When Brooklyn-based artist Iris Scott begins a new piece, she doesn't get out paintbrushes. Instead, she simply puts on gloves when she starts on an oil painting. Scott is a fine art finger painter.

This 10-minute long mini documentary on her from a couple of years ago shares how she got started and what she thinks of her "gift." She's quick to point out that it's not a natural talent, that it's the result of a lot of time and practice:

I do not think I was just gifted by any means. I think that I just practiced a lot. The only gift you might say I have is a tremendous interest and willingness to put tons of hours at it. I definitely don't believe people are born with the gift to paint. I know I wasn't. I just practiced a lot starting at a very early age. And anyone can pick up painting at any time of their life and as long as you throw a ton of hours at it, you will improve in ways you just never thought you possibly could. Just watch what happens, go throw 10,000 hours at one subject or one art form and just watch what happens, suddenly everyone will start telling you you are gifted.

Here's a how-to video she made that shows her process a little closer:

Do go check out her site. I was blown away by her work.

(The Awesomer) Read the rest

Artist Peter Combe turns hardware store paint swatches into gorgeous pixellated portraits. Read the rest

Most of us have enjoyed the soothing, soft-spoken art instructions of public TV painter Bob Ross, but how many of us have actually tried to paint using his methods?

I guessed "not many" but I was wrong. On YouTube, there's this "Bob Ross Challenge" which means lots of folks are taking a stab at creating their own "happy little trees," with mixed results.

In the Buzzfeed video from 2017 (above), watch as three beginning painters fearlessly try their hand at following the master.

Then, watch these two brave souls do the same thing:

Previously: Zen out on Bob Ross peeling off contact paper

(Neatorama) Read the rest

Tatsuo Horiuchi, 77, creates lovely landscape paintings using the color graphing features of Excel. As William Gibson said, "The street finds its own uses for things."

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This is called "Gettin' Wet on Wet with Deadpool 2" and it's the slick new, and wonderfully bizarro, teaser trailer for Deadpool 2. It shows Deadpool actor Ryan Reynolds (we assume) dressed in the superhero's costume and then dressed like the late TV painter Bob Ross, giant white fro and all. You have to sit through a minute and a half of weird, and hilarious, banter and "painting" just to see flashes of the film.

Even the description is off the wall:

After surviving a near fatal bovine attack, a disfigured cafeteria chef (Wade Wilson) struggles to fulfill his dream of becoming Mayberry’s hottest bartender while also learning to cope with his lost sense of taste. Searching to regain his spice for life, as well as a flux capacitor, Wade must battle ninjas, the yakuza, and a pack of sexually aggressive canines, as he journeys around the world to discover the importance of family, friendship, and flavor – finding a new taste for adventure and earning the coveted coffee mug title of World’s Best Lover.

Deadpool 2 hits theaters June 1, 2018.

Here's a closer look at that Norman Rockwell-esque painting at the end of the trailer:

(reddit) Read the rest

Micki Myers paints very realistic vegetables and fruit. Just one item in each case, floating in a pure existential realm of nutritious plant life. Pictured above is an apple. Here's a pickle:

Also, an obligatory banana. Read the rest

San Francisco-based artist Lina West creates these beautiful hand-painted mandala stones covered in gorgeous fractal patterns. Read the rest

Many of us who play fantasy and sci-fi roleplaying and tabletop miniature games struggle with our ability to paint minis so that they look halfway decent on the table. Getting me to paint my minis is like getting 8-year-old me to eat his broccoli. I'm something of a perfectionist and I look at a lot of pro painted miniatures, in gaming magazines and online. My miniatures never look as good as what I see, so it's an effort for me to even bother. But also being a perfectionist, I wouldn't think of "gaming in the nude" (playing with unpainted miniatures). And so I press ahead, and try to do at least a little painting every night.

My pal, James Floyd Kelly, who I wrote about previously when he launched his new dungeon crafting channel, Game Terrain Engineering, was in a similar boat of not being happy with his painting chops. So, he decided to buy the Reaper Miniatures Learn To Paint Bones Kit and record a series of videos of him painting the three minis that come in the kit. It's really encouraging to watch the series and to see how much his painting improves over the three videos and three miniatures. Bolstered by that improvement, Jim plans on now getting the next kit in the series, the Layer Up Bones Miniatures Learn to Paint Kit and to paint (and hopefully document) those three miniatures.

Also: Here's a list of beginner painting tips that I ran into recently. These are all of the same tips that I share with people. Read the rest

Legacy Lab international created this interesting creative experiment titled Energy of Things: a canvas covered in thermochromic paint, with a variable heat source behind it. Read the rest

Josie Lewis creates beautiful geometric watercolor paintings. In this video, she shows you how if you're ready to move past adult coloring books. Read the rest

DeviantArt member Laovaan creates all kinds of beautifully shaded watercolors. In this video he fields viewer questions as he spends five hours creating a watercolor of Link from The Legend of Zelda. Read the rest

Check out this astonishing workmanship by mulletsaurus, who hand-painted The Black Knight from Kingdom Death. Here's the blank for comparison: Read the rest

I’d like you to meet a man that I've worked with for over a decade.   His artist name is Ekundayo and I'll be darned if I know what else to call him.  He pours his life into his work - it's everything to him.

His painting style style is emotion filled, kinetic, and unforgettable.

I met Ekundayo in 2005 and since then, I’ve seen his work pop up on billboards, in movies and on murals around the globe.  

The content he chooses to create goes beyond our comfort zone, and because of that, it's impossible to mistake his artistic fingerprint.

Each of his art pieces drips with emotion and has amazing stories buried within them.

In 2007, Ekundayo helped our company create a mural for Trent Reznor’s, Year Zero. The piece was painted in London with other artists Johnny Rodriguez, Josh Clay and Mike Maxwell.

Reznor's mural was stolen 2 days after it was completed and to this day, fans around the world are on the lookout for it.

By the time the Year Zero project was complete, Ekundayo had become very special to me and as his technique evolved, I marveled at his ability to quickly fill vast spaces with his unique vision.

I'd love to have a peek at the sketchbook in his head and see the art before it unfolds.

My friend is truly a genius with a paintbrush and you can check out the rest of his work at Ekundayo.com. 

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YouTuber Die Struktur created the first rotating cat automaton that paints to musical accompaniment. Now, instead of "my kid could paint that," idiots can say "my maneki-neko on a turntable could paint that." Read the rest

Krystle Missildine paints delicate animal portraits on feathers, like this robin on a macaw feather. Read the rest

This bucolic scene is a work of art that anyone can attempt—so long as they have an unrooted treestump close to hand and the brilliant skills of Alison Moritsugu. [via r/Art] Read the rest

Another incredible body painting masterpiece by Johannes Stötter. And just for kicks, take a close look at this "frog":

Want more? Check out the trippy video below (previously posted on BB) and, of course, the artist's site: Johannes Stötter Art

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