A couple of weeks ago I posted a tutorial on the Faber-Castell Blog about pumpkin paintings.
I pulled together a video for today's post to show more detail and share more information. You can use Gelatos on any porous surface. I've used canvas, paper, cardboard, black paper, any paper really. I did gesso this paper before the painting. The gesso lets the Gelatos slide around more and mimic watercolors.
Pitt Pens work well with the Gelatos to add details and shading.
If I could get only a few Pitt Pens, the grays (they come in warm and cool) and the white would be The Ones. :)
Affiliate Links are below (I get a commission if you buy). I suggest checking Joggles supply as well as Scrapbook.com. They have the best prices I've seen. Amazon can be hit or miss.
Learn tips about acrylic painting supplies in today's videos. I've been trying Dylusions and Dina Wakely Media paints from Ranger. The color and pigment load seem very good at an affordable price point!*
Paint the background with me in this blogpost/video.
I mixed a few greens lightly together just till the colors were streaky. When you load your brush you'll have several colors on the brush and a more interested paint load. I used a lot of greens, blues and St. Quinacridone Gold. I don't know how, but this color makes everything better. I highly recommend it in your arsenal.
Black paint should always be mixed with either blue, green or red. It needs to be knocked back a little. Otherwise you create a black hole. As usual, this is a rule that can be broken. Understand the rule and then break it to your advantage.
Yellow is another color that makes everything better. When you mix yellow with white, leave it streaky again. It will retain that sparkle. I'm not sure why but, in my experience, over-mixing colors deadens them. Painting and pancakes. I like the Hansa Yellow. It's pretty transparent. When you mix in Titanium white, it becomes more opaque.
Speaking of opacity, Golden's Glazing Medium is a basic supply for me. It increases the open time of the paint and adds transparency. You may not need/want that though.
You can see the transparency in this picture. I went over this with stamping after the paint was dry.
I've never used the best brushes with acrylic (or oil) painting. Clean them well, don't leave them sitting in water and you'll be fine. I like using the Master's brush cleaner and loads of folks like Murphy's Oil soap. Wet your brush, swirl it in the Master's then swirl the bristles in the palm of your hand. Rinse and repeat as necessary. If you use the Murphy''s, keep it in a small jar so you can dip the bristles right in.
*I couldn't get any information from Ranger about lightfastness or pigmentation so I still wouldn't use it for canvases that you are selling.
Enjoy the video. Affiliate links are below.
Watch on Youtube (there is a good oldie - from 2011 - in the cards, top right corner of video)
Affiliate Links used. I get a percent of sale with no cost to you.
I shot a ton a video while making my Birds Illustrated Tunnel Book. Today video spotlights the landscape painted background in the books. I painted each page similarly and it's pretty basic acrylic painting. The fan brush is fun to use for trees, shrubs and grasses.
If you look at the grasses in the picture above, you'll see the grasses that I painted using the fan brush. It takes a little practice but once you get the hang of it, it's a simple technique. I like to use 2-3 different greens to add even more texture and depth to the grasses.
Enjoy the video! If you haven't seen the whole book, look here for the video flip through. Affiliate links below (I get a percentage of the sale with no cost to you.)
How much fun is it to make color swatches? Right! I love it. Several years ago, I found the Arc or Levenger disc binding system and it's absolutely perfect for keeping this kind of an ongoing notebook. You'll see more in the video. The hole punch is kind of pricey but you can use a binder system for keeping all of your palettes or swatches in one spot.
I swatch everything from my paints to markers and colored pencils. There are great charts available over at Ranger Ink for their inks, sprays and paints. Go here to download. Very handy. Here is a link for Prismacolor colored pencils. That chart doesn't print the top line for me but it may just be my printer.
I've had loads of questions lately about watercolor: brands, mixing, how much paint to water, etc. My best advice is to pull out three primary and the three secondary colors and play with them. Look (above) at how many colors you can get with just the three primary.
Here is the video showing a close up of my Color Book. My next video will be on creating a palette with six colors.
The Arc Binding System is available at Staples stores and online. It'll come right up if you google it.
Hello dear friends, below is the last bit of video I compiled from my splashing about with my new watercolors and etegami paper. What a magical process! Honestly. It is like having a new kitten! (No offense Teddy.) Find the first post/video here.
I'm guessing here but would say that the etegami paper is layers of sumi-e paper and other papers that give it more rigidity. Another guess is that the higher the "blur" factor the lighter the sizing in the paper. Sizing is what keeps paint and ink from running on your paper. I'll confirm this with JetPens.
This is the magic, the bounty, the delight of watercolor. The color runs in unexpected ways. It has no mind, it finds the way to flow. Your hand is a facilitator. The paper used encourages it to flow more or less. This particular paper, like sumi-e paper*, is like a good parent, allowing the "child" to become what she was meant to.
Watercolor is a perfect metaphor in my mind.
