Journey Art Supplies Blog
Tips, Tricks, Thoughts, and inspiration from across the art spectrum.
Top Deals for Oil Painters
Great news! You can get Black Friday Deals on many items at Cheap Joe's Art Stuff right now rather than waiting until the end of the month. We’re offering the best deals on oil paints, paint sets, supplies, and more. We are always happy to pass on the savings, and make sure you find the best gifts for everyone on your list this year. Read on to find some of our favorite brands for oil painters at the best prices.
Top Deals for Oil Painters
Great news! You can get Black Friday Deals on many items at Cheap Joe's Art Stuff right now rather than waiting until the end of the month. We’re offering the...
Art Supplies For Every Studio Size
OK, not everyone who does art has a fancy studio, but everyone who does art surely has a space, no matter how small, where they can spread out and create.
Art Supplies For Every Studio Size
OK, not everyone who does art has a fancy studio, but everyone who does art surely has a space, no matter how small, where they can spread out and create.
Top Deals for Acrylic Painters
Beat the mad dash and start shopping now! Some of our best and top-tested supplies are marked down to bring you holiday deals on everything from our best acrylic paint sets to gifts that line your stockings.
Top Deals for Acrylic Painters
Beat the mad dash and start shopping now! Some of our best and top-tested supplies are marked down to bring you holiday deals on everything from our best acrylic paint...
How To Properly Care For Your Brushes
Brush care is very important to ensure the longevity of your investment. High-quality art supplies are not inexpensive, they are an investment. An investment worth making when you consider the tools you choose will determine your chances for success.
How To Properly Care For Your Brushes
Brush care is very important to ensure the longevity of your investment. High-quality art supplies are not inexpensive, they are an investment. An investment worth making when you consider the...
Tips and Tricks for Making Your Acrylic Paintin...
It makes sense that, as artists, we would assume the most important parts of our art are the colors, designs, lines, brush strokes, or even our muse. When it comes to acrylic painting, we’re talking about the finished product – the thing that everyone sees at the end and admires. What we may not pay as much attention to (but definitely should) are the beginning layer and the end layer of the piece. These features are extremely important if we want the art to last. In this blog post, I want to talk about the importance of properly prepping your surface before you begin painting, and how you can protect your artwork after you’ve completed it. After all, your painting can be destroyed by the elements from the moment you put your brush to the surface. I know it sounds intimidating, but it’s vital that you understand the importance of these steps, and that you learn how to take care of your art from start to finish, and everything in between. The Painting GroundTo start with, you need to make sure that a substrate has been properly base coated. This will allow the paints or mediums to form a secure bond to the surface, therefore resulting in a painting that will last a lifetime. To achieve this, the medium and the base coat have to be compatible. This is a very important step, because if you have incompatible aspects, then your painting can develop cracks and end up separating from the surface. Every medium has a preferred ground that you’ll want to work with, and you’ll find that not every type of paint will stick to every surface. You can still apply the paints to other surfaces, but if you want the best, longest-lasting results, you’ll want to keep the following pairings in mind: Acrylic – acrylic primed cotton canvas or wood surfacesWatercolor – 100% pure cotton rag watercolor paperOil – oil primed linen or cotton canvasPastel – sand-coated paper or textured heavyweight paperColored Pencil/Charcoal – smooth or slightly toothy heavyweight paperMarker – coated marker paperEncaustic – encaustic gessoed wooden panelsEgg Tempera – rabbit glue gessoed wood surfacesAlcohol Inks – clean, non-porous surfaces including tile, metal, glass, and Yupo Of course, the list could continue forever, but you get the idea. If you don’t take the time to prepare your substrate properly, then your paint won’t have anything to adhere to. Acrylic Paints with the Golden TouchGolden Artist Colors, Inc., also known as “Golden,” has developed multiple acrylic grounds and gessos to ensure that your colors stay where you need them to. Here at Cheap Joe’s, we offer the following Golden Acrylic Gessos: White or Black Acrylic Gesso – a ready-to-use acrylic liquid ground that’s prepared with more dry solids than acrylic paint, which provides tooth and expertly prepares a substrate for oil or acrylic application.It’s