Positive and Negative Space
What is positive and Negative Space and why should we use it in Art?
Positive space refers to the main focus of a picture, while negative space refers to the background. When used creativelyRead More…
Author: LifeArt School
Leonie has been painting for 30 years. she has a degree in Art as well as a Teaching diploma. Her dream has always been to help other reach their full potential, in art as well as in daily life.
LifeArt School has been in operation since 2004 and has managed to help various students become full time artists.
Leonie is also a well know local and international artist. She paints three days a week and her work is available in various galleries.
Good Colour combination?
The Magic of Colour
Learn more about Colour Click Here How to use Complimentary Colors Complementary Colors that are opposite each other on the colour wheel. They are pairs of colRead More…
How to price your work
How do you price your art to sell? Facebook-f Twitter Google-plus-g Linkedin Learn to paint online in your own time! Have a look! Tips on Pricing a Painting:
It’s a harsh fact that oil pRead More…
Is there an Artist in You?
In this studio, hidden talents are set free.
Get into Art. Online Course in Art Appreciation. At Home in your own Time. Register Now. LifeArt School provides an Online Course in Art Appreciation.
StaRead More…
Top 3 Health Benefits of Pottery
Health Benefits of Pottery
Pottery is a therapeutic art form that provides health benefits not only for the mind, but the body as well.
2. Reduce Stress
Art have physical and mental health benefits,Read More…
How to identify Art types
Contemporary art encompasses many different art forms, from traditional media such as paintings and drawings to more recently developed approaches that use digital and time based media to create workRead More…
One Night Love Collective Summer Art Exhibition 3 April 2020
One Night Love Exhibition One night only for the One Night Love Exhibition! Venue: 1st Durbanville Scout Hall.
Across from no 63 De Villiers Drive, Durbanville
Contact: Leonie@lifeartschool.co.za
LRead More…
How NOT to make mud!
Leonie’s amazing rule of 2/3 + 1/3 + a little bit. Good design helps make the leap from average to art. There should always be a dominant value. Either dark, middle or light. One of the basic rulRead More…
What is underpainting and the difference between Bistre, Grisaille and Verdaccio
Bistre, Grisaille and Verdaccio are all techniques that were used by the Old Masters like Titian, Rembrandt, Caravaggio and other to create a traditional underpainting. What is Under Painting URead More…
How to paint accurately and get three-dimensional tonal values using dark and light
The monochromatic painting technique (called Grisaille), was done entirely in shades of grey, not unlike a black and white photograph. Grisaille is a type of underpainting, upon which layerRead More…
What are the benefits of doing an Art Therapy Workshop?
“Art washes from the soul the dust of everyday life.” https://youtu.be/FYdbDMey3X8
The Happy Bunch Art therapy help you tap into your inner thoughts, feelings and experiences. CombiRead More…
What is Impasto and Dry Brush Painting?
Dry Brush Technique: Dry brush is a painting technique in which a paint brush that is relatively dry, but still holds paint, is used. Load is applied to a dry support such as paper or primed canvRead More…
2 Important questions you should ask before you start painting
2 Important Questions to ask before you start a painting Is it dark or light? (Chiaroscuro) What is the value? What is Chiaroscuro? The word Chiaroscuro itself is Italian, and roRead More…
What is Abstract Art
Abstract art doesn’t have to be so unclear. There is a way to “read” an abstract painting, just as there is to understand and interpret a more realistic painting. ( noun ) – Abstract art cRead More…
The return of photo-realism
Why do current trends among realists seem to favour extreme rendering and a return to absolute realism? I’ve noticed that the prize winners of many contests like the Sanlam Portrait Award and BP PorRead More…
The Pain of Discipline
by Keith Bond We must all suffer one of two things: the pain of discipline or the pain of regret or disappointment.” Jim Rohn, as quoted by Chris Guillebeau in his manifesto, The ToRead More…
The Value of Color
The Affect of Value on Color Identity in Impressionist Painting BY MITCHELL ALBALA
– POSTED ON OCTOBER 13, 2012POSTED IN: FEATURED ARTISTS, THEORY + APPLICATION When we consider the remarkRead More…
Contemporary Portrait Painting Workshop 10 – 11 September 2019, Durbanville
[hurrytimer id=”11972″] Create your own unique Portrait in a fun, two day, 4 hour per day, intensive interactive workshop to create your own masterpiece.
