Why I Do Studies | Oil Painting + Chat

[@wubatart813]

would love to hear you speak more to the pedagogy of art training, what most artists and art students are missing when they train. the subtle but make-or-break nuances between an effective studying approach and an uneffective one. looking forward to your future videos. this was a great one and a great format that works, especially considering how busy you are!

[@damancandance1]

" u have a thousand subscribers" ... BRO.. no... you have ELEVEN thousand. Great video cynthia, this is incredible stuff and amazing value you are brining to the community. very grateful.

[@SheppardArts]

My mistake! That's 10,000 extra people I don't want to let down :O

[@theoldskoolgurl]

I saw the notification and saw the name "Cynthia Sheppard" and clicked. I typically pay no mind to KZbin notifications, but I can't even say how many times I've re-watched the other video. It's helped me by inspiring me to start oil painting and I just can't help but feel in awe every single time I watch that video. I'm glad there's another, and I really look forward to more notifications from your channel!

[@rutbrea8796]

I simply loved your teachings. I have been painting for quite a while but I still have a lack of confidence because I never went to an good art school. But I am not giving up because painting is my passion. I am not that young anymore but I still think I can do better if I continue to work on my paintings. I would love to keep on watching you. Thank you for your kindness in helping all of us make a realization of our dreams.

[@corinnekunze]

I've been following you since Awesome Horse studios with Noah/Aaron/and Marc and I love to hear that you are doing well. I've been blown away by the paintings you have come out with in the past few years and am so excited to watch more videos from you! I'm picking painting back up and I struggle with rendering detail so watching how you paint gives me some ideas of things to try in my own paintings.

[@sachakahn2052]

It's kind of amazing to have had only one video out there for years and having thousands of subscribers to your channel. You must have done something that's very valuable to a whole bunch of people in that previous video...

[@GinaGammon]

So happy to hear that you will be making more videos, love your work Cynthia, can't wait to see more. ❤️

[@johnwilson3004]

Alla prima has always appealed to me. Watching your studies develop and listening to your comments are very much appreciated. Paint on!

[@oxcartvalverde]

Really love you started to upload videos again, I really love seeing timelapses or just some commentary about it, Thanks a lot for doing these and also giving some comments and advices, most than grateful :) Love your art, keep doing great stuff and greetings from Costa Rica!

[@tonyhopman8308]

Your style is fast and fantastic. yes people would love to see more of your work .Totally captivating. . Thank you

[@LouisPhilippeStLaurent]

Thank you for this! Deeply insightful and inspiring. I'm also glad to know you're back. I remember you Omens video having a huge influence on me back when I saw it at your IX Showcase booth in Altoona. So yeah... a HUGE thank you!

[@mikekloepfer7424]

Yay! You're still alive! :) (I subscribed quite a while ago.) I'm looking forward to hearing more from you, and seeing more of your awesome art.

[@Kathleen3216]

Thanks for the video. I work in oils as a hobby and it's hard to find videos about painting studies. I look forward to seeing more of your work and hearing your advice.

[@Truffignon]

Sweet !!! :) Along with the few Miracola's tutorials, your former video was an absolute bible to me ! My painting game raised up so much after I tried to mimic your process. And now I am really glad that one of my "first teacher" is back to share more golden content! ^^ Can't wait for the coming videos... The theme you picked up is exactly what I need to get back on the easel ! :D Cheers !

[@alejandrogarciaart]

I like that you mentioned the struggle to make digital painting look more like traditional painting. This is something I work a lot on and I'd love to see you talking about it in future videos. Thanks a lot for sharing your knowledge :D

[@MarshMakesComics]

Surprised by KZbin huh? LOL really cool! I'm glad you are deciding to do more on your Channel! Yikes oil! I always love how oil paintings look but I haven't gotten the courage up to try myself yet. It's funny you're talking about studies today too because I was totally thinking about why I do studies and if I should make a video about it today. I really like this study you did! Thanks for sharing!

[@Lyraina]

Awesome study - thank you for sharing, and also for sharing your thoughts and plans! Looking forward to future videos :)

[@corelian100]

This is fantastic! Going to watch this video many times. Hope to see lots more content soon especially about oil painting and studies.

