LIGHT ARISES IN THE DARKNESS:
A Journal of Comfort, Encouragement, and Inspiration
5 Steps to Shade Your Portraits Right
How do you get your portrait paintings to look lifelike? Here’s a 5-step printable guide to get you on the road to realism. Click here to download the full resolution 8.5″ x 11″ printable file. It will help get you on the right track in using color and value and correctly, so that your acrylic portrait painting looks lifelike. All of this is in a standard 8 1/2″ x 11″ printable guide that you can keep for easy reference. Although it will not solve all your painting problems,you’ll be able to use it as an excellent tool to get your painting going in the right direction, or even give you some solid principles to go by if you’re stuck. Let me know what you think of it and how it helps. Be blessed in your painting adventures and I’ll be in... read more
How to Join My Portrait Painting School
I have had a few people question me, how do I log in and purchase your portrait painting course? Sometimes the technology is a bit challenging to figure out. Let me show you exactly how to do it.
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Inscribed on the Hands of God
One day, when I was discouraged and depressed, I read this passage in my Bible from Isaiah 49: But Zion said, “The Lord has forsaken me, And my Lord has forgotten me.” “Can a woman forget her nursing child, And not have compassion on the son of her womb? Surely they may forget, Yet I will not forget you. See, I have inscribed you on the palms of My hands; Your walls are continually before Me. I thought, “God still loves me!” He still loves me–even though I’ve been distant from Him and messed up again. And He won’t forget me. I was comforted by His limitless promise to be faithful. I thought, I have to do a drawing of this idea. So I held out my own hand as a model and drew it. This is called “Inscribed.” 14″ x 17,” pencil on paper. You will find over 300 names written within the creases and wrinkles of these hands. Be encouraged. God has not forgotten you either. If you are a born-again child of God, this scripture passage implies that your name, too, is written on the palm of His hand. This means God will never forget you. He sees every tear. He knows what you are feeling and He knows how you may be failing. But He still loves you just the same. And the reason He can do that is because, if you’ve allowed Him to, He’s forgiven every sin you’ve ever committed through the righteous sacrifice of Jesus on your behalf. He shed His blood,... read more
The Things We Artists Do for Art
It’s amazing the things you have to do sometimes to get a painting to look realistic. I’ve been commissioned to do a painting of the five loaves and two fishes for a book cover illustration, a commentary on the book of Mark in the New Testament. I didn’t want to copy a stock photo (illegal) but I didn’t want to just make it up (not very realistic) So I bought some fish, some flatbread and a basket. Took the pics just as the sun was setting. Then I cooked the fish tonight and ate it with the bread. Best fish I’ve had in a long time! 🙂 Here are a few pics that I took… Even though this is not my usual subject matter–portraits–it’s good to do a still life once in a while to keep up with your color, shape, and value rendering skills. Many of you have seen this painting on Facebook already, but I wanted to get this posted to my blog. Have a blessed weekend!... read more
Why Not to Give Up on Your Acrylic Portrait Painting
It’s easy to get frustrated in the middle of painting an acrylic portrait. Possibly your skin tones aren’t looking natural, or the values are off. Maybe the portrait just doesn’t look like the person you’re trying to capture. When you’re going for realism, and it just isn’t happening, what do you do?
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About Me
Hi, I’m Matt Philleo. I create artwork to comfort, encourage, and inspire. For those who are discouraged, brokenhearted and experiencing loss, my artwork has special meaning, often by guiding them to the One who can bring true peace and lasting joy.
I’ve been doing art on commission and exhibition on a part-time basis since 1991, and exclusively full-time since 2013. Currently, I live in Eau Claire, WI with my wife and three children.
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