Eric Rhoads' Holiday Gift Guide
Gifts Under $50
Fine Art Connoisseur Magazine Subscription
A place to learn about art and see the trends in representational art and classical realism. It offers a little bit of history, a lot of contemporary artists, and a feel for the art world.
$39.98 Annually
Plein Air Magazine Subscription
This is the magazine about the plein air movement for both painters and collectors. It shows paintings in progress; offers stories, with rich images, about living and historical artists; and informs and reports on all the events and activities going on in this, the largest movement in art history.
$39.97 Annually
The Easiest Way in the World to Learn Painting DVD (or digital download)
This is a product I created to help people enter into painting. Too often we think, “I don’t have talent, I can’t even draw a stick figure,” but I have created a system to learn painting so almost anyone can do it, even if they don’t think they can. And I priced it low knowing that people starting out may not invest much in themselves.
$29.95
The Easel Brush Clip
Designed out of my frustration at being unable to find the brush I needed when I needed it. It clips onto your plein air or studio easel so brushes are at eye level and easy to grab, and you don’t have to sort through a ton of brushes you’re not going to use. I pick out the brushes I plan to use before each painting session, then stick them in one of the two cups. It also prevents me from knocking my brushes on the ground all the time — that happens with trays if you accidentally bump your easel, and having to clean off muddy brushes will slow you down. The clip is super strong; I also use it to stabilize my painting umbrella.
$19.97
The Paint by Note practice pack for beginning painters. Much like paint by number, Paint by Note teaches you the essential lesson most painters don’t start out with (but should). If you learn this before you attempt to add color to your work, your life as a painter will go so much more easily. This pack helps you make a painting by striking the proper notes (values). It is best to have this with the video mentioned above.
$19.95
Paint By Note Value Specs
Value Specs are specially crafted glasses with red lenses to help artists see what is called values (the lights and darks). Values can be hard to evaluate on your own until you have lots of experience. I keep a pair of Value Specs in my outdoor painting bag and another in my studio.
$19.95
Gifts Under $175
Liliedahl Art Instructional Videos
We’ve created well over 300 art instruction videos, including some of the most important and well known artists in the world. The best of the best usually come to us because our producers and film team come with Hollywood experience and make beautiful films
The Paint by Note Palettes
There are two that use my Paint by Note system — one is for the gray scale (a scale is printed on the palette), the other for color. Made of strong acrylic in a neutral gray, they make mixing easy and show you the value scale.
$99
BIG Gifts
Plein Air Convention & Expo
The Plein Air Convention & Expo (Denver, May 2-6) has exactly 135 seats left, is our biggest yet, and is a great place to experience all the instructors in one place, sample them, learn from them on five stages, and get a chance to paint side by side with others. And I teach art marketing each morning. You don’t need to be an experienced painter to attend.
$997 or 4 payments of $274
Scott Christensen’s Pre-Convention Oil Painting Workshop
Scott Christensen’s pre-convention oil painting workshop — a rare chance to sample a two-day version of Scott’s amazing workshop. You’ll watch him demonstrate and offer solid advice, and you’ll leave knowing the key principles that make a great painting. This is almost sold out. You must be signed up for the convention to attend — this is offered as an add-on at checkout.
$267
Thomas Schaller's Pre-Convention Workshop
American watercolor master Thomas Schaller is offering a pre-convention workshop at the Plein Air Convention. This is a rare chance to study under Thomas and discover how he paints, and to learn what you need to know to produce amazing watercolor paintings. You must be signed up for the convention to attend — this is offered as an add-on at checkout.
$267
October 29 - November 1
The Figurative Art Convention & Expo (Baltimore, October 29-November 1). The place to go for figure painting, and for being at the center of the contemporary realism movement. You’ll see demos by top artists and talks from top art historians, and learn about art marketing. This convention is upbeat, high-energy, youthful, and everything but boring. You’ll have fun and learn a lot from the world’s best artists
$896 or 11 payments of $91.50
Fall Color Week
Fall Color Week is another Publisher’s Invitational retreat, to paint fall leaves in a beautiful spot. In 2020 it’s being held October 12-19 in the White Mountains of New Hampshire, a popular spot among the Hudson RIver School painters. This year’s special guest is Erik Koeppel, who will show us all his special painting spots. A week of painting right outside your room, along with new friends and a lot of fun.
Starting at $2,047
Art Marketing in a Box
Art Marketing in a Box is a program I developed to help artists become super well known in their local community and build a strong local base of business through various pre-written, pre-designed marketing strategies. You also get to be a member of our private Art Marketing in a Box interactive group, which includes advice from yours truly. I’ll be taking this off the market soon, once we’ve run out of the remaining inventory.