When you think of mixed media, you envision acrylic paintings with collage, India ink and assorted doodads adhered to the surface. However, a much subtler form of mixed media combines two mediums that complement each other and make the most …
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When you’re mixing colors on your palette, it’s easy to wind up with a muddy mess. To keep your colors crisp, clear and clean, let your paints mix naturally on your support for a fresh and spontaneous look. Things like …
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When you’re a beginning artist, there’s so much to learn and remember that it’s a bit overwhelming. One common problem for a beginning watercolor student is deciding on which type of paper to use. With watercolor, the support you choose …
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If you’re accustomed to painting with oils or acrylics, you can easily add sparkling highlights any time you choose. However, with watercolor it’s a little more complicated. You need to plan those highlights and white areas ahead of time to …
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This is a sort of watery week, and I’m going to focus on watercolor tips again. Sometimes watercolors get a bad rap over being pale, shadowy and less than vibrant. Some watercolors are soft and diffused, and it may be …
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Watercolor is a little more challenging than working with oils or acrylics. If you make an error with either of those mediums, you can simply scrap it away or paint over it. Unfortunately, watercolor isn’t quite so fancy free, but …
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If you’re new to the painting game, there are loads of tips to make your artistic life easier and more productive. One thing that a beginning water media artist needs to know is how to prepare paper for painting. Unless …
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It’s summer and artists around the globe are packing up their tabouret into a compact backpack or duffle bag to hit the road for a little plein air painting excursion. Unless you plan to make your painting trip a combination …
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So, there you have it – a brief overview of the three most popular painting mediums; Watercolor, Oil and Acrylic, what you need to start your painting odyssey, what the materials do and how to use them. Now that you’ve …
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Artists spend their whole lives learning. That’s one of the amazing things about painting. No matter how much time you’ve spent or how many things you’ve learned, there’s always something more to discover about painting. As you grow in your …
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Watercolor is like a comfortable friend. It’s a friend who doesn’t require a great deal from you. The kind of friend you don’t need to dress up for, and when money’s short it’s okay to just hang out and relax. …
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Once you’ve mastered the basic skills of paint application, you’ll want to expand your repertoire with some advanced techniques. This will include paint flinging, abusing your paper and exposing your paint to the effects of alcohol. Watercolor is one of …
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Watercolor painting is easy and difficult at the same time. It is a pleasure to allow the paint to flow in its own time and rhythm or guide it in painstaking detail to express an object with utmost realism. A …
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A car mechanic has a wrench, a cook has a spoon and an artist uses a brush. Brushes are one of the basic tools of the trade, so it pays to be knowledgeable about which styles and sizes you need. …
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A support is the surface on which you paint. For oil or acrylic painting, an artist uses gessoed Masonite, canvas or other firm, non-porous surfaces. Watercolor requires a porous surface to absorb the paint, and paper is the main support …
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Shopping for paint is similar to buying groceries. Sometimes it just makes sense to stick with national, name brands. You know the quality is good, it’s widely available and you’ll encounter no surprises. However, sometimes you pick up an off-brand …
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As with most paints, watercolors are produced in two qualities and are called Student and Professional or Artist’s grade. Student grade paints are economical and available in a wide variety of colors. While more costly, professional grade paints are available …
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