Tips for Mixing Darks and Shadow Colors
A few tips for mixing darks and shadow colors in watercolor, including shadows on yellow and red objects.
Tips & Hacks
Handy tips and solutions to pesky problems in the studio.
Metamorphosis, a Better Way to Adjust Paintings in Progress (Art Invitation for Mar 2023)
Don’t ask “What do I need to fix?” about a painting. Here’s what to ask instead, and some tips for helping an unsatisfying painting undergo a creative metamorphosis.
Establishing a Consistent Sketchbook (or Painting) Practice
Tips for establishing a consistent sketchbook (or painting) practice.
Glow! (An Alternate Method for Softening Edges)
In this video, I demonstrate an alternate method for softening edges in watercolor, using a sponge instead of a brush.
The Most Important Watercolor How-To
Having trouble finding the time and energy to paint? Try designing some Anti-Rules!
How Do I Paint Tan? (beige/khaki/sand/bark/fur/feathers/skin)
An easy tip for mixing lively, interesting and natural-looking browns, tans, skin tones, fur, feathers, etc.
Avoiding Pencil Lines in Your Watercolors
Some alternative ways to make planning marks to avoid visible pencil lines in the finished painting.
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.
How (and When) to Stretch Your Watercolor Paper
once you start painting quarter-sheet or larger, or getting the paper really saturated, stretching your paper makes your life sooooo much easier! This video shows my preferred method, stretching on the same stretcher bars used for canvas, and an alternate method for those who have difficulty operating a staple gun.
Three Ways to Transfer Drawings to Watercolor Paper
Three methods for transferring a drawing to watercolor paper: using self-made graphite transfer, graphite transfer paper and clear acetate.
Making a Painting Support Board (for Smaller Paintings)
This video shows how to make a lightweight waterproof board to support a small watercolor painting while you work. This method will not prevent buckling, but the paper will flatten out again after it dries.
Easily Scale Up Photos and Drawings Using a Home Printer
Ever wish you could print out a photo in larger sizes to transfer to your watercolor paper without making a trip to the copy shop? This video shows you how to use Adobe Acrobat Reader (free software which most people already have for reading PDFs) to print out large images on multiple sheets of letter-size paper.