by Derek | Jun 6, 2016 | Art Supplies
Watercolours: As used by the greats If you want to see watercolours at their very best, look up the works of the masters. Many artists have made a name as watercolour specialists including Van Dyck, Gainsborough and Constable, while England’s most famous landscape painter, Turner, gained renown for his innovation with watercolours. Cezanne became known for overlapping pure colours and Van Gogh was able to create layers of striking colour using watercolours. Watercolours and you If you’ve been inspired by the watercolours of the masters and wish to paint your own masterpiece, you’ll be pleased to know that the start-up costs are minimal. Watercolour paint sets, brushes and papers are very affordable in comparison to a medium like oil paints. As a new watercolourist, and the almost inevitable mistakes that any beginner will make, this will save you a lot of money in the long run. At the same time, the pressure to get it right first time around will remove a lot of pressure and make painting fun. Don’t over mix watercolours Mixing watercolours to create the right colour can be as much fun as applying the paint itself. Here’s a simple tip to make your mixing even more fun, and effective. Don’t do too much at once. Only mix two colours at a time and when you have the right blend, that’s the time to mix in another colour. Over mixing is something of a lottery and very rarely will you get the right results. Even professional artists, mindful of wasting paint, stick to the ‘two at a time’ policy. ... by Derek | Apr 12, 2016 | Art Supplies
Putting the colour into pastels Pastels are made of powdered pigment which is then ground into water, all held together by a gum binder. This formula is then compacted into small sticks and applied to a variety of surfaces. The rougher the surface, the more your pastel likes it! As pastels are very powdery, a rough surface is best for ‘holding’ the pigment whereas a smooth surface has virtually no hold at all. The most used pastel is the soft variety as they have more pigment and colour than hard pastels, which have a higher proportion of binder to pigment. Choosing pastels Want maximum colour from your pastels? Then don’t settle for anything too cheap! Less expensive pastels are great if you’re just starting out or experimenting with the medium, but the lack of pigment means a lack of colour. As colour is the great feature of pastels, particularly soft pastels, then what’s the point of using them if you’re not getting the most colour out of them? When you buy a set of pastels, ask for light, mids and dark colours in equal proportions so you can work in a wide range of styles and themes. Eventually, you’ll settle on the style that suits you best and that’s when you can limit the number of colours you use. Pastels for fast results If you’ve worked with oil paint before, you’ll know that it can be a long process waiting for the paint to dry so you can move onto the next stage. No such problem with pastels. They’re the fast medium if you like, much quicker than paint... by Derek | Feb 27, 2016 | Art Supplies
How is oil paint made? Quite simply, coloured pigment is ground into a drying oil, such as linseed and safflower. This is the basis of oil paint. The oil base means that this type of paint takes longer to dry than other mediums, so an oil painting can be created in stages and over time, with none of the undue haste connected with other paints. Thanks to modern technology, water soluble oil paints are now on the market. This reduces exposure to harsh chemicals and makes for easy cleaning and thinning as water is all that’s required to complete these tasks. What oil paint is right for you? Basically, oil paints can be split into two categories: student grade and artist grade. Student grade oil paint is good beginner’s material as it is less expensive however it contains less pigment than artist grade. This equals a relative lack of colour and depth in your work. As you progress as an artist and feel your work deserves the very best material, you might like to move up to more expensive but higher quality artist grade oil paint. Oil paint: fat over lean One of the great advantages of oil paint is the ability to layer. When layering, the proportion of oil should be increased with each layer as the lower layers absorb oil from the layers above. This technique is known as fat over lean, and stops the upper layers cracking. The best brush for your oil paint Many a young artist has made the mistake of buying the right oil paint and the wrong brush to apply it! If...