Currently Browsing: Watercolor 343 articles
Paper Matters: Is There A Right Paper?
For artists making works on paper media selection and method of application of course both matter, but too often artists forget that paper matters too. Have you been seduced by an art supply catalog into purchasing a substandard, non-artist grade paper? I see it all the time in my student’s questions. They’ve spent money on […]
Waiting Rooms: Lots of Sketching Time
I’ve been spending a lot of time in eye doctors’ offices over the past 11 months. On mosts of those visits my eyes have been dilated right away and so I haven’t been able to sketch. But the other day I went to a neuro-ophthalmologist and my eyes weren’t immediately dilated—so I got some […]
I Need To Draw More Cats
I rarely draw cats. Most don’t seem to like me staring at them. (Dogs never seem to mind.) And the heads are so different from canine heads. Let’s face it. If you can draw a dog you can, with adjustment, draw all bears, raccoons, fishers, martins, foxes, wolves, hyenas, and hundreds of species I’m just […]
A Quick Portrait Sketch: Watercolor on Toned Paper
Read about the sketch in the caption. I was having a lot of fun working on this tan-toned paper from Strathmore. It’s their 400 Series Mixed Media Toned paper. At 184 lbs. it’s a great weight also for collage. In the detail you can see I’m able to get streaky strokes […]
Fun with Watercolor: Sometimes It’s Best To Use as Little Water as Possible
To finish today’s sketch I used as little water as possible with my watercolors on a non-wet-media paper. This post shows you the ink sketch, the painted face, and then my decision to paint a background of color behind the face. What this post can’t really show you is how much fun I […]
The Piecemeal Portrait Tutorial That Wasn’t
To keep myself drawing while I’m working out what my post-cataract eyesight will be I’ve been videotaping my sketching sessions. I find that the resultant videos allow me to look again at my process and ask myself questions about the progress I’m making with my eyesight. It also takes the focus off of whether or […]
Some Dog Sketches on Canson 180
What better way to test a paper than with some dog sketches on Canson 180? In the sketches today I used a Sailor Fude Fountain pen (containing Platinum Carbon Black ink) and watercolor to make quick sketches from dogs on the Sktchy App. The scans show paper buckling caused by the wet […]
Working on Canson 180
Today I look at working with watercolor on a not-wet-media paper. In May I shared with you how I started working in a Canson 180 sketchbook given to me by a friend. Because recovery from cataract surgery has been protracted I’ve been rather cooped up, unable to drive, get to life drawing, etc. One […]
In Context: No Political Comfort From Howard Stern
A page from one of my post-cataract surgery green-lined journals. Brush pen and watercolor.
Watercolor Palette Update
Yesterday I decided it was time to tune up my watercolor travel palette. Before the Fair this year I took pan colors off two squarish palette boxes (Schmincke). I consolidated some of the pans into a smaller palette I could use at the Fair—I wanted to carry as little as possible. Since the Fair […]