Embark on a captivating artistic journey with Karen Bonaker, a renowned painting educator at Digital Art Academy and Rebelle Featured Artist. Join her as she delves into the intricate world of emulating the iconic style of Gustav Klimt, the famous Austrian symbolist. Download Karen's specially crafted Art Nouveau brushes and bring Klimt's timeless aesthetic to life in your digital artwork.
Klimt's style artwork by Karen Bonaker
Karen Bonaker is a certified Painter and Rebelle educator. She believes traditional art principles can be applied digitally to produce artwork that defies distinction. With her traditional art background and her state-of-the-art skills, Karen has been able to bridge two worlds and teach students how to apply traditional painting techniques to the digital canvas. Karen believes everyone can draw and paint, but they need to learn how to progress. She saw a need for digital art education, so she founded the Digital Art Academy in 2007 to help students achieve their artistic goals.
The Artistic Legacy of Gustav Klimt
Gustav Klimt, a prominent Austrian symbolist painter, and one of the most influential figures in the Art Nouveau movement, left an indelible mark on the art world during the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Born in 1862 in Baumgarten, near Vienna, Klimt co-founded the Vienna Secession, a group of artists seeking to break away from traditional artistic conventions_normal.jpg)
"Portrait of Adele Bloch-Bauer I" by Gustav Klimt, source: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Portrait_of_Adele_Bloch-Bauer_I
Klimt's distinctive style is characterized by ornate details, rich symbolism, and a unique blend of symbolism and sensuality. His work often featured gilded patterns, intricate motifs, and an exploration of the human form, reflecting the cultural and intellectual climate of Vienna during his time.
"The Kiss" by Gustav Klimt, source: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Kiss_(Klimt)
Renowned for masterpieces such as "The Kiss," "The Tree of Life," and "Portrait of Adele Bloch-Bauer I," Klimt's art continues to captivate audiences worldwide. His contributions to the art world have solidified his legacy, making Gustav Klimt a celebrated and enduring figure in the history of art.
Decoding Gustav Klimt's Art of Symbols
Klimt’s art combines realism and fantasy, tradition and innovation, beauty and mystery, taking inspiration from various sources such as classical mythology, music, and Japanese art. Experimenting with different techniques such as Oils, Mosaique, Collage, and Fresco while expressing his visions and emotions challenged the academic art norms of his era.
Let´s look at the founder of Vienna’s secession movement, whose painting techniques feature symbolic themes, often using gold leaves and decorative patterns to create a distinctive style that influenced Art Nouveau.
With Rebelle 7 just released, offering a new way of using metallic materials in digital painting and options to work with various patterns, it is a great time to explore Klimt´s art in Rebelle. Watch the tutorial full of tips on Klimt-style painting by Karen Bonaker:
Download Klimt Style Brushes for Rebelle 7
After an extensive study of Gustav Klimt’s brushwork, Karen Bonaker provides a group of brushes that will help you emulate Klimt´s style in Rebelle. This group contains brushes for underpainting and setting the right tone for the artwork, applying various textures and patterns.
The next brush group provides more traditional art nouveau stamping brushes, which you can use to create all kinds of shapes, like diamonds, flowers, and more.
Karen Bonaker made these brush sets available for free use. Download them together with the sketch used for the tutorial here. To get more free brushes from various Rebelle artists, visit the Brush Library on our website.
Experiment and Win Paper Set of Your Choice
We hope Karen’s introduction of the Art Nouveau style in Rebelle inspired you to create your Klimt-like artwork. Whether you will use the brushes and sketch Karen provided or will create your own, we would like to see your final artwork. Post it to our Community Gallery within 21 days of the publication of this blog post with a #klimt tag and we will choose 3 paintings which will be rewarded with a Rebelle Paper Set of the author’s choice. The winners will be contacted via email by the end of February 2024.
Update: February 22, 2024
Big thanks to everyone who decided to follow Gustav Klimt's footsteps and the example of Karen Bonaker in recreating Art Nouveau style in Rebelle. We hope you enjoyed experimenting with new brushes while creating unique artwork.
We are happy to reward "Lady of Elche" by Elena Arboleda Salas, "Japanese Geisha" by Raquel Biqby, and "Pregnant Woman in the Garden at Night" by Titmax with a Rebelle paper set of their choice. Congratulations to the winners!
Happy Painting,
Escape Motions Team
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Learn more about Karen Bonaker: escapemotions.com/featured-artists/karen-bonaker
Gustav Klimt: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gustav_Klimt