Ever wonder how painters capture the ethereal beauty of flowers in nature? Painting with watercolors is as much about practiced technique as it is about natural talent. This lesson demonstrates how to paint a floral scene, but the skills and techniques you'll learn can be applied to any subject. Learn how to add texture, create transparency and use the bleeding tendency of watercolor paints to your advantage.
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Let's go to the movies... in the movies! In this filmmaking lesson, award-winning cinematographer Tom Antos teaches you how to light and shoot a movie theater scene, simulating the light that comes off of a cinema screen. Real life cinemas are too dark to get a camera exposure, so you can recreate the effect using a 1000-watt light. Learn how make a lighting spin wheel and use red and blue gels to create a flickering effect with changing intensity and color.
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Want to capture a laser sighter, a spooky flashlight beam, or car headlights for your movie? Lasers and beams of light won't appear on camera without a little cinematography magic. In this lesson from his Filmmaking Tutorials series, Tom Antos teaches you how you can use a fog machine to create an atmosphere where light can reflect and appear on your screen.
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Want to improve upon your realist painting techniques? This lesson by Anna Mason Art demonstrates how to use color and highlights to paint an incredibly realistic strawberry with watercolors. Once you have drawn a faithful depiction of your photo reference, be patient, work slowly, follow the highlights with your brush, and your work will look good enough to eat!
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Pablo Picasso is well known for his unrealistic portraits and figures, but what exactly do his stylistic choices mean? In this art history lesson on “Les Demoiselles d’Avignon,” learn about the culture of 1907, and what a painting of five naked women in a brothel has to do with Einstein. True art is often a commentary on the world in which it is produced—learn why Picasso, despite being an accomplished painter in the traditional sense, chose to paint in his own abstract and angular style.
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Create a world of your own with the magic of cinema! In this filmmaking lesson, award-winning cinematographer Tom Antos teaches you to make and use a homemade, low-budget blue screen with any matte blue or green fabric. Discover what materials to use and how to rig your blue screen. Learn how to light your screen and your actors, and then shoot your movie! CGI will do the rest...
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You may control the shot when you are filming your movie, but unfortunately you can't control the weather. So what do you do when the sun keeps moving back and forth from behind clouds? Tom Antos offers this lesson from his filmmaking tutorials series to show you how you can use color correction to fix the sudden shifts that result from capricious sunlight. Learn to edit your saturation, contrast, and warmth to match up different shots.
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Looking to grow your artistic side? Try watercolor painting! This lesson will outline all the supplies you need to get started on your journey. Watercolor is a form of visual art that traditionally uses water-soluble paints on thick paper. You’ll learn the basic brushes and colors you need for a starter-kit, as well as how to choose a palette and pad of paper. Once you’ve got the essential tools and supplies you need, you’ll be ready to create original and beautiful pieces of art.
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Well-executed special effects can contribute thematically to a visually compelling film. But if executed poorly, the entire content of a film may be disregarded or even ridiculed. Not to worry, Tom Antos is here to teach you the art of invisibility, using the green suit transparent effect! Using Adobe After Effects, Tom walks you through the process—you’ll learn how to make the necessary various layers, as well as how to use the “keylight” and “mask” features required for the effect.
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This lesson will teach the budding painter how to add dimension to an acrylic painting of the ocean by using the wet-on-wet technique. By layering and blending colors of wet paint, artists can create a realistic painting of ocean waves crashing, complete with variations in tone and color. This lesson teaches how to mix paint to achieve a richer picture, as well as how to add reflection to water and give sea foam the illusion of volume by using highlights and shadows.
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Take on a true watercolor challenge! This lesson by Larry Hamilton, the first in a series, shows you how to start painting a Californian mission scene. Even if you have a different scene in mind, Larry’s narration provides countless pro tips and tricks that apply to any subject. Follow along at home or take notes on techniques to use in your next painting.
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Whether you are an experienced decoration artist or a first-timer, this lesson provides a few easy-to-understand pointers on painting clouds for large-scale ceiling murals. Don’t make the common mistake of painting cartoonish clouds with obvious patterns and symmetry. For a realistic mural of the sky, use nuanced techniques for creating shadows, breaking up patterns, and providing structure to each shape. Note: this lesson does not cover how to apply the blue base coat.
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How can some guy in your garage become a slow motion epic fruit ninja? With the power of cinematography postproduction! In this lesson from his Filmmaking Tutorials series, Tom Antos shows you how he used a blue screen and some pre-sliced fruit to create a slow-motion video of a ninja slicing fruit with a sword (no real ninja skills required). This video reveals the secrets of creating realistic slow motion shots with a standard video camera by adjusting frame rates or blending footage.
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Watercolor is one of the simplest forms of painting, requiring few resources. In the last of four lessons in this series, Lorraine Watry shares new techniques for beginning watercolor artists such as glazing, lifting, feathering, and negative painting. Keep practicing what you learn, and your work could end up on Etsy -- or at the very least, your walls! See the attachment of the Techniques page and supply list by clicking the attachments button at the top right.
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Some films rely heavily on color as a thematic element, while other times color is used to create a specific mood for a scene. In this lesson from Tom Antos, learn how to approach a shot while considering color and tone. Tom demonstrates how to color correct in Final Cut Pro and Premiere, but warns that any color correction degrades your image—so learn his tips and tricks for getting it right the first time, and film a stunning shot that won’t take hours in post production.
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Calling all budding artists! Want to learn how to paint with watercolors? In Part 3 of this watercolor painting series, Lorraine Watry shows you several new painting techniques such as: applying salt to watercolor paints; creating blooms; and using sponges, Magic Erasers, and sandpaper with watercolor pencils. Follow along to better understand techniques for creating different watercolor effects and color styles. See the attachment of the Techniques page and supply list, click attachments.
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A river is a majestic part of a landscape. Learn how to use acrylics to paint the water, rocks, foliage, and natural motion of a beautiful river scene. Let professional artist Darrell Crow show you the proper brush selection, strokes, and techniques to create a painting that you'll feel you could step into!
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So, you’ve always dreamed of shooting an indie film, and your buddy finally finished his screenplay. Now, bring your creative vision to life! In this lesson from Tom Antos, start with the basics and learn what to look for in a camera, how to make a set feel larger than it actually is, and how to do a full light setup for a scene. No matter your budget, you'll be able to create a visually compelling shot.
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Love art and wish you could paint watercolors like Van Gogh, Audubon, Durer, Hopper, and Cezanne? In part two of her watercolor painting lessons, Lorraine Watry introduces you to several watercolor stroke techniques including scumbling, pushing out pigment, wipe out, masking fluid, scratching wet and dry, and creating hard and soft edges. See the attachment of the Techniques page and supply list by clicking the attachments button at the top right.
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