Traditional Art

Using an electric sharpener is a fast and easy way to get your pencils to pointy perfection. Art isn’t about fast and easy though. Are we actually hurting our colored pencils by using an electric sharpener with them? You can sharpen colored pencils in an electric sharpener, but be sure to be very gentle with …

Painting is permanent, which can turn a relaxing art project into a stressful series of choices. Will the paint get darker with a second coat of paint? Once you do it , you can’t take it back. What will happen? Let’s find out what you should expect after adding a second coat of paint, both …

Guest Post by Leah Harris from AnatomyofaSketch.com What is Form Drawing? Form drawing is the study and repetition of drawing symbols, shapes, or figures. When practicing form drawing, you can practice drawing shapes like blocks, triangles or trapezoids, or patterns like zig zags, Zentangles, and swirls. Form drawing can also mean the repetition of drawing …

It can be tricky business to outline a watercolor painting with ink. If you choose the wrong type of ink, you’re suddenly left with a mess of smeared ink instead of a beautifully painted art piece. So, is using ink with watercolor even worth it? Should you outline a watercolor painting? As long as you …

If you’re looking for a new hobby, you may have considered painting. It’s relaxing, let’s you express your creative side, and gives you a beautiful end result. Personally, I think that painting is a real winner as far as hobbies go. But, is it a real winner for your bank account? Is painting an expensive …

There’s nothing worse than spending money on nice art supplies only to find that they’ve dried out, gone bad, and expired once you sit down to use them. This is definitely something you have to worry about with paints, but what about colored pencils? Do colored pencils go bad? Colored pencils do not go bad …

There’s nothing worse than making, or buying, a beautiful oil painting just for it to be ruined. Of course, protecting your paintings is the highest priority. But, life happens. If you end up getting water on your oil painting, it’s important to know what the impact will be. Is it catastrophic, or not a big …

Drawing is hard. There’s no doubt about it. There are times when it’s so hard that we just feel like giving up and quitting art altogether. If you’re feeling that way, you may be asking yourself if that’s the right choice. Should you stop drawing? If you’re asking yourself if you should stop drawing, the …

Many of us don’t look at our sketchbooks and think that our drawings are primary sources. We’re used to seeing primary sources that are old, historical, and belong in libraries. When we think about primary sources, we’re not used to thinking about them in our own homes, let alone being the creators of them! Could …

We all know that iPads are great for digital drawing, but it’s a little known secret that they’re great for traditional drawing as well. If you don’t have a light box, using your iPad is a great alternative.  To use your iPad as a light box for digital photos, adjust the settings that increase your …