important to note that, while oil paints will stick to this ground, an oil painting ground or primer tends to make a better base coat for oils. You can also apply watercolors to an acrylic ground with minimal water content, but there are specific “watercolor gessos” that are designed to keep watercolor washes from resisting the acrylic surface. This can cause the paint to bead up and form a puddle on the surface. Hard Sandable Gesso – this gesso results in a harder surface and heavier consistency when dried and gives you the option to leave various textures on your painting surface. Acrylic Ground for Pastels – features a fine grit that offers the required tooth to hold the pastel dust to the substrate. Now that you’ve created a strong surface base coat, you can move on to the most exciting part – the painting! You can express yourself to your heart’s content, knowing that you don’t have to worry about your painting getting ruined.If you’re looking for a new set of gels, consider checking out the Golden Introductory Gel Medium Set. This set is a great way for you to sample some popular gels before buying full-sized products. We love Golden because they have the most expansive line of professional quality paints, gels, mediums, and texture mediums. Check out any of the following categories to find the highest quality products at great prices: Golden Open AcrylicsGolden Heavy Body AcrylicsGolden Fluid AcrylicsGolden GelsGolden Molding PasteGolden Specialty MediumsGolden Texture MediumsGolden Fluid Mediums Protect Your Work, Don’t Forget the Final LayerNow that you’ve created a beautiful piece of artwork, it’s time to apply the top coat. This acts as a barrier to help protect your art from various dangers, such as grime, dust, fingerprints, sand, oils, or light. While light is important when it comes to viewing the artwork, it will also immediately start working to deteriorate the piece. The longer the art is exposed to the light, the duller the colors will become. The paint can also begin to crack and separate from your substrate. This might not happen right away. It could take years for you to visibly see any damage on your painting. But that doesn’t mean that it won’t happen eventually, so it’s imperative that you protect your art for as long as possible. When it comes to varnishing, Golden has a pretty simple system. Here are the Golden Acrylic varnishes that we have available at Cheap Joe’s: Golden Polymer Varnishes with UVLsThis is a water-based acrylic polymer varnish that is formulated to provide extra defense from ultraviolet radiation. Designed as a topcoat for acrylic paints, this varnish offers a removable protective surface for the soft acrylic paint layer. It tends to have a harder film than most acrylic paints, allowing the surface to be less susceptible to dirt and dust. It also provides enhanced protection from any moisture, marring, or scratching that may occur. The Polymer Varnish is intended for indoor use only and is not meant to be used on furniture or other surfaces that are prone to physical contact when in use. This varnish can be removed easily because it remains soluble in alkaline solvents like ammonia. When removing the varnish, you will also simultaneously be removing any surface contamination. But don’t worry – the removal won’t cause any damage to the painting. If you’re trying to clean or restore a painting, then this could be a useful product for you. The Polymer Varnish is available in three finishes: gloss, satin, and matte. The gloss will dry to an extremely reflective finish. The satin option still offers a moderate reflection. The matte varnish is flat. You’ll want to thin this varnish before use, and it’s preferable to either spray or use a brush application with Golden varnishes. Golden Archival Spray Varnish (Mineral Spirit Acrylic Aerosol with UVLS) I like to call this the “Do It All Varnish,” because it can quite literally do it all. You can use this varnish for almost anything because it has very few limitations. The Golden Archival Varnish is formulated with 100% solvent-based, reversible acrylic polymer resins. This product was designed to produce a clear, flexible film that will protect against various environmental concerns. It targets issues such as ultraviolet light, moisture, and dirt. Better yet, the cured coating is highly resistant to yellowing. The Golden Archival Varnish will adhere well to most surfaces, as long as they aren’t oily. If you’re using it on fresh oil paint films, or if there are residual surfactants present with your water-based paint films, then the varnish may not stick very well. This varnish remains flexible and defies alterations in appearance as time goes on. Media Application Methods for Golden Archival VarnishWe know that different paints and substrates have their ideal circumstances. It’s important to abide by these circumstances when using the Golden Archival Varnish. Before you begin, you