Sometimes you need a bit of organization to feel productive or creative. My desk at work is a complete mess with papers tossed about and notes everywhere. I couldn't even find my phone or notebooks because of the mess I lived in. I set out to Staples to do something about it and came across these lovely bright and fun desk products by Poppin.
Read MoreThe past few posts have been about keeping an art journal so I want to expand on that and share with you a new brand of art journals that I came across. Stillman & Birn are the only journals that focus on paper quality and an artist's needs. Usually people praise Moleskine journals since they're heavily toted around in the art world. Moleskines are great (and I have been using one since 2013) but I dislike how the paper buckled in my watercolor folio album.
Read MoreIf you've seen my artwork then chances are - you've probably seen an apple or two..or three. I love painting apples! There's a very good reason for that too. Apples are my favorite type of fruit and they are (in my opinion) the most colorful type of fruit as well. They are also extremely easy to draw - it's a circle! However, there's also a sentimental value associated with apples for me.
Read MoreBrushes are like an extension of your arm so it is crucial to invest in the right type of brushes suited for your artwork. There are many types of watercolor brushes but most of them fall under three categories: synthetic, blended (mix of synthetic and real hair), and natural hair (squirrel, sable etc.)
Kolinsky sable brushes are the most expensive and top notch quality brushes you can find for painting.
Read MoreThe quality and brand of watercolor paint you buy is without a doubt, the second most important part to painting successfully. Artist grade paints contain more pigment and less filler than student grade paints. However, the number one rule with anything is to buy only the best that you can afford. It's a waste to spend hundreds of dollars and expect to be a successful painter overnight when "the core of painting successfully lies within the artist".
Read MoreTime to live up to my past promise on an extensive overview of tools for watercolor painting. If I had to rank the priority of each, I would break it out as follows:
1. Paper - quality 140lb or 300lb watercolor paper
2. Paints - Artist grades will certainly improve your painting skills and techniques
3. Brushes - This comes in last place because different artists' prefer different types of brushes
Read MoreHi everyone! Sorry for the lack of posts lately. I've been terribly swamped at work since the holidays are coming up. Today I will walk-through one of my latest rose paintings "Glow"
Unfortunately, I didn't take many photos to document the process for this one since it was more of a speed watercolor painting practice for me. The steps taken are very similar to what I did for Primrose which you can read about here.
Read MoreThere are so many watercolor brands out there to choose from. How do you pick the best one for you? There are two types of watercolor paint which are usually labeled "student" grade and "artist" grade. I highly recommend purchasing the artist grade paints only because student grade is just not that good. They give you less pigment load in each tube and more metal fillers. This will result in more paint use but less color intensity achieved from each tube. If you are purchasing student grade,
Read MoreThe golden rule about palettes is that there is no perfect palette. The type of palette you use is completely up to personal preference! I would like to note that I am not a palette addict...I just haven't found the one yet.
There are three main types of palettes: plastic, metal and porcelain/ceramic.
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