Art Supplies That Are a Joy to Use (Gift Ideas)
Here are three things in my studio that make me smile every time I use them. (Great gift ideas for artists!)
Supplies and Materials
Articles and videos on supplies and materials (mostly watercolor, but some other supply info as well).
What’s That Pen You Use for Drawing?
A lot of people have been asking about what pen I use for drawing in my journals. In this post, I describe the bottled waterproof ink and pen(s) I use in my Studio Journal, and a couple of alternative options if you prefer cartridges over bottled ink.
Stop Paint from Beading Up on a Plastic Palette
A simple and nondestructive way to stop paint from beading up on a plastic watercolor palette.
Live Demo 11 Oct 2020—Choosing Watercolor Paper (and do I really have to stretch it?)
All about choosing the best paper for you and your way of working. And, the definitive answer to that perennial question: “Do I really have to stretch my paper?”
Live Demo 13 Sep 2020—Choosing Brushes for Watercolor
Which brushes do you really need? What sizes? Synthetic or natural bristles? Is Kolinsky sable really worth the expense? I’ll answer questions like these, demonstrate different types of brushes and explain pros and cons, and share which brushes are my “go-to” brushes now and why I chose them.
Live Demo 9 Aug 2020—What’s on Your Palette?
A lot of people have asked me to talk about what brands of paint I use (most of them!) and what colors I have on my palette (way too many!). I’m always at a loss, because I am constantly playing around with the colors on my palette. I’m just as much of a sucker for a cool new color as the next person. Isn’t that just part of the fun of watercolor? 😉 But it’s time to take a stab at answering the REAL question, How can you decide which colors to have on your palette?”
Mar 2019: Get Ready for Spring Plein Air Painting
Several different options for light, packable watercolor sketching kits, and a few tips for selecting a manageable subject from the sometimes overwhelming wealth of options when working on location.
12 Tips for Happy Brushes—How to Care for Your Watercolor Brushes
I’m welcoming some new watercolor painters to the medium, so there have been some requests for information about caring for watercolor brushes. (Even if you know all this, you might want to skip down to item 9. In the third paragraph, there are two links to videos about how brushes are made. The first is…
Explore Your Pigments with a Color Wheel—Primaries, Secondaries, Tertiaries
When I’m laying a wash, I want to focus my attention on creating color mingles, wet-in-wet effects and edges that are just the right degree of softness. So many things that will only happen if the timing is just right! I want design and drawing and color all worked out ahead of time, so I don’t…
What’s a Cradled Board?
This must be one of the questions I get asked the most often! I used to mat and frame my watercolors. From time to time someone would ask if I could frame them without glass. I knew of some watercolorists who were painting on canvas or boards that were specially prepared to be absorbent enough…
Painting Tips—Easy Acrylic Clean-up (plus some tips for watercolorists, too!)
One of the joys of watercolor is the ease of cleanup. In fact, you don’t really have to clean up at all, if you don’t feel like it. Nothing terrible happens if you just wipe off your brush, put it down and walk away. Well, mostly—do you know the right way to put down a watercolor…
The Mighty Tiny Matchbook Journal (and Other Ways to Avoid the Mistakes that Keep You from Journaling!)
I’ve heard the lament from quite a number of you: you bought a lovely journal, and you think the activities I’ve been posting look really fun and interesting, but you are too busy to journal right now. Maybe later, when life calms down a bit . . . I feel your pain! I don’t know about…