should always start by testing out the varnish on either a scrap piece or a non-visible area before proceeding to use the product on your final artwork. Listed below are general application guidelines for common substrates. For example, permeable substrates require multiple layers of gloss to seal the surface. For more detailed information regarding concerns about specific media, please review various information sources, such as artists’ handbooks. Applying Acrylic Paint Isolation CoatsWith acrylic paints, isolation coats need to be applied per the MSA Varnish directions. You can find these directions in the main Golden Varnish document. You’ll want to give the varnish 24 hours to cure the final isolation coat layer. Once that’s finished, you can continue to build layers of the Archival Varnish if necessary. When working with acrylic paints, you’ll want to consider using an isolation coat. This is something that is only used on acrylic paintings; it should never be used on oil paintings. An isolation coat is a permanent coating that works to separate the removable varnish from the paint surface. It aids in the protection of your surface in case the varnish is ever removed. So, if you’re going to be working on any conservation or varnish removal projects in the future, using an isolation coat before varnishing can be very beneficial. If you’re wanting to use a brush application, you can alter the isolation to the right medium by diluting the Golden Soft Gel Gloss with some water. You’ll want to use two parts by volume of the Soft Gel Gloss to one part of water. If you prefer a spray application, use a two-to-one mixture of Golden GAC-500 to the Transparent Airbrush Extender. This product can be applied with a touch-up spray unit, an airbrush, or any kind of commercial spray equipment. You might have to increase the number of isolation layers you put on your surface, depending on how absorbent it ends up being. For most non-absorbent surfaces, you should be fine with one or two coats of isolation. For more absorbent surfaces, you could end up using two or more brush application coats, or three or more if you’re using a spray application. You want the final result to have a satin sheen to it, so you’ll need to make adjustments accordingly. Oil/Water Soluble Oils or Alkyd PaintsFor oil/water soluble oils or Alkyd paints, you’ll want to account for a minimum curing time of 6-12 months (if you’re using the isolation coat as a final varnish). If it’s just a temporary varnish, make sure the painting is dry to the touch before using anything on it. Having substantial layers of oil paint that isn’t dry will hinder oxidation development, causing the varnish to fail. The number of layers you’ll need will vary, so just apply layers of the Archival Varnish with UVLs as you see fit for your artwork. Graphite/Pastels/Colored Pencil/Marker/Watercolor/GouacheResults of using the Archival Spray Varnish over these mediums have varied drastically, so it’s extremely important that you do not use the product to top coat, varnish, or fix your artwork without running extensive tests beforehand. We’ve found that the varnish can cause an overall darkening of the artwork, which could potentially be avoided, but should be noted anyway. After all, you don’t want to ruin your piece! If you decide to use the varnish after testing it first, make sure you begin by applying light coats of gloss varnish. When dried, these light layers will eventually form a glossy film. Once you’ve accomplished that, you can move on to applying layers of whatever sheen you want. Applying Varnish with Inkjet PrintsWith inkjet prints, you can usually put the Golden Archival Varnish with UVLs directly onto the print, but you’ll still want to take the substrate absorbency and your desired protection level into consideration. Multiple thin coats will work for moisture resistance, but you’ll want to do some testing if you’re going to be applying any gels that are water-based on top of the varnish. Special Uses for VarnishesThere are a few other special finishes that the varnishes can be used with. These finishes are watercolor and alcohol ink. In the past, it wasn’t very common for artists to apply varnish to their watercolor paintings due to the fear of potential alteration of the piece. However, some current artists have ventured out and sealed their watercolor paintings with a varnish, and are okay with the changes that will occur. If you’re interested in trying out this technique, it’s a good idea to test it out on a smaller watercolor first before moving on to a large piece. When you’re ready to begin the application, you’ll want to spray the piece with the Golden Archival Gloss Spray Varnish, applying three light coats. Make sure you allow each coat to dry before going in with the next one. Then you can go in with additional coats of either a matte or satin finish. You can see the difference between the two