[@dread7684]

I am so happy to see you post again! Thanks a lot, Cynthia My main issue these days is consistency, I keep falling off the wagon when I should be practicing. Would love to hear what you think about getting back into the habit.

[@artbytammywest]

It's great to see you back on here and making so much more content! Had stumbled across your oldest vid a while back, but figured you weren't going to be making any others. Glad you decided to do more with KZbin : )

[@aurorarain1265]

Excellent time lapse chat! Self taught artist here, hungry for tips, working in acrylics. Anxious to see more videos from you. Portraits are fascinating studies! Thanks for devoting your time to KZbin! Love your work!

[@stephenspiteri_zunkus]

Your video just popped up. I didn't search for it but boy am I glad it did. Love your logic and technique. Looking forward to see and hear more.

[@justine.Semidea]

I actually look at your first video, I think, 3 times (with time between each view, maybe 1 year) because I love the video, the painting, everything so much. I subscribed because I wanted to see more and here I am, happy to see more :)

[@sandrapowers6099]

So, so enjoyable and enlightening. Not just your beautiful painting, but what you said and opened up to your audience, about. You obviously have multitudes of experience under your belt, along with a wonderful, refreshing, sense of intellect. It is so nice to happen upon such a person. You appear grounded in both self preservation and thought provoking concern for others. This in itself is rare and warming. You were either raised by parents with these values, who instilled these qualities in you, or maybe you have learned these attributes through exposure to like individuals. Anyway, by listening to you in this video, you somehow “spoke to me”. I don’t have any of the experiences in art that you have had. I’m sure these must have been so rewarding, as well as demanding. I am glad, for whatever reason brought you back to you-tube, that you are willing to show us your beautiful paintings. The process of how you start from a blank canvas, go through only your unique style of painting, and reach such an amazing end, is so rewarding to watch. Thank you again for returning. Please do continue to share your style of painting and life’s challenges, with us. Your version of tutorials would be very enlightening, I’m sure. Well, enough. Have a blessed day. I will enjoy following you. Looking forward to getting my “stuff” and always Liquin, together so I can paint, too🌹🤓......

[@misuher4170]

Im really glad to hear your plans for the channel, i cant wait to see more videos from you. I think you are a very skillfull artist. Thanks for sharing

[@MikeBurnsArt]

If this is a slice of what's to come I'm excited! Looking forward to the next one :)

[@LittleSqueesh]

I'm so happy to hear you're making videos! I watched your Omens video so long ago and was so sad to see this channel wasn't active, what a lovely surprise now though! Thanks for making the commitment, I can see I'll be learning a lot (even from non-tutorials like this!) I'm very new to oils as my comfort zone is in gouache/watercolour but I want to change that 💗

[@theAcair]

Great to you see you back Cynthia :) I love your work on Magic and i would be grateful if you could talk a little bit about how do you make that leap in digital art to be able to work for WotC. I am an illustrator myself and i'm struggling to break into the bigger industry. Thank you and i cannot wait for your new video :)

[@jessicaalford204]

I'm so glad you're making more videos!

[@rosebuhr]

HI Cynthia, so glad I discovered your work on KZbin. I have been painting portraits for five years and I still battle with colour theory. I'd love you to share more on that subject please. Thank you for sharing your time with us.

[@carlymilligan2749]

Well, I'm certainly excited to see what you share with us next! Thank you so much for taking the time to make these. I've seen nothing but generosity when it comes to education from the fantasy art community (for example Muddy Colors, Dear Art Director, Drawn and Drafted, the list goes on), and I can't tell you how much I appreciate your willingness to share your experience and knowledge with everyone.

[@satminderkaur5344]

Just simply wao...jumped to ur video while working on a portrait after 25 long years...a lost artist I guess I am returning back to my journey of passion...have bundles of questions...don't know from where to start with...💖💖💖

[@MrTripletts]

I watched this in awe hoping you had like 20 more videos but ahhhhh only one other. 😉 will subscribe like many others and patiently wait for more. Thank you so much for sharing your thoughts and techniques

[@bjoggabu]

Look! you are a diamond that I found in a haystack. Love that you offer a professional approach for the ones that are looking for more than the beginner's tutorials. I am enjoying going through all your videos as I draw and drink my tea. Thanks a million.

