"Education is not the filling of a pail, but the lighting of a fire". ~ W. B. Yeats

The Art Apprentice Online teachers are committed to sharing their love of art, art education and teaching. The common goal is to inspire and encourage dedication to learning and teaching. The Hummingbird mascot is a traveler and messenger bringing news from the Art Apprentice Online website...

From the editors desk...

"Enjoy our first interactive newsletter. As this is interactive we wanted to keep it short and sweet...Feel free to share with painting friends and classmates. Help us spread the love of art education with everyone and, 'Just paint it!'.

Can you describe yourself as an artist? This is something you should be able to do in thirty words or less. Do this exercise from time to time. It will help you stay focused on your educational goals.

This AAO newsletter will be sent directly to your email inbox. This keeps you informed about the new classroom additions, new courses and products. If you haven't subscribed to The Hummingbird Newsletter at this time, be sure to do so by visiting the link at the bottom of the home page of our website.

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NEW Peaceful Journey- painted by artist Gaby Hunter. A new online class offered at the AAO this Fall Season.September 7th. - October 4th. Register now!

Course fee - $50.

Student Support - Text lessons, links to materials, photographs, live chats, interactive class forum, streaming video, quizzes, and workshop. Course materials will be made available for enrolled students only, up to 90 days after the course has been completed.

NEW Shadow Study - Understanding Shadows - taught by Susan Abdella, MDA. September 3th. - September 9th. Register now!

Shadow Study - Understanding shadows - This course opens the door for students wishing to learn and understand the nature of shadows. The character of cast, resting and body shadows will be explored, as well as their color, transparency, and form.

Course fee - $19.95

Student Support - photographs, written text lesson, discussion forum, live chat room. 2 Units.

Online Classroom - After many months of planning and hard work the online classroom is OPEN and the first classes are ready to roll! We are now taking student registrations for this Summer and the upcoming Fall and Spring Seasons of courses. This new expansion has allowed the AAO to meet another of our educational goals. This is a very exciting time for the AAO art instructors as they reach out to artists around the globe.

About the classroom - The new online classroom at the AAO has the capability to be completely interactive. That is, the course materials can be provided to students through all media formats: video, interactive forums, written text lessons and live chat rooms for each course. Students may interact with each other and the instructor can be reached at set times in the course chat room. Students are able to upload photographs of their work for personal and/or group critiques, sharing and discussions.

Visit the classroom - Enter the classroom and register with your correct name, give yourself a password that you will remember and browse through the extensive line-up of courses that are being offered in the upcoming season. New courses are being created behind the scenes and added as they are near completion. There is something for everyone of all skill levels...The link below will take you directly to the new online classroom.

First Course begins July 5th. REGISTER NOW !! You may enroll up to midnight on the 5th. - The Power of Observation. Many artists will tell you that observation is the most important skill for the artist to master. Instructors Gaby Hunter, HA and Neadeen Masters, CDA, have created this two session online workshop that will help you develop these skills and understand how and why they are so important for the artist to learn. Join us and many other artists as we all celebrate the start of our online classes with this first interactive workshop! Participate with the streaming videos, text lessons, online discussions and quizzes. Woo Hoo! Its a very exciting time for us!

Course fee - $19.95 - notebook and pencil required, no additional supplies needed.

Many other courses are now open for registration!

FAQ's about online classes are listed at the top of the classroom page.

Observation equals Inspiration - Inspiration comes from developing observational skills and will help you make a deeper emotional investment in your art.

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NEW Asian Parakeet - painted by artist Neadeen Masters, CDA. A new online class offered at the AAO this Fall Season. Sept. 1st. - Sept. 28th. Register now!

Course fee - $50.

Student Support - Text lessons, links to materials, photographs, live chats, interactive class forum, streaming video, quizzes, and workshop. Course materials will be made available for enrolled students only, up to 90 days after the course has been completed.

Thank You - As a thank you to all who signed up for our Hummingbird Newsletter we would like to give you a value coupon to use towards your next purchase of the following items.

Brushes - 20% off

Art Card Sets- 20% off

Upon checkout apply the coupon number listed below.

Art Apprentice Online Expands again. AAO Interactive is an expansion of our Online Classroom. In this new age of internet technology and online classes, it is easier to obtain art education now than ever before. It is within reach of nearly everyone. On the AAO, Art Apprentice Online website, our focus on interactive learning together with the launch of our new online classes have prompted us to further expand our art community.

This new expansion also includes an email 'group' format where your artistic growth and imagination will be engaged. We believe that effective and creative learning foster's inspiration and in turn motivates artists to paint. Click here to join...

AAO Interactive

Join us on our new group AAO Interactive- and Just Paint It!

You may have heard of a painting movement called A Painting A Day. This was started by another artist named Duane Keiser and adopted by several others. We were so inspired by this idea and thought we would like to begin something along the same line of thought. Not a painting per day, but a painting per week depending on the time you have and can spend with us.

Surface Size - We would like to suggest very small surfaces, 3x5, 5x7 or 8x10. The basic goal of this is to get our brushes into paint and to paint as often as we can while exploring and experimenting and having fun with this. The more we paint the better we will get from practice and artistic self confidence.