watercolor paintings in this image. The top tile was sprayed with a satin varnish, and the bottom was not sprayed at all. For anything made with an alcohol ink finish, you don’t necessarily need to use a varnish at all. Dried ink tends to be quite durable, so you most likely won’t need any extra protection. If you find that you do need an added layer (like if you aren’t planning on framing the piece) then you can seal it with a spray varnish. If you need further protection, apply a brush-on coat afterward. You’ll want to make sure that the product is fully dry, so allow it to do so overnight, and then you can proceed with applying one or two coats of the gloss. Follow that up with either a satin or matte layer; this will alter the sheen. Note: When using the satin and matte finishes, make sure you consider their solids matting agents. These agents help to reduce the sheen of your artwork. This is imperative when you decide to apply these to darker, more saturated colors (like alcohol inks) because heavy coats will end up giving you a dull, cloudy finish. For more thorough information on these varnish products, please visit Golden’s website. Things To Remember When Applying VarnishBefore using any of the varnishes, don’t forget to shake your spray varnish can. It’s recommended that you do this for at least two minutes. This is a very important step, so don’t forget! It doesn’t matter how you shake it, just that you do so for the entire recommended duration. Check out this video that Golden made, where they demonstrate various ways to shake a varnish can: It’s also super important that you take your time during the application process. You want to apply the varnish correctly the first time, to avoid any damage to your painting. The following video is a demonstration of the right way to apply the spray to achieve the best results: When you use products from Golden Artist Colors, Inc., you can create with confidence that you’re working with some of the best materials on the market. This company is very well-known in the world of acrylic painting materials, and for good reason. They’ve spent many years perfecting their products! If you find yourself needing more in-depth information about any of Golden’s products, you can head on over to their website. They have a great site that has tons of educational and instructional materials. They also have several tutorial videos that can show you how to use their products. If you still have questions after viewing their website, you can contact their representatives. They have plenty of artists and employees who will be happy to assist you! If you’re looking for more art inspiration, make sure to browse around our blog page. You’ll find tons of posts on all sorts of topics. Also, don’t forget to check out Cheap Joe’s Facebook page, where you’ll find the most recent updates on our best deals, as well as other information about our Art Stuff. After reading through this blog post, we hope we’ve been successful in helping you recognize the importance of protecting your artwork. When you put so much time and effort into making something beautiful, you want it to last a lifetime. So, the next time you find yourself wanting to start a new acrylic painting, refer back to these tips and tricks for protecting your piece. A solid defense begins with proper preparation and ends with the right protective coat. We’ve given you the best tools for the beginning and end, but the middle (the best part!) is up to you. So what are you waiting for? Get those creative juices flowing and start on your next painting today. We’re sure it’ll be the best one yet, and you’ll be able to enjoy it for years to come thanks to these preservation techniques.
Tips and Tricks for Making Your Acrylic Paintin...
It makes sense that, as artists, we would assume the most important parts of our art are the colors, designs, lines, brush strokes, or even our muse. When it comes...
How To Achieve A Spray Paint Marble Effect
A couple of months ago, I heard about using nail polish in water to marble paper and other items, but it wasn’t until a few days ago that I learned you could use something a bit more economical: spray paint!
How To Achieve A Spray Paint Marble Effect
A couple of months ago, I heard about using nail polish in water to marble paper and other items, but it wasn’t until a few days ago that I learned...
Go-Go Gadget! Useful Art Tools
Like the retro cartoon character Inspector Gadget, are you fond of doodads and gizmos, gadgets, and handy tools that make creating your art easier? Do you have a collection of tools of the trade and are you continually seeking new and improved ways to create your pieces?
Go-Go Gadget! Useful Art Tools
Like the retro cartoon character Inspector Gadget, are you fond of doodads and gizmos, gadgets, and handy tools that make creating your art easier? Do you have a collection of...
Acrylic Gouache or Watercolor Gouache? What's t...
