When I start to feel like I’m in a rut with my artwork, I like to switch things up by trying out new tools and materials. One thing that I’ve discovered about watercolor painting is that the paper you choose will have a dramatic impact upon the results. Can you use drawing paper for watercolor? Some drawing papers may accept …
Should I Erase the Drawing in My Watercolor Painting?
You’ve put the finishing touches on your watercolor painting, but now you’re wondering about what to do about the pencil drawing. Should I erase the pencil drawing in my watercolor painting? I don’t recommend erasing the drawing because it’s difficult to erase once you paint over it. This is true even when you just wet the paper with plain water. …
How to Make Acrylics Look Like Oils
Many artists want to use acrylics because they don’t require solvents. Making the switch to acrylics can be a challenge though, because they behave differently than oils. In this post, I give away my secrets to making acrylics look like oils. How do you make acrylics look like oils? The smooth blending that you can achieve with oils is the …
Is Using a Grid for Drawing Cheating?
The technique of using a grid to draw will improve the accuracy of your drawings. Basically, it involves drawing a grid on the reference photograph, and on the canvas. It’s important that the photo and the canvas have the same proportions, and that both grids have the same number of quadrants. The grid allows you to focus on drawing one …
The Top 8 Uses for Acrylic Glazing Medium
There are numerous acrylic mediums on the market and it can be difficult to keep up with all of them. In this post, I explain the top 8 uses for acrylic glazing medium. It includes a glazing color chart, and I answer some of the common questions related to using glazing medium. Click the following link to download the free …
How Long Does It Take for Acrylic Paint to Dry?
Acrylics have a reputation for drying quickly, but exactly how long does it take for them to dry? This can be difficult to determine because there are so many variables to account for. The humidity, temperature, airflow, absorbency of the substrate, and the brand of the paint will affect the drying times of acrylic paint. So, how long does it …
The 9 Most Common Canvas Sizes and Why You Should Use Them
What are the most common canvas sizes for painting? I analyzed the canvas sizes from 6 different brands of canvas from and the most common sizes are in the list below. The above graphic compares the common canvas sizes on a wall, with furniture that’s drawn to scale. 8×10 9×12 11×14 12×12 12×16 16×20 18×24 24×24 24×30 Below is my …
How to Make Acrylics Look Like Watercolors
Watercolor paintings are known for having vibrant colors and an expressive style. Since acrylics are water-based, you may be wondering how you can make them behave more like watercolors. How do you make acrylics look like watercolors? To make acrylics look like watercolor, it’s important to begin with an acrylic paint that has a thin consistency. Soft body acrylics, fluid …
8 Tips on How to Prevent Acrylics From Drying on the Palette
Acrylics dry fast which is an advantage when you want to work quickly. However, it’s frustrating when your paint dries on the palette before you have a chance to use it. Below are 8 tips that will help you to keep your acrylic paints wet on the palette. How do you keep acrylic paint from drying out on the palette? …
The Best Pencil for Drawing on Canvas
Creating a preliminary drawing on canvas will save you time and frustration because you can work out the mistakes before you begin painting. There’s a wide variety of drawing pencils that you can use to sketch on canvas, but it takes some experimenting to discover which ones work best. Fortunately, I have conducted my own tests so you don’t have …