[@MsHajiLove]

I was just looking at my subscription list and I saw this channel. Then I went ahead and watched 2 videos and when you mentioned your youtube career I was like 'no shit! that's the crow and the girl painting channel! :D God how I loved that painting! I lost the count how many times I watched that video.

[@wbletcher]

Thanks for putting up another video. Big fan of you’re work. Wish I could be as half as good as you are. I’m pencil artist and can’t paint worth crap. The omens painting is my favorite, so thank.

[@yokani3482]

AAAA I'm So glad you're doing more youtube

[@mazinalmoumen]

I like your work and the way you comment while progressing! Keep making new videos:)

[@wwklnd]

I'm so glad to see another video from you, Cynthia! Thank you! It's kind of funny actually, I started out learning traditional art and eventually moved to almost exclusively digital thanks to reading ImagineFX and seeing stuff by you, Marta Dahlig, Lauren K. Cannon and others who did amazing things with it. I studied Computer Graphics in university, but then, in 2012 I took a summer course in sculpture and artistic anatomy and kind of got back into more traditional art and really enjoyed the feeling of having something "real" resulting from it. I guess it helped me feel more like a real artist and not someone who very successfully tricked everyone that I could do art. One of my classmates that summer was an oil painter named Alexander Klingspor who does some quite amazing work who inspired me greatly, and seeing your "Omens" video made me even more tempted to try my hand at painting with oils again... but I didn't. Fast forward five years, I saw some videos by Ryan Pancoast and Andrew Tischler that helped me remember the joys of working with oils instead of acrylics, and learn a bunch of new things things, and now I've bought a few tubes of paint and taken up portraits for practise. It's such a joy and I really, really love it. Plus, having water soluble oils, which weren't really common when I first tried my hand at oils, makes the process much easier because it doesn't mess with my asthma the way solvents do. I guess the point of this long and rambling text is that I want to thank you for being a huge influence and inspiration and I hope to one day be as great an artist as you are.

[@jcpouzols]

I'm one of those who subscribed a few years back, excited to see more coming. I'm super happy to hear you're planning on doing more. No pressure! Your studies are fantastic by the way. EDIT: Turns out that for some reason I wasn't subscribed (!) (anymore?!). Just re-subscribed. haha

[@mariannefraser9769]

Wow what an outstanding way of describing Your thoughts, goals, everything... love Your stile and will be following You forever

[@_george84]

Thank you for making a second video! It was amazing to watch this!

[@megannelf769]

Just came across your channel and I'm so excited for your upcoming plans! Thank you so much for sharing this with us :)

[@megantruax8745]

so glad your trying to get back into posting here on youtube! :) cant wait to see more! I myself am just learning oils coming from a watercolor and acrylic ink background so watching you is already helping :D

[@ajillustration8851]

Love the videos. Find myself painting along with them late at night. I would love to hear more about building a career path. I am currently an Art Teacher, 23 years old, and really interested in the gallery/freelance world of art. I live in the midwest and opportunities seem slim. It would be great to hear feed back or possibly have an episode where you critique submitted work. I miss the peer commentary I once had during school years. :)

[@clariza7008]

Great video! The years of wait were worthwhile! I love your Omen video because I enjoy watching the process of making paintings whilst painting myself! I subscribed and have been a fan of your work since I saw it. Artistic growth is a wonderful topic! Currently, studying the fundamentals of art (digitally), I would love to hear your advice about common beginner mistakes regarding backgrounds and environments; and maybe sharing your thoughts on how to approach a project/painting with a rather complex composition. Please excuse if I am asking too much! Either way, I am looking forward to your future videos and am thankful for you sharing your knowledge and experiences with us! Wishing you all a nice day! =)

[@duantorruellas716]

Cynthia Shepherd , thats a great painting, I like the lighting on the figures face. I can relate to alot of things you said. I do alot of dark hollows for eyes, Its good to hear another artist talk about this. I first saw this lighting effect in 1940s film noir , over head lighting was pretty common and this was a beautiful effect. I realized many artists have the same process you mentioned and the problems that go with those processes . Thx 4 another 👍Demo.