Are you just beginning your incredible journey in art? Welcome aboard to a beautiful new world! There's so much to learn and many ways to express yourself, and we're excited to have you with us! However, one thing you might be experiencing as a novice painter is trouble understanding what the different mediums are. No doubt you've heard of oil and watercolors, but what about gouache? What is that stuff, anyway? Also, how in the world do you pronounce it?First, the easy part! Gouache rhymes with squash but with a G, so it sounds like "gwash." The word gouache comes from the Italian word "guazzo," meaning water paint, or paints suspended in water. It can also refer to the technique of applying oil paint over tempera or a gouache underpainting. Gouache painting has been around for over a thousand years, and in that time, artists used this media to create historically significant, dynamic pieces of art. What is Gouache? Gouache paint consists of a mix of natural or synthetic pigments, water, and gum Arabic (sometimes yellow dextrin) that acts as a binding agent to hold the paint together. Occasionally, chalk may be used to give the paint extra heft or body, and some varieties add propylene glycol. Traditional gouache tends to become brittle when it dries, so additional additives attract water to help the paint layers stay more flexible over the long term. The most common types of gouache today are acrylic gouache and watercolor gouache. What's the Difference Between Gouache and Watercolor? On the surface, gouache and watercolor are made of the same basic materials but differ in other, more specific ways.Watercolors use tiny particle sizes so the paint can be spread thin enough to be near-transparent. Gouache has larger particles and more body to look heavier, denser, and opaquer after it dries. Like watercolor, gouache can be re-wetted and bound to the paper it is on, but gouache paints can't be watered down to look more translucent. Gouache doesn't build layers of color as well as watercolor. While gouache can be reactivated with water, it is essential to note that too much can turn it into a powder on the surface that easily rubs or crumbles away. What's the Difference Between Acrylic Gouache and Watercolor Gouache? You'll see the terms watercolor gouache and acrylic gouache and may wonder if there's anything that separates the two. Acrylic gouache is made out of acrylic paint, which dries down to a matte finish, behaves the same way as watercolor gouache, covers well, and is opaque. The key that separates acrylic from watercolor gouache is that acrylic gouache is permanent when it dries. You can attempt to lift the paint a bit, but it does not behave or react like watercolor. Additionally, acrylic gouache does not flow or spread like watercolors. Once you place acrylic gouache paint down and it dries, you can't move it. Where Can I Get Acrylic Gouache? There are two prominent creators of acrylic gouache, and Cheap Joe's is proud to be able to provide them for artists like you to create and use. Holbein Acrylic gouache and Chroma's Jo Sonja Artists' Colors. Both have excellent, creamy consistencies that can be thinned with water, and many artists adore using these for creating murals. The permanent nature of these acrylic gouache paints, high covering power, and durability, being lightfast and drying to a velvety matte finish that reflects light naturally make them highly desirable to artists around the globe. We hope when it comes time for you to experiment with gouache that we've been able to help you choose whichever suits you best, watercolor or acrylic gouache. Make sure to bookmark and visit Cheap Joe's Art Stuff Blog for helpful tips, tricks, thoughts, and advice on all sorts of artistic endeavors to help inspire and inform!
Acrylic Gouache or Watercolor Gouache? What's t...
Are you just beginning your incredible journey in art? Welcome aboard to a beautiful new world! There's so much to learn and many ways to express yourself, and we're excited...
Encaustic Painting: What is it and where did it...
Answering our phones and emails is a lot like opening a box of chocolates: we never know what we will get! We get all kinds of excellent questions here, and one of them was about encaustic painting. What is Encaustic Painting? Encaustic painting is an art form painted with pigmented wax on a substrate, such as a wood panel, and is fused or burned in through a heat source like a heat gun or propane torch. Color mixing is achieved through the application of heat to the substrate itself or a hot palette. Encaustic is a Greek word (enkaustikos) meaning "to heat or to burn." Encaustic painting is an ancient technique used by the Greeks, who used wax to caulk ship hulls. It is estimated that the style of art was also used by the Egyptians as early as 100 AD.Encaustic paint consists of natural bee wax and dammar resin (crystallized tree sap). Pigmenting the bee's wax gave rise to the decoration of warships, and the use of encaustic on panels rivaled the use of tempera in the earliest known portable easel paintings. Modern Encaustic Painting Today, you don't need