Category Archives: Lessons
Basic Watercolor Brushes
There are all kinds of watercolor brushes, but you will only need a few basic brushes to start. Brushes come in various sizes – the bigger the number, the bigger the brush. The best watercolor brushes are made of natural fibers, the finest being the Kolinsky red sable. These are actually not made from a […]
Hard Pastels
Hard pastels differ from soft pastels in that they have more binder and less pigment. Because of this, they are stronger and do not break as easily as soft pastels, but they also do not have the brilliance of color that soft pastels do (the brightness of the color decreases as the amount of gum […]
Oil Pastels
If you purchase an art kit from a store or catalog, it will most likely include oil pastels among the markers and colored pencils. The size and shape of crayons, these pastels are a favorite with young artists, producing vibrant colors that are easily blended. Because inert oils and wax are used as a binder […]
Conte Crayons
The French scientist Nicolas-Jacques Conté invented the square conte crayons in the late eighteenth century. They are made of a mixture of compressed graphite and clay and come in a range of colors, the most popular being black, dark brown, grey, white, and red-brown. These crayons are harder and thinner than traditional soft pastels, so […]
Using Fixative for Pastels
If you draw with pastels, you know that they are never permanently “set” on the paper; brush against them with a finger, and they will smudge. To lessen this problem, some artists use fixative with their pastels. There are many brands of fixative available in stores, ranging from about $5.00 to $25.00. A less-expensive route […]
Drawing from Photographs
Because many of the people and animals you draw will be from photographs, here’s a tip to make it a little easier: change the photos from color to black and white. I do this almost every time I’m drawing from photographs in pencil. By changing your reference picture to “black and white”, you can see everything […]