Latest Posts
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What does luminosity mean in watercolor painting?
Watercolor paintings are often called “luminous,” but what does that mean and how can you get more luminosity in your paintings?
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Brand Overview: Rosa Gallery
Brand Overview is a series where multiple posters give their opinions on a brand. Thus far, we have covered Schmincke Horadam, Daniel Smith, Winsor & Newton, Holbein and Roman Szmal. Rosa Gallery is a professional watercolor brand from Ukraine. Founded in 1996, they produced canvases for artists. Over time they developed more artist products. In
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Glazing in Practice: Making Color Sing, Chapters 13-14
I’m working my way through Jeanne Dobie’s Making Color Sing. The last several chapters have been about glazing (see: chapters ten, eleven, twelve). Surprise, surprise: chapters 13 and 14 are, too! I’ve combined them because they are similar. The main idea for both chapters is pretty simple: if you get to the end of your
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Colors I’ve Tried Recently, April 2026
I’ve been using the Schmincke Pretty in Pink palette at my desk, and that combined with the recent Jackson’s sale has inspired me to try some new Schmincke colors.
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Brand Overview: Roman Szmal
Brand Overview is a series where multiple posters give their opinions on a brand. Thus far, we have covered Schmincke Horadam, Daniel Smith, Winsor & Newton, and Holbein. Roman Szmal Aquarius is a professional watercolor brand from Poland. The brand was founded by Roman Szmal, who worked for Kremer Pigmente (a pigment supplier) before starting
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Where’s the road map?
I’ve been calling myself a beginner for 5 years, but I think I’ve figured out how to know you’re intermediate-level artist. It’s when you’re off the map. Many hobbies, watercolor included, have a fairly clear progression of skills for beginners to learn. At the beginning, it can feel like an overwhelming amount to learn. Each
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Monthly Retrospective: March 2026
Spring is suddenly upon us, but March still felt like winter. While I didn’t have a ton of time to paint this month, when I did, I concentrated on everyday moments from wintry scenes, knowing in April, I’d be busy with new shoots and flowers!
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Brand Overview: Holbein
Brand Overview is a series where multiple authors give their opinions on a brand. Thus far, we have covered Schmincke Horadam, Daniel Smith, and Winsor & Newton. Holbein is a Japanese paint manufacturer which introduced their professional watercolor line in the 1920‘s. They offer 108 colors in their standard range. They also carry special watercolor
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Idyll Sketching Color of the Year 2026: Ultramarine Blue!
Our March Madness Pigment Bracket has come to a close, and we have a winner! After an intense period of voting, wheeling, dealing, political alliances, betrayals, scandals, disqualifications, last-minute upsets, etc., a Color of the Year has been crowned, and it is … (drumroll) Ultramarine Blue! I have to acknowledge that I do not typically
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Composition 101
Composition is the arrangement of elements in your artwork. It’s a major aspect of photography, painting, drawing, and any other visual medium. “Good composition” generally means any arrangement that keeps people looking at your artwork for longer.
