you have SO MUCH PATIENCE. thats one thing i have to work on. i just want to do everything fast but perfect. which is near impossible to accomplish, lets be real.
Yes, this is one of the most difficult aspects of creating paintings. You have to have the patience and perseverance to see the project through to the end. Because many times, especially with oil paintings, your painting will not look very good until the end.
Sebastian, That's awesome because that's the exact reason I make these videos. I want them to be of value to all artists, but especially those who are new to fantasy art or self-taught.
Your drawing skill are great! Im impressed, seriously!This video is one of the best ive seen.Slow pace n you describe what paint n process you use for everything. Its one of the best .Thank you for sharing it.Its a great skill you have.Thank you😊
sorry for the language. .. but are u fucken kidding me Jeff 27k subscribers u should have over a million or 30 million . your absolutely amazing and your work is poetry just beautiful in every shape and form . love your videos
I only use two brands of brushes, Loew-Cornell and Windsor & Newton. I mostly use the Loew-Cornell brushes lately. They are cheap brushes for the most part. Around $5-$30 for the various brushes I use. I'm always too afraid to buy a $100 brush because I beat the crap out of them. So I'd rather go through ten $10 brushes :-) Whatever brush gets the job done is the correct brush. You should buy a few different brands/bristle types to experiment with before you find the one you like.
No question is too small or insignificant. I use the CD tray because it is small and easy to hold, but also because I have a lot of old ones lying around. Once I run out of CD trays, I'll use scrap pieces of gessoed wood, old canvases with crappy paintings I don't mind painting over, random pieces of flat plastic like old Tupperware lids, or actually buy a real palette - not likely ;-)
Yes, I always wanted to be an artist. But I didn't seriously understand that I could be a fantasy artist until I was shown a book of art about Frank Frazetta when I was 15 years-old. From that moment on, I was focused on one thing... being a fantasy artist. Every bowl of fruit I had to draw always had a dragon or other monster crushing the fruit. For that reason, I wasn't the most liked by my art teachers :-)
If we artists only got paid what we really should, right? Time and quality does not come cheap, unless you're an artist. LOL. Seriously though, it's hard to make a living in this industry but it can be done with a LOT of hard work. I could never take a photo clear enough of my large drawings, but the other major issue is distortion from the camera lens. It may sound like it takes a lot of time to scan the work in pieces and put back together, but it doesn't. Maybe 20 minutes.
I did this painting on wood. I coated that wood with three layers of white Gesso. Raw canvas is usually beige or tan in color and then they coat it with Gesso to make the canvas white and give it a better painting surface. I just did the same thing, but to wood.
You are an amazing artist...thank you for showing this. Its so very inspirational and it shows me a lot. I want to learn oils so bad but they scare me and my grandpa kindof refuses to teach me...says its too expensive
Awesome video! Does the Underpainting works only as a value study for the next layers? Or do you preserve some of the Burnt Umber color in the final result? Keep up the good work, Jeff!!
In this case the brown underpainting is only serving as a guide to my painting. If I jumped into my painting by just painting over the pencil transfer, then I'd be washing away parts of the pencil drawing as I painted and having a hard time seeing what I'm supposed to be doing. And yes, I could seal the pencil drawing with Spray Fix instead of doing the brown underpainting, but I don't like the texture the Spray Fix leaves on the masonite surface. it causes the first few layers of paint to separate. This doesn't happen on more absorbant surfaces like paper or illustration board.
@@jeffmiracolaartist thanks for sharing such knowledge on you answer, Jeff. I’m now trying to jump from painting directly on white paper to creating value studies with underpainting techniques. It’s kinda tricky and hard to do that for the first times, specially when you work with transparent-semitransparent mediums such as Watercolor and Gouache like me. Do you think that even working on paper I should transfer the drawing instead of creating the sketch directly on the final paper?
Johnny, I do scan them if they are small enough, which isn't too often these days. So I have been taking them to a place to have them photographed. I do very minor cleanup in Photoshop. Just a little tweaking of colors or removing blemishes, dust, etc.
Thanks so much, Luke. Well you don't water to add water to your oil paints, but I think you meant did I thin them out with turpentine or just use linseed oil. The answer is that I just used linseed oil for this painting. I had plenty of time for this painting to dry, so using the oil was no big deal. It means waiting an extra day or so for the layer to dry, but I had other paintings to work on at the same time to keep me busy while it was drying.