My artist's eye sees more to be done with these small works. "There aren't lights and darks!" "Emphasize this or that!" "Balderdash."** There is a mastery to Sumi-e painting but I've largely ignored that here, wild Westerner that I am. Enjoy the last bit of video. I sincerely apologize for the lighting.
Here are the supplies I used from JetPens
*Sumi-e paper is a very light weight paper, slightly transluscent used for calligraphy and black ink paintings in Japan. The paper is unsized or lightly sized. It's usually in a roll.
** Balderdash: senseless talk or writing; nonsense. Late 16th century (denoting a frothy liquid; later, an unappetizing mixture of drinks): of unknown origin.
I finally had a chance to sit down and focus on my new birthday supplies! I've played enough with the Gansai Tambi watercolors to recommend them. (All supplies are linked below the video). I plan to complete an opacity swatch today. These paints are creamy ("soft") and some of the colors are opaque. That's typical of Japanese watercolors. The pigment load is good, especially for the price point. The mensa brushes hold a lot of paint.
The paper is a 3-ply postcard sized paper. The top layer being a type of sumi-e paper. Yes, it bleeds! These postcards have different "blurs." The card I'm using in this video is Blur 4. It's used for the Japanese tradition of Etegami. Tegami means "letter" in Japanese. The point of this is to paint, simply and casually. Then address the card and put it in the mail. No "practice." Just a simple expression.
There are some tips in the video for working with this type of paper. You won't have complete control. Surprises! Here's the video. Part 2 should be up for Friday. Enjoy! If you have a chance, click the YouTube button on the bottom right of the video and subscribe, share, like and comment. That helps me out a lot.
I started writing this on Monday, 3/15 and have been at it all week.
A bit of sunshine for your Friday morning ...
Monday mornings begin on Sunday night for me as I sprawl on the sofa with my planner.
On Monday, I pretty much ignored what I'd written in my planner and did a Live Stream on stamping in a little book instead.
In my studio, I have a big basket and box project folders for YouTube videos and I keep doing things off the cuff instead. Here is a look at the flip book I was working on.
Tuesday: My planner says "Watercolor." Also: "Work on Mixed Media Watercolor class."
Here's some of the painting I started. (at the top of this post: I love the idea of the flowers glowing yellow around the bulb part and the sunlight dancing along the tops. Sorry about the uneven lighting.)
The red coming down from the flower needs more definition.
I will go back into the right hand flower and lift paint out for the stamen "legs." I love that brown from mixing green and red.
Tuesday Night: Aunt Betz called from the hospital: Pneumonia. Wednesday was devoted to helping her get settled, talking to her doc and the nurses and distributing chocolate bunnies to all involved.
The rest of the week is up for grabs. I'm heading to the studio to work on some watercolors again and maybe get started on another flip book. Mixed Media Watercolor class is underway. This happend
After being inspired by the Gelli Arts folks here, I folded a bunch of mark-making tools for the Gelli Prints video coming soon. Today is the son's birthday so this is underway
Who knew there was a thing called Hipster Animals? Honestly! Google it. They are hilarious. I caved and purchased the set from Hero Arts after watching Kristina Werner make a card with it here. I think they need bodies but they could also be trophy heads.
Have a great weekend, everyone. I'm looking forward to my stamp carving class tomorrow. Off now to visit my auntie. Here are some of the materials and tools I used this week (affiliate links used).
Over the winter, I discovered Spectrum Noir markers on sale at my local craft store. I started collecting and playing with them in a painterly way and love the results.
Copie, SN and Sharpies are all alcohol markers, I'm not sure about all of the differences are between the brands. SN has a chisel and fine point, Copic has a brush and fine point and Sharpie has different pens with bullet or fine tips.
I've been using these markers on Yupo paper. They pool a bit and if you use lighter colors over darker, the lighter color "pushes" the darker one away. It's a cool effect. I love those little watercolor-like edges around the pools (of course).
I decided to make Project Life format cards for my journal. I trimmed the cards to 3"x5" (or so) and rounded the corners. With the big chisel end of the marker, it's easy to print words that are meaningful to you. If you want to stamp, use pigment ink.
This was a fun project. You could also use glossy photo paper. It doesn't work as well as the Yupo but well enough. Try Sharpie markers too. Let me know how they work!
Enjoy the video. Scroll down for a supply list and special note.
Use what you have. The following are affiliate links. I get a percentage of the sale at no cost to you. Thanks for helping support my channel/blog this way.
I've been noodling around with Pam Carriker's new line of acrylic paints and inks* and the just-slightly-earthy colors led me right to landscapes.
I decided that Landscape would be a really fun class to teach. It is coming in about 2 weeks with a different format than usual. More later. I'm excited!
In the meantime, here's a little video that will introduce you to some general ideas about landscape painting. Enjoy!
Here's the video
*Disclaimer: Pam Carriker sent me the paints for review. I used them for a while before reviewing them. I like 'em. They are very pourable and sheer, both qualities I like very much. The colors are earthy and there's a solid array. See buying information here. Thanks Pam!
Here's an art journal page using Pam's Whitewashed and Barely Black ink. I LOVE them!
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