Visit the American Artist Community Site For New Editorial Content

As many visitors have already discovered, the American Artist online presence is currently transitioning to a new format. The new American Artist community site is already home to the American Artist forums, and fresh online editorial content is being shifted there as well. The content previously posted here can now be found in a collection of newly created blogs, brought to you by the editors of the American Artist family of publications.

Visit here for new content.

Fine Art or Illustration?

Whether creating fine art or illustration, for Connecticut artist Bernie Fuchs—who boasts a long and successful career as an illustrator—it’s all the same. Either way, “I’m making a picture,” he explains.

Acrylic Critique: "Soft Shells"

When a painting seems perfect, try painting from a different viewpoint or imitating another artist's style.

Acrylic Critique: "Canoe in Summertime"

Pay attention to the contrast between the background and the foreground in  landscape compositions.

"American Artist" Magazine Cover Competition Winners

Hundreds of artists from around the country sent in submissions for American Artist’s 2008 Cover Competition, and the editors narrowed the selection down to the 10 they thought best captured the skill level and style of our publication. When those paintings were then considered for their strength as cover images, California artist Adrian Gottlieb’s The Auditor was chosen as the winning work.

View the winners of the Watercolor and Drawing magazine cover competitions.

Acrylic Critique: "Vase, Book, and Apples"

Model objects with different tones to understand how colors change under different lighting conditions.

Ellen Rolli: Painting Coach

This Boston acrylic painter teaches art the way a life coach helps a client achieve life goals.

Stephen Bennett: Risk + Reward

Stephen Bennett moved from New York to Mexico 15 years ago and started painting large, colorful acrylic paintings of people in his newfound community. He discovered a new direction for his life and his art, one that allows him to connect with portrait clients, indigenous people, and enthusiastic children around the world.

View an online exclusive gallery of Bennett's portraits.

To read more features like this, subscribe to American Artist today!

Acrylic Critique: "Catching the Red-Eye Flight"

Pay careful attention to edges and incorporate foreground colors into the background to create a unified composition.