Chiaroscuro portrait of old woman said to be the artist's mother. Rembrandt van Rijn, 1629. Oil on canvas
Using a thoroughly modern medium like acrylic paint, doesn't mean you can't get the classic look of chiaroscuro.
I share my workflow for a chiaroscuro palette for flesh tones in acrylic paint - and a free downloadable cheat-sheet!
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Birds and Flowers of Brazil (detail) by Cai Guo-Quiang 2013
Gunpowder on paper. Photo by Zhang Feiyu, courtesy Cai Studio From the very first day I fell deeply in love.
With the work of artist Cai Guo-Qiang, I mean.
Cai Guo-Quiang has been featuring animals as part of his multi-facetted work for a long while - his flying wolves and tigers embedded with arrows are some of his most famous examples. So World Animal Day seems the perfect opportunity to share his work with you.
Man with wheel - from Dalí's dream sequence in Spellbound
Urban myth would have us believe that to succeed as 'artists' we must focus with laser-like intensity on one medium.
But to develop our creativity, branching out into different disciplines - as well as collaborating with creatives in other fields - might be more important than we think.
I look at yet another collaboration by surrealist painter, Salvador Dalí - this time with the master of suspense himself, Alfred Hitchcock - and ask what lessons it might hold for our own creative growth. 
The Crowning of Chic
Lillian Bassman's vision of Phillip Treacy's designs Vogue Cover, Germany. 1990s When I discovered the sultry, monochrome shots of fashion photographer, Lillian Bassman, I couldn't stop pinning.
As artists we draw inspiration from a myriad of sources, one of which is work from other creative fields and those of you who are familiar with my Fashion as Fantasy and Whimsical Heads Pinterest boards, know that I sometimes look to fashion designers and fashion shoots for cross-fertilisation.
Not surprising then, that I find the work of Lillian Bassman, ripe for creative sustenance! 
Which famous painter do you think painted these extraordinarily joyous illustrations for Alice in Wonderland? |