Nothing on painting. I certainly found great value in books by George Bridgeman, but that is for drawing human forms. I am working on a very intensive DVD/Downloadable content/Book collection that will cover a lot of painting technique very in depth. It will also cover many other topics that are important to being a freelance artist (building a portfolio, finding work, understanding contracts, etc.) It'll take some time for me to get this done, but hopefully it will really help others.
This is good for people to see me like that. Now they know just how much work it takes to create these paintings to meet deadlines. Sometimes it means getting no sleep or only a few hours a day. Seriously.
did you say you throw them away after your done with it? please do me a favor and trow it away in MY recycle bin , I`ll make sure to put it up oops I mean throw them away, very cool video, and beautiful work ,I just subed and looking forward to seeing more of paintings thanks for sharing this
Mike, Thanks much. Silvia will be glad to hear your thanks as well. She really does a great job with the filming and keeping me focused. If working in the fantasy art field is your goal, I'm sure you'll make it. I had the same determination many years ago and I worked very hard on my portfolio for two years before I managed to show it around at a convention. I eventually got work with one publisher and it just grew and grew from there. I'll always be making more vids, don't worry about that.
Hi Jeff, I love the painting, the colors really pop. I have a couple of questions, why don't you use canvas boards instead of going through all the work with masonite and do you varnish the piece when it's dry?
Love your work! I am an art therapist, and I send your videos and similar to my clients as inspiration. I work with autistic people with amazing talent, but most of them dont enjoy the whole process to finish. I am always stressing to enjoy the process and to envision the end product looking like your work. I would like to tell my students how many hours you put in to a peice like this. I figured I might as well just ask you before I guesstimate. I appreciate any feedback you give. Keep up the amazing work.
What is a really good masking tape brand. The tape I was using let the paint leak inn. And it ruined some of my painting . Ps. Great painting i love it !!!!!
I would love to see a video about color choices... you are awesome, and I'm trying to get to the point where I can feel intuitively where my values and intensities need to be. My problem is that I tend to rely on a very graphic, popping set of colors that are either complimentary or just bright.... I want to move away from that and add depth to my paintings and drawings but I'm having trouble knowing where to start. Once again you are awesome.
Do you know of any other videos or books about oil painting I could research. I'm not looking for landscape style painting but more along the lines of what you are doing. Some of my favorite artists are H.R. Giger, Guy Aitchison, Carson Hill, Jerimiah Barba, Alex Grey, And now you. Thanks man any other guidance will help me. I will be checking other videos from also...matter fact about to check another one out!
It is always a great experience to see a pro go through his process like a normal guy. I still have yet to break into the field (its my life goal), and I want to thank you and your wife Silvia for makijg these vids. Truly inspirational videos and they encourage me through my own art. So here is my digital hand shake and someday I hope to gift u a piece of my own as a tremendous thanks! Anx please dont stop making these vids! Artist Mike Jay.
I would gladly give you a check for a bazillion dollars for a piece of your original artwork; of course you would not be allowed to cash it :) My wife was supposed to order me a copy of your Monstrosity book, but it hasn't happened yet, I will have to remind her. Anyhow, your work is amazing. I am a big fan. Can't wait to see what you post next.
hi jeff, Jeff , i have looked a few comments down and have seen you dont say thanks or thumb a comment up..all i wanna know is ,,,,,,,,,if you dont mind an interaction,,,how long from start to finish ? if you dont mind now........im sure you feel we are not worthy but hi lord,,,,just this once !
very true...but as a signwriter i can get what my work is worth, because im lucky enough to live in the richest state in australia, and signage is a necessity in business....but painting, sculpture and art in general is still highly under valued (as its probably viewed as a luxuary?) it seems people who work hard would rather go on holiday overseas than to buy art and stay home and stare at it on the wall...lol anyway...we do this for love and thats really what matters! cheers mate
wow...hope you made a bazillion dollars on this as its awesome and extremely time consuming!...i do pin striping, outlining and lettering all day long but ''time and quality'' doesnt come cheap! re- the layout. wouldnt it be easier and quicker to just take a photo of the original and email it to the printer instead of a number of scans and overlaying them together then printing it? ...or you could photograph the original and print out an overhead transparency? ah, you know what youre doing! ;-)
love your work man its so amazing !!!! i was wondering if theres a way can contact u maybe email???? i wanted know more tips on how i can find my style and what i really want to do with my art I'm a amateur artist who's still trying to find my own path and having a mentor like like u would be amazing!!! well let me know whats jeff i would highly appreciate it if u give time to me I'm not asking to much i just wanna learn from one of the finest artist out there.
