Pages

Wednesday, December 24, 2008

Winsor and Newton Field Box-The Perfect Companion for the Watercolor Artist



The best advice I ever received was to buy the best artist materials that you can afford. In my mind, Winsor & Newton provides the best products that money can buy and if you buy the best, you will never be disappointed.

I bought the field box in 1982, as I was building up my supply of watercolors for the future, and I still have the field box and use it today. It was my first experience with using watercolor pans which completely eliminates the hassle of watercolor tubes. The problems with tubes includes the paint drying inside the cap, and freezing to the tube making it difficult to get off, and eventually the paint in the tubes dries up solid.

A tip for getting frozen caps off the tube is to heat the cap up with a match or lighter. Be careful though because the caps are made of plastic, and will easily melt. If the paint dries up, you can still use it if you cut the tube open and peel off the metal. Re-wet the solid paint the same as if you were using a pan of watercolor.

The Winsor and Newton Field Box is made of plastic, is durable, and closes up into a small compact package that you can take with you anywhere. It also has a small water bottle, and small watercolor brush as well.


Terry Krysak is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com


Monday, December 22, 2008

Dave Edwards-BlythArt

185-Bamburgh Castle-02 (Gouache)
Copyright Dave Edwards

This is another in my series of My Favorite Artists. Today's post is about Dave Edwards who lives in Blyth, United Kingdom. In this case it was hard to choose a favorite when looking at his work, as there are so many.

I first met Dave online, as we were both subscribing to the Art Newsletter Painters Keys, and Dave had asked for information about totem poles. I had a number of photos and resources on the subject, and emailed him. Over a short period of time as email buddies, we became friends, and we communicate via email a few times each week.

Dave is a self taught artist who works in watercolor, gouache, pencil crayon, pen and ink, an on occasion oil paints. He uses vibrant colors in his work often depicting scenes and places around the UK, in a mystical whimsical style that I like very much.

Dave's subject matter is diverse, and covers a broad range from still life, landscape, to birds and cats and more. If you visit his blog or website, you will find Dave to be very friendly, energetic, and engaging as he shares his artwork and thoughts with an audience on the edge of their seats waiting for more.

Image Bamburgh Castle used with permission of the artist.

Visit Dave's Blog
Visit Dave's Website on RedBubble

Sunday, December 21, 2008

An Illustrated Life: Drawing Inspiration from the Private Sketchbooks of Artists, Illustrators and Designers

Image Source: Amazon.com


Terry Krysak is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com


Danny Gregory's An Illustrated Life is a visual delight of color and texture--a funky and frenetic"book about books people have made," perfect for chronic doodlers, journalers, and art lovers.

Wow, what a great book for the artist in your family or of course yourself. One of the fundamental tools of any artist is the sketchbook, and successful artists around the world teach that carrying one with you at all times is a must.

Sketching when you are having your morning coffee at your favorite coffee shop, or while you are having lunch is the best way to hone your drawing and sketching skills.

If you want some insight how an artist approaches the challenges of the blank white page, this is an excellent resource that will help you get over that anxiety, and "get on with it"

The book shares excerpts from the notebooks of 50 artists, illustrators and designers with an introduction from each artist.

This book just made it to the Amazon "Best Books of December 2008" congratulations Danny.

Buy The Book Now




Subscribe For Updates

Related Posts with Thumbnails