The Subjects - We would like to begin with simple items found around our homes or studios. Subjects can be a slice of toast, a single berry, a bobbin of thread to a single bloom from your garden. We are going to begin with a Raspberry. Paint it with what ever style you want, 'Just paint it!'

Share your work - We have created a folder on our new group where you may share your finished mini-paintings for input. All artists are welcome to join us for this fun exercise. We will be painting ours with Traditions Resin Acrylics.

The Ellipse Card - Perspective is a tricky concept if not interpreted correctly. Ellipses are one aspect of perspective the artist needs to understand. We created a theory card explaining the concept in graphic form. Below is the front of the graphic and the reverse side features the written explanations. This is an excellent tool for the teacher to use in the classroom and for the artist to add to their study materials and tools.

Reach for your ellipse card while painting. Check your still life compositions, see if the circle shape you are painting is indeed seen in correct perspective. This chart is available in student size 8"x10", and classroom poster size. An excellent teaching aid for the art classroom that can be mounted on foam core board and displayed on an easel during class time.

Visit the Online Store

8"x10" Laminated card - $7.95

20"x30" Class Poster size - $29.95

Art Cards - The Passionate Painter art cards are blank greeting cards and post cards created by artists for artists. Sentiments related to the artistic experience are shared with humor. Send classmates a card for sharing supplies with you because you forgot yours at home. Send a thank you to the teacher who made your day! Cards and postcards are sold with matching envelopes in sets of four. Remember a Passionate Painter today!

Refer to the panel on the left side of the newsletter to see the selection of cards.

Walter Sargent on color ~ "Color is so much a matter of direct and immediate perception that any discussion of theory needs to be accompanied by experiments with the colors themselves".

Color tip! Want to make your paintings pop?

Surround brighter colors that are more pure with neutralized complimentary colors that are of lower intensity or slightly grayed.

Your Artist's Signature - Tips

Your Signature is an important part of the painting and should be painted in a manner that complements the painting rather than take away from it. Use thinned paint, the consistency of ink. Use a small brush with a good point. Reload with paint if you have to after each letter. The traditional place for a signature is the bottom right, however position can be the choice of the artist.

Artist's Value Finders - No more guess work while you learn the concept of Value (the contrast between light & dark). Red and green value finders are very useful tools for the artist who is learning to manage their values. Creating three dimension, form and contrast within a composition can be problematic at the best of times. Eliminate some of the guesswork with the help of value finders.

Position your transparent value finders up to your eyes. View your painting for a few seconds and voila! You will be able to see if the value is correct for its position with in the painting. The red and green set and laminated instructions are included in the package.

Red & Green value finder package and instructions - $12.95

Value Lesson By Sue Pruett, MDA

Memorable Quotes...

"Happy are the painters, for they shall not be lonely. Light and colour, peace and hope, will keep them company to the end of the day". ~ Winston Churchill

'Just paint it!'

Art is the stored honey of the human soul, gathered on wings of misery and travail. ~Theodore Dreiser, Life, Art, and America, 1917

'Just paint it!'

The more you paint, the better painter you become!!

Ring..Ring..Ring...When Gaby Hunter picked up the phone that morning, little did she expect what was to follow. Stranger than fiction, the caller referred to the famous Dutch Master artist, Cornelis de Heem and about the painting he created several hundred years ago.

To make a very long story very short, Gaby and the AAO had the honor of helping in a limited capacity to facilitate the sale of this beautiful painting you see featured here. The painting, “Stilleven met oesters, citroen, kersen in glas en fruitschaal” had been in a private family collection for over 300 years in Holland and the United States. The owners of the painting wished to offer the painting for sale, and turned to the internet. They came upon the AAO website and made that phone call. Gaby Hunter picked up the phone that morning...Sooo...

After several weeks, many phone calls back and forth to well known art galleries, Gaby facilitated all parties by uploading the painting's images to the AAO website for the purchaser to see close-ups of the painting. This helped finalize and close the sale.

With the families permission the AAO is now able to use these images in our educational programs in the future. We thank the family for sharing their photographs of their Dutch Old Master painting with us all. If you would like to see more of the same close-up image visit the link below.

Blending Tips for the Art of Refined Blending

by Sue Pruett, MDA

Refined blending is a blending technique that is learned by developing skills through repetition and practice. The concept is not that different than learning stroke control. Learning to control the brush, the bristles, paint and consistency. The amount of pressure and the required touch is very important. Instructor Sue Pruett explains this in her video demonstration. (See link below)

Correct brush position and pressure relative to the surface - bristles must lay at about 45 degree angle.

(Below) Incorrect brush position and pressure relative to the surface. In this case only the tip of the brush is touching the surface.

Goal of refined blending - The goal of refined blending is to merge values together creating a subtle gradation between them. This creates a smooth transition from one area to another.  Gradation of value is the key to developing form or three dimension. Form is the key to developing realism and depth within a painting. 

Learning to identify Over-blending and Under-blending is also one of the virtues of learning to blend correctly.  Join us for more The Art of Refined Blending on the Art Apprentice Online. Visit the link below to see a short video demonstration of refined blending techniques by Sue Pruett, MDA.

