In the Studio

I have yet to discover a good, affordable brush. I can, however, tell you what brand NOT to buy. Don't buy Blick's acrylic brushes because they are terrible. As soon as you use them they completely lose shape and the hairs get all frayed and look as if they've been used for years. The quality is about the same as a set of student brushes I bought for a children's party. But the Blick brand was much more expensive. In fact one of my favorite brushes to use is a cheap flat brus

I stumbled on Heidi Annalise's tiny art out of old Altoids tin boxes and became completely enamored. I was intrigued with Annalise's method because she uses oil which is similar to acrylic, the medium I use. She shows how to make one of these tins in this article, where she also gives credit to the amazing artist Glenn Dean, where she got the idea from. Using an Altoid tin for a travel paint kit is a pretty common concept for watercolorists. You can find tons of information o

When I have some free time, I like to watch art technique videos on YouTube and one of my favorites is Jane Davies. She offers paid online workshops as well but, her long list of free YouTube videos are extremely helpful and cover a wide range of topics. She focuses on everything from mixing colors to collage techniques to mono printing. Her medium is mostly acrylics and her style is very free and abstract. I like how her videos are simple and easy to follow. Even if your sty

If you have a membership to Costco, it's a great resource for artist who want to sell cards of their paintings. I used it to make a batch of cards that I can sell during the holidays as well as at the Fremont Art Association. It's very simple and the quality of the prints are pretty good. Go to Costco Photo Center and create an account. I know, I know, another account! But, it's worth it because you can then save your projects. You can use their service to create a variety of

If you use photos as a reference to paint, it is very helpful to do a little editing with the source before you start painting. You don't need Photoshop to do this, you can use the Photos app on a Mac to do some simple changes that will make a big difference. Start with an image that you are interested in painting and then go to the Edit button on the top right corner. In the editing window, I almost always do three things right away, crop, enhance and filter/adjust. Cropping

If you've read the book The Artist's Way, then you know the idea of taking yourself on an art date. One of my favorite places in the Bay Area for an art date is the San Jose Art Museum. I love this museum because it's small. The main exhibits are on two floors and there are usually only three or four exhibitions going on at once. Because it's small you can see the entire museum in a couple hours and then treat yourself to a nice meal in the museum or at a nearby local restaur

When I first started painting, mixing colors was one the most frustrating challenges. I didn't know what I was doing so, I was wasting a lot of paint. I understood the basics of the color wheel but, I couldn't get the more elegant and sophisticated colors that I wanted. Especially when working on a landscape, a particular shade of green or brown could really change the intent of the painting. I started looking for books and classes and over time, every little bit of advice he

If you've never seen one of Teoh Yi Chie's videos, definitely go check it out. He's a youtuber and blogger who puts out tons of videos and blog posts about on-site sketching, reviews of art books and materials, tips for painting and drawing and a variety of other interesting art related videos. His videos are consistent, informative and well-edited. The big bonus is that he's likable and has a calm, relatable personality. I also enjoy that his videos are in Singapore so I get