Latest Posts
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Color Spotlight: Benzimidazolone Violet (PV32)
A strong, semi-transparent, non-granulating, wine-colored dark magenta.
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Lessons from “Making Color Sing”: Mouse Power
In Making Color Sing, Jeanne Dobie advises on the best ways to use color (primarily in watercolor, but in general). In the first chapter, “Mouse Power,” she takes on a common newbie issue: how to make colors look bright? The urge is to use bright paints. And you know I love bright colors! Yet, you
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The Neon Palette
I’ve decided to dedicate my new, vibrant green Travelers Paper Co x Art Toolkit Pocket Palette to a Neon Theme!
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Color Spotlight: Disazo Condensation Brown (PBr41)
This brown jumped off the page to me when I was doing the Schmincke dot cards; it is bright, clear, and vivid while still being undeniably brown. I have only seen this brown offered by Schmincke.
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DIY Watercolor Lightfastness Tests
Just like colored newspaper hung in a window, some watercolor pigments fade when exposed to light. Sometimes, that fading is on such a long timescale that it’s virtually fadeproof from the point of view of anyone living now (a paint that can withstand direct sunlight for 100+ years would be considered “lightfast”). Other times, the
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What’s in my palette? (Summer 2022)
The time has come! I’ve avoided making a “what’s in your palette?” post since I started this blog because it has changed so rapidly that it would always be out of date between when I wrote it up and when I posted it. But since doing Liz Steel’s course, I’ve settled on a pretty great
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Color Spotlight: Pyrrol Red (PR254)
Pyrrol Red is a straight-ahead middle red, the platonic ideal of red! The color of fire engines, cardinals, and yew berries, it’s very bright and bold with a slight orange bias. Its closest complement is Phthalo Green Yellow Shade.
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Dark Magenta Part II: Carbazole Violet, Perylene Violet, and Bordeaux
After swapping out options for a dark magenta last week, I found that I had stuck too close to home and chosen colors too similar to my primary magenta. So, today, I’m comparing my favorite of those options – Bordeaux (PV32) – with two strikingly dark purple colors: Perylene Violet (PV29) and Carbazole Violet (PV23).
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Nature Notebook: Shrubs of the Northeast
I recently took a class called Native New England Shrubs at Native Plant Trust, and as part of the class we were assigned to find certain shrubs in our area and make guidebook pages for them, including dried leaves or other plant material (if we found any) and any original images or writing designed to
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Color Spotlight: Deep Scarlet (PR175)
A very transparent maroon, a bit brighter than Quinacridone Burnt Scarlet and borderline bright scarlet.
