Retouch varnish
When you work on an oil painting over an extended period, colors sometimes become dull. The upper paint layers merge with an earlier layers. This process is called sinking in. If the problem isn't corrected,…
Category: materials
Glowing lights
I have several themes in mind for today's post. One theme is about varnish--intermediate varnish. An intermediate varnish is used to seal the surface and prevent subsequent paint layers from sinking into the earlier layers.…
Those who live in glass houses…
...or use glass palettes. I get a lot of questions about my homemade palette. I've been using this palette for several years and by now it's pretty beat-up. In fact, I attempted to replace it…
Not all synthetic brushes are awful
I heap abuse on synthetic brushes. But some synthetics are not too bad--for oils. I haven't found any synthetics that can replace sables for watercolor painting. Not even close. These synthetic rounds from Winsor and…
Maulsticks
When my daughter was very young, with a very serious face she asked, "Daddy, why do you hold a big stick in your studio?" To a child, the most question-provoking thing about the studio was…
Bristle brushes
Even though I sometimes disparage bristle brushes, I use them all the time. I use them for medium or broad passages--not for finer areas. Like most students, I was taught that real painters used bristles…
Good flake white
Utrecht flak white continues to surprise me with its good performance. Considering its modest price, it's a good value. I am using it throughout this painting titled The Fair. It covers well and handles crisply.…
Paint bigly
I am painting three new canvases that fit the bigly category. Big for me, is 4' x 5' or thereabouts. In the preceding weeks, I was drawing bigly too--working on the drawings for the new…