I’ve said before that I’m an unlikely watercolor evangelist. Everyone thinks of Aunt Bessie’s birds and flowers when they think of watercolors. Nobody thinks of nude women. When folks think about nude women, they almost always think of oils. Maybe acrylics, but almost always oils. To be honest though, I
Give me more opiumCategory: Watercolor
3 Watercolor things you just learn by doing
I’m not a likely watercolor evangelist. Usually when you think about watercolors, you think about Great Aunt Hilda who painted flowers and birds.
Give me more opiumWatercolors as therapy
I’ve never served in the Armed Forces and would never compare my measly life to theirs. That said, I’ve known several good folks who have served and seen how they use painting as therapy. For instance, I met a UDT once who would paint islands from a plane’s view. At
Give me more opiumThe supplies you’ll need to start with watercolors
If you’re thinking about starting with watercolors, there are two types of things you’ll need. You’ll need items you have to buy at an art store (or of course online), and items you can get elsewhere. The latter, you may already have. So let’s go over these. To buy from
Give me more opiumYou don’t need that many watercolors
One of the many beauties of watercolors is that you don’t need to own that many watercolors. My palette only has 10 holes and I’ve never had a problem with that. Even paintings that look like I have tons of colors are only using the same colors with more or
Give me more opiumPainting with honey watercolors, Part II
One thing about being an artist – your opinions will change. You’ll have your favorites. And something else will come along and you’ll end up liking it even better. We are constantly evolving. Constantly. All of us. Not too long ago, I wrote an article on how important is watercolor
Give me more opiumPainting with honey watercolors, Part I
If you’ve been reading this blog for awhile, you know that I love M Graham gouache. But, for a completely different reason than anyone else. I’m nearly blind. I literally need my glasses to find my glasses. Do you remember Velma from Scoobie Doo? If so, you probably remember when
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How important is watercolor paint brand?
So, how important is watercolor paint brand? Keep in mind, this is one artist’s opinion. A lot of watercolor artists are brand sticklers. They’re convinced that brand X smokes brand Y. You’ll get the same thing with guitarists, car enthusiasts, and every other person who’s convinced their favorite brand is
Give me more opium5 things to know before starting watercolors
Before I started watercolors, I was already working with Allie. I was heavily into colored pencils at the time. Why colored pencils? I have no idea. I wanted to get better at drawing and regular pencils seemed boring to me. Or something like that. It’s funny because now, I love
Give me more opiumFrench Ultramarine, Indigo, and Payne’s Grey
I’m sharing with you one of my watercolor secrets. If you want to get that magical nighttime look, I simply use these three colors – French Ultramarine, Indigo, and Payne’s Grey. But since I’m painting on a watercolor board this time around, I’m going to go through a lot of
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