New ink drawings
Yesterday, I was preparing for some watercolor work by inventorying my watercolor supplies. I have an acceptable collection of colors and paper. Puttering with the watercolors led to playing with gauche, which led to painting…
Category: materials
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Arguing with a painting
I've had a long argument with this as-yet-untitled painting. The argument started as soon as I completed the original design. I spent time taking things out of the design after it was supposed to be…
Modestly-priced panels for oil
Medium-density fiberboard (MDF) makes a good (and cheap!) support for painting and drawing. A 4' x 8' piece from a lumberyard is $20. That is 40 9" x 12" panels for less than .50$ per…
Ugly colors
There are no ugly colors. This is a bit of conventional studio wisdom that is actually true. When I was starting out, I used a limited palette out of necessity. My palette had a lot…
This and that
I 'finished' Trooper Escort several months ago. I often struggle with what 'finished' means in practice. These days, I put 'finished' paintings aside before signing them. This gives me time to cool off and be…
Artists with small brushes
Most of the tropes we learn about art and art-making are rubbish. One meaningless trope is, "Real artistes only use large brushes." Alright, then. "A six-inch brush for this five-inch canvas, right Professor?" "Don't get…
Geneva Oil Paint non review
Readers have asked why I don't have a review of Geneva brand oils in my Oil Paint reference. The short answer is that I haven't used their oils. The longer answer is a little more…
Sketchbooks
I keep sketchbooks and doddle-books. Sketchbooks are for quick sketches where freshness and directness are important. Sketches can be simple or elaborate. Aaron Blaise is a good artists who has some YouTube videos about his…