Orange
For centuries, the orange pigment was sourced from a toxic mineral. Kelly Grovier looks at a hue that alchemists believed was crucial to creating the Philosopher’s Stone – and which allows art to swivel between different states of being.
The toxic colour that comes from volcanoes
How to Paint Rocks on Land and Sea
Value and shape are the two most important elements for minerals done right. Watercolor artist and instructor Julie Dillard Stroud illustrates how to paint rocks successfully with these main factors. So you can confidently paint the various pebbles, rocks and boulders you might encounter on your landscape adventures.
Rock Solid Watercolor Essentials
11 Ideas for Overcoming Creative Blocks
Creative block. The bane of all artists. Kick it in the shins with 11 ideas for overcoming creative blocks and set your inner artist free once again!
No More Fear of the Dreaded Blank Canvas!
Watercolor Mixed Media Collabortion Project
When you are an artist living that roller coaster freelance lifestyle, every now and then a superb client walks into your life and gives you a project which lifts your soul and touches your life in surprising ways. My painting lecturer at Michaelis, Virginia MacKenny, described the painting process as a deeply cathartic experience, and I fully agree with her. This article is about my experience with such a project; a collaboration affectionately nicknamed “D³” by those involved.
Seven South African Landscapes
Brush Marks
I was pleased to find out some brush techniques that were new to me.
Contrasting Brush Marks - There is a great pleasure in loading up a large brush with a mixture of strong dark pigment and quickly working some big, confident marks over the first washes of a painting.
Painting Fine Lines - Painting fine lines with less than perfect brushes is a difficult, if not impossible task. That hair thin line they used to produce with ease when new, slowly becomes thicker, heavier and clumsier.
Brush Techniques -
Train your brushes to do exactly what you want them to do. Paint brushes are a little like the family pet – they require lots of training if they are to do all the things you would like them to.
Thank you, John Lovett
Georgia O’Keeffe, Her Life in Paintings
She needs no introduction. To many of us, Georgia O’Keeffe is a beloved artistic icon and inspiration. Tracing her life through her works is fitting tribute that yields several surprises and brings an already enraptured audience even more to appreciate.
Works to Know from the Mother of American Modernism
Thank you, ArtistsNetwork
Monet at Giverny
Monet first set eyes upon Giverny from the seat of a train. By April 1883, he’d rented a large farmhouse called the Press House and began living there full-time along with his two sons and his then companion Alice Hoschedé and her six children. The property also included an orchard and extensive gardens.
Discovery of a Haven
Thank you, ArtistsNetwork
Pigments Made from Cow Urine, Shells, Insects, etc.
The Forbes Pigment Collection contains samples of material that represent all shades of the rainbow — plus brown, white, black, and metallic.
3,000 Pigments
Thank you, Marlene
Water Colour Pigment Testing
I promise, I will take a break from my pigment-to-paint obsession soon.
Maintaining colour consistency through laboratory testing
Thank you, Winsor & Newton
