Currently Browsing: Archival Qualities 118 articles
The Field Artist Watercolor Journal: A Review
It has been several months since I first picked one of these up. This review will be heartbreaking for me to write. They came so close with this commercially bound journal—sewn signatures, paper that actually liked watercolor, several convenient sizes, a covering material that’s pleasant to hold… So What Is Wrong With This Book? The […]
Have Fun By Working on a Different Surface
Sometimes it’s fun to work on a toned surface, whether you create that tone (or texture) yourself by preprinting the surface, or your work on a surface that comes toned. Typically I’ll work on toned paper but I had some chipboard in the studio for another project and grabbed a piece to sketch on the […]
New Winsor & Newton Watercolor Paper Part 2: Classic Cold Press
Before doing my watercolor demo at Wet Paint on April 7, 2018 I had to test the “Classic” cold press sample I’d been given. I feel that “Classic” is a bit confusing as names go. To me that sounds like “traditional,” or “original.” While I don’t drink Coca Cola, it sounds like Coke Classic and […]
New Winsor & Newton Watercolor Paper Part 1: Professional Cold Press
Note: This is part one of a three part review of the new Watercolor papers from Winsor & Newton. The others will be coming out over the next week. Please wait to read all the parts before you decide to dive in or hold back. Change Happens: Winsor & Newton Kills One Watercolor […]
Project Friday: A Bit More on Brush Pens
To wrap up Brush Pen week I was going to go on an on about the brush pen some more, but I realized that in 2015 I wrote a post that includes a video on brush pens from Jet Pens as well as a bunch of links to various brush pen posts in my blog. […]
A New Square Paint Palette From Schmincke
I can’t help myself, my favorite palette box is the Schmincke Square pan box. Since 2000, I’ve been using them for my larger travel palettes of watercolor and gouache—filling them with the paints I want to use. Then for a long time the square box hasn’t been available. (I’ve actually been afraid of loosing my existing […]
Review of Strathmore’s Vision Watercolor Paper
One thing you have to remember when testing paper is that less expensive papers aren’t going to do all the things that you want them to do. It’s a matter of trade offs. Is it essential that your favorite pen work on a paper, or that you can add watercolor washes, or use color pencil? […]
Searching for a New Rubber-Stamp Ink
I use pigmented rubber-stamp ink in my artwork. It’s a crucial part of what I like to do—creating surface texture with stamped lines and words: a type of visual collage without glue. (Don’t get me started on my problems finding a new glue.) It’s hard to believe I’ve been looking for a stamp ink replacement […]
Giving the Pentel Duo Point Brush Pen a Workout (and a bonus Eyebrow Update)
Above: A 12-minute sketch of Dick as he sat under a bright light on the couch in the TV room—9 x 12 smooth cardstock journal. While I’d done a shorter (time duration) first sketch with this pen, this was the first sketch where I explored all the different types of lines I could get from […]
I Go Into Facial Overwhelm and Play with Pre-2004 Lukas Watercolors
Left: Lukas Pan Watercolors (with pink Montana Marker background) on a Pentel Brush Pen (pigment) in an 8 inch square Seawhite of Brighton sketchbook. Note: In this post I'm writing about pre-2004 Lukas Watercolors, read the whole post for the complete story to avoid product confusion. The availability in my area of the Niji Waterbrush in […]