Using traditional as well as non-traditionRead More…
Art Therapy Workshop: Saturday 28 September 2019 from 9.30am to 1.30pm
[hurrytimer id=”12453″] https://www.quicket.co.za/events/84562-art-therapy-workshop-28-september-2019-from-930am-to-130pm/ Book now… What will you gain from the course? The course Read More…
Why is Values (Lights and Darks) so Important in Paintings
Imagine music without a clear melody. . . In art, a close equivalent to that would be a painting without clear values or colors. Just as the notes and rhythms of a melody lead us through a musical piRead More…
What is Abstract Expressionism?
Abstract Expressionism is aimed at subjective emotional expression with particular emphasis on the spontaneous creative act. After Jackson Pollock, de Kooning was the most prominent and celebratedRead More…
Art Exhibition on 31 May 2019
Chosen + Selected Students only. Work needs to be dropped of on 28 + 29 May between 10am to 3pm. All work must be marked and signed at the the back with attached forms. https:/Read More…
Frustration is a Good Thing
How many times have you felt like stabbing your canvass, cutting it to pieces, jumping on it and making a bonfire of the rest? “We all risk failure when we take on anything that’s close to oRead More…
Using good colour harmonies.
Complementary Colors
Colours that are opposite each other on the colour wheel are considered to be complementary colours (for example: red and green).
The high contrast of complementary colours creatRead More…
What is a Glaze and the top 10 best-selling subjects for paintings
Glazes
Glazes can change the chroma, value, hue and texture of a surface. Drying time will depend on the amount and type of paint medium used in the glaze. The medium, base, or vehicle is the mixtureRead More…
Color mixing tips
How to Mix Colors When Painting Here, we are concerned not with the theory of color, but rather its practice: that is, how to combine pigments in order to obtain the required hues, or tints/shades oRead More…
Types of Clouds
Types of Clouds and How to Paint Them Understanding the shapes and characteristics of commonly seen clouds makes it easier to learn how to paint them. © Marion Boddy-Evans. LicenRead More…
Step by step on: How to paint clouds
Preparation Fill your jars with warm water. These will be used for thinning paint and cleaning brushes. The jar for your brushes should be large enough to hold your brushes without them falling oRead More…
How to draw Clouds
How to Draw Clouds – Choose Your Subject
H South, licensed to About.com, Inc. The first step in drawing clouds is to choose the right subject. A deep blue sky give you good contrast to work wRead More…
Amazing secrets about van Gogh Painting
Vincent van Gogh’s 1888 painting “Café Terrace at Night” is thought by some to include a representation of Leonardo da Vinci’s “Last Supper.” The painting shows a lit cafe in the town of ARead More…
Review on Durbanville Art Exhibition
Walking into the hall I was astounded at the variety of work on offer. From landscapes to abstracts and modern portraits. The sole proprietor of LifeArt School and studio, Leonie.e.Brown, opened andRead More…
Exhibition Labels
Students can download and print out the attached sheet. Please fill in the relevant information with a black pen. Staple or glue the relevant label to the back of your painting. Please make sure thaRead More…
LifeArt Students Exhibition Participation Form
In order to organize the exhibition efficiently we need to get an idea of who will be participating and how many pieces will be on display. Please fill in the following form. Read More…
Flow Paint or Pouring Acrylics
Pouring Acrylic Paint Like a Pro. … Many of those effects can be achieved by pouring acrylic paint. Pouring is a great way to smooth out unwanted texture, get marbleized effects, rich colored glazRead More…
Why should you paint ‘loosely’?
Loose painting is more expressive. It’s the true rendering of our instant reaction to what we see. BUT…there is a big difference between a well executed loose painting and something just slappeRead More…
Top 10 things that will help your creative mind
Congratulations to Ivan van Niekerk that sold a print of one of his paintings for R4500.00. Ivan has been painting with Lifeart School for just over one year. He has now finished the basic courseRead More…
How did the van Gogh paint?
