Douglas Simonson

My latest YouTube video is a tutorial explaining how I use Photoshop to prepare photos before using them as painting references. It's a step-by-step guide that should make it easy for you to use my method. Here's the link: Simonson Explains How to Use Photoshop to Make Photos Easier to Paint From. .

My newest YouTube video is a landscape-painting tutorial. In it, you can watch the painting happen in timelapse video, along with a narration where I'm explaining what I'm doing in each phase of the painting. I also show how I prep my source photo using Photoshop filters to make it easier to paint from. You can watch the new video on YouTube now. Here's the link: https://youtu.be/8CW4OjJU0Cw

As noted in the previous blog entry, one of my latest paintings shows Marcus and Sandro climbing down a rock in a jungle setting. It's called "Brazilian Sunlight" and it's from a photo session where I took my models to a deserted island in Brazil (read more about it, and see the reference photo, in the previous blog entry here.) While I was creating this painting, I had a time-lapse camera recording it, and I've now edited that material together, with music, to create a YouTube video which condenses around 8 hours of painting into a little over 3 minutes. You can see the entire painting process in the YouTube video, and remember, by clicking on the gear icon, you can slow it down (or speed it up). Here's the link: https://youtu.be/AJDBMdTpwyY

I just completed a quick acrylic sketch of a morning scene I photographed in Yelapa, a beach town just a boat ride away from my home in Puerto Vallarta. As is natural for me these days, I set up my Android phone with the LapseIt app running and recorded a time-lapse video.

As I mentioned in a blog entry a few days ago, I recently got a new phone so that I could shoot time-lapse videos of myself drawing and painting. (For those who are interested, I got a Samsung Galaxy J6+ Android phone and the app is called LapseIt. I'm pretty happy with both.)

Working on improving my skills with landscapes recently. These small, rough landscapes are from the past week. The better I get at landscapes, the more I'll be able to give my male figure paintings a more integrated setting. Plus it's nice to have some new offerings for my landscape collectors!

The first printing of my X-rated Coloring Book has arrived! If you pre-ordered, your coloring books are on their way to you. If you didn't pre-order, do it now (they're $14.95 each plus shipping). Your coloring book will be shipped immediately, but quantities are limited, so order now. Here's a link: https://douglassimonson.com/product/book-simonson-men-coloring-book/

The first day of the Victor painting was all about laying in the big shapes, the big areas of light and dark. On the second day I refined by working on some of the smaller shapes. I hasten to say this doesn't mean getting into detail. One of my goals with most of my painting is to avoid detail as much as possible. My goal is to have those big, bold brushstrokes say everything that needs to be said. My opinion is that suggestion of detail is more powerful than spelling everything out.

Finishing touches meant breaking my own rules a bit and going into detail in one place in particular: the face. This is so important to what the painting is saying, that I think some detail there is justified. The painting is done! Title: Red Speedo.

Today I began a new painting of Victor, using a photograph I shot of him a few years ago when we were both in Hawaii. I began in the usual way, by tacking up several versions of the source photo next to a piece of canvas, then sketching a rough drawing onto the canvas. Then I mixed up a neutral purplish-brown color and watered it down a bit so I could do a wash over the entire drawing. While that was drying, I started mixing my colors.

I began with the darkest darks--a very dark green for the darkest areas of the background, and a very dark reddish-purplish-brown for the deepest shadows on the body. Then I added a thin layer of medium-dark green over most of the background, and some light yellow for the foreground. At this stage I'm using bold, energetic strokes without worrying too much if they're exactly right. My goal is to lay in the main lights and darks while keeping the brushwork lively and energetic.

After weeks of focusing on getting the coloring book done, I haven't painted for a while. So to get back into it, I undertook one of my favorite exercises--1-hour paintings. Today I did 3 paintings, 2 nudes and a landscape. I give myself 1 hour from the time I first put pencil to canvas to sketch the underdrawing, until I have to put my paintbrush down. I stuck to the one-hour mark on the first one; the second and third took 1:05 and 1:10 respectively. This is my favorite way to paint, with a deadline to keep me working fast and loose, making every brushstroke count, rather than trying to get things perfect. It's a great exercise.

I'm finishing up the last few images for the coloring book and it'll be ready to go to the printers this week! Here are a few more images to whet your appetite. In the meantime, you can pre-order your copy(s) on my website (here's a link), and we'll ship your coloring book to you as soon as they're off the presses!

I'm nearing completion on the Simonson Men Adult Coloring Book, with most of the illustrations done. The book should be done and published by mid-February. In the meantime, you can pre-order your copy(s) on my website (here's a link), and we'll ship your coloring book to you as soon as they're off the presses!

Demonstration painting from Monday night's Posterize for Painting class On Jan. 21 I did a one-night workshop at ArtVallarta called Posterize for Painting. The class was organized at the request of several of my painting students who wanted more info on the methods I use to prep my images for painting using Photoshop. The first part of the class was spent on the computer, showing them specifics of tweaking and posterizing the images in Photoshop and Gimp (an open-source free alternative to Photoshop). The rest of the class was a demonstration.

Left, original photo; Middle, Posterize and Median filters applied; Right, finished painting. In the demonstration, using a photo I had prepped using the Median and Posterize filters, I showed how I put it on canvas and turn it into a painting. Students got to look over my shoulder and ask questions as I mixed colors and and painted. The painting was mostly done by the end of the workshop--I put on the final touches the next day and it's now viewable on my website under the title "Idol." It was a fun workshop! (My friend and sometime assistant Lalo also shot some short videos of the demonstration--you can watch them by scrolling down to the end of this post.)

After 5 days I have finally completed the painting. The final day was spent fine-tuning the painting. What that means is, once everything is there and in place, there are always issues of overall balance and how things are relating to each other. In this case I had to brighten highlights on the body and tone down the entire background (I used a dull reddish glaze) to get the figure to stand out properly without too much competition from the background. I've titled it "Desert Heat 2." I'll have the painting up on my website in the next day or so. Thanks for watching!

Day 4. This is longer than I usually work on a painting (more than 2 days is rare for me). But I knew this would be a big project when I began it, so I was ready for it. On Day 4 things are actually coming along pretty well. One more day and I should have all the colors in place. At that point I begin the fine tuning. Part 5 tomorrow.

On Day 3 I've got the background mostly done (although it will get worked on more later) and have started to add color to the figure. The painting's coming along well, but it's a lot of work because there's just so much going on in this image! The source photograph, by the way, is one I've wanted to tackle as a painting for years, but didn't because I was intimidated. I knew it would be a big challenge--and it is. But so far, so good...I'll post Part 4 tomorrow.

Day 2 is about adding more background. I'm using a version of the original photo which I've tweaked in Photoshop with the Median and Posterize filters. Median removes much of the detail, and Posterize reduces the number of colors and presents them as clearly defined areas of flat color. These tweaks make the image easier to paint, and I also like the overall effect. I'll post part 3 tomorrow.