While "artistes" sniff at how-to videos on the subjects of painting and drawing, thousands of more artistically-impaired souls are anxious to learn the techniques in order to craft paintings--if not create art--they can call their own. Here, following a brief discussion of color theory, Ardell Smith ("Smitty") mixes oil paints to show how to create sky, sea, waves, and finally rocks for a seascape. While he is usually good about explaining what tool and colors he is using and why, sometimes he forgets, which could befuddle the novice trying to follow along at home. Also, he is shown painting via a mirror hanging over his workspace, which occasionally produces the disorienting effect of cutting off his head and hands when the camera drifts lower (not to mention the startling sensation of seeing the rocks we have watched being painted on the "left" actually appear on the right when the finished painting is displayed). Finally, this non-studio production features some distracting audio elements: the garbage truck stops outside Smitty's house, an emergency vehicle drives by, siren screaming, and background Dixieland jazz music plays frequently and a touch too loudly. Given the wealth of high quality art instruction videos--from Sandra D'Angelo's Discover Art! series to Crystal Production's fine line-up of master classes--this is strictly an optional purchase. Nine other volumes, teaching viewers how to paint additional seascapes and other nature settings, are also available. Aud: P. (R. Reagan)
Painting for Fun with Smitty: Vol. 4: Seascape Afternoon Sun
(2000) 40 min. $24.95. Ardell Smith. PPR. Color cover. Vol. 15, Issue 5
Painting for Fun with Smitty: Vol. 4: Seascape Afternoon Sun
Star Ratings
As of March 2022, Video Librarian has changed from a four-star rating system to a five-star one. This change allows our reviewers to have a wider range of critical viewpoints, as well as to synchronize with Google’s rating structure. This change affects all reviews from March 2022 onwards. All reviews from before this period will still retain their original rating. Future film submissions will be considered our new 1-5 star criteria.