“This morning I saw the countryside from my window a long time before sunrise, with nothing but the morning star, which looked very big,” Vincent van Gogh Van Gogh was known for hRead More…
Why I love my Art
Interview with Marjorie Lee, student at LifeArt School Q: How long have you been at the school? A: Nearly five years Q: Why so long? A: Because Leonie.e.Brown is the best teacher I haveRead More…
How to feel better with Art
Saturday Art Classes are for all those hard working people that need to have time out. Lots of socializing and psychotherapy and excellent food! Art encompasses values, ideas, and helps to correlateRead More…
How to Scratch like a Chicken
Interview with LifeART student Karen Neuhoff. Q: How long did you spend on this painting? A: Two months of art classes, about 24 hours in total. Q Most people would say that is very loRead More…
The Final Paintings of the Portrait Painting Workshop
Congratulations to all the students that finished the Two Day Portrait Painting course with Life Art Studio. Remember to keep an eye out for our next exciting Abstract Art course. Don’t forget to booRead More…
The five most important questions to ask before you start painting.
1) Where is the light source? 2) Where is the horizon located? 3) Is there a hierarchy of shapes? 4) Negative shapes? 5) Color or Mud? 1) Know which direction the light is coming fRead More…
Entrance preparation tips
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New Admission information
Lorem Ipsum is simply dummy text of the printing and typesetting industry. Lorem Ipsum has been the industry’s standard dummy text ever since the 1500s, when an unknown printer took a galley of Read More…
Workshop: An easy and fun approach to Abstract Art
[powr-countdown-timer id=6a781d8c_1515583405] A fun, two day, 3 hour per day, intensive interactive workshop to create your own masterpiece.
Using traditional as well as nontraditional maRead More…
Does Art Still Sell?
Is it still worth painting and trying to sell art in the current economic crises? Most artists don’t believe that it has become completely impossible to sell art, but some have given up the brush andRead More…
Realistic Styles in Art
Realism is back. Realistic, or representational, art fell out of favour with the advent of photography, but today’s painters and sculptors are reviving old techniques and giving reality a whole new sRead More…
Workshop on How to paint a portrait using a basic 4 colour Palette on 6 to 7 February 2018
Learn how to make use of Leonie’s simple palette to create amazing variety. Develop value sensitivity, skills, and perfecting technical skills in order to create portraits that are deeply in tune Read More…
Commonly asked Questions for beginner Artists
Do I really need to know how to draw? If you were to attend a university, you would spend a year or two learning to draw before you touched paint. Learning to draw correctly is part of teaching yourRead More…
How to give feedback and crit the work of fellow artists
One of the the most difficult things to do is to crit your fellow artists work, without offending or hurting their feelings. Here is some basic rules: 1. Use the love sandwich 2. remark on what isRead More…
Glossary of painting descriptions (like chiaroscuro) and their meanings
Glossary alabaster – A fine-grained, slightly translucent stone with a smooth milk-white surface. buon fresco – Sometimes called “true fresco.” A painting technique in which pigment suspeRead More…
A quote from: Different strokes for different folks.
I think one of the biggest misconceptions is that artists only paint when the mood presents itself. That would be a luxury. Being a painter is my job and just like most jobs, I need to clock in and wRead More…
Explore your creative side. Go where you have never been before.
Welcome to LifeART School, where you will go on a journey of heart, mind and soul. Get your fingers dirty and open up your mind and vision to a different side of yourself.Read More…
Paint like a master, become Picasso, Monet, Renoir
Learn to paint in various different techniques including how to hold your brush to get the effect you want like, Impasto, Scumbling, Blotting, Palette Knife and more.Read More…
Create the human face and body in different styles and techniques
Learn about proportions, and discover fun and creative ways to draw and paint the face and bodyRead More…
Does Drawing Matter in a Loose Painting? by Kim VanDerHoek
When teaching I’ve been asked if a painter can hide the fact that they can’t draw, if they paint really loosely. Immediately an image of a magician doing a card trick pops into my head as I imagine hRead More…
Techniques on Traditional Drawing
Traditional drawing is certainly way harder than digital and it is true that people are able to progress much faster digitally, but one should learn the traditional type of drawing and painting beforRead More…
Greatness is Not Something You are Born With. Is it too late?
