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
Tag: Watercolour
Artists & Illustrators Magazine is 30 years old!
Artists & Illustrators Magazine is 30 years old… Happy birthday! To celebrate this anniversary edition, they are publishing 30 painting challenges in their October issue, which is out now. I am so pleased to be part of the celebrations, having written 3 of these 30 challenges: painting a botanical quince (number 1), painting a field… Continue reading Artists & Illustrators Magazine is 30 years old!
Which is the best eraser?
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?
Is there a right side to watercolour paper?
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?
Pigment spotlight – The Perylene family
The Perylene family is relatively new to the exclusive pigment neighbourhood. The first Perylene was discovered in 1912 but didn’t move in until the 1950’s. Even then, it was not widely seen and only became part of the artist community in the 1980’s. Even today, their position is not as prominent as other families, such… Continue reading Pigment spotlight – The Perylene family