Hidden Figures Portraits by Stella Blu in Los Angeles, California
Stella Blu is an amazing watercolorist. These portraits embody pretty much everything I love about watercolor painting.
Jonah Hill by Plinio Pinto in Orlando, Florida
I chose this piece of Jonah Hill from his Facebook page because I liked how tight the facial features were positioned while the overall size of the head, forehead, hair give the piece a funny look — just like Jonah.
Large Still-Life by Rupert Courdeux in Coventry, West Midlands, UK
I chose this piece because of how striking that window in the background is. A great way to show off that window and yet have so much else going on in the piece.
Pédaler dans la Choucroute by Melina Josserand in West Hampstead, London
Josserand’s illustrative style is whimsical and infectious.
Untitled by Nadees Prabou in Pondicherry, India
Looking through his archives you’ll see very vivid colors, harsh lighting — a style he describes as “phantasmagoric” — that this piece does not represent.
Early Morning Market, Shimonoseki, Japan by Ian Ramsay in Murray, Utah
This one, from a trip he took to Japan in 2005, is a good example of his attention to detail, his ability to capture the perspective of an area, and his use of light/dark.
AUS Aboriginal by Richard Chao in Sydney, Australia
Chao’s style is incredibly realistic. His portraits look almost like photographs with a Photoshop glamour blur turned onto the edges.
Teapot and Unhappy Kid by Laober Zhu in Dubai, UAE
The expression on this “unhappy kid” is so well done.
Sydney dusk by Tony Belobrajdic in New South Wales, Australia
I’m a sucker for marinas, inlets, bays.
Soldiers at Rye 1941 by Edward Burra in Rye, East Sussex, UK
Burra was best known for his work depicting the underworld or Harlem in the 1930s.
Watercolor by Mehmet Güler in Sakarya, Turkey
Great pieces from Güler.
Interior with Lamp by David Hockney in Bridlington, Yorkshire, England, UK
I’ve only recently discovered Hockney, though he’s considered one of the most influential British artists of the 20th century, and I’m really enjoying his work.
Fountain at Zoo by Terrece Beesley in East Layton, Utah
The above piece must have been fun to work on. Reflections are always difficult to master… but reflections around a sphere must be doubly so.
LISSABON Portugal (2015) by Andreas Schweizer in Zurich, Switzerland
I chose the above piece because I love trolly cars, I love the detail of the street lamp, and I think the front of the trolly says Jameson, which is one of my favorite whiskies.
Gitano (Gypsy) by Eugenio Para in Murcia, Spain
If you look through his website you’ll find realistic oils of still-life, beautiful abstract art, nudes, and finally this flamenco series.
Wells Building Youngstown by Daniel Rauschenbach in Youngstown, Ohio
I chose the above piece because it reminds me very much of the city I work in and yet the way he’s portrayed the otherwise mundane scene is vibrant, interesting, and worthy of conversation. True art.
The Weight of Hunger by Daniel Angeles in Dallas, Texas
I chose this piece because it seems inspired both of Dalí and Warhol yet is still all Angeles.
Clementines by Chris Krupinski in Fairfax, Virginia
I chose the piece above because of the hard shadows that slice across the fruit. Shadows in watercolor generally get blurred or washed out but not in Krupinski’s work.
Summer Sidewalk by Steve Kleier in Portland, Oregon
It is as if he uses shadows to construct the entire piece and he’s left with a proper representation of where the light is. Reverse photography.
Ten and Not Nine by Starr Weems in Athens, Alabama
She accomplishes her style using a gravity pour technique and then erasing away the pieces she wants to brighten up.
1200‘ #9, 2014 by Amy Park in New York City, NY
Her large canvases remind me of Monet’s Water Lilies series. I’d love to see one of these in person.
Hudson River Park by Richard Fox in Brooklyn, NY
I’m digging Richard’s style. This painting is from his Splashes of Color series.
Baby of Totoro and Moomins by Zuzia Turek in High Wycombe, Buckinghamshire, UK
I decided to browse around on Ello this morning to find today’s illustration2015 featured painting and I’m glad I did because I found this piece from Zuzia Turek.
Stargazing Owl by Eugene Arenhaus in Haifa, Israel
I love that Arenhaus used red to light this piece because that is exactly what you’d see at a real observatory — the red light helps keep your pupils dilated to capture as much light as possible.