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Watercolor is an easy, fun medium for creating art. Color theory, composition and design can be explored freely with watercolor paint, paper, and brushes. Several techniques may be used with watercolors for varying effects including painting wet on wet, wet on dry, layering washes, and more.
Watercolor paper comes in cold press, hot press, and rough. Rough paper has the most texture, and its hills and valleys can result in interesting effects when paint is added. Hot press is the smoothest and has the finest texture. Cold press has a moderate amount of texture and is the paper most commonly chosen by watercolor artists.
Watercolor paper comes in several weights ranging from 90 lb. to 300 lb. based on the pounds per ream of paper. Most artists prefer to use at least 140 lb. paper. Papers vary somewhat between manufacturers, so sampling different papers is advisable. Paper can be purchased in pads, in blocks or in large sheets. The large sheets are usually the most economical and can be torn into whatever size is desired.
The Nature of Soft Pastels Pastes are very soft in texture, and can be easily blended, either with a finger or a cotton ball. They come in a huge range of vibrant, strong colors and are water-soluble. Pastels are ideal for creating quick, Impressionist-style work, and they are used for both drawing and coloring. It is possible to use the length of the pastel to make broad slabs of color, or a sharp corner to draw, as you would with a pencil. The technique does create a lot of pastel dust, and finished pictures benefit from being sprayed with fixative to seal them. Choice of paper is an integral part of pastel technique. Textured and colored papers will add interest to your work.
We all envy those people who can paint or draw. Well, the secret is out – with a healthy desire and the right instruction, anyone can bring shape and life to ideas on paper. This article offers step-by-step instruction to help you get started.
Artists have enjoyed the charm of watercolors for many centuries. Constable, Cotman and Cezanne used them to great effect. Beginners, too, can get excellent results after a little practice; the medium has a lot to offer. Watercolor’s loveliest feature is its transparency. The white of the paper shines through the color, giving a feeling of light and sparkle to the picture.
When using watercolor, the two main things to remember are that you should always work from light to dark, unlike with poster paints and oils, and that if you want white in your picture you should normally use the white of the paper, i.e. leave it unpainted wherever you need some white.
With water based products, achievable results rely almost as much on the paper surface as on the quality of the colour used. The paper is an intrinsic part of the work.
This is also true for oil based paintings. It is essential therefore that the artist has a range of papers at hand which are of equal quality to his/her colour. This article discusses the criteria and terminology of artists’ papers to enable you to obtain
Paper Criteria A paper must provide a suitable surface for painting or printmaking in terms of absorbency, colour and long-term stability. The correct degree of absorbency [sizing] allows the colour to sit on the surface and reflect the maximum amount of light. White papers produce the brightest images, whilst coloured papers are used for opaque or juxtaposition techniques. Long term stability comes essentially from the papers being acid-free. that quality in the choice of your papers.
Traditional oil paints are bound with drying oils. This is what gives them their unique working properties and makes them much slower drying than water-based media.
A drying oil is a vegetable oil which dries by oxidation and there are many types including poppy seed oil and safflower oil among others. Linseed oil is the one used in the majority of oil paints because it dries to the most durable film.
What effects do drying times have on oil paintings?
The main effects are dependent on how you layer your paints. If done incorrectly, you could create damage to your artwork. For example when underpainting, if a faster-drying layer is applied over the top of oil underpainting, this will be pulled apart as the slower-drying colour contracts. This is also true of colours which only surface dry such as cobalt. For underpainting, we would recommend an underpainting white, alkyd white or flake white (in linseed oil) because of their quick and thorough drying time.
This is always the worst part in an artist's life. The need to clean up the palettes, brushes, easels, and other odds and ends in the studio. It is actually rather easy if you know what you are doing.
The brushes are the first thing to address. This is when coffee cans come in handy. Filling them half full of turpentine or other paint solvent will allow the brushes to soak until you are done with everything else. Just drop them in, bristle first, right into the turpentine. We will get back to these in a moment.
Printing on canvas is incredibly versatile and a great way to create a ready-to-hang image or artwork. Every canvas that we print is protected with a UV coated acrylic finish to guard the print from dust, moisture and fading. Do you want your canvas stretched on bars or non-stretched? Framed or unframed? Customize the work to make it truly your own.
Photographs are vulnerable to damage. Here are some things you can do to ensure they last for the longest possible time.
Handling photographs Handle photographs by their edges to avoid leaving fingerprints. Oils and salts in our fingertips leave permanent marks on photos and contribute to fading of the image.
Do not try to repair photographs that are torn or in pieces. Materials such as sticky tape and masking tape cause fading and staining. Keep the photograph in a folder or sleeve by itself.
Watercolor is an easy, fun medium for creating art. Color theory, composition and design can be explored freely with watercolor paint, paper, and brushes. Several techniques may be used with watercolors for varying effects including painting wet on wet, wet on dry, layering washes, and more.
Watercolor paper comes in cold press, hot press, and rough. Rough paper has the most texture, and its hills and valleys can result in interesting effects when paint is added. Hot press is the smoothest and has the finest texture. Cold press has a moderate amount of texture and is the paper most commonly chosen by watercolor artists.
Watercolor paper comes in several weights ranging from 90 lb. to 300 lb. based on the pounds per ream of paper. Most artists prefer to use at least 140 lb. paper. Papers vary somewhat between manufacturers, so sampling different papers is advisable. Paper can be purchased in pads, in blocks or in large sheets. The large sheets are usually the most economical and can be torn into whatever size is desired.
Information 
Watercolor is an easy, fun medium for creating art. Color theory, composition and design can be explored freely with 
The Nature of Soft Pastels
We all envy those people who can paint or draw. Well, the secret is out – with a healthy desire and the right instruction, anyone can bring shape and life to ideas on paper. This article offers step-by-step instruction to help you get started. 
With water based products, achievable results rely almost as much on the paper surface as on the quality of the colour used. The paper is an intrinsic part of the work. 
Traditional