A Blog About Oil Painting
Welcome to my blog. Here you'll find me rambling on about all sorts of things related to art in general and oil painting in particular. There's even a recipe for dog cookies hidden away somewhere.
Like the rest of the site, this section is still a work in progress and I will be making it tider and easier to navigate in time. There is a lot of content, so using the buttons below may help you to get around. Newest posts are shown first.
A Painting Taken Down from the Shelf
by Simon Bland / 28 Apr 2016
Retired. 20x24, oil on linen. 2015-16 Finally! I managed to finish a painting that has been sitting around in my studio for ages. This was originally posted as a WIP here: http://www.portraitsbysimonbland.com/blog/post/retired-a-horse-at-little-fiddlers-green I started wok on this last summer. When ...
David and Max
by Simon Bland / 21 Apr 2016
Here's the final version of a portrait that I've been working on over the winter. The painting is based on a photo taken by Smiley's Studio in Fort Worth, Texas, and used with permission. I changed the setting considerably, removing most of the setting and props in order to promote a feeling of ligh...
How Do I Make My Own Painting Panels?
by Simon Bland / 21 Apr 2016
Some tips and techniques for making linen and canvas painting panels for a fraction of the cost of store-bought....
The Meadow
by Simon Bland / 18 Apr 2016
The Meadow. 5x7, oil on linen panel. 2016 Following on from my previous post on making your own canvas. Before starting any kind of substantial painting on a new linen, I think it's a good idea to try it out and see how it performs. This afternoon I did a small painting to test it out. Overall, the ...
Grazing
by Simon Bland / 18 Apr 2016
Grazing. 11x14, oil on linen. 2016 It has been a long time since I started a larger-size landscape (if I remember correctly, the last one didn't turn out so well). I based this on one of the color studies that I recently posted, adding a couple of horses that I rustled from another locatio...
Preparing Linen - A Short How-To Guide
by Simon Bland / 13 Apr 2016
In this blog post I show you how to prepare and prime linen and cotton canvas for painting. This step-by-step guide will help you create your own high quality painting surfaces for a fraction of the cost. ...
Color Studies - Working Through Ideas Part II
by Simon Bland / 13 Apr 2016
Study: Meadows at One Trick Farm. 6x8, oil on canvas panel. 2016 Continuing on from yesterday's blog post, the other thing that helps me to decide whether a painting will work or not is to try it out on a small scale. Among other things, this lets me to figure out the palette I will use in advance, ...
Charcoal Studies - Working Through Ideas Part I
by Simon Bland / 12 Apr 2016
Charcoal Sketches on paper (full sheet). 2016 Before investing a lot of time, effort and materials in a painting, I find it's always helpful to first work though my idea on paper. Simple studies like these help me to test out the compositions and make sure they have a good chance of working. I can m...
Discovery Park on Foot
by Simon Bland / 06 Apr 2016
Field Study: Discovery Park 040716. 6x12, oil on canvas panel. 2016. Moving from the Virginia countryside the city of Seattle has forced me to take on a different type of landscape in my paintings; I spent much of the winter trying to paint gray seascapes. However, in Discovery Park there is ...