Artiste Botanique
All the time I get people asking me questions that start with “This is probably a stupid question, but can you tell me…” The stupid questions are actually the essential ones that we really need answers to. Please don’t hesitate to send them in… I would love to hear from you.
When I started painting, there was no comparison between sable and synthetic brushes. The sables were much higher quality. There was also this idea going around that you were not a proper artist if you didn’t have the most expensive sables in your toolkit. This view is now obsolete, but myths are hard to kill…… Continue reading The best synthetics brushes
Hi everyone, I have an article on masking fluid coming up in the summer issue of Artists & Illustrators magazine. The article is about tips for using fluid in the best ways and I made a video to go with it. I tested 10 different brands of masking fluid live, warts and all, with surprises… Continue reading Masking Fluid video on You Tube: the full version is up
Some watercolourists seem to find it hard to make the difference between neutral colours (especially browns) and muddy mixes. There is a huge variety of browns that are clean, transparent and without a hint of mud in them, not even the detoxifying cleansing spa kind. Unlike primary and secondary colours that are found on the… Continue reading How to avoid muddy colours
If like me you do a lot of erasing before you can be happy with a drawing, then drawing straight on watercolour paper is not really an option. Because botanical painting is cut to white, any trace of erasing, smudging, or marking on the paper will stand out and completely ruin the feeling of freshness… Continue reading How to transfer a drawing
Hello everyone, I thought it was time to write an update on the Fabriano Artistico paper situation. Unfortunately, for the moment, the report is that there is nothing much to report on the paper front. The October earthquake in Italy hit the Pioraco Mill and the roof collapsed, damaging some of the machinery. Fortunately nobody… Continue reading Update on Fabriano Artistico paper – 1st February 2017
Sandrine Maugy 