We all have baggage, limitations and handicaps – you’re not as unique as you may think Life may be unbearable at times. Family, health, debt, failure and any number of things may bring you to Read More…
Why is lemon yellow a ‘cold yellow’? (article by Mitch Albala) http://blog.mitchalbala.com/expanded-primaries-palette/
Cool yellows are those that have a green bias. Cool yellows are those that have a green bias. It is useful to have one cool and one warm yellow in a split primary palette. When mixing with other colRead More…
How to make good Abstract Art
Abstract Art may seem outrageously free, but in actual fact, it always has a firm rationale.
What can hold everything together? A composition, what we can call a formal foundation. Some types ofRead More…
Colors that dance together, Ultramarine Blue and Burnt Sienna
Earth’s only Natural harmonies It is simply not true that restricting the palette to earth colours only makes for dull brown paintings. • Yellow Ochre • Terra Cotta • Red Ochre • RawRead More…
Color makes a design come alive.
It can attract attention, set a mood, and even influence our emotions and perceptions.But sometimes it can be hard to know where to start when choosing a color palette for your design project. AccorRead More…
Good composition tips
Composition is the placement or arrangement of visual elements or ingredients in a work of art, as distinct from the subject of a work. It can also be thought of as the organization of the elements oRead More…
Alla Prima Cafe Scene / Direct and indirect painting
Alla prima is a style of painting where, instead of building colors up with layers or glazing over an underpainting, the painting is completed while the paint is still wet. Strictly defined, an allaRead More…
What’s up in the Wednesday class? / Pros and cons: oil paints vs. acrylics
Pros and cons: oil paints vs. acrylics Oil paints have survived for hundreds of years, so their long-lasting quality is well known. They do tend to discolor with age, something that acrylics don’tRead More…
Not attached to the outcome
Why 1 years old children art has qualities not achievable by adults? They are not afraid to make a mistake or to spoil a result. They are not attached to outcome. Their expression of the heart is momRead More…
How to draw what you see Art Workshop – day 3
Four ways to begin a portrait… Four ways to begin a portrait… <br /> Read More…
Poof!…Instant Relief from the Pressure of Pitching Your Art
BY ALYSON STANFIELD ON MARCH 19, 2014 Poof! That’s the sound of the pressure vanishing like magic. That pressure of trying to hit a home run when you contact someone about your workRead More…
Amazing complimentary colours
Complementary colors are pairs of colors which, when combined, cancel each other out. This means that when combined, they produce a grey-scale color like white or black.[1] When placed next to each oRead More…
Beyond the Brush
Splashing liquid paint or dye onto a surface is one of the most unpredictable and exciting means of applying colour. Take turns at the classroom sink, dipping whole sheets of paper into watered down Read More…
Visiting Potential Galleries – Better Than an Email
Visiting Potential Galleries – Better Than an Email by Doug Hoppes Searching for some new galleries! No… this is not a plea for others to find me a gallery. No, I’m not leaving my currenRead More…
Does what you draw reveal who you are?
Does what you draw, and how you draw it, reveal who you are?Read More…
How to shoot dreamy outdoor photographs by photographer Jake Olson
Jake Olson is an award-winning, internationally-published portrait photographer and graphic artist from Blair, Nebraska. Jake began taking photographs two and a half years ago. In 2012, he started JaRead More…
What is conceptual Art?
What is conceptual art?
Art in which the idea or concept presented by the artist is considered more important than the finished product, if any such exists. Conceptual art, sometimes simply called CRead More…
What is glazing and how to use it?
A GLAZE is a thin TRANSPARENT color used over another dry color to create a third color. For example if you put a thinned Quinacridone rose (a transparent color) over blue, you get a violet. If you uRead More…
How can I be the best at what I do?
We all want to be the best at what we do…and we can. If we just slow down enough to be in the moment, instead of always thinking or looking at where we would like to be or whom we would like to Read More…
Why do artists paint naked women?
Why do artists paint naked women?
