Steve Huston Draws From Life

2024-05-02 Simple Ways To Draw Great Legs

The Legs have to jobs: To support the weight above them. And propel the whole body forward in an instant like the bow propels the arrow.

This create some real challenge for the artist trying ...

2024-04-25 - Simple Ways To Construct A Leg

Building the fluid gesture into each solid structure is the best way I know to draw any living form. And few things embody both as well and our legs.

Suggested Homework:

Using the metho...

4-18-2024-Stephanie Reimer Interview

No homework this week except consider more carefully your dreams:

What are they?

Why do you have them?

And where exactly do your true talents lie?

Come to think of it...

The Simplest Way To Draw Great Arms On the Body

In this lesson, I break down the basic around constructing a solid arm by not being confused or overwhelmed by that devilishly difficult Shoulder Girdle.

Suggested Homework:

From imagin...

How A Professional Creates An Amazing Portfolio

In this special training, I explain the ins and out of both the commercial and fine art fields.

And how to create a portfolio that attracts, not just interest, but interest from the right pe...

Creating Symmetry Through Core Shadows

In this one, I explain how all the Laws Of Light along with the idea of Symmetry can be used to create more solid Structure.

How The Masters Create Depth In Their Work

Of course, linear perspective does a wonderful job of creating the idea of depth.

But create the feeling or even the illusion of depth happens by strategic use of shape, value, and overlap, ...

2024-03-07 -- Respecting the Silhouette

Often, the process of rendering to completion (however that's defined) means adding detail. Detail can outright destroy a silhouette, confusing light from shadow or foreground from background.

2024-02-29 - How The Masters Use Gradation

Most of us think of a gradation as a smooth blend of light value to dark value, or warm color to cool. 

But a gradation can be between extremes within any craft idea: like organic to arc...

2024-02-22 - Ways The Master Use Tonal Compositon

Most of us think of a gradation as a smooth blend of light value to dark value, or warm color to cool. 

But a gradation can be between extremes within any craft idea: like org...

2024-02-15 - How The Masters Draw Contrapposto

Contrapposto means 'opposing positions". 

Two ideas the master artist will pay very close attention to is symmetry and asymmetry. Asymmetrical positions, contours, lighting, e...

Bonus Lesson: A Demo on rendering a Torso in 2 Value Ranges

Since I missed posting new trainings over a couple weeks, I thought I'd share a lesson from a new course I'm in the process of recording.

I hope you enjoy it.

Sugg...

2024-02-01 -- How The Masters Draw Deep Perspective

There a just few, but critical strategies for building deep perspective into your figures.

In this lesson, I show the most powerful.

Suggested Homework:

Using, especially, the str...

2024-01-25 - Looking At The A Few Of The Wonderful Lessons Michelangelo Can Teach Us

Each of our favorite artists, epecially artist that stand the test of time, has wonderful lessons to teach us. 

By far the best I know to learn them is one or two simple lesso...

2024-01-18 -- Leonardo: How A Master Becomes A Master

There is a process we can build into our art practice that allows us to break past plateau after plateau with no true limit to what we can achieve. 

And it's not easy. But, ac...

2024-01-11 - Analyzing The Masters: Gustave Klimt

In this continuing series of understanding the simple, yet elegant creative choise that make the masters masterful, we look at Gustave Klimt.

If you are more of a fan of more traditional real...

2024-01-04 - Learning from the Masters -John Singer Sargent

This training is part of a  whole series of lessons on the powerful and personal choices of style history's great artists made. And how elegantly simple they almost always are.

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2023-12-28 Analyzing The Masters: Rubens

Every great master is doing a few things really well and also in uniquely their own way.   In this lesson, I'm breaking down a few thing Rubens does that makes him both brilliant and inst...

2023-12-21 - Using The Very Simple Ideas Behind Great Art: Rembrandt

In this training, I show you how to analysize a few of the key ideas (or filters) that Rembrandt uses that makes him instantly recognizable. 

If we learn to cherry-pick the best craft an...

How I Renders in Charcoal

You can use whatever medium you're most comfortable with.

I'm using: 

Strathmore 400 Series Bristol paper

AlphaColor black charcoal stick

Conté sticks HB or...

Drawing Like A Pro

In this lesson, I show you how to measure Ringing True as precisely as possible.

And explaining. why give yourself permission to be not so great is the very best way to become great.

2023-12-13 00:01:05 +0000 UTC View Post

2023-11-30 - Drawing The Foot Or Anything Else In Perspective

In this lesson, I show you how to use Curves and Corners to structure a drawing in perspective.

With the intuitive definition of perspective as the 3 positions in space:

1. L...

2023-11-16 - Drawing A Foot Like A Pro

In this lesson, I begin your training on drawing feet by explaining some broader principles that can be applied to anything.

Suggested Homework:

Practice drawing a basic foot (or anythi...

2023-11-09 Chunking Down: How The Best In The World Become The Best In The World

There are certain training patterns the best practice to become the best. In this lesson, I show you what that are.

Here's a portfolio of images to try out some chunking down techn...

The Process For Developing World Class Skills

In this training, we talk about how to dial in your process so there's no limits to where you can take your art.

Have fun!

2023-10-12 - How To Draw The Ears

In this lesson, we explore the basic structure of Ears.

Suggested Homework:

Using the reference provided, work constructing the big simple form of the ears AND its...

2023-10-05 Drawing the Mouth and Lips

I finish our exploration of the mouth with a lesson on how to draw the pillowy forms of the lips.

Suggested Homework:

Nailing The Background In Relationship To The Foreground PART 2

This is Part 2 of my two part training on the relationship between foreground and background in composition.

Enjoy!

Suggested Homework:

Try the lesson I've s...

Nailing The Background In Relationship To The Foreground PART 1

Drawing a single figure is a massive challenge. But creating a full composition with figure and ground, and light and shadow ups the ante considerably.

In this first of a two part ...

2023-09-14 - Ask Me Anything

I answer questions from the attendees. And we talk about everything from painting wet over dry to how to rebuild momentum in our art practice after the practice has fallen off.

No ...