Category: materials

Good paper for large drawings

Arches make good paper. My roll of hot-pressed watercolor paper is very good for large-format drawing too. My roll of 356gsm is 51 inches wide by 10 yards long. My 30″ x 40″ drawing like the one in the photo barely puts a dent in my paper roll. For smaller drawings, I stick to the…

Canvas prep

I always want a supply of large canvases available to me. I’ve learned that the only canvases that satisfy my perfectionist side are the canvases I make myself. I’ve tried many commercial canvases and none have ever satisfied me. So I make my own. The six canvases are all in the 40″ x 54″ range,…

A lot of paint

While reconfiguring my studio shop, I emptied the contents of my paint cabinet onto my work table. My son saw the table and exclaimed, “Wow, that’s a lot of paint!” I hadn’t noticed what he was talking about but when I looked at the table, I had to agree. That is a lot of paint.…

What I have been up to

Not only haven’t I posted much lately, I haven’t painted either. But I have been busy. I’ve spent the last couple of weeks drawing and completing painting designs. Normally, when I finish the design for a new painting, I can’t wait to pick up the brushes and pitch in. As an exercise, I’ve been pushing…

Review: Tombow lead pencils

I’m in a drawing period; I haven’t touched a brush for three weeks. The drawings serve as designs for paintings, not standalone drawings. The paintings are my typical size, 40″ x 54.” So, I’ve used a lot of pencils lately. A pencil is a pencil is a pencil, right? Sure, you have to pay attention…

Drawing tablets

A reader asked if I use a drawing tablet. Before I answer that question, let’s talk about what a drawing table is for those who might not be familiar with the technology. There are three types of technology collectively referred to as drawing tablets. For each type, the artist uses the supplied pen to create…