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Different Watercolor Papers Take Paint Differently
Different watercolor papers take paint differently. The higher the quality of the paper the better the fibers and sizing used to make it will interact with your paints (which need also to be quality artist paints). If you’re having an issue, like the one I was on this spread (read my handwritten comments), and on […]
What Has Happened to Hercule Poirot?
Actor John Malkovich takes on Hercule Poirot in “The ABC Murders” available on Amazon Prime. I recommend watching this version of Agatha Christie’s book by the same name not just to keep abreast of how the interpretation of Christie’s work continues to morph with each new “generation,” but also because it is simply fun to […]
In Context: Looking at the Arteza Watercolor Book Part 9
Doing a Tape Test in the Arteza Watercolor Book I use Nichiban Artist’s tape 99.9 percent of the time when I want to tape something. It works well on my favorite papers—it’s one of the reasons those papers are my favorite papers, I’ve found a tape that works with them. But many watercolorists like to […]
In Context: Looking at the Arteza Watercolor Book Part 8
Again I didn’t write anything on this journal page, so it’s a bit weird for “In Context” but it’s one more in my series of mini review comments on the Arteza Watercolor Book. What I enjoyed on this spread was the manner in which I could get some delicate wash techniques. I was using a […]
In Context: Looking at the Arteza Watercolor Book Part 6
This isn’t strictly an “In Context” post. I don’t have things written on these pages and I’m going to show more than one spread. But I’m keeping it in context because these are all from the Arteza Watercolor Book and all these posts together constitute my review of that commercially bound sketchbook. […]
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 4
Since there is no writing on this page in my Arteza Watercolor Book—direct brush painting with watercolor. I used a 5/8 inch flat wash brush and also a size 10 watercolor round for some of this. I should have worked a little harder to make enough wash for the background to not […]
In Context: Looking at the Arteza Watercolor Book Part 3
Here’s a page from the large Arteza Watercolor Book I’m reviewing. Nothing written on this page, so I’ll just spell it out. I started with direct brush ink wash, but wanted more, so continued with watercolor (with some white gouache added to some of the colors). Now you can’t see any of the ink wash. […]
Fabriano Mixed Media Paper in Economical Pads
So the other day I was in Wet Paint and I saw a pad on display—Fabriano Mixed Media Paper in a 9 x 12 inch pad from Savoir Faire. There were 150 sheets in the pad. It was on sale for $15.99. (Which meant each sheet was about 10 cents which is a great […]
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 […]