I just have a small and insignificant question but is I'm gonna ask it anyway. Is there a specific reason you're using a CD case as your pallet? Or is it just convenient because you have many in stock?
So I want to transfer onto a pretty large scale canvas . Have you ever used engineer prints? Are you just going to staples or kinkos? What do you recommend for larger scaled pieces?
Yes sir thats what i meant haha. Thats what i usually use is linseed oil but I havent done oil in a long time but I think you just inspired me to do some! Thanks for the inspirational work
did you always wanna be an artist? sounds silly i know but when i was at school all i ever got was 'right class, sit down shut up and draw that bowl of fruit' talk about uninspiring
How much turpentine and oil are you using in your paint. It looks so easy when you do it but i when i try its hard to control the pain over the surface
I am always worried about seeing my brush strokes and thickness of the paint on my canvas. and I try to blend straight away.. Should i just worry about getting the colors right first then go in later and blend/glaze? Shoul di be working in much thinner layers? Also i like you method it is very reminiscent Grisaille Italian oil painting method. Nice!! love your style!
Joe, I paint in stages. I don't finish these oil paintings all in one sitting. I paint wet on wet up to a certain point. Then I have to let the painting dry for a number of days before I do it all again and paint wet on wet. Each time I return to the painting I am getting more and more detailed. If you do not want to see brushstrokes, then your paint will have to be thinner. And yes, you should do it in stages like I do. Concentrate on both your colors and the thickness of your paint at the same time. Also, don't be afraid to walk away from the painting for a few days, then get back to it and refine it.
i absolutely love this!! love mars attacks ever since i was a kid, love the painting, and love the tutorial on this video!! i've been drawing for a few years now and am trying to figure out how i can paint stuff like old vhs movie covers...for example, the cover for the movie "crime zone"...any tips on what kind of supplies i'll need or any tips at all would be much appreciated.. love the work and keep it up!!!
One comment and two questions: I love that you show so much of your process! THANK YOU! Do you typically go for an egg shell texture when sanding down the gesso'd hardboard? And do you have pets who try to "help" or oversee your creative process? I need to keep my cats--and their hair--out of my studio space, which can be a pain sometimes.
+Terry Winchester Thank you. And yes I do normally go for an egg shell texture with the hardboard. If I want to add more texture, I do it later on using textured gel. And no pets. I used to have a pet that would hang with me in the studio. She was a large iguana, so no hair :-)
You probably get toons of questions now especially since your acrylic paint dvd is out ....my question is about gel medium to transfer the drawing/fotocopy into the canvas do you recommend it ?
+SplitMind PresentedbyCesarOfthelion I'm not sure what you mean. Are you asking about putting your drawing/photo copy onto the painting surface and then covering that photo copy with gel medium? If so, then I have not tried that with gel medium. I have tried it with clear gesso and it works just fine. But I use spray fix to apply the photocopy to illustration board, not canvas. Then brush a few coats of clear gesso over that :-)
Amazing work. Jeff, I have just been looking at your website and checked out the digital art section. Can I ask what software you use when making your digital images please?
Agreed. But then I would get sued by Danny Elfman or whoever owns the song. Then I'd be so poor I couldn't make videos anymore. And that would make Jeff sad :-(
Amazing work sir. Most definitely I will subscribe to your channel! I'm going to start painting in oils, and I was wondering how long it took you yo paint all of the oil layers? Did you wait for some layers to dry or did you apply them all on the same day/night? Thanks so much for the info. Haven't seen any other artist/teachers on RU-vid be so good at showing us the steps as clear as you do. Thanks again!
I do wait for some layers to dry. With a painting like this where I have to do some glazing, I must let the painting dry before I can do that glazing (washes of color over certain areas). I couldn't achieve the look I am going for if I had to do the entire painting in one go working wet on wet.
Hi Jeff! I have to say your videos are amazing! When i was young i used to draw but a long time ago i don't do it, and when i see your videos this feelings come back! I'm so sorry if i wrote something wrong! IoI A big hug from Brazil!
