Category: Tips and Techniques

I don’t invest in expensive palettes. I’m very happy with a piece of white cardboard that has been covered with wax paper. Two gobs of that sticky stuff that they use to hold posters onto the wall, placed on the back of the cardboard, holds the wax paper in place. The disadvantage is, you can’t judge the value (how light or dark a colour is) by pulling it out over the palette with your brush. It beads up. This is not an issue when using thicker acrylic paint or oils – only for watercolour or fluid acrylics. My workaround is to have a scrap piece of watercolour paper nearby to try the colour on before putting it onto the painting. When my palette gets too messed up to work with any longer, I simply peel off the wax paper, throw it out, and put a fresh piece on. With this method, I never have to wash a palette! 

I was pretty new into art. A trip to the Toronto zoo had resulted in a small pile of reference photographs. I had been working hard on a watercolour painting of an iguana. Green scales, beady eyes, muscular biceps – but for some illusive reason I just could not get it to be a painting that I liked. I changed shapes, and colours, and lines but still I was frustrated. I put it aside for a day, came back and pondered my painting technique – still no inspiration. Then the light went on! I simply don’t like iguanas. Lesson learned? Don’t be lazy about choosing your reference. Make sure you really like that photo if you are going to paint from it. 

Here’s a tip for painters that can help keep your brushes in great shape for months longer. At the end of your painting time, after you have thoroughly washed out the brushes, take a moment to shape each one into the shape that it wants to be. That’s a nice point for a round, a sharp chisel tip for a square – and then lay them flat to dry. Because a brush having a bad hair day is no fun at all. 

I’ve been thinking about values in painting, and what a profound impact they have. I’m talking cymbals in the orchestra kind of impact. Value means the amount of light or dark of a colour. A strong dark next to a very light area is a biggie. When you do that somewhere on your painting it draws the eye strongly and says to the viewer “this area is very important.” Good idea to plan that placement carefully. Understanding the force of this in a composition is why artists will sometime take a photo of their painting and turn it into black and white on their computer. This allows a much easier analysis of the values. A shortcut to this is to squint at a painting. This removes some of the colour and detail in order to see the value contrast better. Then you can make sure that any cymbals sound at exactly the right spot in your symphony. 

The weekly surveys that you can participate in on my website homepage, are fun and interesting. Last week, I asked people what their favourite colour was. Although purple took an early lead, it was gradually overtaken by blue, which came to a significant win by the end of the week! So, since blue won, here are some painting tips about my two favourite blues. Ultramarine Blue PB29 – This is the blue colour that some people think of as “royal” blue. It’s a sedimentary pigment. That means it has sediments, which means, little bits of dirt in it. These can granulate and make an interesting speckled texture. The granulation can show up in any type of paint, but watercolourists who like that effect enhance it by using generous amounts of water with the paint and using a cold pressed or rough watercolour paper. Phthalo Blue PB15 – I prefer the “green shade” when given the choice. This is a brilliant almost turquoisey blue. Think Caribbean waters. It’s a staining colour that is very potent. Watch out for it in mixtures, a little goes really a long way. Sort of like jalapinos in the stew. But blue, not red. Both of these blues can be used full strength for a very dark value, or show their brilliance well when thinned with white or water. Painters, and blue lovers too, which is your favourite blue pigment? You can tell us in the “comment” area on the blog. Of course colour preferences are personal, and have no right or wrong. Even if blue did win. By the way, if you vote on the current survey, you then see a link to “View results (so far)”. The results page has a drop down menu and you can then see the results of all of the surveys to date. 

I’m in love. Sorry, no sordid details, the object of my deep affection is colour. Colour mesmerizes me. Colour energizes me. If I think about the colour orange, I feel more alive. Colour can sooth me. A grayed teal blue makes me calm. Since it made such a great blog title, I will share my secret recipe for a grayed teal blue colour with you fellow painters – it’s phthalo blue plus burnt sienna plus white. It’s a good one – enjoy! Call me fickle, but I think I love all colours. Yellow dances, red leaps and shouts for joy. These associations run deep within me and no doubt strongly affect my painting. Do you have a favourite colour? You could tell us in the comments below, and even share your favourite colour recipe if you feel so inclined. And this week’s survey is about colour too. You can vote on your favourite colour – surveys are always anonymous and just for fun. Thanks!