a wood surface to create encaustic paintings, as heavyweight paper mounted to a hardboard works just as well, but the option to still use wood as a surface remains. Ampersand Claybord is another surface that is suggested for those interested in encaustic painting. It's a kaolin clay-covered hardboard that's absorbent and comes in a smooth or textured finish. Tools for Modern Encaustic Painting What sort of tools can you use today to try encaustic painting? At Cheap Joe's, you'll find that we have a wealth of tools and supplies specifically designed for modern encaustic painting. A few examples of them are: • Encaustic Paint Sets• Encaustic Mediums• Encaustic Waxes• Encaustic Paints or Hot Cakes Paint Sets• Encaustic Starter Kits• Natural Bristle Chip Brush sets, Painting, and Palette Knives• Metal palettes• Heat guns Beginner Tips for Encaustic Painting • You can't paint with beeswax alone. It's not durable enough, so it's essential to use beeswax with damar resin. • It's vital that if you use brushes, you use natural bristles. Synthetic brushes will melt.• As encaustic mediums do not deteriorate your brush, and the wax can always be remelted, you can leave your brushes without cleaning them if you want. Though if you're going to clean a brush, dip them in melted paraffin or soy wax to clear off the color, then clean them of wax by leaving them on a hot surface and wiping them clean when the wax is melted. • Encaustic is an expensive medium, so take some time to consider your budget before you begin. If you're ready to jump all in, a complete kit or starter kit is a great way to get everything in one go. • You'll need a griddle or hot plate to melt your medium; the most important aspect is to make sure it heats evenly, whichever you choose. • You will need fusing tools. When encaustic painting, you will be fusing layers of wax applied in layers. Fusing merges these layers. You'll need a tool to use heat that allows each layer to soften enough to merge with previous layers. • Choose flat bottom metal tins for melting and adding pigments to your medium. • Your ideal substrates for encaustic painting should be absorbent, rigid, and heat resistant. Substrates like: wood, untampered Masonite, canvas or linen stretched over a panel, plywood, drywall or plaster, heavyweight paper, print-making paper, and even plexiglass should you wish. At Cheap Joe’s, every day, we are amazed and humbled to learn something new about art and art mediums. Thanks to customers and passionate artists like you, we're always seeking new ways to express, create, and provide them to you! Is there a medium or technique you'd love to learn more about? Please, feel free to leave us a comment or get in touch with us. Your question might inspire our next informative blog post to encourage artists all over the globe wanting to try a new style of art!
Encaustic Painting: What is it and where did it...
Answering our phones and emails is a lot like opening a box of chocolates: we never know what we will get! We get all kinds of excellent questions here, and...
Why Should You Try American Journey Acrylic Pai...
With the sheer volume of acrylic paints on the market, it can be frustrating and expensive to find the right paints for you. How do you know if the paint has a strong pigment or if it can blend well with other colors? Most of the time, you have to spend money on the paints before you know what the quality is truly like, which can result in you taking a risk of possibly wasting your money on a sub-par product.So, how do you choose the right acrylic paints? We think it’s best to rely on professionals for advice. At Cheap Joe’s Art Stuff, our mission is to deliver you the best quality products for the best value. And we believe that American Journey Artists’ Acrylics are some of the best acrylic paints on the market today! American Journey products have been a staple at Cheap Joe’s Art Stuff since 1998 for two very good reasons: Their quality never fails, and their value is unmatched. American Journey produces a wide variety of art supplies, including high-quality brushes, sketchbooks, watercolor sticks, palettes, mediums, and even studio furniture. But their Artists’ Acrylic paints are truly the showstoppers of the brand. Their vibrant, concentrated formulas deliver stunning pigments that don’t dull when color-mixing and perform beautifully on paper and canvas. +V373 Pigment Quality and Paint Characteristics The most important characteristic of acrylic paints is the quality and number of pigments used in the formula. Premium acrylic paints ideally contain only one pigment. The fewer pigments in a paint, the easier it will be to mix colors. If acrylics contain two or more pigments, mixing the paints can risk blending all three primary colors, creating a dull brown shade. Therefore, over half of the American Journey acrylics are single-pigment paints. This makes color-mixing simple and stress-free! The American Journey Acrylic Paint formula contains a unique blend of acrylic polymer emulsion, which gives the paint a high viscosity, leaving a flexible finish when dry. The pigments are finely-ground