Review: Rublev paint
Rublev oil paint is excellent. Along with Harding, they are my choice for high-end oil paint. I’ve used Rublev oils frequently but only recently moved them into the top tier on my Oil Paint Brand Reference. I used some of their excellent lead whites over the past month and realized how fantastic this paint is.
Where are my workshops?
Reader lynnandjanice recently asked if I teach or hold workshops. I regularly get this question. Gifted teachers are rare. The first real art instructor I ever had when I was 13 possessed the gift. Her words imprinted themselves on me and unlocked the mysteries of drawing. I experienced something similar with a math teacher in
My fav…raw umber
Next to lead white, raw umber is my most-used color. Because it’s fast drying, it’s ideal for every use case, whether I’m making a quick sketch or preparing the underpainting on a large painting. Additionally, its high transparency means it can produce the widest range of tones. Raw umber has always been on my palette,
Design process
I’ve been drawing a lot lately. I made this small study while preparing a large (for me) new painting for my Amusement Park series. I’d planned to make an oil sketch but decided to heighten the lead drawing with white chalk and call it finished. So, it’s a lead drawing on a toned canvas, 20″
Adobe vs Affinity Photo
Adobe got into trouble earlier this year after they updated their terms of service and users discovered that Adobe claimed the right to use user-created content to train their AI. Adobe defended its action by pointing out that it had already implemented a similar policy on its stock photo service. Adobe’s self-own is true. It
Loaded again
I know what you’re thinking but, no, not that kind of loaded. I get excited when I prepare my palette for another painting session. Seeing the waiting colors is inviting. I coat the glass palette with oil before applying the colors and mixed tones. This makes cleanup easier. In this photo, I propped the palette
Delicious copal jelly
I haven’t been a fan of gelling paint mediums since my early interest in maroger, a gelling medium made from mastic. But I like to experiment with mediums, sometimes to my harm. My go-to for paint varnishes and related materials is James Groves. I’ve praised nearly every product from James that I’ve tried. Indeed, his
Customizing my easel
I was forced to customize–that is, fix–my easel when its wheels broke. A heavy-duty easel without wheels is next to useless. Now I am glad the easel broke because my fix is a significant upgrade. I replaced the plastic wheels with heavy steel and rubber wheels. Luckily the original holes in the easel frame were