Just a Reminder, Gamblin Faste Matte Alkyd Oils Available Through Us

Oct 182012
 

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Gamblin’s Fast Matte Alkyd Oils were developed by Gamblin, a small, ’boutique’  maker of high quality oils and mediums,  for oil painters who wanted to extend their painting time and stay in the ‘zone’ instead of waiting for layers to dry.

Fast Mattes are great for under-painting because they dry within 24 hours, and their matte finish is perfect for accepting subsequent layers. They’re also a great paint for plein aire painting where you need to work fast. As alkyd’s, they have an alcohol component that speeds drying, and are soluble with odorless mineral spirits. Follow this link for more info and a short demonstration video.

  • Thin layers will be touch-dry and ready to be painted over in 24-hours
  • Colors dry to a matte surface with a beautiful tooth and deep, soft luster
  • FastMatte colors are compatible with our painting mediums and traditional oil colors

We don’t have them on our shelves but we can order them quickly and with no shipping.

Stop by for a free sample of Yupo paper! This how-to video demos some of what it can do:

Sep 242012
 

This video by Toronto artist D.D. Gadjanski demonstrates some of the different characteristics that set Yupo paper apart from other watercolor papers. Yupo is, in fact, NOT paper but a polypropylene sheet that’s silky smooth to paint on with acrylics, oils, watercolors, inks, or gouache.

  • colors stay intense because they don’t absorb into the paper, yet they are permanent
  • you can reactivate the watercolor easily and wipe out areas or soften edges
  • unique textures are possible due to the striking, sharp edges and puddling of paints on the surface
  • you can use wipe-out tools to draw back into the paint with more contrast than watercolor paper

 

Drawing with Metal: Neat How-To Video

Jul 312012
 

 

This video by artist Gordon Haley shows how the mysterious and subtle medium of silverpoint is used. Below the video you can read a very good description of the technique.  It seems like magic to draw this way! It’s a slow process to build the tones, so many artists work small. The metal can tarnish over time, adding a new and interesting dimension to the surface. It’s a lot like drawing with graphite, but far more subtle.

While the easiest way to draw with a metal is to put a thin wire of it into a stylus, Hanley also uses copper coins, a gold wedding band, and a silver spoon to make incredibly detailed and subtly toned drawings.

All you need to begin a drawing with this technique is a special ground–Golden Silverpoint Ground (which we stock), a stylus (which we also carry), and a precious metal (either an old earring or visit a jeweler for a short length of copper, silver, or gold–a little goes a LONG way). The key is in the absorbent ground.

The image shown here is from a blog by artist Barbara Freeman with good examples and descriptions of silverpoint.

 

DIY: How to stretch your own canvas

Jun 192012
 

Stretching Canvas

We’ve had lots of questions lately on how to make your own stretched canvas, so we found two good resources:

This is a nice and concise video on using pre-made stretcher bars, raw canvas, and gesso to make your won custom size canvas.  It also shows how to properly use canvas pliers.

How to finish the corners is a little rushed over in that video, so here’s another that does a great, slow job in showing how to get those tricky corners to look beautiful and flat. (Skip ahead to 4:20-6:40 to view corners only.) This video uses the hand-stretching method as opposed to using canvas pliers.

We carry everything you need to make your own canvases:

  1. pre-cut stretcher bars
  2. raw canvas
  3. staple gun
  4. staples
  5. gesso
  6. gesso brushes
  7. sandpaper (optional)
  8. canvas pliers (optional)

 

 Photo Credit: paintoutings.blogspot.com

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