Walter, Trust me, your English is far better than my Portuguese :-) I'm thrilled I could be an inspiration to you. It's never too late to start drawing again. Thanks for the kind words about my videos.
I've watch this video a number of times and I crack up at your bloopers. Maybe you could use cue cards or digitally project cue cards for you to read do you don't lose your train of thought while recording videos. I blame Sylvia, nah, hehe.
+Tebow15qb LOL. In some of my videos I have even used cue cards and I STILL mess up. hahahaha. I'm getting better, but I think I'll always have bloopers :-)
maybe not a superhero, but a night owl... your ringed eyes give you away. it´s a curse and a blessing, being an artist. anyways, it´s so good to get to know your methods and techniques! you seem very comfy, so i hope i´ll be able to get off my lazy ass and try this too sometimes soon. many thanks. oh, and great fanart!! :D
That's right, you don't get much sleep if you want to be a working illustrator. I'm definitely a night owl. Fan art? This was actually commissioned by the Topps Company to be used for their Mars Attacks product. Or maybe you were joking :-)
nice job master piece 2 I like Boris incredible 2 I would like to see in the future how to draw female I got dvd tutorial from you jeff Arylic dvd Jeff Miracola's Fantasy Art Workshop - Acrylic Painting
I really dig the Mars Attacks art work.It perfectly captures the whole look and vibe of the golden era of science fiction and the 50s flying saucers.I'm in my mid 50s and used to sit up (in the 1960s)watching late night sci fi and horror double features on Saturday night while my parents were out somewhere cutting a rug.My friend and I (can Johnny stay over? puh-leeeeeeeeeease??) would cower like little girls in our couch cushion fort -peeking out now and then to make sure the Blob or giant women or "theremin powered" flying saucer had cleared off and it was safe to run for a quick bathroom break or snatch the jiffy pop off the stove before the Vampire from Space lept onto the TV screen in full terrifying view before I was safely back at Fort Spineless with my faithful sidekick Chief Johnny Yellow Streak.Anyway you rock pal-keep on creating your brilliant works.
Dear Jeff, Thank you for making this video. It was very inspiring. I have a very little experience with oil but it was a pleasure watching you painting. What I do is very different but I'm so curious to try myself in a similar style. It was very inspirational. The last minutes reminded me about filming a video about my art so I imagine the challenge you went through. Thank you one more time. Please take a look at my art when you have a minute I will be trilled to get your opinion. It uses ink, paper plexiglass and LED lights: Luminographics by Paul Asadov
Why thank you sir. I edit all my own videos and no, this music was not made specifically for the video. I just got lucky there and had to adjust timing a bit so I could use the music timed with my brush strokes. Pretty crazy how that worked out. Impressive you even noticed it. Most people wouldn't catch that.
jeffmiracola . Haha wow that is quite the coincidence. You gots that rhythm deep down in your bones. Well I'm a portrait artist myself and must say I'm blown away by your paintings and I thank you for sharing your techniques which I've learned a lot from. I wish more illustrators shared their thought process like you.
Fuck when art teachers say i have to articulate my work. It's fine man I can't think of all the words to say at once too but your work is dope dude! Awesomeness is awesome :D
I had a few good art teachers, but a number of bad ones that were very discouraging to a kid wanting to work in the fantasy art industry. I ignored them and did my thing :-) Guess I showed them. LOL Thanks for the kind words.
this is stunning! ive been wondering, what kind of reference pictures do you work from? is this all purely from imagination? or do you just practice drawing dragons/aliens/fantasy characters until you've memorized how to draw them convincingly?
Cody Hampton Hey Cody. Yes I actually have 18"x24" posters of this art available for $10 right now. You would have to contact me to get the details. You can head over to my website and contact me that way or message me through RU-vid. Your choice. my website: www.jeffmiracola.com/contact/
Thanks for the prompt reply jeff...really enjoying your videos - especially - preparing the board with gesso for painting..Primed my board 6 times now its a joy to work on....keep it up!
+nesnahmik I am paid an agreed fee before I start. This painting was worked on over a few weeks. But I had other assignments I was also working on, plus filming this process takes a lot of time and makes me have to work slower. So I couldn't give you an accurate time for this one. If I had to work on this without stopping, I'd say it could have been done in one week (8 hour days), so about 40 hours or so.
Awesome ^__^ Thank you for sharing this insight. I'm getting into oil paints...and as i can tell it's a far learning curve, videos like this are helpful!
