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.
Digging Deeper into the Data
by Simon Bland / 09 Feb 2025
In this second article on analysis of my art business data, I look at my metrics in greater detail and I try to gain insight into my pricing strategy and the time taken to complete individual paintings. In particular, I look at whether it is possible to predict prices and time taken to complete work...
Data Analysis of My Art Business
by Simon Bland / 21 Jan 2025
For the entirety of my career as a professional artist, I've kept detailed records of all the work I've created. This is a basic analysis of the data....
Increasing Your Exposure—Studio Safety for Professional Artists
by Simon Bland / 31 Mar 2024
Did you ever wonder if there was a single thing that could differentiate professional artists from amateur artists?...
What is Drawing?
by Simon Bland / 28 Feb 2024
In this article I go in search of a better understanding of the meaning of the term "drawing"....
Seeing Your Reference Photos in a New Light
by Simon Bland / 30 Jan 2024
This article shows some of the GIMP plugins I use for processing reference photos and provides links where you can download them for your own use. All for free!...
A Short Guide to GIMP 2.10 Plugins
by Simon Bland / 29 Jan 2024
This article provides a brief guide to getting started with automated image editing in GIMP. ...
My Artist’s Statement, Annotated
by Simon Bland / 14 Nov 2022
This article provides insight into the most recent update of my artist's statement....
Using Blender to Create Artist's Reference Images
by Simon Bland / 03 Nov 2022
In this article, I set out to examine whether models created in Blender can be used as reference images for traditional artwork....
Setting Up a Contemporary Still Life
by Simon Bland / 16 Jun 2022
In this blog article I attempt to deconstruct the set up for a still life painting by the British artist Euan Uglow....