Currently Browsing: watercolor
Richard Doesn’t Have a Clue
Yesterday was Father’s Day and like many fortunate people who have parents who are not only still living but living nearby we spent the afternoon with Dick’s dad CR. We brought treats and sat and talked. Later we struggled to get him into clean, fresh clothing. CR has lost the ability to stand for even […]
I’ll Be Teaching a Workshop at SketchKon 2018
I’m excited to announce that I’m teaching at the Sketchbook Skool and Artists Network SketchKon in November 2 to 4, 2018 (with a workshop class on November 1). It’s in Pasadena, California. The SketchKon website went up a couple days ago. Click on that link to read about the event, the schedule of activities, the […]
In Context—Paper Testing
For the first two months of 2018 I tested both the hot press and cold press versions of the new Stonehenge Aqua 140 lb. watercolor paper. To do that I first bound two books. One contained hot press paper, the other cold press. I then used all the usual pens and paints I typically use […]
Simple Approaches for Backgrounds—A Five-Part Series: Part 5 Lifting Off Color
This is Part Five of a five-part series on executing simple backgrounds in your journal or other artwork. Part One of this series can be found at this link. I’m going to end this series with the simplest approach to background texture—color lift off. To do this you need a paper with sufficient surface sizing […]
Simple Approaches for Backgrounds—A Five-Part Series: Part 2 Multi-color Backgrounds
This is Part Two of a five-part series on executing simple backgrounds in your journal or other artwork. Part One of this series can be found at this link. One of the simplest, yet most interesting approaches to a background, especially for a portrait, is to have broken color. This means that one or more […]
New Winsor & Newton Watercolor Paper Part 3: Professional Hot Press
This is the third and final part of my three part series on the new watercolor paper lines from Winsor & Newton: Professional, which is their wood-free fine-art line; and Classic which is their wood-pulp (but acid free) paper. See part one in the series here. Note that this is the NEW Winsor & Newton […]
Just Try It: Pushing a Drawing Beyond Finished
How do we make decisions, fast decisions, when sketching out in the field? By making decisions during practice, and comparing results. Some people can hold two versions of a piece in their mind and weigh what the future work will look like. For artists just starting out there might seem to be too many possibilities. […]
New Winsor & Newton Watercolor Paper Debut at Wet Paint
Mark your calendars. Saturday, April 7, 2018 from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. there will be painting demonstrations to celebrate the release of the new Winsor & Newton Watercolor paper at Wet Paint, in St. Paul MN. The first 100 attendees will receive a free 22 x 30 inch sample sheet of this 140 lb. […]
Hahnemühle Watercolor Sketchbook Review: Part 3
Today is the final part of my three-part review on the Hahnemühle Watercolor Sketchbook. See Part One of the review here. See Part Two of the review here In today’s post I wanted to write about the book structure itself. I’ll then wrap up with a final comment about the paper quality. Binding and Covering […]
Play with Different Brushes as Well as Different Pigments: More Green
I have been using a lot of green lately, so I’m not finished with my green series yet! While sketching the image shown today I used a 1 inch flat to apply the watercolor. Flats are great fun because you can turn them on edge and get lines, and you can touch the corner of […]