The intention of these painting projects is to encourage you to explore new subjects and techniques, to challenge yourself in a new way. When you complete a project, you're invited to email a photo so it can be added the project's gallery (be sure to follow these guidelines) or post it on the Painting Forum.
Project Submissions and Closing Dates
The submissions dates for each monthly project will be given in the project's instructions. Note: All paintings submitted will be deemed to be available for critique, though comments will not always be given. Be sure to follow these guidelines on how to submit a photo or your email may not reach me.You'll notice each month also lists projects from previous years. You're obviously very welcome to tackle these painting projects too, but I'm afraid new submissions to those project galleries won't be accepted. For feedback post a photo in the projects folder in the Painting Forum.
January Painting Project: A Color and Its Complementary
Photo © Marion Boddy-Evans
Paint using a palette limited to a single primary color and its complementary (plus white). Project Instructions...
Previous January Painting Projects:
• Monochrome Painting
• Limited Color Palette (lemon yellow, phthalo blue, burnt sienna)
Previous January Painting Projects:
• Monochrome Painting
• Limited Color Palette (lemon yellow, phthalo blue, burnt sienna)
February Painting Projects: Valentine's & Expressive Figures
© Marion Boddy-Evans
The Valentine's Project is to create a painting or card to give to someone you love. Project instructions...
The other February painting project will be Expressive Figures. So a similar approach to last year's Expressive Self-Portraits, but to show a figure (at least three-quarters, ideally the whole figure). A painting using a figure manikin (Buy Direct) as a model will also be acceptable. Project instructions...
Previous February Painting Projects:
• Scribble Painting
• Expressive Self-Portraits
The other February painting project will be Expressive Figures. So a similar approach to last year's Expressive Self-Portraits, but to show a figure (at least three-quarters, ideally the whole figure). A painting using a figure manikin (Buy Direct) as a model will also be acceptable. Project instructions...
Previous February Painting Projects:
• Scribble Painting
• Expressive Self-Portraits
March Painting Project: Knife Painting
Painting © Shrl/Papaya 2008
The objective of this painting project is to create a painting using a painting knife. (Buy Direct: Painting Knife) The subject will be "Essence of a Season", to convey the character of a season of your choice, whether winter, spring, summer, or autumn (fall). Project instructions...
Previous March Painting Projects:
• Big Brush Painting
• Knife Painting (Open Subject)
Previous March Painting Projects:
• Big Brush Painting
• Knife Painting (Open Subject)
April & May Painting Project: Painting Done from Sketches or Studies
Photo © Marion Boddy-Evans
April to do the sketches and/or studies on location, and May to finish the painting back home. Submissions will need to include sketches and painting. The subject can be the interior of a room, a garden or park, cityscape or landscape. The objective is to spend time observing, creating sketches and/or studies of elements of the scene, then work up a finished painting. Read instructions...
Previous April/May Painting Projects:
• Trees
• Changing Light
• Clouds and Cloudy Skies
• Changing Seasons
• Portrait of a Flower (with photos of setup)
Previous April/May Painting Projects:
• Trees
• Changing Light
• Clouds and Cloudy Skies
• Changing Seasons
• Portrait of a Flower (with photos of setup)
June Painting Project: Children's Book Illustration
Photo © Marion Boddy-Evans
To create at least two illustrations based on a children's story provided. Read instructions....
Previous June Painting Projects:
• Realistic Water Drops
• Landscapes
Previous June Painting Projects:
• Realistic Water Drops
• Landscapes
July Painting Project: Abstracting an Urban Scene
Photo © Marion Boddy-Evans
Briefly: think of it as conveying the essence of a city or urban scene, the impact and emotion, not the detail. It's about abstraction not pure abstract. So much fun was had with it last year, I thought we'd do it again this year. Read instructions...
Previous July Painting Projects:
• Abstracting Nature
• Summer Amusement
• Abstracting a City Scene
Previous July Painting Projects:
• Abstracting Nature
• Summer Amusement
• Abstracting a City Scene
August Painting Project: Still Life with Blue
Photo © 2009 Marion Boddy-Evans
Paint a still life dominated by an object(s) that is blue. What it is and what kind of blue it is, is up to you. For a real challenge, place it against a blue cloth, to create a blue-on-blue painting. For inspiration, take a look at the paintings done for the Still Life With Red Project. Read the project instructions...
Previous August Painting Projects:
• Still Life with Fruit
• In the Candlelight
Previous August Painting Projects:
• Still Life with Fruit
• In the Candlelight
September Painting Project: Miniatures
Photo © 2009 Marion Boddy-Evans
The challenge of working really small, by painting a miniature. For the purposes of this project, the miniature is to be no larger than 5x5" (25 square inches) or if you're using metric, 10x10cm (100 cm2) unframed. Subject can be of your choosing. To do it in traditional style, the subject would be painted no larger than one-sixth its actual size. Project instructions...
Previous September Painting Projects:
• Still Life With Red
Previous September Painting Projects:
• Still Life With Red
October Painting Project: In the Style of Whistler
The challenge of this project will be to paint a limited tone cityscape, landscape or urban scene in a narrow range of tones of blue/gray, using these two paintings of Whistler's Nocture paintings for guidance: Nocturne: Blue and Silver: Chelsea and Nocturne: Blue and Silver: Cremorne Lights. The tonal range is to be limited from light to one step past midtone; no extreme darks. Read project instructions...Previous October Painting Projects:
• Unexpected Angles
• In the Style of Matisse
