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In Context: Looking at the Arteza Watercolor Book Part 5
On this page of my Arteza Watercolor Book I was testing fountain pens—using my Sailor Fude Fountain pen with Platinum Carbon Black ink. The pen moves well on the slightly textured paper. The ink settles quickly and doesn’t bleed when you add your washes. (I go in pretty quickly with my washes so I […]
In Context: Looking at the Arteza Watercolor Book Part 2
Key Points This is part two of my in context review of the Arteza Watercolor Book. (You can find them on Amazon and the link is in the first post in this series.) Use the navigation at the bottom of this post to go back to the first post in this series. There’s no text […]
Project Friday: Go Ahead, Paint on Lightweight Drawing Paper
If there is one thing I would like to communicate to blog readers it’s that you need to go ahead and paint on whatever paper you have at hand. Simply because in the process of making the paint stick to paper that isn’t meant to have wet media on it you learn something about the […]
Rewatching “Death in Paradise”
In January I started rewatching “Death in Paradise.” It’s a “murder/detective/fish-out-of-water” show that I have enjoyed since first seeing it on PBS several years ago. I don’t want to give significant details away about the whole arc of the series, but basically an English policeman, not well liked at home for being a bit fussy […]
Another Portrait on Canson Heritage Watercolor Paper
One thing I found that I really liked with Canson Heritage watercolor paper was the way a wide range of pens worked beautifully on its surface. (I was testing the hot press surface.) In this portrait I used a fountain pen filled with Platinum Carbon Black and two Sakura Pigma Professional brush pens with solid […]
Stonehenge Aqua Review Part 2—Ink on the Cold Press Surface and Binding
This is part two of a multi-part review of Stonehenge Aqua (hot and cold press) 140 lb. watercolor papers. Please see part one (which contains a recommendation summary) at this link. While I may have started as a child with color pencils I quickly transitioned to pen and ink. As a result of that I’ve […]
In Context—The Loose Line and Thoughts on Villainy
“In Context” posts are meant to be “no writing” and an unedited, un-redacted spread from my journal. So click on the image to enlarge it so you can read.
In Context—Just for the Fun of Feeling the Paper
I was having so much fun with this sketch on real watercolor paper, that I forgot to write down the date and time on the page! That’s a lot of fun. I started working late one night in one of the 9 x 11 inch watercolor journals I bound last fall. It contains Fabriano Artistico […]
Sketching Warm Up—A Quick Approach
Just as it is important to do your daily exercises, go for your walk, ride your bike, it’s important to do your drawing warm up. These can be done very quickly. The sketches on the above page spread were done in less than 12 minutes. That’s how long it takes to make my breakfast noodles. […]
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 […]