[@anhphan8381]

Finally, a new video yayyy !

[@PreppySceneGirl]

So glad you are back. I would love for you to do some videos of you doing digital art as well, but I fell in love with your omen painting! Have you ever tried paintstorm studio? I think it has more of a painterly feel than photoshop. Would love to know what you think of it!

[@SolidusMatrix]

can't wait, still dearly missing your podcast with team awesome horse

[@Monkey-fv2km]

Great to see you'll be adding content, I'm very interested in seeing how you go on to build the channel :)

[@invitingdisaster]

I've been needing these from you! Thank you so much

[@alissaraleid4112]

Such a fantastic work. I was amazed all the way when watching the video. The way you build up the painting slowly but efficiently is great. Keep going❤❤

[@j1836]

The chat comes across as structured and well thought out, which makes it a very pleasant experience. And I'd love to see more! I also noticed the 'Music by me'. I did not know that you make music. Cool :)

[@viethoang907]

I knew I made the right call not unsubscribing to your channel XD Love the painting and the commentary even more ! I've been struggling to find the energy and commitment to stick to a training schedule, so I'd love to hear what you have to say about that :) Thx and welcome back !!!

[@TheLoveweaver]

That one video rocked my world and I did wonder, "where is she?" Lol I'm glad you're back! It's been a joy! I'm very excited for all of us!

[@orlandodomingo8704]

I'm glad to wacth you when you demontrait your portait and i really apriciate yor work.

[@jodihigginsjh]

I just found you - I work in oil and watercolor. I enjoy hearing about the tools, color palettes, and techniques other artists use. But the biggest issue for my personal growth is finding the story - or my voice. I'm constantly trying to decide what I should paint next. I actually just finished a watercolor, then did do a little study - so the timing of finding this video was great.

[@elenavid5222]

Hi Cynthia, awesome video, Im happy that you back. Please tell in a future video a best way to learn an oil painting.Thanks

[@SheppardArts]

With pleasure!

[@DOCDOCFLAMINGOS]

Wow wow wow!!! How crazy that I came across the first and only video you are talking about in this video today 11/16. The image still for Omens just very cool looking only to find out how awesome it was to watch you create that painting and it made me want to see more.. that being said I then looked you up only to find 5 videos and that just seemed odd ..then looking closer I see the span ( rather large span) of time from the first video to the recent ones .. so maybe there is a reason I came across the first one and now I look forward to seeing what you post and move forward with your work and the channel.. lastly I have no doubt that artist working digitally have real and honest skills in art but many people would argue that, do it's nice to see you showing exactly that ..you do have a gift and talent and people can see that !! Thank you !!

[@timothythomas7222]

OMG I'm so excited you're doing more videos!

[@northvandarcy]

Love your style of portraits - pls keep up videos.

[@MrSirang]

Welcome back,..great job

[@lob152]

So happy!!!! I've admired your work for a long time!

[@rodolfocosta5889]

great Cynthia! your work is a inspiration for my studies!

[@luccamedeiros]

Awesome Video! I've been a fan of your art for a while, and now to see it on video is great! Some stuff that I would love to see if possible is the picture you are referencing to, so we can try to understand your choices, maybe how you mix the paint too. And regarding art growth I would love to hear your insight on how to develop your critical eye, how to critique yourself better. Thanks for this channel!

[@DigitalArtcast]

Loved the Video Cynthia! We at the Digital Artcast team would love to have you on the show to talk about your career. We've followed you for many years and would be thrilled to hear about your process and attitude to art and the community! Also loved watching your process POST MORE VIDEOS PLEASE! :)

[@sky2333]

I’m so glad you started uploading again! Love

[@LilyDuVeauLilysMix]

Refreshing commentary. Please.keep your style of presentation. I subscribed.

[@spicydraks]

Hi Cynthia! Glad to see more videos on your channel, especially since I've been following your MTG work. In terms of oil painting I'm kind of struggling to understand how it is that you work with the medium to keep your paint from running out so fast (best i can think of is flow in Photoshop lol). I'm kind of interested in the whole Alla Prima portrait stuff for studies and yeah that's where my question derives from a bit.

