Watercolor and Gouache Produce a Symphony of Color
This blog outlines a successful process for integrating watercolor and gouache for richly colored and luminous illustrations.
Categories: Watercolor Lessons
December 6th, 2022
"April showers bring May flowers", so here's a fun floral-themed lesson for you to enjoy! Let's paint unique watercolor flowers - rose edition - with Dana as she walks us through some basic watercolor techniques.
Categories: Step-By-Step Painting Ideas
February 20th, 2023
What paint colors to buy? Checklist.
Have you seen those 500 color sets of paint? Do you really need all that? While it may be fun to pretend to be a princess and have every color available to mankind… this really not a good plan for buying paint. Unless you are really enamored with a special tint, it’s best to leave most of the colors at the store and only bring home a few… and I will tell you why.
Categories: Preparing for Painting
February 17th, 2023
What makes watercolors a unique medium?
There are three key things that make watercolors completely different from other paint mediums. These are also tips to help you with your painting success. If you know the nature of the thing, your interactions with the thing become more satisfying. Here are three key things to know about the nature of watercolor paints that we’ve never said before.
Categories: Watercolor Lessons
February 13th, 2023
How to choose watercolor paints like a pro.
Like most things, watercolors are not created equal. The dollar store palette will not yield the same results as a professional brand. Why? The answer is a bit complicated but I will see if I can explain it to you in just a few paragraphs.
Categories: Watercolor Lessons
Don't miss this chance to learn all about negative painting! We're painting eye-catching leaves with watercolor techniques that will make your subject POP.
Categories: Color Theory , Beginner Techniques
April 23rd, 2019
French Paul Cézanne was born on January 19, 1839, in Aix-en-Provence, France. While in school, he had become an intimate friend of fellow artist Emile Zola. After a failed return to law school he spent the next twenty years dividing his time between the Midi and Paris. He briefly attended the Atelier Suisse with Camille Pissarro. Cézanne also had long friendships with painters Claude Monet and Pierre-Auguste Renoir. Cézanne's watercolor technique relied on subtle overlapping washes incorporating the white of the paper as in integral element in the piece. His method of work was to apply his colors pure with...
Categories: Artists in Action
September 8th, 2015
Learn how to apply variegated washes, a specific wet-on-wet watercolor technique.
Categories: Step-By-Step Painting Ideas , Watercolor Lessons , Advanced Techniques , Step-By-Step Lessons
October 27th, 2015
Welcome to famous painting no. 4, where we'll be studying Edgar Degas’ "L'Absinthe". Artist William “Bill” Dunn focuses on capturing this Degas painting with a cool-warm color palette.
Categories: Watercolor Lessons , Advanced Techniques , Step-By-Step Lessons
October 1st, 2018
Your brush with destiny Watercolor brushes are traditionally made of the red sable hair that comes from the pricey little critters of fur coat fame. Over the centuries artists have winnowed out the best materials for their tools. And by consensus it has been determined that the finest watercolor brushes are made of the hair found on the tips of the russian male Kolinsky red sable's winter coat. This particular hair has become reknown for it's ability to hold a load of paint and keep a resilent, sharp, and durable point, that always snaps back. The russian fur farm industry...
Categories: Watercolor Lessons , Beginner Techniques
September 14th, 2015
American Frank Webb (AWS, NWS) of Edgewood, Pennsylvania, studied at the Art Institute of Pittsburgh. Working as a professional artist since 1947, he has received more than 90 major awards including a Dolphin Fellowship of the American Watercolor Society. A noted art instruction author, Frank's Webb on Watercolor (North Light Books) is an excellent reference book for watercolor artists. Since 1980, Webb has conducted workshops throughout the United States and around the world. Frank's work has appeared in invitational shows in Mexico, Scotland, England, Canada, Australia and the Republic of China. Mr. Webb is a frequent and popular juror for...
Categories: Artists in Action
August 3rd, 2016
