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Watercolor is obviously a water-based medium. And water plays an essential role in every painting technique. During the painting process, the paper surface goes through different cycles of wetness.  Wet to dry, dry to wet, etc. So it’s easy to get confused about when…

I admit it! I have a favorite 🙂 You’ve noticed that watercolor paints come in two different forms: tubes or pans.  I’m going to tell you which one I prefer and why…  But which should YOU choose? Is there an advantage to using one rather than the…

If you’ve dabbled with watercolors for a while and you’re starting to think, “this is tricky,”… Well, you’ve discovered what many other watercolor rookies stumble upon.  Watercolors are hard! Well, at least that’s what a lot of folks conclude. But what if the characteristics…

The wonderful world of watercolor is full of exotic vocabulary. Artists use so much terminology that it’s easy to get lost because of the specialized lingo! For example, do you know what “convenience colors” are? What about a “back-run” or a “bead”? And what exactly is “archival paper” anyway? Are you…

Have you noticed that sometimes you look at the world in a funny way?! When you become interested in painting, after a while you begin to see things differently. This is what happened to me when I went to the market and noticed these…

I came across this image of a donut the other day and I thought it would make a great subject for a watercolor painting. It’s bright, colorful, and fun!  So this lesson doesn’t have any particular underlying theme about watercolors…  It’s just for fun!…

Did you ever wonder where the tradition of giving oranges at Christmas comes from? Well… There are a few different versions, but one of the stories I seem to remember talks about how an orange represents the Christmas season of giving and sharing. This…

What is it that makes a painting “good”? I was working on something recently and started thinking about this question… Let me start by saying, this is a practical guide, not a subjective opinion. There are plenty of articles talking about the various components…

If you want to paint better watercolor portraits then I have a few tips which I think will help transform the way you paint ! Whether you’re painting in watercolors or using another art medium, portraits are considered one of the most difficult subjects…

It’s not always easy to come up with new and unique ideas for painting. Getting started is sometimes one of the most difficult parts of watercolor, especially when you’re a beginner. Blank page syndrome can easily put artists off! So if you just want…