[@KeeshKeesh418]

Omggg I would watch that last video sooo much, glad to see you're back :D One thing I struggle painting are feathers, I don't know if it's because I paint too thinly or what, feathers have always been a challenge for me.

[@The.Little.Craft.Room.]

Hi Cynthia. I am so happy I have found you on KZbin. I have my Nan’s oil paints and I am so nervous to use them... I think it’s because I know I am a slap happy painter and know nothing about hues and all those technical things that make a great painting flow. Could you recommend any books or videos to help me with this? I would love if you did an online tutorial step by step hehe

[@johncollado1151]

Hi Cynthia... I started as a traditional painter also but have since gone digital. I would love to see more of your fantasy digital work, whether personal or commercial. I'm a new subscriber and find your channel to be very inspirational. Looking forward to your next video.

[@SheppardArts]

Hi John, welcome and thanks for subscribing! My last three videos were a digital process series on a fantasy painting- I love both digital and traditional media and will be doing both on this channel. Happy holidays-

[@johncollado1151]

Yes... they were the first three videos that I watched before subscribing. I really enjoyed them and would like to see more of your digital process in future videos. Thanks, you are very inspirational. Best of the Holidays to you as well.

[@ShashaRavacio]

Just discovered you and I'm so glad! Thank you for extending your awesomeness to us!

[@DevinC_]

Glad to see you back!

[@misspencilpixie]

I'm very happy you're back on youtube! Your old vid is one I came back to a lot on my art journey :) I'd love if you could talk about confidence, or just getting started after a long break? I had to take a long absence from full time art due to some nasty RSI/nerve problems in my arms and though I'm not 100% yet, I'm trying to get back into the swing of things and finding it difficult. Especially traditional painting, which find a lot more agreeable with my health problems, as it's not something I've done much with since school.

[@SheppardArts]

misspencilpixie good news, I talk a bit about that in my next video coming Sunday, at least the confidence part. I'm sorry to hear you had an injury setback, that is frustrating, but I hope you're back to 100% soon.

[@praveenpk1609]

Wow .... What a lovely painting...

[@ShinobiWan1]

So amazing!! Thank you for sharing it!!

[@leighcutting9747]

Wow - such a great video! As a beginning portrait painter your videos have been the most helpful of all that I have viewed (and I have viewed many)! Thank you so much! As for problem areas how do you realistically paint teeth? Again, thanks!

[@twinsane8]

Very happy to see that you're making videos! I've been following your work for a while but never knew you had a KZbin channel. You mentioned that you take a lot of your traditional skills and apply them to your digital work. I'd love to hear more about that. Also, I do most of my work digitally but was never really taught how to paint traditionally. I'd really love to learn because I've heard many great digital artists say traditional painting is one of the best ways to improve your painting skills overall. However I'm not really sure how to start and would love to hear any advice you have on that. I would also love to hear any and all career advice you have to share as well! I'm aiming to go into concept art for games but would love to also do some freelance illustration. Thanks again for the video and for generously sharing your experience. I'm excited for the next video already!

[@SheppardArts]

Absolutely! Thanks for letting me know what you're interested in, I think I can (and should!) cover all those things at some point. Much appreciated.

[@doreyschmidt4318]

Look! It is 2019 already, but I am thrilling to thoughts and techniques you published nearly two years ago. But I am heartened by your painting techniques and your wise chats filled with some of the most deft brush handling I have ever seen. The whole package enchants me. I am an eighty-seven year-old retired editor, publisher and professor who has loved "playing" with paint forever-mostly impressionist narrative landscapes. During this past year, however, I am challenging myself to try narrative portraits. I am stuck on a portrait of a friend with striking facial bone structure (for our age) and have made two attempts to capture the glow of her character and personality (she is a retired nurse)! Any chance of individual tutorials?

[@peterdeeduffield9018]

Such great advice. As a working artist I found this presentation most impressive. Peter dee UK

[@wafaawafi4627]

You have a sweet voice and a wonderful style of conversation, I enjoyed it so much

[@paulinawaas9204]

I truly enjoyed you art and ideas!