Educational Tools - There are several new products at the AAO. We have created educational tools and teaching aids for students and teachers alike. The laminated color mixing chart featured below was introduced at the SDP conference in Tampa, Florida this year. It received an overwhelmingly positive response. Many artists and teachers are finding this an invaluable classroom tool to help them as they either learn about or teach their students how to mix color.

This laminated chart is available in student size 8"x10", and classroom/studio poster size. This is an excellent teaching aid for the classroom. It can be mounted on foam core board and displayed either on an easel during class time or mounted to the wall.

8"x10" Laminated card - $7.95

20"x30" Class Poster size - $29.95

Laminated Theory Cards - This transparent water drop card is an example of our new teaching and educational tools. The graphics and painted examples on this card demonstrate the step by step process for painting realistic water drops. The 8"x10" card may be purchased separately or in a set. The set comes complete with a short instructional DVD by artist/instructor Sue Pruett, MDA, showing at close-up range how to paint water drops. Included in the set is a thirteen page booklet written by artist/instructor Neadeen Masters, CDA explaining in detail where and when to place water drops for the best effects. Create the best visual impact within your compositions when using water drops for interest. To view the 12 minute DVD prior to purchase, visit the following link.

Water Drop Streaming Video

8"x10" Laminated card - $7.95

20"x30" Class Poster size - $29.95

Water Drop Study Set with DVD - $15.95

"Painting is the most beautiful of all arts. In it, all sensations are condensed; contemplating it, everyone can create a story at the will of his imagination and.. with a single glance.. have his soul invaded by the most profound recollections; no effort of memory, everything is summed up in one instant. A complete art which sums up all the others and completes them". ~ Paul Gauguin

Are you a Passionate Painter? - If you can answer yes to this question then you are not alone. We created a line of postcards and a poster just for artists. The idea for the passionate painter was born from the humor and the struggles of our passion, art! You may share some of these same sentiments and sense of humor with us. We bring to you a fun poster for your special place or art studio...

To view a larger image of the 20"x30"poster, visit this link below.

'Just paint it!'

The more you paint, the better painter you become!!

Light Source Theory Cards and Poster.

Classroom/Studio Poster and student size laminated cards are an asset for the art teacher. This large 20"x30" Theory Poster will make an excellent teaching tool for your classroom environment. This poster is printed on heavy duty semi-gloss photographic paper and is shipped to you in a special box. Teach students how to identify different directional lightsources.

8"x10" Laminated card - $7.95

20"x30" Class Poster size - $29.95

Visit the Online Store

Brush Mixing Tips...

Tip - When mixing color always add dark to light.

Tip - When mixing color, start with small puddles

Tip - If adding color to the puddle, do so in the smallest amounts at first.

Laminated Theory Card - What is Value? - This is another 8"x10" laminated theory card. Graphics relating to the concept of value are featured on the front and text explanations on the reverse side. This chart comes as a teaching tool or classroom poster. Poster size is 20"x30'' and is printed on semi gloss heavy duty photo paper.

8"x10" Laminated card - $7.95

20"x30" Class Poster size - $29.95

Visit the Online Store

Summer Observations - Learning to 'See' By Susan Abdella, MDA

Next time you are on the road, be it in your car or camper, or simply taking a leisurely walk, allow yourself a few precious moments to actually see. Become aware of that which is around you. Focus on just one thing: trees and grasses, flowers for example. Notice the infinite palette of colors nature provides us.  Depending upon the season, the full color spectrum can be displayed and displayed so beautifully.  Keen observation of the world around us is one of the many tools we are endowed with at birth. Using this tool will greatly increase our artistic knowledge, our skills, and confidence, bringing us closer to our goal of becoming a better artist.

Brush Mate Brush Cleaning Machine - Are you struggling to clean your brushes after a painting session? Struggle no more. We found the greatest invention since sliced bread! We introduced this brush cleaning machine at the SDP convention in Tampa, Florida and it was extremely well received. The liquid cleaner is biodegradable, so not harmful to the environment. One bottle of cleaner is poured into the reservoir and stays in the machine for several months.

The Artist's Brush Mate cleaning machine is the world's first and only power tool for cleaning paint brushes, and the liquid brush cleaning fluid. Together they are the safest, most effective way to keep your whole studio clean and safe.

Artist's Brush Mate - Regular $49.95 - AAO Price $42.95

*Brush Mate Liquid Cleaner sold seperatly.

Want to Learn About Watercolors?

Did you know that the AAO has several free watercolor video clips for the beginner watercolorist to enjoy? Watercolors are becoming the most popular of all painting media today. The fact that they are portable, is even more of a bonus for the artist. Are you interested in learning to manage this media and understand the required supplies? Then visit the Online Tutorials. Here you can view several streaming video clips that explain each of the supplies and demonstrate the basic techniques for the beginner watercolorist.

Free Video Tutorials

Create the Illusion of Distance...

Create distance in your landscape paintings - Strong contrast and details will attract attention! So lower the contrast between the dark and light values in the distance and reduce the amount of textures by softening them.