Blog

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

    mixing a warm fall color palette

    Mixing a Fall Color Palette (Keys to Success)

    Fall is upon us (again!) Funny how it keeps coming around so quick 🙂 My neighborhood’s autumn colors have inspired me to try out some paint mixes. So I wanted to share some of my favorite color-mixing recipes for fall paintings.  There’s a unique…

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    neutral tint watercolor paint

    Neutral Tint Watercolor (All The Answers!)

    So you’ve ended up with a tube of grayish-looking paint called “neutral tint.” And now you’re wondering… “But what the heck is neutral tint?”  Why would you need it, and how is it used in painting? This paint name causes quite a bit of…

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    do you wet watercolor paper before painting

    Do You Have to Wet Watercolor Paper Before Painting?

    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…

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    watercolor pans vs tubes

    Watercolor Pans vs. Tubes (There’s a Clear Winner!)

    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…

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    watercolor paper sizing

    Watercolor Paper Sizing (Explained!)

    All watercolor paper is sized.  And no… I’m not talking about the dimensions of the sheet 🙂 As you begin to understand more about your art materials, at some point, you’ll come across the topic of sizing.  Sizing is a substance that is added…

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    why is watercolor so hard

    Why is Watercolor so Hard? (And What To Do About It!)

    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…

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    watercolor terms and vocabulary

    Watercolor Terms and Vocabulary (All the Jargon with Illustrations!)

    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…

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    how to paint cherries in watercolor

    How to Paint Cherries in Watercolor (My Step by Step Tutorial)

    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…

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    watercolor donut tutorial

    Watercolor Donut Tutorial (Just for Fun!)

    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!…

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    watercolor still life

    Watercolor Still Life (Beginners Step by Step Tutorial)

    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…

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