How come they always paint naked women and not men? Whenever they paint a man, they cover their crotch with a sheet or something but when they paint a women, they paRead More…
The proportions of the human figure
The proportions used in figure drawing are: The average person, is generally 7-and-a-half heads tall (including the head). The ideal figure, used when aiming for an impression of nobility or gRead More…
How to paint with a Pallette knife by Leonie.e.Brown ARTist for lifeartschool
Published on Aug 21, 2015 Palette knife painting is a bit like spreading butter on bread. It is important to know how to hold a Pallet knife and to choose the right knife for the area you are woRead More…
How to paint with a Palette Knife like a Master!
Painting with a knife is a bit like putting butter or jam on bread and produces quite a different result to a brush. Painting knives are excellent for producing textured, impasto work and sweepiRead More…
What’s up in the wednesday class… the difference between Impressionsim and Expressionsim
[envira-gallery id=”5922″] What is Impressionism? [envira-gallery id=”5952″] Impressionism is generally considered to be a spontaneous method of painting in which an artist attempts to capture tRead More…
What’s up in the Saturday class / What is palette knife painting?
Painting with a knife is a bit like putting butter or jam on bread and produces quite a different result to a brush. Painting knives are excellent for producing textured, impasto work and sweeping aRead More…
4. Learn to paint Abstracts
How many times have you looked at an abstract painting and heard someone say, “I could do that!”? While abstract painting looks easy to some, it can actually be more challenging thanRead More…
Painting Techniques
Verdacchio / Underpainting Vermeer, Leonardo and Michelangelo were some of the masters that used this technique. After the initial outline drawing was completed, Vermeer began the “dead coloring” (Read More…
Learn to paint Portraits
Paint like Vermeer and RembrandtLearn to create stunning painted portraits. The course starts with basics like learning to draw the head, eye, ear , mouth and nose as individual objects, before incorRead More…
Composition
Composition is all about placing the elements of a painting or drawing where they deliver most impact and adds balance to the art work. If you have ever studied the art works of the masters you miRead More…
3. Advanced Oil and Acrylic Painting Techniques
Just a note to start: A couple of these techniques may look and/or sound the same – such as what you may have learned in your basic 32 day course, but they are immensely different in what Read More…
What’s up in the Saturday class…Impasto and Impressionsim
Impasto is a technique used in painting, where paint is laid on an area of the surface (or the entire canvas) very thickly, usually thickly enough that the brush or painting-knife strokes are Read More…
What’s up in the Wednesday class…van Gogh
One of the students made a beautiful painting in the impressionistic style of van Gogh. VINCENT VAN GOGH Vincent Willem van Gogh was a major Post-Impressionist painter. He was a Dutch artist whRead More…
How to Make Increasing Art Sales | Artpromotivate
How to Make Increasing Art Sales | Artpromotivate LifeART School is mentioned in the Cape Town Magazine as one of the BEST Art schools in Cape Town!Come join us and learn from established teacher anRead More…
Some MORE quistions and answers…
What are you working on at the moment? Landscapes, and some more landscapes! (laughter) Your latest work seem to be getting a lot of notice. What have you done that is different from your previouRead More…
How to paint clouds
Examples of cloud types Examples of cloud types Examples of cloud types Start with a good referance Free reference pictures are available from:Read More…
What’s up in the Monday class…Palette knife
Painting with a knife is a bit like putting butter or jam on bread and produces quite a different result to a brush. Painting knives are excellent for producing textured, impasto work and sweepiRead More…
Art Terms in Action: Tint, Shade & Tone
Secondary colours are the three colours made by mixing together each combination of the primary colours, Red + Yellow = Orange, Yellow + Blue = Green, and Blue + Red = Violet. What is Read More…
How to critique Art?
How to critique Art: When you’re looking at a painting critically with a view to giving a critique to the artist and, equally, when you’re critiquing your own paintings, here are some of the thingRead More…
Amateur Artists believe that success will happen quickly
While an amateur artist believes that it will only take a year or two to create their reputation and have their career take off, a professional artists knows that this process will often take much loRead More…
Spontaneous Realism by VOKA
Spontaneous Realism by VOKA The Austrian artist Voka coined the term Spontaneous Realism to describe the dynamic creative process of his representational paintings. The explosive colors and enerRead More…