend a lot of money just to try it out... then this is the post for you!  

Materials:

—Old rag or paper towels – for brush/knife cleaning
—Water Cup
—Easel or flat surface to work on
—Paper bags, old sheet, or drop cloth to cover any area that you want to ensure does not get “painted” by mistake
—Palette (I use the cardboard flaps that I cut off my Amazon boxes) 
—Good light source: large window, lamp, or strong overhead light 

Painting Tools:


—No. 10 Bright Brush (square shaped bristles)
—No. 8 Filbert Brush (arch shaped bristles)
—Medium-sized Flat Wash Brush (wider, mop-like brush) 
— Small Liner Brush (long, thin point bristles)
—Medium Palette Knife 

With just these four brushes and one knife you can paint most of the works on my art channel: Impulsive Artistry YOUTUBE LINK.

In my abstracts I also use larger chip brushes (what you usually think of as a paint brush for small projects around the house)


—1/2 Inch Chip Brush
—1 Inch Chip Brush
—3 Inch Chip Brush 

Synthetic vs Animal Hair Brushes:

While I would not suggest just using a basic assorted pack of paintbrushes, typically designed for children, I have tried and used both synthetic and animal-hair artist brushes when painting. Synthetic brushes will not hold up as long, but can be a cost-effective option for a beginning painter - usually in the $3-5 range per brush. All of my acrylic paintings are created with synthetic brushes - using a cheaper brush does not mean that you can't paint amazing pieces of art! Do keep an eye out for loose hairs that get stuck to the paint on the canvas while you are working (yes the animal hair brushes also do this!)  

Go to the painting aisle in your local art supply store, and check out their artist brushes there. I suggest finding a price point that you are comfortable with, and go with that. Look for a very fine edge for the larger brushes, even distribution of the bristles, nothing bent or damaged, and a nice point for the liner brush.

Feel free to experiment with different kinds of brushes to get different effects!  

Paint Colors!



To get started in painting you only need five colors, yes only five - you can mix the primaries into the secondary colors you need! Tip: Yellow + Black = Green, seriously, try it! I recommend starting with acrylic paint—artist student grade is fine to get started (you can use craft paint, but the colors won't be as vibrant at it will have a matte finish), then after you build up some painting skill, branch out into watercolor or oil painting (much more expensive, but a lot of fun). 

Titanium White
Mars Black
Naphthol Crimson
Cadmium Yellow Medium
Cobalt Blue

Expand Your Color Palette:  

Landscapes:
Ultramarine Blue
Naples Yellow
Raw Umber
Burnt Umber
Alizarin Crimson

Abstracts: 
Cadmium Orange Hue
Prism Violet
Permanent Magenta
Phthalo Green

Also Try:

Acrylic Gesso - Reuse paintings that didn't quite work, cover up the canvas with the gesso
PVA Glue - Allow to dry, great for texture! 
Matte Liquid Medium - Great for blending colors on the canvas 

Canvases:


A Collection of My Paintings. Artist Charles Wolf. 
Impulsive Artistry © 2017 

This topic could be a whole post to itself, but for now I will keep this fairly brief. To start out, purchase a pack of the 8x10 Canvas Boards at your local arts supply store, $7-10. 

You can see this type of canvas in my recent "Ocean Sunrise" painting below. This size is small enough so that you can cover the canvas quickly and complete a painting under an hour. 




"Ocean Sunrise." Full Length Painting Lesson.
Acrylic on Canvas Board, 8x10in. 
Artist Charles Wolf. Impulsive Artistry © 2017 

You may also want to try the 11x14 and 12x16 inch canvases, but these will of course take longer to finish. I find that as I increase in canvas size - up the standard size list, I typically add an extra hour or two to complete the painting. I would not go larger than 12 x 16 inch to start and recommend smaller canvas sizes to begin. I will not recommend any brands here, just go with what is cost effective for now, especially if you are just starting out, because these are essentially practice paintings, we don’t need to purchases really high-end material just yet.

Most of all – just have fun!!!

—Charles

Monday, May 8, 2017

Magnetism - Acrylic Abstract Painting + Feeling Inspired Linkup #26


Magnetism. Artist Charles Wolf. 
Acrylic on Canvas Board, 16x20in. Impulsive Artistry © 2017. 

Some days you start a piece and you think that you are headed in one direction, and then about halfway through another thought hits you, and the painting morphs into a new thing altogether. This is what happened with my painting "Magnetism." I originally intended to paint another abstract in the style of "Wave" or "Retro," but the colors started to suggest concentric rings, moving from bottom left to top right—the change in the composition is very pronounced in the time lapse video below.  


Learn how to paint this piece yourself with my full-length, FREE DIY painting lesson below, or sit back and enjoy just watching me paint in the time lapse version of this painting. :  )  


Acrylic Paint:
Titanium White
Mars Black
Ultramarine Blue
Phthalo Green 
Alizarin Crimson
Matte Liquid Medium 

Materials: 
1 Inch Brush
3 Inch Brush
Flat Wash Brush
Easel or Flat Surface
Drop Cloth
Watercup
Dish for Medium
Palette (Cardboard) 
Paper Towel

"Magnetism" Time Lapse Video: 





Magnetism — Acrylic Abstract Painting Time Lapse.
Artist Charles Wolf. Impulsive Artistry © 2017. 

How To Paint "Magnetism":



Magnetism — DIY FREE Painting Lesson. 
Artist Charles Wolf. Impulsive Artistry © 2017.

Subscribe to my YouTube Art Channel: 
YOUTUBE LINK

See all my artwork that is for sale at my 


Guidelines for Linking a Post (2 per blog/site):

—All linked posts must be creative/artsy: photography, crafts, DIY, paintings, poetry... are all great!   

—Post must be family friendly and please no giveaways.

—Please leave a comment below!

—A link back to this post on social media would be much appreciated!

—Please visit other linked posts!




Thanks for viewing my work today. I hope that you enjoyed seeing my latest painting and painting videos. Let me know what thought in the comment section below or on the Impulsive Artistry Facebook Page.

Have a fantastic creative week, 

—Charles