Illustration + Nature Sketching
I’m excited to announce I’ve released a quick little class about setting up custom watercolor palette for sketching. If you want to get to know your paints and their properties better, or if you’re new to watercolor and are wondering what’s important to look for in a sketching palette, or if you’re an experienced painter … Read more
I’ve recently embarked on an experiment that I originally didn’t plan to share publicly, but I’ve decided to talk about it. Maybe it will be of interest to some of you. The start of the year also seems like a good time. Welcome to 2020. Read on why I’ve stopped buying art supplies (and other … Read more
Today I’m going to show you how to make your own sketchbook. I’ve made a little video about this, since several people asked me about this. These are relatively easy to make sketchbooks that you don’t need any special tools for. They have a beautiful cross-binding on the back (at least sometimes), and I use … Read more
I’ve been asked how I do color studies and how I generally use my sketchbook to test color mixes. I don’t have a fixed system behind color mixing, but I like to test new paints whenever I get them to see how they react with other colors, and I often explore new mixes when I … Read more
When it comes to learning about all the different art supplies and tools out there, the internet is a great place. There are so many blogs (like mine, thank you for being here!), videos and resources where you can inform yourself about all the wonderful supplies that exist and how you can use them. There … Read more
I have made a few updates to my palette recently that I will share in this post. I’m also happy to report that I’ve slowly started drawing and painting again after a few months of dealing with a hand injury that prevented me from sketching altogether. Currently I’m exploring painting more loosely and with a … Read more
One of the most important things I learned about painting is to choose by watercolor pigments, not just by names. Watercolor manufacturers pick the name on the tube mainly for marketing reasons, so you can never be sure if your Indian Yellow, Sap Green or even Quinacridone Magenta have the same characteristics when bought from … Read more
In the second part of this guide to getting started with watercolors we’ll take a closer look at different watercolor painting techniques, some very basic thoughts about color mixing, and some common mistakes that a lot of beginners run into. If you want to take a look at part one, it’s here. Now let’s see … Read more
You might be perfectly happy with the pre-made pan set that you got from the art store – and that’s perfectly fine. I was happy with my Winsor & Newton Cotman paint for many years, until it fell apart. However, if you want to tweak your palette a little bit, or start from scratch with … Read more
I’ve written a long guide about choosing a sketchbook here, but I know some watercolorists prefer to work with loose paper at least for some subjects, or get their loose sheets made into sketchbooks. I even like to bind my sketchbooks myself so that I can choose the paper. There is a ton of different … Read more
This is the palette I’m currently using for my sketchbook work and when I’m out in the field. When I work in my studio, I like to keep a bigger palette around just in case, but most of the time I end up using this one, too. I also have a Youtube video in which … Read more
In the second part of this practical series on how to start a nature journal, we’ll take a look at pencils, pens and ways to add color to your sketches. Things to keep in mind when choosing tools: Keep it light: if you want to sketch outside, you’ll have to carry your tools. It makes … Read more