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.
This is a question that I am asked a lot: is it better to use tubes or pans to build your watercolour palette? As usual, the answer is never quite straightforward and it really depends on how you use your watercolours the most. Do you paint large or small? Do you travel a lot, especially… Continue reading Watercolour pans vs. tubes
This question comes from Stella, who was at my West Dean course in September: What exactly is the difference between transparent and opaque paints and how does it affect my paintings? The answer is that transparent paints let the light through to the underlying paper while the opaque paints reflect the light, effectively blocking it… Continue reading Transparent vs opaque colours
On the 12th of July there was an intriguing meeting at the top of a spiral staircase, at the R.K. Burt (paper suppliers) warehouse in London: a handful of botanical artists, the boss Mr Burt himself, as well as Giuseppe and Chiara, marketing directors from the Fabriano mill. The aim of the meeting was for… Continue reading What DID happen to the Fabriano Artistico paper?
This question comes from Bing Aling on my YouTube channel and is about erasing, an all important part of drawing: Which is the best rubber to use? I have several rubbers for different purposes, but the one thing they have in common is that none of them are made of rubber. A rubber rubber can… Continue reading Which is the best eraser?
This question is from Beth and is about watercolour paper: Is there a right side and wrong side to paint on? The answer is… not as such. I like “Not as such” because it means “no” but kind of “yes” but not quite. The reason I am not-as-such-ing you is that both sides are paintable… Continue reading Is there a right side to watercolour paper?
Sandrine Maugy 