and “mill-strength,” which gives the acrylics an especially high tinting strength. This high-tinting strength means less paint is needed to cover a surface, and they will retain their vibrant color when mixed with white to lighten. All 60 shades come packaged in air-tight collapsible aluminum tubes and are available in 60 or 150 ml.Here are some noticeable qualities we found when working with the American Journey Artists’ Acrylics:1. The paints have a smooth, creamy texture when wet2. The acrylics dry fast and remain flexible when dry to prevent cracking3. The pure pigments create an easy mixing process4. The colors dry evenly5. The paints have a moderate sheen when used in full strength6. The sheen was reduced when mixed with Tint White7. Tint White is good for mixing; Titanium White is good for covering One of the best ways that we can demonstrate the quality of these acrylic paints is by creating a complete color swatch chart. Using all 60 American Journey colors, we created a color chart using the paints at their full strengths and then again at a 50% lightened version. Our eventual goal is to create such a chart for each of our paint lines, to be used as a visual tool for our customers. Having a color chart to reference when painting can be invaluable. Use the step-by-step instructions below to create your own color chart! Creating a Color Chart All paint brands use different formulas, so their paints will perform differently. Having a visual aid that displays each shade and its lightened version can be very helpful when trying out new paints or re-using old favorites. Here is an example of how to make a color chart using American Journey Artists’ Acrylics:Necessary Supplies:• 60 Tubes of American Journey Artists’ Acrylics• 18 x 24 Joe’s Prime Extra Fine Art Board• Joe Miller Signature Series Gesso• Richeson Grey Matters 12 x 16 Paper Palette• ½ Inch Flat American Journey Interlocked Synthetic Brush• #81 Cheap Joe’s Painting Knife• Yupo Watercolor Paper• X-Acto Gripster KnifePreparation: Apply three coats of the Signature Series Gesso to the Prime Extra Fine Art Board, letting each layer dry in between. Alternate directions of the coats to minimize brush strokes. To fit all 60 shades on the art board, they should be arranged in 12 rows of 5 colors each. To minimize pencil lines on the board, create a placement template out of Yupo Watercolor Paper using a ruler and an X-Acto Gripster Knife. The paper template should have five 2” long by 1” tall swatch areas cut out. There should be ½ inches between the rows. Painting: Begin squeezing small amounts of the American Journey Artists’ Acrylic Paints onto the Richeson Grey Matters Paper Palette. Only use a few colors at a time so they don’t dry out while you’re mixing. Use the 1/2-inch flat brush to swatch the true color on half of the swatch area. Then using the #81 Painting Knife, mix a 1:1 ratio of the color with Tint White to show the tinting strength of each color. Swatch the lightened mixture on the other half of the swatch area. Each swatch area should represent a single color: the true shade and a 50% lightened version. Continue mixing and painting swatches of each color until the board is filled. You can arrange the colors in any way that suits your style best. We used a typical color family sequence, similar to the color wheel, starting with bright yellow and ending with neutrals and black and whites. When you are finished with the swatches, let the paint dry completely. Then add names and item numbers to each swatch for reference. A swatch is only helpful if you know which color it is!
Why Should You Try American Journey Acrylic Pai...
With the sheer volume of acrylic paints on the market, it can be frustrating and expensive to find the right paints for you. How do you know if the paint...
Five Unexpected Health Benefits of Being Creative
I must study politics and war, that our sons (and daughters) may have liberty to study mathematics and philosophy. Our sons (and daughters) ought to study mathematics and philosophy, geography, natural history and naval architecture, navigation, commerce and agriculture in order to give their children a right to study painting, poetry, music, architecture, statuary, tapestry and porcelain.” From the Letters of John Adams, Addressed to His Wife - May 12, 1780
Five Unexpected Health Benefits of Being Creative
I must study politics and war, that our sons (and daughters) may have liberty to study mathematics and philosophy. Our sons (and daughters) ought to study mathematics and philosophy, geography,...
Create Captivating Art by Understanding How You...
Understanding how to hold and direct your viewer’s attention is an important part of the design. When you’ve trained your eye to follow the visual forces in your painting, you can begin to design your paintings in a more creative way
Create Captivating Art by Understanding How You...
Understanding how to hold and direct your viewer’s attention is an important part of the design. When you’ve trained your eye to follow the visual forces in your painting, you...
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