[@vidyawitch]

Thank u so much for this video, Cynthia. Your voice is so soothing. Things you say are so interesting. Could you do a video on different types of lighting and how to paint them? Also, how does one get really really good at art? Everyone says that practice is the way. But how do you practice? What would be the examples for some assignments or homework or exercises to get better at each element of art? Would so much appreciate if you could help. And the study is gorgeous. Thank u and have a good day. :)

[@szabolcsnagy90]

Hi Cynthia, love your work! Would be really grateful if you could talk about more about the creative use of reference images for illustrations and how to avoid being a slave, meaning copying the photo exactly as you see it! What kind of information do you extract from different reference photos to make up an illustration?

[@alextainted]

What a wonderful person. Very inspiring.

[@valdaluna]

Thank you so much for this liberating video! I am an artist too and I am going through a phase where everything I do, seems off. I made some very nice paintings in the last 2 years, I sold a couple on the internet, but since 3-4 months, I am struggling with everything that was easier before, the technique, inspiration, colours, subjects... I feel like I lost the touch.. Maybe I am just taking myself too seriously lately, because I have realised that I really want to make a living as an artist. I'm gonna try doing more studies, it looks like it can take the edge off, Thank you Cynthia and continue to share your thoughts, you are an amazing artist!

[@SheppardArts]

Thanks for your comment, Valérie! I can't say for sure this is what's happening to you, but it sounds like what happens when an artist's critical skills and taste level surpass their current process- as though you're perhaps *seeing* differently but not *painting* differently. It's a natural and important part of the artistic growth process. :) Studies are a great way to relax and practice, and I definitely recommend them, but another exercise I like to do is to gather all my work together in one place and look at the overall trends, and try to pick out which pieces are most successful and why, then try to consciously focus on one aspect of my process, planning, or technical skill to drive my next piece(s) toward the best outliers. I talked about it in my Autumn Metamorphosis video if you're interested: kzbin.info/www/bejne/fXqWoXuVi8loatk. Best wishes and happy painting!

[@valdaluna]

Thank you so much for your advice! I will do that for sure! And watch your autumn video too!

[@lvl99paint]

Hell yeah she's back!!

[@leninha-carioca]

Beautiful Cynthia. Thank you.

[@briantoller2186]

Great video I love your art and I'm looking forward to seeing all the new videos that you make

[@xNick13x]

Cynthia, can you make a video about temperature changes? I feel comfortable with value in and of itself but I struggle with subtle temperature changes like you have in your work, especially with cooler greens. It just seems so counter intuitive to put green hues into flesh for some reason. The way your portraits turn form is amazing. Thanks

[@kaym1492]

Hi Cynthia, I just happen to open your video today and I looooooove the way you expressed yourself, your style, your talk everything👍Only thing I was missing your reference photo. If possible could you please show your reference photo time to time and explained a little about your work, I mean mixing colours, shadows, highlights etc. I hope you can read my mind 😔

[@JetBomb-xx6ye]

awsome been waiting for another vid for some time!! great work

[@LocalRagamuffin]

Love seeing this Cynthia, thank you! Would love to hear your thoughts on how to break into the fantasy game art job realm and your personal professional journey! Bless ya! :D

[@SheppardArts]

Oooh, good! I have something in the works in this vein :)

[@LocalRagamuffin]

Cynthia Sheppard Terrific! Can’t wait! 😄

[@JoshuaMeehan]

aw man so excited to see these! great video!

[@mayueno]

OMGGGG I just found out you posted a new video, happy that you decided to post on youtube

[@LK-no8om]

Really beautiful work! I just subscribed:) I would love to hear a video on the leap from being an amateur/art hobbyist to a professional artist

[@saisankark90]

Hi Cynthia ! Nice demo there. I'm struggling with building a portfolio for games( concept art) while doing a degree at an atelier school . I'm not sure how to balance learning design and color theory side by side. Im mostly trying to teach myself how to design characters and environments since my school focuses on painting traditionally( which is really amazing and i love it ). it gets frustrating when i overwhelm myself trying to do both at the same time and not getting better at either one. So it would be great if you could share a few ideas about them . Thank you and i hope you continue to inspire us all.

[@guilhermenunes5641]

Your usual process when creating an illustration