Paint
YInMn Blue
There has been a lot of excitement going around about YInMn Blue. Why is this so special? It is the first new inorganic blue in over 200 years! Since this is a new color, supply is limited. And it’s expensive. It is about 6 times more expensive than Cobalt because one of its components, Indium,…
Highly textured watercolor paper – Khadi and Shizen
I tried out some new paper today: Khadi watercolor paper, 140 lb. This is handmade paper made in India from 100% long fibered cotton rag. I admire that they use the run-off water to irrigate an organic Mango farm. It has an interesting surface which creates interesting texture. And it can handle a lot of…
Experimenting with Golden High Flow acrylic paints and Alcohol Inks
I love to experiment with different mediums. I’m like a curious kid who wants to try everything! 🙂 You can use these Golden High Flow paints many ways. (and they are on sale!) I like to use the Carbon black for monochrome paintings. Pour a little paint into a tiny bowl or palette well, then…
Do you want to trade/sell watercolor supplies?
Today is the one-year anniversary of the group: Watercolor Supplies Swap/Trade led by Kristen Beltz. If you’d like to buy half-pans of paint, dot-cards, try a different brand, or if you have some you’d like to trade or sell… check out this group. I’ve enjoyed getting to know Kristen over the last couple years, and…
Tubes or pans?
Tubes for frequently-used colors, pans for select colors. As far as quality goes, there is no difference between tubes and pans. A pan is just tube paint that has been poured into a little plastic mold and allowed to dry. Tubes are usually cheaper than pans in the long run. You can buy empty pans…
Artist grade or student grade?
Artist grade is excellent but expensive. Student grade is good, budget-friendly alternative. When I started watercolor painting, I was using student grade Koi paints, and loved them. I had a few Winsor & Newton Cotman tubes, too. But as I learned more advanced techniques, I wanted to upgrade to artist grade paints. For example, layering…
What brand of artist grade paint is best?
Asking What brand of paint is best? is like asking What kind of bear is best? It all depends on the artist, and what we are trying to accomplish. Most artists use more than one brand. Here are my impressions of some artist grade brands: QoR – Vivid, very bold. A little goes a long…
Paints on a budget – Seven money-saving tips for buying paints
Easy ways to save money on paints. Let’s face it: paints are expensive. Most of us can’t afford to buy every color that we want in an artist grade brand. But here are some easy ways to stretch your paint budget. 1. Use the lower cost artist grade brands. Good news: there are some artist…
Your watercolor palette – What colors do I need?
If you ask 100 artists what colors you should have in your palette, you will get 103 different responses. (Three of those artists will change their minds and swap a color at the last second!) Walk into any artists’ supply store and you will be confronted by an endless aisle hosting a mind-boggling mass of…
How do I match a color that I see in a photo?
Have you ever tried to mix a color from a reference photo and did not have any idea what colors to combine? Try the Golden Paints color mixer tool. It is designed for acrylic, but pigment is pigment. It works well for watercolor. The tool is easy to use: 1) Import a photo 2) Move…
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