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…
Category: Shop Talk
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…
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…
New series–4th Street
The two series that have preoccupied me over the past several years are still moving along. One of them, Playhouse Square, I started deliberately. After launching the series, I continued to take photographs in the…
Doak’s canvas
Doak sells a linen-cotton blended canvas. A 10-yard roll is $440. It's a good deal if it's any good. Has anyone used Doak's blended canvas? If so, can you share your evaluation? Doak sent me…
How to–grounds
Most artists do not know how to prepare grounds for oil painting. I know this is true because none of my teachers were able to prepare acceptable grounds, and none of the commercially-prepared canvases that…