Blog

This blog offers inspiration, tips, and tutorials about painting, drawing, and art topics in general.

    how to paint watercolor pine cones

    How to Paint Watercolor Pine Cones (The Easy Way)

    The thing about pine cones is they have a very complicated appearance. For this reason they seem like very tricky subjects to paint. In this article I’ll show you how to simplify the process of painting pine cones in watercolor. These prickly little things…

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    lost and found edges in watercolor art

    Why you Need Lost and Found (or Hard and Soft) Edges in Watercolor

    I recently painted this watercolor sketch as a way to explain the concept of lost and found edges in watercolors. This is mostly a fancy name for “hard and soft edges”. But in art, “lost edges” are a special type of soft edge where…

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    are watercolors toxic

    Are Watercolors Toxic ? (The Truth about Toxic Watercolor Pigments)

    Recently an artist asked me about the toxicity of watercolor paint. It’s true… As artists we should be aware of ecological and health considerations like this. And although I’m not an expert, I thought I could gather together some information to help others interested…

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    halloween watercolor painting ideas

    Halloween Watercolor Painting Ideas (Spooky Step by Step Paintings!)

    The other day my daughter said we should get some pumpkins so we could make jack o’lanterns. I admit, this is probably my favorite activity at Halloween. But this year I decided to extend the fun and do some Halloween watercolor paintings ! You…

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    watercolor limited palette

    Why Use a Limited Watercolor Palette? (And which Colors to Choose)

    A limited palette of watercolors does not have to be limiting! Yes… I’m kind of pleased with myself for that sentence! But it’s true. You’ll be happy to know you don’t need that luxury box set of 80 colors to get fabulous mixing results…

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    learning watercolor painting

    Learning Watercolor (A formula for Success)

    Painting with watercolors is a tricky skill to learn… Yep… I said it. But notice that I used the word “skill”. A skill is something anyone can learn with some good instruction and enough practice. I say this to dispel the idea that certain…

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    what side of watercolor paper to use

    Which Side of Watercolor Paper to Use (Complete Guide)

    Have you ever found yourself wondering which side of watercolor paper to use? Maybe you cut up a large sheet into smaller pieces, and now you’re wondering which was the “right” side to paint on? Or if you’ve removed a sheet from a watercolor…

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    how to clean watercolor brushes

    How to Clean Watercolor Brushes the Easy Way

    You can easily spend a small fortune on brushes. So if you want your investment to last, it’s probably a good idea to learn how to clean your watercolor brushes and generally take care of them. With a little care and attention a good…

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    winter watercolor scene

    Winter Watercolor Scene (A Step by Step Tutorial)

    ​Last week we had our first snowfall. Well… It was more like frozen rain! But it was enough to get me in the mood to paint a winter watercolor scene, which I’d like to share with you below. If you’d like to follow along…

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    best watercolor paints

    Best Watercolor Paints (A Complete Guide)

    Here’s the thing…There are lots of “reviews” about which are the best watercolor paints on the market. But none of them seem to tell you “how” to choose what’s best for your needs. And frankly, most of those reviews seem to have been written…

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