In the kitchen
For the most part, I've stopped showing the early stages of my paintings. One thing that I've learned after running this site for 8 years is that readers assume that I only post finished work--the…
Category: Turpentine diaries
Watercolors yes
I was a little rusty with watercolors when I started this painting. It's good-quality paper but I forgot to dampen it before I started. Duh. I finally got it going and finished it quickly (for…
Watercolor colors
My recently-started watercolor cycle represents the first watercolors that I've done for sometime. I still have a good supply of colors, papers, and brushes. Of course, I never use my watercolor brushes for oils. This…
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…
Main Street materials Paintings Shop Talk Tips and Studies Turpentine diaries Uncategorized Vermilion, OH
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…